The federal government will give the media regulator new legislative powers in an attempt to reduce the spread of misinformation and disinformation on global technology platforms such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.“A new and graduated set of powers will enable the [Australian Communications and Media Authority] to monitor efforts and compel digital platforms to do more, placing Australia at the forefront in tackling harmful online misinformation and disinformation.”Under the proposed laws, which are expected to be legislated by the end of this year, the ACMA will have the power legally to request information from tech platforms such as Meta, Google and Twitter such as data on complaints handling and how they manage the spread of harmful content.Under the code, misinformation is defined as false or misleading information that is likely to cause harm, while disinformation is false or misleading information that is distributed by users via spam and bots.The voluntary code was established at the request of the federal government following the release of an inquiry into the market power of digital platforms and was signed by tech companies including Google, Meta, Twitter, Microsoft and viral video site TikTok.This was exacerbated again with the proliferation of harmful content when Russia invaded Ukraine."