Twitter bans sharing 'private' images and videos without consent | China seeks better cross-border control of big data with new plan | MI6 boss warns of China 'debt traps and data traps'
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Twitter has expanded its private information policy to include media, banning users from sharing photos or videos of a private individual without their permission. The company notes that tweeting such images can violate someone's privacy and potentially lead to harm against them. Engadget
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) called for improved cross-border security management of big data till 2025, in a five-year plan published on Tuesday. Reuters
MI6 chief Richard Moore has warned of China's "debt traps and data traps" in his first live broadcast interview. BBC
ASPI ICPC
China's vision to shape global internet governance
The Strategist
Nathan Attrill, Audrey Fritz
As we explain in our new ASPI report, China’s cyber vision, cyber policy in China is developed and implemented within a highly organised, national policy system. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), a new interagency regulator responsible for managing internet information and content throughout the country, has its roots in the former Party Office of External Propaganda.
Read our new report ‘China’s vision to shape global internet governance’ here.
Read our new report ‘Benchmarking critical technologies: Building an evidence base for an informed critical technologies strategy’ here.
Federal Government anti-troll laws: Plan to unmask online trolls not as ‘useful’ as first thought
The West Australian
Kimberley Caines
Australian Strategic Policy Institute's International Cyber Policy Centre senior analyst Karly Winkler said the abusers were not the victims.
India working with over 6 countries for human spaceflight Gaganyaan, says Dr.K Sivan
WION
Sidharth MP
India is working with more than six countries to achieve the Gaganyaan Human Spaceflight mission, which is a symbol of International Cooperation, said Dr. K. Sivan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)..Speaking at the Sydney Dialogue, an Initiative by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, he added that the Gaganyaan project was a stepping stone for sustained Indian presence in outer space and that the ongoing cooperation would continue and would grow into increased engagement with international partners, in the years to come.
Airbnb hosts Xinjiang rentals on land owned by sanctioned group
Axios
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, Jacque Schrag
Airbnb has more than a dozen homes available for rent in China's Xinjiang region on land owned by an organization sanctioned by the U.S. government for complicity in genocide and forced labor, an Axios investigation has found. Why it matters: The listings expose Airbnb to regulatory risk under U.S. law. They also land yet another American tech company in the crossfire between the U.S. and China. Airbnb is one of 13 top-level U.S. sponsors of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing..the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's International Cyber Policy Center provided some of the data and research.
Australia
Parliamentary committee to put big tech under the microscope
Media Statement, Prime Minister
The Australian Parliament will put big tech under the microscope as it examines toxic material on social media platforms and the dangers this poses to the well-being of Australians. The inquiry, which will be chaired by Robertson MP Lucy Wicks, was announced today by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP.
Airbus tips $35m into Sydney-based quantum start-up
Financial Review
Jessica Sier
Sydney-based quantum start-up Q-CTRL has banked $US25 million ($35 million) in a round led by Airbus Ventures, the latest investment in the rapid commercialisation of the quantum computing sector.
Australia must speed up development of quantum technologies
The Australian
Peter Turner
Earlier this month, the federal government announced $111m in funding along with a joint statement of intent between Australia and the US to co-operate in developing the sector. The government’s funding to establish a Quantum Commercialisation Hub and the development of a co-ordinated national strategy led by Australia’s Chief Scientist Cathy Foley will go some way in helping to cement Australia’s place in this growing global industry.
Register to watch our inaugural Sydney Dialogue’s Quantum Quandary event this Friday 3 December.
Cathy Foley on Australia’s next stage in quantum research
InnovationAus
Rachael Bolton
Creating a commercial landscape that will build investor confidence will be a key focus of Australia’s National Quantum Strategy, according to its architect, Australia’s chief scientist and renowned physicist, Dr Cathy Foley.
Parliamentary inquiry to put behaviour of 'big tech' under scrutiny
The Conversation
Michelle Grattan
The Morrison government is setting up a parliamentary inquiry to put big tech companies “under the microscope” over dangers posed to people’s wellbeing by toxic material on their sites.
New satellite technology that could help us prevent bushfires
ABC
Patricia Karvelas
As climate change worsens, we've been told bushfires are likely to become more frequent and intense. However, emerging satellite technology could help us to more accurately identify bushfire fuel loads and prevent catastrophic fires from breaking out.
China
China seeks better cross-border control of big data with new plan
Reuters
Josh Horwitz
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) called for improved cross-border security management of big data till 2025, in a five-year plan published on Tuesday.
The Most Powerful Data Broker in the World Is Winning the War Against the U.S.
The New York Times
Matt Pottinger, David Feith
President Joe Biden came away from his summit with China’s President Xi Jinping on Nov. 15 committed to prosecuting what he called “simple, straightforward competition” with China. Yet Beijing is already beating the United States and its allies in one crucial domain: data.
China’s Silence on Peng Shuai Shows Limits of Beijing’s Propaganda
The New York Times
Amy Qin, Paul Mozur
On China’s social media platforms and other digital public squares, the censors’ meticulous work has left almost no sign that Ms. Peng had ever accused Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier, of sexual assault. Like a museum to a previous reality, her social media account remains, without new updates or comments.
Chinese could hack data for future quantum decryption, report warns
The Guardian
Dan Milmo
Chinese hackers could target heavily encrypted datasets such as weapon designs or details of undercover intelligence officers with a view to unlocking them at a later date when quantum computing makes decryption possible, a report warns.
