Japan should work with Aukus on cybersecurity and AI, says Shinzo Abe | How Facebook and Google fund global misinformation | Marise Payne outlines nation’s ‘red lines’ on tech
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Japan should seek to work with Aukus members on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, long-serving former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has said. The Guardian
The tech giants are paying millions of dollars to the operators of clickbait pages, bankrolling the deterioration of information ecosystems around the world. MIT Technology Review
Dangerous disinformation and “arbitrary incursions on liberties” are the technology red lines that Australia won’t allow to be crossed, according to Foreign Affairs minister Marise Payne. InnovationAus
ASPI ICPC
Australia and India share deep friendship, ties will grow with time, PM Scott Morrison says
The Print
Asserting that Australia and India share a deep friendship, Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday said that both countries are making great progress in many areas including space, science, digital technology “Australia-India shares deep friendship and our relations will grow even more with time. We are making great progress in so many areas including space, science, digital technology. It’s an honour for Australia that PM Modi is addressing Sydney dialogue,” he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address was preceded by introductory remarks by the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Can India help build a confederation of digital democracies?
Firstpost
Hindol Sengupta
Inaugurating The Sydney Dialogue, the summit for emerging, critical and cyber technologies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “The digital age is reshaping international competition, power and leadership. It has ushered in opportunities for progress and prosperity.
Marise Payne outlines nation’s ‘red lines’ on tech
InnovationAus
Joseph Brookes
Dangerous disinformation and “arbitrary incursions on liberties” are the technology red lines that Australia won’t allow to be crossed, according to Foreign Affairs minister Marise Payne. On Friday she warned against the unchecked influence of Big Tech, which she said should have been addressed “yesterday”. Speaking at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Sydney Dialogue on Friday, Ms Payne warned about the threat of disinformation to Australia and its Asia Pacific neighbors, particularly in public health areas like vaccines.
US joins forces for race to quantum superiority
The Australian
Ben Packham
Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price signed an agreement with US President Joe Biden’s science adviser, Eric Lander, vowing to share quantum computing skills and knowledge to accelerate the pace of discoveries. Mr Abe told the inaugural Sydney Dialogue that AUKUS would be “extremely important” to promote regional stability amid an “increasingly severe” security environment, and urged Japan to work with the alliance to deliver its science and technology ambitions. “I think that Japan should engage in the co-operation under the AUKUS in such areas as cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies,” he told the dialogue on Friday.
Japan should work with Aukus on cybersecurity and AI, says Shinzo Abe
The Guardian
Abe’s view is in line with that of the Japanese ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami, who hinted Japan was looking for avenues to participate in Aukus initiatives such as on AI and cyber. “We have been told there are some instances or areas where Aukus members may need Japanese cooperation and participation and we are more than willing to do our contribution,” Yamagami told an Australian Strategic Policy Institute podcast last week.
Former Japanese PM warns of ‘increasingly severe’ regional security environment
The Sydney Morning Herald
Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed on Wednesday Australian officials would report back within a month on how these would be developed under the pact. Mr Abe wants to see Japan “engage in the co-operation in these areas” with the AUKUS grouping. “It is extremely important for Japan to collaborate with the AUKUS with a view to promoting multi-layered efforts for peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region,” he told former prime minister John Howard during a question and answer session at the inaugural Sydney Dialogue conference on Friday. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said AUKUS was “not exclusive”. “We would welcome collaboration between AUKUS and other partners on critical technology such as AI, quantum and cyber, including with Japan, where it is in all our interests,” she said.
Former Japanese PM issues regional warning
7NEWS
Georgie Moore
Shinzo Abe thinks the biggest challenge for so-called Quad countries - including Japan and India - is maintaining "a free and open order such as freedom, democracy, the rule of law and free trade" over coming decades. He referenced the need to achieve and maintain a "free and open" Indo-Pacific region 14 times during Friday's address to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Sydney Dialogue, without naming the Xi regime.
Ex-Japan PM Abe calls for Tokyo's cooperation with AUKUS in AI, cyber
Reuters
Kiyoshi Takenaka
Former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe, who remains influential in the ruling party, said on Friday Japan should cooperate with the AUKUS security partners the United States, Britain and Australia on artificial intelligence and cyber capabilities.
