Support and protect independent media and journalists, and ensure freedom of political communication and scrutiny of government officials online.
Science & TechnologyMedia
Media · The Democrats’ planDemocracy needs referees, not just feeds.
TV was still the most popular news source in 2024, but it dropped to 56 per cent while social media news rose to 49. Five companies — Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft — own the digital infrastructure and platforms that traffic runs on, and big tech is fighting regulation. Our plan backs independent journalism, makes the platforms transparent to consumers, and puts anticompetitive law to work on monopoly behaviour.
56% TV as a news source, 2024 Still the most popular source, but down — while social media news rose to 49 per cent.
2in 3 Gen Z whose main news source is social media Nearly two-thirds now rely on social media platforms as their main source of news — up 17 percentage points in a year.
5 Companies own the digital infrastructure Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft — platforms most of us now cannot do without.
17 Commitments in our plan Seventeen dot points under “Our Plan” — spanning media, e-safety, AI, cybersecurity and competition.
Who’s really in charge of the feed?
Three questions about the information you swim in.
The plan at a glance
Regulate social media platforms so they are transparent to consumers and protected from harm, support big tech whistleblowers, and guard against big tech funding and manipulating research on the harms to people.
Age-inappropriate content out of children’s feeds: the strongest privacy settings for minors by default, standardised and well-explained reporting across platforms, and AI used to detect bad actors attempting to interact with children.
Make it an offence for big tech to modify or use online content and data for other purposes such as AI development, without permission from the user, compensation or credits. Oppose mandatory Digital ID verification online; support encryption.
Use anticompetitive laws on the monopolistic behaviour of big tech — the kind of case that saw the EU fine Google more than €2.4 billion in 2017 — while funding open-source software and backing Australian startups with stronger protections for their intellectual property.
Who referees the feed?
The information ecosystem as it works now — and what our plan would change.
The feed — today
- Big tech fighting regulation, putting its businesses beyond the reach of governments
- Newspaper and TV businesses in steady decline as reliance on social media for news rises fast
- Real-time data used to estimate your preferences and predict your behaviour, on platforms that are not transparent to consumers
- Age-inappropriate content reaching children’s feeds, with reporting processes that differ from platform to platform
The referee — our plan
- Anticompetitive laws used on monopolistic behaviour, with open-source software funded and Australian startups protected
- Independent media and journalists supported, and scrutiny of government officials online protected
- Platforms required to be transparent to consumers, with big tech whistleblowers supported
- E-safety by design: strongest default privacy for minors, standardised reporting, AI detecting bad actors
The change that resets the whole bargain
Your content and data reused for other purposes such as AI development, without permission or payment
An offence for big tech to use your content or data without permission, compensation or credits
Everything else in this policy assumes the material in your feed belongs to someone. Our plan makes it an offence for big tech to modify or use online content and/or data for other purposes such as AI development, without permission from the user, compensation or credits — so the people who made it, from working journalists to ordinary posters, have to be asked, credited or paid rather than treated as raw material.
The full policy
Word for word — the platform as our members wrote it.
The Issues
Super rich tech broligarchy to rule the world?
Digitisation has allowed concentrations of big technology companies — Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft — amassing great wealth and influence through their ownership of digital infrastructure and platforms — a digital ecosystem that creates a self-perpetuating cycle of escalating returns to themselves. The paradox is that, despite knowing the costs and dangers to society, most of us cannot now do without these platforms.
Over time governments have weakened media rules and increased media concentration. Now big tech is fighting regulation, putting their businesses beyond the reach of state actors and challenging the authority, sovereignty and capacity of governments. Big tech and rogue political actors have worked together to undermine democracy, suppress criticism and weaken institutions. They can do this with their enormous market and financial resources thanks to billions of people using their platforms.
Tech companies collect real-time data to estimate user preferences and predict user behaviour, permitting targeted promotion strategies now extending into, for instance, health and education. Artificial intelligence is already accelerating the dominance of big tech.
Reliance on social media for news is increasing rapidly as newspaper and TV businesses steadily decline. TV is still the most popular news source in 2024 but it dropped to 56 per cent, while social media news rose to 49 per cent. Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z now rely on social media platforms as their main source of news.
The Public Interest Journalism Initiative warns:
In the past year, the reporting of and public discourse on, key domestic issues and global events has been polarised to an almost unprecedented degree, with a stark lack of analysis or accountability.
Our Plan
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Ensure freedom of political communication and scrutiny of government officials online
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Support and protect independent media and journalists
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Support big tech whistleblowers
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Support the development of safe and responsible AI in Australia, especially in industries with acute skills shortages, scientific research and healthcare
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Guard against big tech funding and manipulating research on the harms to people, as done by fossil fuel and tobacco companies
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Regulate social media platforms so they are transparent to consumers and protected from harm
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Encourage and fund open-source software
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Promote e-safety-by-design principles that eliminate age-inappropriate content from the feeds of children and:
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give minors the strongest privacy settings by default
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provide standardised, easily accessible and well-explained reporting processes across diverse platforms
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use AI to detect bad actors attempting to interact with children
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Develop high quality, child-centred evidence to define what is inappropriate material for children
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Invest in Australia’s cybersecurity capabilities, protect Australian businesses and take offensive action against organised online scam networks
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Make it an offence for big tech to modify or use online content and/or data for other purposes such as AI development, without permission from the user, compensation or credits
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Oppose mandatory Digital ID verification online, and support encryption
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Use anticompetitive laws for dealing with monopolistic behaviour of big tech
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Support Australian startups with stronger protections for intellectual property and against hostile practices from established industry players
The Evidence
The (Pew Centre) review also found that while use of digital media can increase citizen knowledge and boost low-level participation, it often damages trust in the political process and in democratic institutions such as parliaments, the judiciary, government departments, and the media. The review found an association between the use of digital media and increases in polarisation and the appeal of populism.
The Lowry Institute: Australia should look to other countries for means to hold big tech to account. Historically, the European Union has been a leader when it comes to taking up the legal fight against big tech. More than 20 years ago, the EU successfully prosecuted Microsoft for violating competition law. This was followed by other successful anticompetition law cases. For example, in 2017, the commission fined Google more than €2.4 billion for abusing its dominant position as a search engine. Last month the US District Court ruled Google had an illegal monopoly on online search. We must support Australia’s tech industry and start-ups and provide strong competition for big tech.
Findings from the Digital News Report, June 2024, by the University of Canberra’s News and Media Research Centre show that journalists are working in an increasingly challenging media environment, thanks to Artificial Intelligence and algorithms causing widespread unease. Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z report relying on social media as their main source of news — a significant increase of 17 percentage points since last year. However, as META dropped its news content in February 2024 the Federal Government’s News Media Bargaining Code was in tatters and yet another source of news disappeared. While some agreements were reached the Code remains practically inoperative.
References
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How Big Tech Undermines Democracy
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Promoting safe and responsible AI
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Australia’s AI Ethics Principles
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Future foundations for giving: Draft report, submission to the Productivity Commission
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News/Media Alliance statement on California Governor Newsom, Assembly member Wicks announcement with Google, ensuring tech platform pays for journalism
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Educating young people about social media would be far more effective than a ban — Finland can show us how
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Labor concerned Meta may ‘sidestep obligations to pay for news’ as media bargaining code fight reignites
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Freedom on the net 2024
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Transparency is essential for effective social media regulation
Make it happen.
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