Facebook and Google Tighter Control in Australia
Australia’s competition watchdog on Friday recommended tighter controls on the use of personal data and measures to ease Facebook and Google‘s dominance of online advertising among a slew of measures to better police the internet giants.
Intensifying the global drumbeat of calls to regulate some of the 21st century’s biggest corporate titans, Australia’s government said it would take the watchdog’s 23 recommendations and propose regulation by the end of the year.
Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg welcomed the report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, although it was unclear which of the recommendations the government may implement.
“They need to be held to account and their activities need to be more transparent,” Frydenberg said as the report was unveiled.
The world has never before seen so much commercially sensitive and personal data collected and aggregated in just two companies, he added.
The watchdog said it is estimated that 17 million Australians use Facebook each month and spend an average of 30 minutes on the platform a day, while 98 percent of Australian mobile searches use Google.