Major victory for former Sunrise host David Koch as government proposes new law that could see companies handed $50MILLION fines
Social media platforms will have to take tougher action against scammers who use fake celebrity endorsements or fake news stories, or risk millions in fines.
Banks and telecommunications companies could also face extraordinary fines of up to $50 million if they allow scammers to defraud unsuspecting Australians, under tough new laws proposed by the Albanian government.
Deputy Finance Minister Stephen Jones is expected to publish the bill setting out the reforms on Friday, which he says will give Australians “the best protection in the world.” news.com.au reported.
The move is expected to please TV personality and former Sunrise presenter David Koch, who regularly explosions Meta and Facebook for failing to remove scam ads that used his image.
Along with billionaire Andrew Forrest and entrepreneur Dick Smith, Koch is involved in a 2022 lawsuit brought by the Australian Consumer & Competition Commission against Facebook owner Meta. Meta is accused of engaging in misleading behavior by allowing fraudulent ads.
Koch expressed frustration last year that the legal case had stalled while Australians were still being ripped off.
“I’m just shocked at what (the scams) do to ordinary people – it’s their entire life savings,” he said.
“If (Meta) has algorithms that can recognize inappropriate messages from customers on a platform, why don’t they have the same algorithms that can recognize inappropriate ads and content on their platforms?”
David Koch (pictured right with his wife Libby) has long campaigned to do more to stop scams that use his image as bait
The proposed new powers would allow the government to create sector-specific codes that impose an obligation to stop fraud.
Internal dispute resolution mechanisms should be accessible and transparent so that customers can use them if they fear they have been scammed.
A prescriptive Endpoint Detection and Response scheme is being introduced to regulate communications services in Australia.
“The Albanian government is doing everything it can to make Australia the world’s toughest target for fraudsters,” the assistant finance minister said.
‘We want to ensure that people here in Australia have the best protection anywhere in the world.
‘Australians are losing too much money to scams. We are in contrast to the international trend, where the number of scams is doubling every year, yet the losses are still far too high.’
Koch compared the scammers to “the new drug cartels” and urged platforms to compensate victims or stop such ads.
Anthony Albanese’s government has introduced new laws that could see companies fined millions if they don’t stop fraud
One example of the kind of scam messages Koch has long complained about is that Facebook in particular allows too much
“They are just there to financially defraud people and it is the boiler rooms in the Philippines or Eastern Europe that run all this,” Koch said.
‘It is the responsibility of the platforms to compensate people who have been scammed, or to prevent such advertisements from appearing on the platform.’
Koch previously admitted he was “devastated” when he learned his image had been illegally used to steal money from unsuspecting victims, including an Australian woman who lost $250,000 in a scam using his name.
“People who trust me and believe what I say, and look at me and say ‘wow, I’m taking some comfort in what this guy is saying’, then get scammed by a scammer from overseas,” he previously told Seven Spotlight.