This paper is designed to provide a briefing for public interest organisations around recent movements on, and opportunities, for digital regulation in Australia. It lays out Reset.Tech’s perspectives …
This policy briefing reflects discussions held at a roundtable of 21 experts from academia and civil society in March 2024, where we explored the opportunities and challenges of introducing a duty of …
Note: This statement was updated on the 16th April following a request from DIGI to make explicit that the complaints sub-committee made the decision and is “independent” from DIGI. DIGI would also …
This policy briefing reflects discussions held at a roundtable of 20 experts from academia and civil society in March 2024, where we explored the opportunities and challenges to regulate for …
In November of 2023, we wrote to Meta’s Australian office with our concerns about a statement in their last Transparency Report. We asserted that Meta made a potentially misleading statement about …
Many of the systems and elements that platforms build into their products create safety risks for end-users. However, only a very modest selection have been identified for regulatory scrutiny. As the …
Youth Radicalisation on YouTube Shorts: a live experiment Aruna Anderson, Rys Farthing, & Alice Dawkins
Reset.Tech Australia was recently invited to present research to a Ministerial Summit on youth …
Reset.Tech Australia submitted to the Government’s consultation regarding the Basic Online Safety Expectations in the Online Safety Act. Our submission provides general feedback on Australia’s online …
This policy briefing reflects discussions from a roundtable of 22 policy experts on January 25th 2024. The event was held under the Chatham House Rule. The discussion was prompted by proposals put …
This paper explores the proposal of prohibiting targeting towards children unless it is in their best interests (Proposal 20.6 of the Privacy Act Review Report). It aims to contribute to the emerging …
We’re delighted to share our highlights from 2023. Here’s a preview of our significant achievements:
Launched the first-ever complaint under the Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and …
On Dec 13 2023, Reset.Tech Australia and the Alannah and Madeline Foundation participated in the consultation regarding the development of the Industry Standards for Class 1A & 1B Material for …
Reset.Tech Australia is delighted to see Government support today for the ACCC’s recommendations. A brave and bold digital competition regime that works for Australians needs to be cognisant of the …
This report documents the nature of some of the more troubling consumer manipulation practices currently occurring in Australia. It explores how targeted advertising affects people who gamble, consume …
Reset.Tech Australia welcomes the decision of the Complaints Sub-Committee to revoke the signatory status of X, formerly known as Twitter, from the Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and …
This report summarises a policy roundtable held with 15 experts, unpacking legislative and regulatory interventions around misinformation and disinformation in the context of the Combatting …
The proposal in the Privacy Act Review is to prohibit targeting to a child, with an exception for targeting that is in the child’s best interests. This is consistent with an emerging trend to apply …
Content moderation on social media can result in the removal, demotion or labelling of content that platforms deem to have violated their rules. Moderation is an important tool in mitigating systemic …
Digital platforms are shaping the landscape of Australian political discourse. While significant attention is rightly paid to how platforms influence political discourse through content moderation and …
Dear Mr Keene,
Re: Concern that recent changes to your user-reporting systems may have left Australian users unable to report electoral misinformation weeks away from a referendum We write to report …
There are significant gaps in Australia’s regulatory framework when it comes to electoral misinformation and disinformation served through paid-for advertising. This creates notable vulnerabilities in …
This policy briefing reflects discussions held in a roundtable of 16 policy experts around privacy, human rights and consumer law on the 4th September 2023. The event was held under Chatham House …
Targeted advertising—known elsewhere as behavioural advertising, personalised advertising, or surveillance advertising—is in the crosshairs of Australian lawmakers. Draft legislation is expected from …
This rapid investigation set out to explore whether platforms remove electoral process misinformation when they are made aware of it via user-reporting. We found, reported and monitored a small number …
Reset.Tech Australia submitted to the Government’s consultation on safe and responsible AI. Our submission provided general feedback to the proposed framework, and responses to the following …
Young people hold nuanced and sophisticated understandings about what privacy means in a digital context. They see online privacy as a right, but a right that is frequently and routinely violated. …
In May 2023, Reset.Tech hosted an expert roundtable discussion unpacking the capacity of the consent model to improve the digital world. We explored both the principles underpinning of the consent …
Reset.Tech Australia supported a group of young people to draft their own submission to Senate Standing Committee on Economics’ Inquiry into the Influence of Digital Platforms, with regards to the use …
In May 2023, Reset.Tech Australia was invited to give evidence to the Senate Inquiry into the Administration of the referendum into an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. We have included a …
On 16 February 2023, the Attorney-General publicly released the Privacy Act Review Report.
The Privacy Act Review Report was informed by feedback received in response to an Issues Paper released in …
On the 28th March 2023, Reset.Tech was invited to present at the Tech Policy Futures forum at Parliament House, speaking alongside regulators, Members of Parliament, and industry leaders.
Good …
In February 2023, the Senate Economic Reference Committee called for submissions to an inquiry on international, digital platforms operated by ‘Big Tech’ companies.
Reset.Tech Australia’s response …
Australia should be the safest place in the world to go online, but it is not. Australia’s reliance on self- and co-regulation has played a big part in this failure. ‘Co-regulation’ allows industry to …
New research from Human Rights Watch has demonstrated the need for new Government commitments to improving online protections and privacy for young people.
