Fighting crime doesn't justify mandatory data retention: European Court of JusticeIreland's mandatory data retention laws went a step too far, says the European Court of Justice. Now a murderer may be set free. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has effectively banned the general use of telecommunications data retention for… Apr 06 22April 06, 2022Article at ZDNet
Australia's SkyGuardian drones shot down by spicy cybersMost of the funding for the AU$9.9 billion REDSPICE cyber program comes from cancelled projects, including the air force's armed drone capability and the navy's Attack-class submarines. The Australian government has cancelled the SkyGuardian armed… Mar 31 22March 31, 2022Article at ZDNet
Beware of spies and radicalisation attempts online: ASIO chiefMike Burgess warns of espionage via social media and dating sites, and a surge in the online radicalisation of minors. But on the plus side, good cybersecurity is achievable. Foreign spies are increasingly approaching Australians on social media and… Feb 10 22February 10, 2022Article at ZDNet
Commercial surveillance the more immediate problem for citizens: Home Affairs chiefMike Pezzullo says Australia needs a broad societal discussion about privacy, but government spying will always be more restricted. Meanwhile, our surveillance laws need bulldozing and a complete rebuild. Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo has made… Jan 20 22January 20, 2022Article at ZDNet
No surprise: NSW iVote fails during local council electionsThe NSW Electoral Commission had planned and tested for 500,000 online votes, but on election day it just wasn't enough. Critics are not surprised. New South Wales' iVote online voting system failed on Saturday during the state's local government… Dec 05 21December 05, 2021Article at ZDNet
Morrison's pamphletocracy of critical tech holds barely a quantum of substanceVaguely-worded goals without measurable targets and a ragbag of existing initiatives don't make a plan, no matter how nice its colours are. Last week Prime Minister Scott Morrison proudly released his list of 63 critical technologies and boasted his… Nov 21 21November 21, 2021Article at ZDNet
Twitter joins backlash against Australian plan to ID social media usersAs another critic says, the government's 'incredibly reckless' idea would strip the shield of anonymity from myriad vulnerable groups because 'a few white men are uncomfortable' with criticism online. Australia's plan to force social media users to… Nov 04 21November 04, 2021Article at ZDNet
Calls to ID social media users is just another Morrison government rush jobThe government has escalated its war of words against the social media giants, demanding ID for all users. But it's a strategy that we already know won't solve the problem. Image: Getty Images Every now and then, someone in power has a sook about a… Oct 11 21October 11, 2021Article at ZDNet
Building cyber radar systems could alert Indo-Pacific nations and their alliesFormer NSA chief Keith Alexander imagines AUKUS and the Quad nations sharing government and private sector data, and using AI to build a cyber radar early warning system. Keith Alexander before the US Senate Intelligence Committee in 2017 Image:… Oct 07 21October 07, 2021Article at ZDNet
How surveillance capitalism will totally transform the domain name systemAPNIC's Geoff Huston predicts a world where paranoid apps add 'oblivion' to the DNS to protect privacy. Their privacy, not yours. The economics of surveillance capitalism and a world of paranoid apps will transform the domain name system (DNS), says… Sep 17 21September 17, 2021Article at ZDNet
Why Australia's Online Safety Act is an abdication of responsibilityIt's the government's actual job to protect our rights and freedoms, but when it comes to online it simply can't be bothered. The Australian government reckons the internet is full of bad things and bad people, so it must therefore surveil everyone… Aug 12 21August 12, 2021Article at ZDNet
May ransomware blight all the cyber stragglers and let God sort them outAfter decades of cyber wake-up calls, maybe the time has come for cyber Darwinism to provoke survival of the cyber fittest -- although we could also follow new policy recommendations. The threat of ransomware dominates the cyber news right now, and… Jul 16 21July 16, 2021Article at ZDNet
Australia's cops need reminding that chasing criminals isn't society's only need'It's not illegal so I'll keep doing it' isn't good enough. During a pandemic, law enforcement agencies need to kick their data addiction and politicians need the spine to intervene. A disturbing pair of attitudes continue to infect law enforcement… Jun 25 21June 25, 2021Article at ZDNet
Nationally-known Australian company lawyered up to resist ASD helpThe hacked company resisted Australian Signals Directorate involvement for weeks, and accepted only generic advice. Three months later, they were reinfected. The Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, Mike Pezzullo, has spoken out against… Jun 15 21June 15, 2021Article at ZDNet
Best providers to navigate Australia's small business broadband gap in 2021For small businesses with 10 users or fewer, your broadband choices are essentially whatever NBN technology your location is stuck with or a leap to more expensive connectivity options. Optus NBN Internet for Business Currently the fastest NBN, plus… Jun 01 21June 01, 2021Article at ZDNet
The winged ninja cyber monkeys narrative is absolutely wrong: Former NCSC chief'Hype, fear, uncertainty, doubt, that is our enemy,' says Ciaran Martin. 'We need absolutely to demystify cybersecurity.' "Look where we are now in the United States," says Ciaran Martin, formerly the founding CEO of the UK's National Cyber Security… May 14 21May 14, 2021Article at ZDNet
NDIS sidesteps blockchain in government kitchen sink debt-chasing appThe Australian government is preparing to deploy income compliance against disabled people, and eventually a single app for all government services. What could possibly go wrong? Update: Since publication, NDIA has distanced itself from the DTA… Apr 13 21April 13, 2021Article at ZDNet
Australia's news media bargaining code is a form of ransomware, and someone paid upThe battle baffled the world. The big so-called 'tech companies' now have to pay Australian news producers to use their content, but what actually happened here? We need to do something. This is something. Therefore we need to do it. This is the… Mar 05 21March 05, 2021Article at ZDNet
Indo-Pacific tech sector 'ripe for investment' and cyber defence cooperation: ResearchReports for the new Quad Tech Network say nations need to develop a long-term vision for technology, but that Australia is underperforming in research output and advanced digital skills. The Indo-Pacific region's tech sector is "ripe for investment",… Feb 10 21February 10, 2021Article at ZDNet
Why an all-Australian public search engine is a ridiculous ideaThe Greens have called upon the Morrison government to 'investigate the establishment of a publicly owned search engine'. Let's save everyone some time: It won't fly. On Wednesday, someone over at the Greens Idea-Thinking Collective had a rush of… Feb 04 21February 04, 2021Article at ZDNet