This week on Policy, Guns and Money’s Bigger Picture series, Peter Jennings speaks to His Excellency Shingo Yamagami, Ambassador of Japan to Australia about the Australia-Japan strategic relationship.
The West’s strength might be its weakness in our AI-driven world
The Sydney Morning Herald
Parnell Palme McGuinness
This week the Prime Minister gave a speech as part of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s new Sydney Dialogues series that, while accompanied by less fanfare, was more consequential than the AUKUS submarine deal. In the 20-minute address, delivered by video, Scott Morrison touched on the quantum and artificial intelligence technologies that are emerging as the areas of significant geostrategic concern. While reporting of the speech has focused on the technologies themselves, the latter half of the speech, dedicated to the ethics of emerging technologies, is at least as important.
Chinese propagandists court South-East Asia’s Chinese diaspora
The Economist
In 2018 the United Front Work Department, the main organ responsible for influence operations among people who are not party members, absorbed the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, responsible for tending to those abroad. Jacob Wallis of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a think-tank, thinks that “the ccp sees the diaspora as a powerful vector of influence” and is trying to recruit its members.
Social media giant pushes back on rules
The Canberra Times
Georgie Moore
Rebranded as Meta, the tech behemoth is grappling with a global reckoning over transparency and the misuse of its platforms. Its vice-president for global affairs, and former United Kingdom deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg agrees the company needs to release more data. "We're going to see over the next few years new legislation in India, in Australia, in the UK, in the EU, possibly in the US, too," he told an Australian Strategic Policy Institute forum on Friday.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai reveals his plans about cryptocurrency: Here’s what he said
The Indian Express
Tech Desk
Alphabet and Google chief executive officer (CEO) Sundar Pichai spoke about his cryptocurrency plans and revealed that he does not own any, adding that wish he did, in an interview with Bloomberg Television. Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Modi called on all democratic nations to ensure that cryptocurrency doesn’t end up in the wrong hands and spoil the youth while speaking at the Sydney Dialogue. The PM said in his speech, “But we also face new risks and new forms of conflict across diverse threats, from sea-bed to cyber to space. Technology has already become a major instrument of global competition and key to shaping the future international order.”
Tennis Star’s Claims Strike Heart of Chinese Political Power
Bloomberg
Colum Murphy, Lucille Liu, Jenni Marsh, and Justin Sink
“There’s a real chance that the campaign for Peng will cross over from tennis stars to other athletes,” said Fergus Ryan, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s International Cyber Policy Centre. “With the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics just two months away, that raises the stakes considerably for the CCP.”
Video Clips, Images Purport Public Appearances of Peng Shuai
Bloomberg
Colum Murphy
Some are treating the latest WeChat images with skepticism. Nathan Ruser, a researcher with ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre, posted to Twitter doubting the authenticity of the account, pointing out that it used a “default profile and banner photo and no account history.” “So embarrassing how clumsy this propaganda push is,” he wrote.
As concern grows for Peng Shuai, in China her story is barely a whisper
The Guardian
Helen Davidson
The idea that CGTN might have badly concocted a fake email was seen as somewhat laughable but also chilling. Observers noted the language in the text was similar to previous forced confessions and statements by dissidents in the past – many of which were broadcast by CGTN. Peng’s “email” was in stark contrast to her original post. “While one rings hollow, the other has a resounding ring of authenticity,” wrote Fergus Ryan for the Strategist blog published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Beijing’s propagandists flounder as the world asks, ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’
The Strategist
Fergus Ryan
As international concern about Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai’s whereabouts grows and more of the world’s top tennis stars weigh in, Beijing’s propagandists are floundering.
Australia
Skills shortage poses risk to government’s cyber strategy
The Australian Financial Review
Max Mason
The government’s plan to beef up its offensive cyber attacking capabilities against criminals could be undermined by a massive skills shortage across the sector and competition to attract the best talent, cyber security industry insiders have warned.
China
Is China considering a data tax on big tech? Signs point to yes
Nikkei Asia
Naoki Matsuda, Nikkei staff writer
The possible imposition of a so-called 'data tax' on platform developers including giant internet companies has emerged as another facet of President's Xi Jinping's 'common prosperity' drive to share wealth more equitably throughout the nation.
USA
Justice Department to defend tech protections Biden denounced
POLITICO
In a lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump, the feds will argue that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is constitutional.