The research explores the EdTech apps and …
On 2 May 2022, in collaboration with leading academics with expertise in mis- and disinformation, cyber abuse, and other online harms, Reset Australia sent Meta an open letter with 24 questions about …
This briefing highlights key details of whistleblower revelations about Facebook’s unprecedented tactical response to the development of Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code in February 2021, and …
Following today’s shocking revelations about the behaviour of Facebook during negotiations of the News Media Bargaining Code, Reset Australia is calling for a radical overhaul of Big Tech regulation. …
As Australia implements much needed digital regulation on a number of issues, there is a need to ensure policy initiatives are joined up and coherent. To avoid creating inconsistencies and gaps, and …
Executive Summary: The News Media and Digital Platform Mandatory Bargaining Code (the ‘Code’) was a world-first introduction of laws compelling digital platforms to pay publishers hosting their …
The 2022 Federal Election is now underway. It is imperative that Australian democracy is protected from mis- and disinformation and hate speech that polarises and divides our communities, and alters …
Executive Summary This research documents how YouTube’s algorithms contribute to promoting misogynistic, anti-feminist and other extremist content to Australian boys and young men. Using experimental …
Reset Australia has again highlighted the need for the introduction of a Privacy Code for children and teens after Instagram is caught promoting and profiting from underage eating disorder content. …
Introduction Disinformation has fundamentally altered the functioning of our public square and our democracy. Increasingly, fair and factual debate is a rarity.
The spread of information intended to …
The recent High Court case Fairfax Media Publications vs Voller has created considerable uncertainty for Australian social media users and we welcome a legislative response to this.
The Social Media …
Facebook claimed to no longer be using young people’s data to target them with ads, but was caught still harvesting teenagers’ data to serve them stalker ads.
In April, a report by Reset Australia …
Social media can be a toxic place. Pinning anonymity as the problem, our Prime Minister went on the record saying social media was ‘filled with cowards who go anonymously onto social media and vilify …
New polling, which reveals for the first time what kind of data protection Australian teenagers want to see, comes in anticipation of the government’s own review of the Privacy Act.
Key findings from …
This report explores TikTok’s data collection and use practices, as an example of how social media handles children’s data. It explores the consent and sign up process for children and young people, …
Reset Australia is demanding greater transparency about how Facebook’s algorithms work, as a new report shows users are still being pushed towards anti-vaccination and COVID-19 misinformation on the …
This report describes how young people experience the sign-up process and terms and conditions of some popular digital platforms. While they are easy to skip over, terms and conditions (T&Cs) are …
Apps popular with kids, including the likes of Tik Tok, Instagram, and Snapchat, have such confusing terms of use that users need a university degree to understand what they’re signing up to, a new …
‘Anti-vaxx’ and vaccine hesitant content is both easily accessible on the leading social media platforms in Australia and on the rise.
Controversy around leading public figures such as Pete Evans and …
The number of Australians following public anti-vaxx Facebook groups grew nearly 300% during the pandemic, Reset Australia has found, in direct correlation with Australia’s rising vaccine hesitancy …
This report explores how social media platforms profile young people for advertising purposes, and highlights how out of step with community expectations this practice is.
Previous research has shown …
Reset Australia would like to thank the Australian Competition and Consumer Commision (ACCC) for the opportunity to input into the Digital advertising services inquiry Interim Report. We commend the …
The code of practice launched by the Digital Industry Group (DIGI) today is pointless and should be replaced by an independent public regulator with the power to inspect and audit algorithms, …
Facebook’s decision to pull news from its Australian users reveals just how little the platform cares about stopping misinformation, says Reset Australia.
“Facebook blocking news in the middle of a …
Reset Australia is an independent, non-partisan organisation committed to driving public policy advocacy, research, and civic engagement to strengthen our democracy within the context of technology. …
To: Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS)
From: Reset Australia
Reset Australia would like to thank PJCIS for the opportunity to input on the inquiry into extremist …
Who we are Reset Australia is an independent, non-partisan organisation committed to driving public policy advocacy, research, and civic engagement to strengthen our democracy within the context of …
A newly formed coalition of health and technology experts is calling on the Australian Parliament to force Big Tech companies to reveal the true extent of COVID-19 misinformation.
In a letter sent to …
Read by Matt Nguyen
First, we at Reset Australia would like to thank all the Senators for their time, and the opportunity to share our thoughts on this world-leading legislative agenda.
Reset …
Australians fear unchecked misinformation online could derail our COVID-19 vaccination efforts, and want to see greater transparency about the extent of the problem, new polling has found.
Reset …
Google and Facebook’s voluntary disinformation code doesn’t offer Australians any real protections from the effects of dangerous and false information online, say Reset Australia.
ACMA asked the …
To: DIGI
From: Reset Australia
Reset Australia would like to thank DIGI for the opportunity to input on the proposed Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation.
Reset Australia is an independent, …
To: Attorney-General’s Department
From: Reset Australia
Reset Australia would like to thank the Attorney-General’s Department for the opportunity to input on the Review of the Privacy Act 1988.
Reset …
It is important to highlight that this survey was conducted at the start of 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns which saw usage of digital platforms across Australia …
Reset Australia formerly operated under the name Responsible Technology Australia.
Responsible Technology Australia (RTA) would like to thank the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) …
Reset Australia formerly operated under the name Responsible Technology Australia.
Facebook reviewed and approved advertisements which targeted Australians with misinformation about coronavirus, as …
The focus of this submission is to highlight the central role the digital platforms play in facilitating foreign interference in Australian democracy. Whilst preventing the actions of foreign …
Reset Australia formerly operated under the name Responsible Technology Australia.
Responsible Technology Australia (RTA) would like to thank the Australian Government for the opportunity to input on …
Reset Australia formerly operated under the name Responsible Technology Australia.
To: The Treasury - The Australian Government
From: Responsible Technology Australia
Responsible Technology Australia …
Reset Australia formerly operated under the name Responsible Technology Australia.
To: Parliament Of Australia - Joint Standing Committee On Electoral Matters
From: Responsible Technology Australia …