China sets rules to safeguard drivers' rights in ride-hailing industry
Reuters
Yingzhi Yang, Brenda Goh
China outlined new rules on Tuesday to safeguard the rights of drivers in its giant ride-hailing industry, requiring operators of the services to provide them with social insurance and make their earnings public.
In China, Tesla Is a Catfish, and Turns Auto Companies Into Sharks
The New York Times
Li Yuan
The electric car company is helping Chinese companies become global players in the emerging industry, posing a competitive threat to traditional rivals.
USA
Twitter bans sharing 'private' images and videos without consent
Engadget
Kris Holt
Twitter has expanded its private information policy to include media, banning users from sharing photos or videos of a private individual without their permission. The company notes that tweeting such images can violate someone's privacy and potentially lead to harm against them.
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen will talk Section 230 reform with Congress this week
TechCrunch
Taylor Hatmaker
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen will go before Congress again this week, this time offering her unique perspective on the company’s moderation and policy failures as they relate to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the key legal shield that protects online platforms from liability for the user-created content they host.
Jack Dorsey leaves one company, helps out two
Reuters
Gina Chon
Jack Dorsey’s departure from one of the companies he created helps both of them. The Twitter founder stepped down as chief executive on Monday, making room for Chief Technology Officer Parag Agrawal to provide some strategic direction for the $38 billion social network. Dorsey can pay more attention to his other company, financial technology firm Square , which is facing more competition.
Who Is Twitter's New CEO Parag Agrawal?
Bloomberg
Naomi Nix, Kurt Wagner
Agrawal, 37, was named on Monday to succeed co-founder Jack Dorsey after a four-year stint as CTO, a role where he oversaw Twitter’s pursuit of blockchain and other decentralized technologies. Dorsey, 45, will remain on the board through the summer and will stay at the helm of Square Inc., the payments company he also co-founded.
What Uber’s Spies Really Did
The New York Times
Kate Conger
A former co-worker accused the men of wiretapping their colleagues, hacking foreign governments and stealing trade secrets. It wasn’t true, but the allegations still follow them.
North-East Asia
Hackers sell sex clips from Korean ‘smart-home’ cameras on dark web
News.com.au
Frank Chung
Videos of people naked and having sex inside their homes have been sold on the dark web by hackers who gained access to household security cameras and other “smart” devices in South Korea. The major security breach was first reported earlier this month by the IT Chosun website, which discovered the intimate images being sold on a hacking forum for 0.1 bitcoin per video, or around $8100.
College Degree No Longer Needed to Apply for Japan Space Program
Bloomberg
Shiho Takezawa
Japan’s space agency, opening its doors for the first time in 13 years to new recruits, is changing up its hiring process in a bid to attract a more diverse pool of candidates.
UK
MI6 boss warns of China 'debt traps and data traps'
BBC
George Bowden
MI6 chief Richard Moore has warned of China's "debt traps and data traps" in his first live broadcast interview. Mr Moore - known as "C" - told BBC Radio 4's Today programme these traps threatened to erode sovereignty and have prompted defensive measures.
UK spy chief warns China, Russia racing to master AI
Al Jazeera
MI6 chief Richard Moore says Beijing and Moscow ‘pouring money’ into technological advances that will reshape espionage and geopolitics.
Watch Richard Moore’s full speech here.
UK spies seek help from tech firms against cyber threats
Associated Press
Britain’s spies must give up some of their deep-rooted secrecy and seek help from tech firms to combat fast-moving cyber threats, the head of the U.K’s foreign intelligence agency says.
British companies ‘help Taiwan build submarines’ to fend off China
The Times
Larisa Brown
Taipei is using technology, components and staff from a number of overseas companies to help it build an underwater fleet with the potential to exact a heavy toll on any Chinese attack.
ICO issues provisional view to fine Clearview AI Inc over £17 million
Information Commissioner's Office
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has today announced its provisional intent to impose a potential fine of just over £17 million on Clearview AI Inc – a company that describes itself as the ‘World’s Largest Facial Network’. In addition, the ICO has issued a provisional notice to stop further processing of the personal data of people in the UK and to delete it following alleged serious breaches of the UK’s data protection laws.
UK competition watchdog orders Facebook to sell off Giphy
Associated Press
Kelvin Chan
The United Kingdom’s antitrust watchdog has blocked Facebook’s acquisition of Giphy and ordered the social network to sell off the GIF-sharing platform, saying the deal hurts social media users and advertisers by stifling competition for animated images.
Europe
A blanket of surveillance covers Calais, but more migrants are dying at sea than ever before
.coda
Isobel Cockerell
France and the U.K. are in bitter conflict about how to stop perilous Channel crossings — and it appears that technology is not the answer.
Europe’s AI Act falls far short on protecting fundamental rights, civil society groups warn
TechCrunch
Natasha Lomas
The verdict of over a hundred civil society organizations is that the draft legislation falls far short of protecting fundamental rights from AI-fuelled harms like scaled discrimination and blackbox bias — and they’ve published a call for major revisions.
Gender-based cyberviolence: MEPs demand harmonised sanctions and victim support
European Parliament
On Tuesday, the committees on Civil Liberties and Women’s Rights demanded legislation to fight gender-based cyber violence.
Events
Freedom Online Conference 2021
Freedom Online Coalition
Dates: 30 November - 3 December.
The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) is a group of 34 governments working together to support Internet freedom and protect fundamental human rights – free expression, association, assembly, and privacy online – worldwide. At its 10-year anniversary in 2021, the FOC continues to perform a range of crucial functions: issuing joint statements, sharing policy approaches to complex issues, exchanging views on strategy, engaging with Internet stakeholders and planning participation in relevant forums.
Jobs
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.