Google and Google Australia misled consumers about its use of personal location data, according to Australia’s Federal Court in a landmark legal decision. Consumer watchdog the ACCC took Google to court in October 2019 over the use of location data collected through Android mobile devices between January 2017 and December 2018, in a world-first enforcement… Read more »
Access to Open Banking under the Consumer Data Right (CDR), introduced in Australia in July 2020, will be expanded next year to include more business customers after federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg approved the ACCC’s expansion plans for the roll out. From 1 November 2021, major banks will enable business customers to share their data with… Read more »
A marketing campaign by Kogan.com that the Federal Court declaring “false and misleading” has cost the online retailer $350,000 as well as legal costs. Competition regulator the ACCC launched legal action against Kogan.com last year over the 2018 “tax time savings” alleging that the company increased prices on 621 products, in most cases by at… Read more »
US tech pioneer Vint Cerf, the man dubbed “father of the internet” for his work co-designing TCP/IP protocols, has backed his employer, Google, in its fight against the Australian government’s plans to make tech giants Google and Facebook pay media companies for using their content. Cerf, who has worked for Google as a vice president and… Read more »
Accomodation comparison site Trivago has lost an appeal against a Federal Court finding that it misled consumer in its TV and online advertising. In January this year, the court found the German tech company, which is listed on the Nasdaq and operates in Australia, had breachedAustralian Consumer Law, in a case brought by competition watchdog the… Read more »
Consumer fintech FelixGroup (ASX: FXL) – rebranding under its BNPL name, Humm – has scored a major victory over the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in the fight for a slice of the renewable energy sector by buy now, pay later providers. The Australian Competition Tribunal issued a summary determination today rejecting the consumer… Read more »
Facebook’s threat to ban publishing and sharing of local new stories on its platform, as well as Instagram, is “ill-timed and misconceived” according to the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) chair Rod Sims. The ACCC has been charged by the government with shepherding the proposed “News media bargaining code” through to law. The proposed… Read more »
Have you used Google lately and been greeted by a yellow warning saying that the way Australians search on Google is under threat? To understand why these messages are appearing, Media Files interviewed former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Professor Allan Fels, and CEO of the Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI),… Read more »
Google Australia’s war of words over plans to make the company pay local media companies for news content, has continued today with a rebuttal of competition regulator the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC), which accused the global tech giant of “misinformation”. Google launched a campaign against the ACCC’s proposal for the so-called “News Media… Read more »
Plans by the Morrison government to make Google and Facebook pay local media companies for news content appear to have stirred a sleeping giant, with the global search engine publishing an open letter to Australians warning that their search data, and the company’s free services are at risk as a result. Competition regulator the Australian… Read more »
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has released its draft news media bargaining code, announced on Friday by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. The draft code allows commercial news businesses to bargain – individually or collectively – with Google and Facebook, in order to be paid for news the tech giants publish on their services. According to… Read more »
Google has been accused of misleading consumers over the use of their data from using the internet, with consumer watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launching legal action against the tech giant. The ACCC alleges Google failed to properly inform consumers, and did not gain their explicit informed consent, about its move in… Read more »
Reviews pre-written by companies and emailed to customers to endorse as a testimonial have cost online tradie marketplace Service Seeking $600,000 following legal action by the competition watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The Federal Court hit Service Seeking Pty Ltd with $600,000 in penalties for making false or misleading representations regarding business… Read more »
Advertising for end of financial year discounts by online retailer Kogan Australia Pty Ltd (Kogan) was false and misleading, in breach of Australian Consumer Law, the Federal Court has found. Consumer watchdog the ACCC, launched legal action against Kogan in May last year over the advertising campaign, which ran online between June 27-30, 2018, which… Read more »
Australian consumers can gain access to their banking data from Wednesday, July 1, to potentially save money on the cost of financial services with the phased launch of the Consumer Data Right. All four major banks are required to share a customer’s data, when they request it. The reform gives fintechs the potential to find… Read more »
Nearly 9000 taxi drivers just scored $152 million from Uber as compensation for its illegal launch in Australia 
Fresh from its $272 million win against Uber, class action lawyers Maurice Blackburn are now eyeing off Google’s adtech 
Zip cofounder Larry Diamond makes his exit to focus on philanthropy 
SISTER ACT: Nicola Forrest drops $100 million into an investment fund to back women 
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