Misinformation spread following Ukrainian raid | US & Poland launch center to fight Kremlin disinformation | Taiwan's Election interference & lessons learned
Good morning. It's Tuesday 11th June.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest focuses on the topics we work on, including cybersecurity, critical technologies, foreign interference & disinformation.
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One of the Russian Aerospace Force's most advanced—and most expensive—combat aircraft was reported to have been damaged on Saturday in a raid carried out by Ukrainian forces. Misinformation is already making the rounds on social media. Forbes
The United States and Poland on Monday launched an international operation based in the Polish capital whose mission is to help Ukraine counter Russian disinformation. Associated Press
Taiwan’s experience with election interference and information manipulation during their election offers valuable lessons for other democracies confronting Beijing’s nefarious strategies. The German Marshall Fund
Australia
Top spy honoured for leading from the front on cyber threat
The Australian
Rhiannon Down
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess’s unwavering commitment to national security, focus on the growing cyber threat and headline-grabbing insights into the world of espionage has earned him a King’s Birthday honour. The seasoned spook has been named a Member of the Order of Australia after nearly five years at the helm of the nation’s security agency, during which time he has led from the front on the emerging threat posed by cybercrime and artificial intelligence.
Inside a scam operation as a cybercrime unfolds
ABC News
Gina McKeon
Australians reported losing over $2.74 billion to scams last year. It's less than the year before, but the combined total of scams reported to authorities increased by 18.5 per cent from 500,000 to 601,000. Reports to the National Anti-Scam Centre — Scamwatch show scammers are targeting older Australians with retirement savings, who might be looking for investment opportunities, but Browning says anyone can fall victim to a scammer.
China
China’s control and coercion in critical minerals
The Strategist
Ian Satchwell
Markets for critical minerals are no longer shaping up to be the next components of the global economy to be dominated by China. They already are. While Western nations were sleeping, China built vertically integrated supply chains for several critical minerals vital to the energy transition and high technology applications, including defence equipment.
China 'legacy' chip fears best addressed with targeted measures
Nikkei Asia
Douglas Fuller
While Beijing's ambitions to lead the way in advanced microchips will likely not be realized due to U.S. export controls, China is poised to potentially dominate production of older kinds of semiconductors. These kinds of legacy chips remain important for large swathes of the industrial base of wealthy economies for applications ranging from electric vehicles to Internet of Things devices.
USA
US and Poland launch center to fight Kremlin disinformation about Ukraine war
Associated Press
Vanessa Gera
The United States and Poland on Monday launched an international operation based in the Polish capital whose mission is to help Ukraine counter Russian disinformation. They will work in a space provided by Poland’s Foreign Ministry and one goal will be to try to detect and debunk Russian disinformation campaigns aimed at weakening support for Ukraine globally.
How Washington missed the boat on AI regulation
Foreign Policy
Bhaskar Chakravorti
“The longer we wait, the bigger the gap becomes.” With those wise words, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer drew attention to an urgent need: closing the gulf between the pace of innovation and the pace of policy development regarding artificial intelligence in the United States. But then he promptly released an AI policy road map guaranteed to widen that gulf.
Most Americans unaware of foreign intel operations’ scope on social media, State Dept. official says
NextGov FCW
David Dimolfetta
The State Department’s top digital and cyber policy official says that most Americans are seemingly unaware of how much of their day-to-day social media content is actually made up of veiled foreign intelligence campaigns. The stark declaration from U.S. Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nate Fick comes amid a polarized national debate over U.S. foreign policy and an upcoming presidential election where generative AI tools —- which have become a top concern for spy officials — could be used to attempt to turn the tide of election outcomes.
North Asia
Election interference and information manipulation
The German Marshall Fund
Mareike Ohlberg
2024 is a year of elections. As countries holding them prepare, they are also bracing for foreign interference. The West remains focused on Russia as a sponsor of electoral disinformation and manipulation, but in recent years the People’s Republic of China has emerged as another key actor to watch.
South Korea grapples with data security as Chinese apps gain massive user base
KoreaPro
Yeji Chung
Leaked documents from iSoon, a Chinese state-affiliated hacking group, have unveiled China’s extensive cyber intrusions targeting foreign entities, including South Korea. These revelations highlight the growing risks of data security breaches and cyber espionage by Chinese hacking groups, which pose significant threats to the South Korean government and corporations.
