The Weekly Cybers #49
The continuing saga of Australia’s eSafety rules, some thoughts on digital childhood, another slap down for Craig Wright, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #48
A new way to make big online platforms pay for news, yet another call to break open encrypted communications, and more.
The Weekly Cybers #47
Home Affairs launches a consultation on cybersecurity resilience, a trial shows you can verify a user’s age without recording their ID, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #46
A massive week for digital policy, including social media age bans for under-16s, new cybersecurity laws, a call for national AI regulation, and even — finally! — updates to the Privacy Act.
The Weekly Cybers #45
Government rushes to pass social media bans for under-16s, ASD issues new threat report, and a whole lot more.
The Weekly Cybers #44
Australia’s War on Social Media continues, with platforms to be hit with duty-of-care responsibilities as well as age restrictions, but there’s also plenty more.
The Weekly Cybers #43
Digital platforms are the target again this week, with under-16s to be banned from social media, and an anti-scam plan that shares the blame with banks, telcos, and more.
The Weekly Cybers #42
Victorian court recognises a right to privacy, NACC suffers a blow to its credibility, and more.
The Weekly Cybers #41
Parliamentary inquiry recommends a digital affairs ministry, internet industry proposes a code for adult content, and more.
The Weekly Cybers #40
A short edition this week with news of Australia’s first AI-generated political ad, changes to My Health Record, plus social media, telco risk, AI, and rogue robot vacuum cleaners.
The Weekly Cybers #39
Australia’s massive new cybersecurity legislation package, a move to keep NBN in public hands, the continuing push for social media age bans but with hints of a rollback strategy, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #38
A plethora of stories ranging from shoddy AI and unethical practices with medical data to cables under the Pacific, digital driver licences, and cybercrime.
The Weekly Cybers #37
A Federal Court win for FoI, a rebranding for Australia’s digital ID, Optus outage leads to various changes, yet more on social media age restrictions, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #36
Australian cops and their global colleagues take down the Ghost encrypted messaging network, a robodebt ringleader has a great big sook, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #35
What a week! A burst of legislation from privacy to misinformation to hate speech, an anti-scam “plan”, Meta gets caught out, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #34
Government proposes “mandatory guardrails” for high-risk AI, ASIO hints at using the big stick on encrypted chats, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #33
Defence to get $11 billion IT upgrade, “Twiggy” Forrest takes on Meta with an early win, more sookage about the News Media Bargaining Code from both sides, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #32
Australia and New Zealand agree that a cyber attack could trigger the ANZUS Treaty, the government blows $340 million on the abandoned GovERP project, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #31
Shorten announces a digital ID Trust Exchange but it’s just a proof-of-concept with many unanswered questions, public servants get a new AI policy, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #30
Lots of small items this week, because we’re in the calm before the storm of Parliament’s spring sitting — except for myGov fraud, Centrepay, and some routine reports.
The Weekly Cybers #29
A cabinet reshuffle gives Tony Burke the cybers, the government ramps up its cyber rhetoric in the fight against scams and ransomware while its own report card looks poor, talk of a new Cyber Security Act, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #28
Some thoughts on the CrowdStrike outage, another busy week for the eSafety Commissioner, a few AI stories (of course), and more.
The Weekly Cybers #27
MediSecure hack affects 12.9 million Australians but now the money has run out, and a range of smaller stories fill out a relatively quiet week.
The Weekly Cybers #26
Australia and allies blame China for APT40 cyber espionage, dating apps agree to a code of conduct, and experts ask whether Australia needs an infowar militia.
The Weekly Cybers #25
Amazon scores $2 billion for a top secret data cloud, online child safety gets more attention (yet again), and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #24
Another week when social media age restrictions dominate the discourse, governments agree to digital license technical standards, and there’s a new framework for government AI use — plus a lot more.
The Weekly Cybers #23
Medibank and Optus cyber practices slammed, Australia’s FOI regime also, and yet more new eSafety rules.
The Weekly Cybers #22
A proposed social media ban for under-16s dominates the news this week. Also, a My Health Record audit, updates on eSafety and robodebt, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #21
It’s another week of eSafety! The commissioner’s case against X is dumped, but there’s new Basic Online Safety Expectations, and legislation to ban sexually explicit deepfakes. Plus a big FOI win against robodebt, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #20
eSafety dominates the news this week. There’s also a new National Robotics Strategy, news of recent hacks, and a glorious new government excuse for not doing things.
The Weekly Cybers #19
MediSecure data posted for sale, News Corp signs content deal with OpenAI, age assurance tech hits The Discourse, IPA lashes the eSafety Commissioner, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #18
It’s a Budget special! Also, Digital ID laws passed, eSafety injunction against X lapses, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #17
Australia versus The Socials! eSafety vs X Corp in the federal Court, vice versa in the AAT, Meta vs All The News, and yet another inquiry into social media. That and more in the final week before the Budget.
The Weekly Cybers #16
Online age assurance pilot gets the green light, Online Safety Act to be reviewed (again), telcos told to sort out Triple-Zero, and more.
The Weekly Cybers #15
Elon Musk versus the eSafety Commissioner, ASIO and the AFP versus online platforms, and more.
The Weekly Cybers #14
New defence strategy to boost cyber and space capabilities, AFP runs into AN0M problems, and Chinese hackers target think tank ASPI.
The Weekly Cybers #13
Australian startups sook about proposed mergers regulation, a new way to measure the cyber threat, and are smartphones really bad for teenagers?
The Weekly Cybers #12
The ATO creates a new logo for myID but continues to be under fire for robotax, Elon Musk sues the eSafety Commission, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #11
Digital ID bills become law but with amendments, Coalition invents a new online crime, problems predicted with anti-doxxing laws, and more.
The Weekly Cybers #10
ACCC looks into search engines and AI, cops have trouble complying with surveillance laws, and the eSafety Commission's continues her Whac-A-Mole game.
The Weekly Cybers #9
It’s many small items this week, plus a podcast about international cyber law and things.
The Weekly Cybers #8
Toughest anti-encryption laws still not being used (maybe), the politician-spy was working for China, and much more.
The Weekly Cybers #7
An easy ride for Digital ID bills, ASIO warns of cyber sabotage, cybersecurity advice, a new podcast about disinformation, and more.
The Weekly Cybers #6
A new plan for the Navy, failures at the BoM, robotax dramas, cyber failures, and criticisms of eSafety’s scan plan.
The Weekly Cybers #5
A rush to criminalise doxxing, progress on government AI, a $4.7 billion GST fraud, and more.
The Weekly Cybers #4
Wet-lettuce robodebt sanctions, more Digital ID special pleading, and the DTA almost does something.
The Weekly Cybers #3
As the work year starts, AI and digital ID loom large, Wyatt Roy goes Saudi, and cabinet archiving fails are simply incompetence not politics.
The Weekly Cybers #2
Australia sanctions a Russian hacker, the ACSC offers cybersecurity advice for business leaders, and more.
The Weekly Cybers #1
A personal look at what the Australian government has said and done in the digital and cyber realms.