Digital consumers Archives - Consumers' Federation of Australia

27 November , 2023

Expansion of Digital Platforms Demonstrates “critical need for regulatory reform”

Digital platforms with significant market power can use practices like bundling or tying of products, pre-installation and default settings to limit customer choice or deter innovation from competitors.
“Australians increasingly use digital platforms for work, study and play and can benefit from their wide range of interconnected products and services. While the size and scale of digital platforms alone does not raise concern, there is a risk that this expansion may be driven by a desire from digital platforms to entrench or extend their market power,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

3 November , 2023

ACCC Urges Consumers to Shop Around for NBN Deals, Retailers on Notice

“We are concerned where we see advertising by NBN retailers that suggests households need to be on 50 Mbps or even 100 Mbps plans to stream multiple shows at once, when a less expensive plan may be sufficient. Of course, some households may have a preference for the higher speed tiers, but we want to make sure that customers have clear and accurate information to guide their decisions.”
As a result of these changes, the maximum wholesale prices for some NBN speed tiers will initially reduce, including prices for the most affordable services, while some others will increase. For instance, the wholesale prices for the 100 Mbps and 25 Mbps speed tiers will initially decrease, while the wholesale price for the 50 Mbps speed tier will increase.

30 October , 2023

Initial Report and Recommendations from the First Nations Digital Inclusion Published

Digital inclusion is a deeply complex issue, with access, affordability and digital ability all playing a role in the extent to which First Nations people and communities are digitally included.

Digital inclusion enables a range of benefits, including supporting economic participation, access to government services, social connectedness, and enjoyment of entertainment and leisure activities.

25 October , 2023

Over 20 Advocates and Researchers Call for Urgent Privacy Reform

“We know all too well the harm that inadequate privacy protections cause. Gambling companies hound at-risk people with targeted advertising, data brokers sell our information without consent, and automated systems discriminate against marginalised people. We’ve also seen millions of consumers harmed by data breaches when businesses store too much personal information,” says CHOICE Senior Campaigns and Policy Advisor, Rafi Alam.

27 September , 2023

Scam Ads ‘Rife’ on Digital Platforms as Social Media Platforms Fail to Act

“Digital platforms have vast resources and technical capabilities to detect and prevent scams, but without mandatory rules backed by strong civil penalties, companies will continue to have little incentive to protect people.”

19 September , 2023

Accessibility Best Practice Guide

Access to information, goods, and services are fundamental to consumer education, protection, advocacy, and rights. The importance of access and how some people are left out is something that is crucial to discussions about metropolitan areas as compared to rural and remote areas, where access to many goods and services can be limited and potentially…

30 June , 2023

ACCAN Awards Seven New Communications Consumer Grants

Australia’s peak communications consumer advocacy group, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), has today announced 7 projects that it will fund through the 2023 Round of its Independent Grants Program.

2 June , 2023

Consultation Opens on Artificial Intelligence

AI is a rapidly growing area and increasingly relevant to our everyday lives – both positively and negatively. The Australian Federal Government has now opened consultation on the safe and responsible use of AI.

1 June , 2023

eSafety Commissioner Accepts Some, Rejects Others in World-First Industry Codes

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has made the decision not to register two of eight online safety codes drafted by the online industry as they fail to provide appropriate community safeguards to deal with illegal and harmful content online.

Image 15 May , 2023

National Anti-Scam Centre Welcomed by ACCCC and CHOICE

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and CHOICE, along with other consumer advocacy organisations, have welcomed the Australian Governments commitment of $58 million for the establishment and running of the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) to be implemented over the next two years.

Image 29 April , 2023

ACCC Social Media Report Finds Consumers and Small Businesses Require More Protections

The ACCC has highlighted a range of harms to consumers and small businesses occurring across social media services, including excessive data collection practices, lack of effective dispute resolution options, prevalence of scams, lack of transparency for advertisers and inadequate disclosure of sponsored content by influencers and brands.

Image 19 April , 2023

ACCC Calls for United Front as Scammers Steal Over $3bn from Australians

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has just released its 2022 Targeting Scams report in which it found an 80% increase in total losses compared to 2021. Using data from regulators and government agencies, the report highlights the need for further collaboration between government bodies, banks, regulators, telcos, and digital platforms to close “significant…