It's high time Australian publishers got a fairer cut for the news they break that Facebook and Google then use to drive engagement. The federal government's ad revenue crackdown is to be commended, but real news isn't the only way the tech giants keep eyeballs glued to screens.
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Fake news - conspiracies, rumours, and myths concocted to look like authentic information - also keeps us logged on. And unlike the creators of rigorous, fact-checked news, the disseminators of fake news typically don't need to get paid for their content. Their reward comes from viral hits, people swallowing their myths, or by driving web traffic to their fake news sites.
So as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission prepares an expedited new code in July, it should consider whether forcing the tech giants to pay for real news could unintentionally incentivise the amplification of fake news.
After all, Facebook's algorithm doesn't care about quality. If it has to choose between directing a user to free fake news, or real news that the platform has to pay for - what might it pick?
Right now COVID-19 is emphatically underlining just how dangerous fake news is.
People are being sent fake news articles warning against seasonal flu shots, advocating for people to ignore the government's physical distancing rules, and alleging COVID-19 is a normal cold being exploited to force vaccinations and usher in a one-world government. One particularly virulent rumour is that the World Health Organisation, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch, and Big Pharma are in cahoots to hide digital nanoparticles in a new vaccine to be monitored by 5G stations.
A delay in seeing a celebrity bake sourdough is a small price to pay if it would slow the dissemination of a livestreamed massacre, or dangerous advice to drink bleach to cure the coronavirus.
This kind of fake news has led to 5G towers in the UK being vandalised and broken. Dr Anthony Fauci, the expert voice leading America's coronavirus response, is now under such threat from online conspiracy theorists he has extra security 24/7. Our own federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt, was forced to divert his attention from the health crisis to dispel claims of an imminent Australia-wide shutdown.
Digital platforms have made efforts to mitigate the damage. But their moves have been ad hoc and largely ineffective. So if the government wants to ensure real news outlets are paid, without giving fake news peddlers a boost, what could it do?
Firstly, it could use the mandatory code to demand transparency about the misinformation being spread on these platforms. As things stand, we actually have no idea how much fake news is out there.
That's because Facebook's algorithms funnel us into personalised bubbles to serve us content that affirms our own biases. My experience of Facebook is completely different to my neighbour's.
Looking at Facebook to see what's out there is a bit like understanding what's in a room by looking through a keyhole. A would-be terrorist being told to stop the spread of COVID-19 by attacking 5G towers may be sitting in the corner, but all you can see is your cousin's newborn and a viral TikTok about a new dance.
It doesn't have to be this way. The government should demand the platforms publish a live list of the most viral content on COVID-19 and other hot button topics.
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Through this list, public health authorities could begin to see trends for misinformation, and target truthful messaging where it's needed.
The public, meanwhile, could burst out of their filter bubbles and see the scale of misinformation. They could begin to foster a healthy scepticism and learn the difference between credible sources and fake news.
The new mandatory code should also include a measure which helps minimise the amplification of misinformation. While governments can stop international travel or enforce social distancing to limit a virus's spread, platforms have no inbuilt systems to slow the viral transmission of misinformation.
Other industries have levers to slow the consequence of rumour and misinformation. Financial markets can curb panic selling, for example. If a stock's price begins to drop dramatically, a circuit-breaker will trigger a trading halt.
Digital platforms need such circuit-breakers. Once a post begins to reach a viral level, it should trigger an amplification pause while it's checked. Users would continue to be able to post what they want, but algorithms wouldn't prioritise the post in other users' feeds until it was authenticated.
A delay in seeing a celebrity bake sourdough is a small price to pay if it would slow the dissemination of a livestreamed massacre, or dangerous advice to drink bleach to cure the coronavirus.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and the ACCC have shown they are unafraid to lead the world on digital platform regulation. The new legislation they introduce this year should not just support real news, but help stomp out the fake.
- Chris Cooper is executive director of Responsible Technology Australia, which advocates for the ethical progression of digital technology.
