Users rap unsocial pressure
Digital inquiry hears of duress in terms and conditions
AUSTRALIAN social media users felt like they were forced to hand over personal information “under duress,” worried their children’s data was being used inappropriately and were concerned social networks were spreading fake news while threatening tra- ditional journalism, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission heard yesterday.
The responses came at the first ACCC forum in its digital platforms inquiry into the impact of global tech giants on Australian advertising.
Inquiry general manager Kate Reader said the forum was designed to work out which platforms were being used to deliver news, and if Australians felt pressure to sign up to social networks, search engines and other digital services even “if they were unhappy” with how their information was being collected and shared.
While the Melbourne forum attracted a modest audience, many participants shared media and deepening concerns about how companies such as Facebook, Yahoo and Google were distributing and trading in their personal information, and expressed fears they had no choice but to accept technical conditions and privacy policies.
A university student told the ACCC commissioners he did not have a choice but to sign up to Facebook’s policies to keep up with events scheduled for his course, while another man said he felt pressured to accept the social net- work’s terms even though he could not understand them.
“Often when we’re asked to agree to Facebook conditions, it’s under duress,” he said. “No one has time to read the weasel print. Each time they disclose information to their partners, do I get an email about that? It’s not really disclosed.”
A privacy advocate said even she felt like Facebook did not seek informed consent from its users before they joined its social network and they could not opt out if they did not agree with them.
“A lot of terms and conditions are take-it-or-leave-it,” she said. “Consumers feel like they don’t have a lot of control over their data. They still end up accepting the policies because they really don’t feel like they have a choice.”
Other participants said they were concerned social networks were creating “filter bubbles” by letting algorithms serve up one-sided news rather than a complete picture of the day’s events.
The ACCC will hold two more public forums this year, and will submit its preliminary report into digital platforms on December 3, followed by a final report by June next year.