Some of the world’s biggest tech giants are due to appear before a House of Representatives select committee which is looking into online safety.
Representatives from Google, TikTok, Meta, and Twitter will front the Select Committee on Social Media and Online Safety today and tomorrow.
The committee is looking into issues such as the impacts of online harms on the mental health and wellbeing of Australians, the the effectiveness, take-up and impact of industry measures, including safety features, controls, protections and settings, to keep Australians safe.
The committee is also looking into the collection and use of relevant data by industry in a safe, private and secure manner.
Committee chair Lucy Wicks MP says the public hearings with the tech giants will allow the committee to scrutinise the industry’s response to online harms and abuse faced by Australians.
“The Committee’s early hearings received powerful evidence from people who have experienced different types of online harm, and in these hearings the Committee can examine how the industry intends to move forward and protect its users,” Wicks says.
Groups such as the Digital Industry Group, Reset Australia, and the Centre for Digital Wellbeing will also be heard across the two days, as well as academics, researchers and government agencies.
The committee is expected to table its final report in parliament by 15 February.
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