OSC News Archives - Online Safety Commission Fiji

Global Online Safety Regulators Network Media Release

web_admin — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 00:54:46 +0000

Media Release

Embargoed until:
EST 17:00 / GMT 22:00 14 November 2022
AEDT 09:00 / FJT 10:00 15 November 2022

Regulators collaborate through new global network to counter online
harm

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 will be formally launched at the Family
Online Safety Institute Conference in Washington DC today.

The Network is a collaboration between the first movers in online safety regulation –
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Fiji’s Online Safety Commission and Ofcom in the UK –
with support from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.

The Network is intended to pave the way for a coherent international approach to online
safety regulation, by enabling new online safety 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

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.

Quotes attributable to Network founders

Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner:
“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.
Today’s announcement is the first step in making that future a reality.

“In 2015, we were the world’s only online safety regulator. Today, I’m happy to report that
this is no longer the case and online safety regulators are starting to pop up all over the
globe, backed by new laws ensuring providers of digital services are held to account.

“Our new 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 industry
to follow.”
Dame Melanie Dawes, Chief Executive, Ofcom, UK:
“Global companies don’t consider borders as barriers to their business models, and neither
should we when it comes to regulating them. If we’re going to help everyone from Melbourne
to Manchester enjoy a safer life online, countries need to collaborate and share their
experience and expertise. That’s why we’ve launched this Network.

“Ofcom has already shown that regulation can make a difference, after just one year of
oversight of UK video sites like TikTok, Snapchat and Twitch. We’re looking forward to
extending these powers so we can protect more people from serious harm while continuing
to champion the great things about being online. Strong global cooperation and consistency
will be key to that.”

Mary Motofaga, A/g Commissioner, Online Safety Commission, Fiji:
“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.

“Collaboration with our international stakeholders is crucial to achieving success because
the online space does not have any boundaries, and we are stronger together than apart.
“The Fijian Online Safety Commission looks forward to the launch of the Global Online
Safety Regulators Network as we work together to promote an inclusive and safe online
culture for all.”

Celene Craig, Chief Executive Officer, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland:
“The BAI has consistently pursued co-operation and partnership as tools in effective and
practical regulation. The development of the Global Online Safety Regulators Network is the
embodiment of this approach and the Network is committed to bringing together like-minded
independent regulators who are working together to foster best practice, share experiences
and expertise and co-ordinate regulatory approaches in the pursuit of a safe and equitable
online environment.

“While the BAI is not a regulator in online safety, it has contributed to this Network through
the online safety work it has undertaken regarding the transposition of the Audiovisual Media
Services Directive and the development of Ireland’s online safety and media regulation
regime. This work allows the BAI to have observer status in the Network.

“Online safety regulation in Ireland will soon come under the remit of a new body, Coimisiún
na Meán (the Media Commission) once the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill is
enacted into law. We hope that the preparatory work the BAI has undertaken in the
development of this Network and the valuable interactions with regulators operating in the
online safety space will assist our specialist online safety colleagues when the work of
Coimisiún na Meán commences next year.”

Media contacts
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner: media@esafety.gov.au or +61 439 519 684
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland: Joanne Ahern, joanne@dhr.ie or +353 87 9881837
Ofcom, United Kingdom: media.office@ofcom.org.uk or +44 300 123 1795.
Online Safety Commission, Fiji: info@osc.com.fj or +679 9906652

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Stakeholder Engagements

Anne Dunn — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 03:30:41 +0000

This week the Commission was part of a stakeholder exercise with UNDP. This is part of the UNDP Access to Justice programme.

The weeklong event gives participants and stakeholders the opportunity to learn from each other. In addition, colleagues shared action points for their communities. For instance, holding community awareness session with the villages and settlements in the area. In addition, continuing open dialogues.

Above all, it was very important for everyone to have a better understanding of what resources are available in Fiji. And how to better engage with communities.

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Online Safety Champions Pilot

Anne Dunn — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 09:00:01 +0000

A pilot programme to help us stay safe and secure online.

The Commission embarked on an online safety champions programme to help community members, parents, advocates and university students learn more about how they could be safe online during this lockdown period.