Meta delays encrypted messages on Facebook and Instagram to 2023
The Guardian
Dan Milmo
The owner of Facebook and Instagram is delaying plans to encrypt users’ messages until 2023 amid warnings from child safety campaigners that its proposals would shield abusers from detection.
Facebook demands LAPD end social media surveillance and use of fake accounts
The Guardian
Johana Bhuiyan and Sam Levin
Company’s letter to LA police chief comes after the Guardian revealed that the department partnered with a tech firm that enables undercover spying.
IRS seized $3.5 billion in cryptocurrency this past year, agency says
NBC News
Kevin Collier
The total accounted for 93 percent of the Criminal Investigation unit's seizures, highlighting how criminals have embraced digital cash — and spurred law enforcement to act.
Canada
Looming Huawei decision really doesn't matter anymore
Toronto Sun
Brian Lilley
As the Prime Minister rags the puck on this issue, Huawei has taken advantage of the delay and expanded its business in Canada
South-East Asia
Hate speech in Myanmar continues to thrive on Facebook
NBC News
Internal company documents show that the social network has struggled to deal with misinformation and calls for violence amid the country's ethnic and religious strife.
Indonesia probe police hack in latest cyber breach
Reuters
Indonesian police are investigating claims by a hacker who said this week they have stolen personal data of thousands of police officers, the latest in a spate of cyber attacks that has highlighted the country's digital vulnerabilities.
Europe
EU’s data protection adviser latest to call for ban on tracking ads
TechCrunch
Natasha Lomas
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB), an expert steering body which advises EU lawmakers on how to interpret rules wrapping citizen’s personal data, has warned the bloc’s legislators that a package of incoming digital regulations risks damaging people’s fundamental rights — without “decisive action” to amend the suite of proposals.
Middle East
Iranian Hackers Are Going After US Critical Infrastructure
WIRED
Dan Goodin
A hacking group is targeting a broad range of organizations, taking advantage of vulnerabilities that have been patched but not yet updated.
Iranian Hackers Broke Into Newspaper Publisher Lee Enterprises Ahead of 2020 Election
Wall Street Journal
Dustin Volz
Iranian hackers last year infiltrated the computer systems of Lee Enterprises Inc., a major American media company that publishes dozens of daily newspapers across the U.S., as part of a broader effort to spread disinformation about the 2020 presidential election, according to people familiar with the matter.
Fake Facebook accounts boost campaign opposing U.S. consulate in Jerusalem
NBC News
Olivia Solon
Fake accounts artificially amplified hundreds of posts documenting Israeli politician Nir Barkat’s lobbying activities in Washington, according to research shared with NBC News and Maariv.
Sex Ed, One Instagram Post at a Time
The New York Times
Mona El-Naggar and Sara Aridi
Activists are using social media to do what Arab countries have failed to do: teach women about their bodies. They are aiming for nothing less than a cultural awakening.
Africa
Sudan restores partial internet service
The East African
Sudan on Thursday evening restored limited internet services three weeks after it switched off internet in the country.
Misc
How Twitter got research right
Platformer
Casey Newton
While other tech giants hide from their internal researchers, Twitter is doing its failing — and fixing — in public.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney calls for a universal app store to combat tech monopolies
Protocol
Nick Statt
The head of Epic wants to break Apple and Google's dominance over mobile app distribution.
Jobs
ICPC Analyst & Project Manager - Coercive diplomacy
ASPI ICPC
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC) has a unique opportunity for an Analyst and Project Manager to manage, and help lead, a project on coercive diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region... This new role will focus on analysis, workshops and stakeholder engagement centred around coercive diplomacy, including how countries in the Indo-Pacific can work together to tackle this complicated policy challenge.
ICPC Senior Analyst or Analyst - China
ASPI ICPC
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC) has a unique opportunity for exceptional and experienced China-focused senior analysts or analysts to join its centre. This role will focus on original research and analysis centred around the (growing) range of topics which our ICPC China team work on. Our China team produces some of the most impactful and well-read policy-relevant research in the world, with our experts often being called upon by politicians, governments, corporates and civil society actors to provide briefings and advice. Analysts usually have at least 5 years, often 7-10 years’ of work experience. Senior analysts usually have a minimum of 15 years relevant work experience and, in addition to research, they take on a leadership role in the centre and tend to be involved in staff and project management, fundraising and stakeholder engagement.