Kishida wants active cyber defense bill to be drawn up swiftly
The Japan Times
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday instructed his government to quickly draw up possible legislation to introduce an active cyber defense system that would allow preemptive actions against cyberattacks. "We face an urgent task of enhancing our cyber response capabilities," Kishida told the first meeting of an expert government panel on the issue at the Prime Minister's Office.
Southeast Asia
Thailand: Low-Orbit Satellite trials in key sectors
OpenGov Asia
Azizah Saffa
Mr Prasert Chandraruangthong, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, led the opening ceremony of a groundbreaking project seminar focusing on the trial and testing of low-orbit satellite terminals. This initiative aims to revolutionise various sectors, including search and rescue missions, distance education, and telemedicine. The project signifies a crucial milestone in Thailand’s application of space technology with low-orbit satellites.
Vietnam: Prime Minister’s vision for digital development
OpenGov Asia
Samaya Dharmaraj
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh underscored the pressing need for a more resolute and comprehensive execution of the project aimed at developing resident data, electronic identification, and authentication applications. The overarching objective of this initiative is to propel Vietnam’s national digital transformation agenda forward, spanning the period from 2022 to 2025, with a strategic vision that extends to 2030.
South & Central Asia
Billionaires Mittal and Ambani take on Musk in India’s internet space race
Financial Times
Chris Kay & Stephen Morris
India’s biggest telecom companies, led by rival billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal, are primed to launch satellite internet services as they challenge Elon Musk’s attempts to establish Starlink in the country. Musk’s SpaceX, the owner of Starlink, has been trying to enter the country for more than three years, but has not won regulatory approvals and was rebuked in 2021 by local authorities for signing up customers without having the proper licences.
Ukraine - Russia
A Russian Su-57 was damaged in Ukraine – now comes the misinformation
Forbes
Peter Suciu
One of the Russian Aerospace Force's most advanced—and most expensive—combat aircraft was reported to have been damaged on Saturday in a raid carried out by Ukrainian forces. Satellite images of the "before and after" of the Akhtubinsk State Flight Test Center have widely circulated on social media, but right on cue, there has been plenty of misinformation making the rounds on social media. This has included satirical posts that poke fun at the official narrative, while clips from video games and images that are unrelated to the incident make it hard to tell fact from fiction.
UK
‘Almost everyone supports Labour’: why 2024 isn’t the TikTok election
The Guardian
Jim Waterson
This might be the first TikTok general election, but it probably won’t be the first election decided by it for one simple reason: the video app’s British users are already likely to vote Labour. TikTok’s relatively youthful user base and Labour’s enormous poll lead among younger voters has given the app a strange role in this election.
The UK is at risk of losing Europe’s tech crown
Financial Times
Brent Hoberman
While the UK is still the most vibrant tech ecosystem in Europe, crowns can be lost. Some parts of the country’s policy have gone backwards. Entrepreneurs’ relief has fallen from a lifetime limit of £10mn under Gordon Brown to £1mn, for example. Recent governments have not always had messaging about tech front and centre. Meanwhile, the French are becoming more founder-friendly. They are emulating some of the UK’s pro-entrepreneurship policies, such as the Enterprise Investment Scheme, and going further in other areas.
London hospitals cancel cancer surgeries after cyber-attack
The Guardian
Denis Campbell
Hospitals in London have had to cancel cancer operations this week because of a Russian cyber-attack that continues to cause serious disruption to NHS services in the capital. They have been forced to take the step because the hack meant they would not have been able to provide a blood transfusion for any patient who needed one.
Middle East
Governments, businesses tighten cybersecurity around Hajj season
Dark Reading
Robert Lemos
The final month of the Islamic calendar, Dhu al-Hijjah, began on June 7, marking the countdown for millions of Muslims to the Hajj pilgrimage, and also a time when cybercriminals and cyber-espionage actors see increased opportunity amid reduced vigilance and slimmed staffing. While many of the cyberattacks are focused on pilgrims as consumers of travel services, a variety of businesses — from banks to e-commerce sites — are at greater risk of data theft and denial-of-service attacks, according to experts.
Big Tech
TSMC-backed U.S. fund targets chip, robotics, other hardware startups
Nikkei Asia
Kazuyuki Okudaira
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and major U.S. venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins are among investors backing a new $300 million fund that targets manufacturing startups, such as chip and robotics makers, amid the trend of supply chain onshoring. This comes as geopolitical factors such as intensifying U.S.-China tensions spur the onshoring of manufacturing.