We can all feel how quickly we had to adapt to our “new normal” after the April wave of this pandemic. Many of us find ourselves working from home, helping our children with their online learning, and even picking up some new dance moves through these Tik Tok videos.

And it’s all fun and exciting but there are some things that seem to make us wonder about how safe we really are on these digital platforms. That is what this seven week programme was all about. Introducing participants to various topics such as image based abuse, gaming online, abhorrent content, keeping our children safe online and much more.

Throughout the programme, participants had the opportunity to engage with the Commission more effectively, meeting virtually once a week to learn or explore various topics, discuss their experiences, share information on the OSC Facebook page, and learn how to report to the OSC.

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Fiji and Australia Sharing Insights

Anne Dunn — Mon, 10 May 2021 23:13:53 +0000

In the spirit of the Vuvale partnership Fiji’s Online Safety Commission (OSC) and Australia’s Office of the eSafety Commissioner (OESC) have been working together in having lead roles in the online safety space in the Pacific.

In this video, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, and Fiji’s Online Safety Commissioner, Anne Dunn-Baleilevuka, had a vibrant online discussion on the partnership and online safety in general.

The Partnership is rooted on information sharing, research in the realm of online abuse and online safety materials thus paving the way in regulating the different online spaces and ultimately providing redress for online abuse for our citizens.

It is encouraging to see women taking leading roles in keeping our online space safe in a time where there is a rapid shift towards “being online.”

The Commissioner to Commissioner talk is a testament of this initiative from both the organizations through their respective Governments with the discussion ranging from producing online safety material in the different languages reflecting the multilingual nations and contextualizing online safety content specific to the two countries.

The Australian Commissioner Julie Inman Grant also address the issue of online bullying and how extensive its impact on mental health. Fiji’s Commissioner Anne Dunn-Baleilevuka stressed further how online bullying disseminated from the school setting well into early hours of the morning which could be devastating to a child. As pioneers into the field of online safety the lessons learnt would be the stepping stones for other nations as a way forward.

The spirit of Vuvale was emanating from the lively discussion thus strengthening the ties and ensuring that the respective organizations are adamant to work to better their nations as they move towards cultivating a safer, more inclusive, more respectful online experience. In the words of Julie Inman Grant (Commissioner OESC) “my home is your home.” Let’s all be safe online.

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New Regional Partner

Anne Dunn — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 14:00:18 +0000

17 February 2021

New Australian Alliance For A Safer Online Environment

Fiji’s Online Safety Commission has recently formed an allegiance with Australia’s Office of the eSafety Commissioner to tackle the growing concern of online abuse.
Supported by the Vuvale Partnership between the two nations through Australia’s Cyber Cooperation Program, the partnership will kick off with a Commissioner-to-Commissioner conversation about online safety and its impacts between the two nations.

The Online Safety Commissioner, Anne Dunn, said “Fiji and Australia share a commitment to creating a safe and empowering online culture among our citizens. In the absence of real-time content regulation from the social media companies, Fiji has taken on the responsibility of tracking online abuse and instituting a cultural shift towards safe online environments, and we are very keen to strengthen that effort with support from the Australian office of the eSafety Commissioner.”

As the country continues to rapidly increase in accessing technology and the online world, we must also take heed of extending the Bula Spirit we offer within our borders to the online communities we are a part of.
Australia’s High Commissioner to Fiji, John Feakes, said this partnership is an example of Australia’s strong commitment to its vuvale in Fiji to work together to keep our citizens safe while connecting with the online world.
“Working together to enable a safe and inclusive online environment will ensure that everyone can benefit from the opportunities digital connectivity provides.”

The aim of this cooperation is to utilise the wealth of experience of the Office of the eSafety Commissioner in online safety and best practices in collaboration with the Online Safety Commission to deliver specific initiatives with local content to help build and nurture online safety strategies that would strengthen our responses to online abuse.

