To Ward Off Regulation, Social Platforms Agree to Self-Police Content

To enhance online safety, Meta (parent company of Facebook and Instagram), Google (parent of YouTube), TikTok, Amazon (parent of Twitch) and Twitter agreed to regulate harmful online content in New Zealand today. The tech companies, all of which worked on the initial draft, signed the Aotearoa New Zealand Code of Practice for Online Safety and Harms. The code requires these companies to actively reduce harmful content on their platforms, said government-funded internet safety group Netsafe in a statement. During the Covid-19 pandemic, “there was a spike of more than 25% of harmful content reports [on digital platforms],” said Netsafe CEO Brent Carey in a statement to Adweek. “There are too many Kiwis being bullied, harassed and abused online, which is why the industry has rallied together to protect users.” Recently spurred by the EU’s Digital Markets Act, Google altered its billing policy to allow non-gaming app developers to use a rival payment option on its Android operating system. As stronger global regulations aim to rein in Big Tech, this latest move by digital gatekeepers comes as an alternative to some of these tough regulations and is expected to continue, according to sources. “In the absence of real competition for these gatekeepers, the industry is left relying on the threat of regulations,” said Jason Kint, CEO of nonprofit trade association Digital Content Next. “Going forward, policymakers around the world are watching each other and increasingly looking at structural and behavioral remedies to increase competition and cut down on anticompetitive practices.” What does the code entail? The code aims to regulate seven topics across digital platforms, including child sexual exploitation and abuse; bullying and harassment; hate speech; incitement of violence; violent and graphic content; misinformation; and disinformation. Built on several standards across Europe, New Zealand and Australia, such as the EU Code of Practice and Disinformation and the Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation, most digital platforms that have signed this code in New Zealand are already signatories to or members of other standards. Industry lobby group NZTech will hold these companies accountable by curbing harmful content online and reporting on how Big Tech is doing so, and supporting independent evaluation results. “On top of being closely evaluated, each company will publish annual reports about their progress in adherence with the code, be subject to sanctions for breaches of their code commitments and take part in a public complaint’s mechanism,” Carey said. According to NZTech CEO Graeme Muller, the code is a living document that can be amended biannually. “We hope the governance framework will enable it to evolve alongside local conditions, while at the same time respecting the fundamental rights of freedom of expression,” he said. Twitter, Meta, TikTok and Google did not respond to a request for comment. ‘Bill Could Threaten Californians:’ States Retaliate as the Federal Privacy Bill Advances