Stilgherrian

Fighting crime doesn't justify mandatory data retention: European Court of Justice

Ireland'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…

Australia's SkyGuardian drones shot down by spicy cybers

Most 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…

Beware of spies and radicalisation attempts online: ASIO chief

Mike 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…

Commercial surveillance the more immediate problem for citizens: Home Affairs chief

Mike 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…

No surprise: NSW iVote fails during local council elections

The 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…

Morrison's pamphletocracy of critical tech holds barely a quantum of substance

Vaguely-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…

Twitter joins backlash against Australian plan to ID social media users

As 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…

Calls to ID social media users is just another Morrison government rush job

The 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…

Building cyber radar systems could alert Indo-Pacific nations and their allies

Former 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:…

How surveillance capitalism will totally transform the domain name system

APNIC'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…

Why Australia's Online Safety Act is an abdication of responsibility

It'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…

May ransomware blight all the cyber stragglers and let God sort them out

After 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…

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…

Nationally-known Australian company lawyered up to resist ASD help

The 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…

Best providers to navigate Australia's small business broadband gap in 2021

For 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…

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…

NDIS sidesteps blockchain in government kitchen sink debt-chasing app

The 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…

Australia's news media bargaining code is a form of ransomware, and someone paid up

The 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…

Indo-Pacific tech sector 'ripe for investment' and cyber defence cooperation: Research

Reports 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",…

Why an all-Australian public search engine is a ridiculous idea

The 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…