End

For more information, contact (679) 9980231 or email info@osc.com.fj

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Safer Internet Day 2021

Anne Dunn — Sun, 09 Feb 2020 01:21:42 +0000

Safer Internet Day is celebrated around the world to spark intentional conversation around being safe online. This event started in the UK in 2004 and continues to grow as technology expands to our everyday lives. And next year we bring it closer to home with #fijiforsaferinternet.

2020 continues to remind us that the internet is here to stay. And Fiji is no different, individuals across the islands communicate with family and friends through online apps and the internet daily, we share photos, make and edit videos, and even search for some of the best entertainment on our mobile devices.

Safer Internet Day is a call to nations, businesses, NGOs, CSOs, and individuals to create a better and safer internet for all of us by being proactive and learning about the ways we can be responsible digital citizens today.

Join the conversation today and let us know how you are helping make the internet a safer place!

#fijiforsaferinternet #saferinternetdayfiji #fijisid21

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Partnership With Law Enforcement

Anne Dunn — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 17:05:51 +0000

14 January 2020

Commission & Law Enforcement Fight For Fiji’s Safer Online Environment

After a year of establishment, Fiji’s Online Safety Commission is excited to announce that they’ve signed a memorandum of understanding with Fiji’s law enforcement agency to better protect individuals online.

The online landscape for Fiji is growing rapidly. And individuals continue to use the internet, social media, and other online platforms as part of their daily life experiences. The Commission was established to provide a space for individuals to raise their concerns of online abuse and find an appropriate form of redress.

This memorandum of understanding with Fiji’s law enforcement is put together with the intention of finding the best suited resolution for each matter. It is expected to be a long standing collaboration between the two agencies to provide Fijians with an avenue of resolving online abuse such as online bullying, image based abuse and much more.

The aim of this opportunity is to work in collaboration to resolve serious online abuse and work towards a strategy for raising community awareness to be safe online.

It was also important that this agreement allows for the ability for individuals who are faced with traumatic online abuse experiences to lodge a report with their nearest local police post. There has been a challenge of lodging reports with the Commission but in signing this agreement, individuals have an additional mechanism of visiting their nearest police post to lodge their report.

And Fijians can report directly online at www.onlinesafetycommisson.com or call the Commission’s complaints mobile (679) 9980242.

End

For more information, contact (679) 9980231 or email info@osc.com.fj

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Pacific Online Safety Workshop

Anne Dunn — Wed, 02 Oct 2019 10:51:40 +0000

Increased access to technology across our communities has given Fijians the opportunity to engage with online platforms such as social media more and more. With this, comes the reality of developing online safety habits that would help us build and cultivate a safe online culture for all Fijians.

Last month, the OSC along with delegates from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu attended an online safety workshop hosted by Australia’s Office of the eSafety Commissioner and New Zealand’s Netsafe NZ to glean from the expertise and experiences of our neighboring countries. The workshop included learning Australia’s approach to tackling online bullying, image based abuse and other prohibited content from representatives from the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, the Australian Federal Police and their Attorney-General’s Department.

With the support of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and their Cyber Cooperation Program, attending the workshop coincided with being an attendee at the 2019 eSafety Conference where global participants shared great insights into online safety practices and ways to look forward to develop the “online world we want”, as rightfully themed.

Photo Credit: DFAT Australia

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TOPEX 2019

web_admin — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 07:13:24 +0000

This year Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF) hosted their annual Top Executives Conference from 26 to 27 July 2019. The theme of the conference was “transforming Fiji – the business perspective”. It was opened by the influential Minister for Local Government, Housing and Community Development, Industry, Trade and Tourism. The conference organizing committee invited speakers from various backgrounds to present on topics such as the new era of collaboration, advancing leaders vision for Fiji, equality, revolutionizing workplace practice and transformative social media.

The Commission was able to participate in the panel discussion about transformative social media. Panelists talked about how social media has shifted the power from institutions to the people, how it can affect the way businesses conduct their marketing strategies and also how social media should be a place for building communities rather than tearing them down.

The two day conference provided a space for executives to collaborate, innovate and network with other counter parts to inspire a dialogue of how businesses, state institutions, non governmental organizations, and civil society organizations can transform Fiji from the business perspective.

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