Artificial Intelligence
Apple brings ChatGPT to Siri as it debuts ‘Apple Intelligence’ at WWDC 2024
The Guardian
Kari Paul & Nick Robins-Early
Tim Cook, the Apple CEO, announced a series of generative artificial intelligence products and services on Monday during his keynote speech at the company’s annual developer conference, WWDC, including a deal with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. The new tools mark a major shift toward AI for Apple, which has seen slowing global sales over the past year and integrated fewer AI features into its consumer-facing products than competitors.
From China to Singapore, Asia's AI policy 'gaps' pose headaches for business
Nikkei Asia
Dylan Loh & Cissy Zhou
Asia's patchwork approach to regulating artificial intelligence is increasing uncertainty for companies eager to roll out the technology across the region, according to legal experts, industry analysts and businesses themselves. From China to Singapore, governments have hesitated to pursue regionwide rules, opting instead for AI policies tailored to their own national agendas.
Silicon Valley in uproar over Californian AI safety bill
Financial Times
Hannah Murphy & Tabby Kinder
Artificial intelligence heavyweights in California are protesting against a state bill that would force technology companies to adhere to a strict safety framework including creating a “kill switch” to turn off their powerful AI models, in a growing battle over regulatory control of the cutting-edge technology. The bill, passed by the state’s Senate last month and set for a vote from its general assembly in August, requires AI groups in California to guarantee to a newly-created state body that they will not develop models with “a hazardous capability”, such as creating biological or nuclear weapons or aiding cyber security attacks.
Propagandists are using AI too—and companies need to be open about it
MIT Technology Review
Rhiannon Williams
OpenAI has reported on influence operations that use its AI tools. Such reporting, alongside data sharing, should become the industry norm. The company had caught five networks of covert propagandists—including players from Russia, China, Iran, and Israel—using their generative AI tools for deceptive tactics.
Groundbreaking AI heart attack scans could soon be rolled out across UK
The Guardian
Robin Mckie
An artificial intelligence system that can identify people who are likely to suffer heart attacks up to 10 years in the future could soon be in operation across Britain. The technology, which could save thousands of lives a year, is being assessed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and a decision on its use in the NHS is expected by the end of the year.
Events & Podcasts
Former OpenAI engineer William Saunders on silence, safety, and the right to warn
TED
Your Undivided Attention
Whistleblower William Saunders quit over systemic issues at OpenAI. Now he’s put his name to an open letter that proposes 4 principles to protect the right of industry insiders to warn the public about AI risks. On Your Undivided Attention this week, Tristan and Aza sit down with Saunders to discuss.
Registration Open: July 17 ANSI Brainstorming session on enabling Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning through public-private partnerships
Associated Press
The American National Standards Institute has opened registration for its July 17th brainstorming session on enabling artificial intelligence and machine learning through public-private partnerships. This session will focus on specific opportunities and challenges related to AI/ML and explore the use of public-private partnerships to share information and identify priority standards development activities.
The Sydney Dialogue
ASPI
The Sydney Dialogue was created to help bring together governments, businesses and civil society to discuss and progress policy options. We will forecast the technologies of the next decade that will change our societies, economies and national security, prioritising speakers and delegates who are willing to push the envelope. We will promote diverse views that stimulate real conversations about the best ways to seize opportunities and minimise risks.
WDSN's Policy Views and Brews
ASPI
ASPI’s Women in Defence and Security Network is excited to invite you to its inaugural ‘Policy Views and Brews’ networking event on Thursday June 13! Designed to be a relaxed atmosphere where like-minded people can exchange ideas on a range of themes within defence, policy and national security, each meet-up will revolve around a specific topic, inspired by a pre-designated article sent out beforehand.
ASPI – CNAS – RUSI | Trilateral AUKUS Dialogue
ASPI
The ASPI-CNAS-RUSI Trilateral AUKUS Dialogue is an initiative across leading Australian, American, and British think tanks to hold robust, pragmatic, and principled conversations about AUKUS and related national security and defense policies. This year’s Trilateral AUKUS Dialogue will explore the strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific, regional perspectives on AUKUS, and critical issues regarding tech diplomacy, technology sharing, and legislative environments necessary to deliver capabilities to meet the pact’s purposes for enhancing deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. The Dialogue will be held on 17-18 June 2024 in Washington, DC.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest is brought to you by the Cyber, Technology & Security team at ASPI.