Notes from the Asia-Pacific region: Regulators address AI's impact, Australia's social media age restriction guidelines

This week, more than 140 regulatory agencies from over 90 countries are coming together for the 47th Global Privacy Assembly, in Seoul, South Korea. The IAPP is represented at the event by President and CEO J. Trevor Hughes, CIPP, as well as Research and Insights Director Joe Jones, who are at the heart of the content and community discussions being held. The IAPP is also showing its support through the local KnowledgeNet Chapter which is standing up a strong event for members and guests from across the Assembly.

A scan of the program reveals the trend prevailing across the ecosystem at the moment, and likely for the foreseeable future — the proliferation, deployment and rapid development of artificial intelligence and its impact on society, business and regulatory jurisdictions. Across the privacy audience, the initial narratives around AI came from a position of conservatism, risk aversion and the need for sensible and responsible policymaking to establish effective guardrails and guidelines to allow for trustworthy use and take up. This narrative seems to have flipped over the past six months to now focus more on reducing regulatory barriers in favor of productivity and economic outcomes — with a much higher risk tolerance driving the conversations.

For those in the Asia-Pacific and Australia and New Zealand IAPP community deeply involved in these conversations within your own organizations, consider taking the AI Governance Professional training and certification program. The AIGP has quickly become a benchmark standard for responsible AI governance training globally, and the more than 15,000 members who have completed the program and the several thousand certified are part of a cohort who can support their organizations in staying agile through these times.

The other major development this week was the Australian federal government's regulatory guidance for online platforms on complying with the recent impending social media age restriction law. Rather than an onerous and costly age assurance requirement, platforms will have a more flexible opportunity to demonstrate they have taken reasonable steps to comply by purging accounts of users under age 16. 

Australia's Minister for Communications Anika Wells said, "With the support of the regulatory guidance being published today, there is no excuse for non-compliance. We are not anticipating perfection here, these are world-leading laws, but we are requiring meaningful change through reasonable steps that will seek cultural change and a chilling effect that will keep kids safe."

It appears the regulator will take a pragmatic approach to enforcement, looking for platforms to make early efforts to remove accounts and set up procedures to manage complaints and audits.

This change will directly affect my own family and I, alongside the IAPP community, will watch with interest as it plays out over the coming months. Another hot topic to discuss during the IAPP ANZ Summit 2025 and a great reason to attend.

Adam Ford is the managing director, Australia, New Zealand, for the IAPP.