Regulators from Australia, Fiji, Ireland and the United Kingdom are joining forces to encourage and coordinate global efforts to make the online world a safer place.
The new Global Online Safety Regulators Network is a collaboration between online safety regulators – Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Fiji’s Online Safety Commission and Ofcom in the UK – with support from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.
The network will be formally launched at the Family Online Safety Institute Conference in Washington DC today.
“I’ve always believed the future of effective online safety regulation would involve a network of global regulators working together to make the online world a safer place for everyone,” Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.
“Today’s announcement is the first step in making that future a reality.”
Commissioner Grant said the network will also help to avoid the risk of a “global splinternet” of inconsistent regulation by setting out a clearer and more consistent international framework for the digital industry to follow.
The network will pave the way for a coherent international approach to online safety regulation as it allows regulators to share information, experience and best practices.
Members will share a commitment to act independently of commercial and political influence, as well as to human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Mary Motofaga, A/g Commissioner, Fiji’s Online Safety Commission A/g Commissioner Mary Motofaga states the Global Online Safety Regulators Network offers a great opportunity for collaboration with international stakeholders.
“For a Pacific country as geographically remote and culturally rich as Fiji, the Global Online Safety Regulators Network offers a great opportunity for members to share information, discuss and address challenges such as cross-border complaints and acknowledging cultural diversity,” she said.
The Network is being set up at a time of rapid evolution in the global digital landscape and a greater focus on online safety issues from governments, industry and citizens alike.
This includes recent legislative reforms like Australia’s Online Safety Act 2021, Fiji’s Online Safety Act 2018, the UK’s Online Safety Bill, Ireland’s Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022 and the European Union’s Digital Services Act, as well as online safety reform work underway in Canada, New Zealand and Singapore.
Senior representatives from the four founders of the Network said that with a number of global online safety regulators now being established around the world, the time is right to link up, learn from each other, and look at new ways of working together to counter a range of online harms.
“We’re looking forward to extending regulation powers so we can protect more people from serious harm while continuing to champion the great things about being online,” Ofcom UK’s Chief Executive Dame Melanie Dawes said.
“Strong global cooperation and consistency will be key to that.”
Source: eSafety Commissioner media release. Content has been edited for style and length.