China clamps down on Big Tech putting more billionaires on notice | Facebook and Google are still banning political ads | Amazon hit by EU antitrust complaint facing new probe over sales
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Xi Jinping’s Communist Party is stepping up efforts to rein in some of China’s most powerful companies, jolting investors and dealing a blow to the country’s richest entrepreneurs. Bloomberg
Facebook and Google have been temporarily blocking all political ads from running on their platforms since Election Day. Now, Democrats say the ad ban is costing them the Georgia senate run-offs during critical days for both fundraising and getting the word out about the races. Protocol
Amazon.com Inc. faces an antitrust complaint from European Union regulators that escalates an investigation into how it handles data from rival sellers on its massive online retail platform. Bloomberg
ASPI ICPC
IndigiCyber and STEM pathways launch with Indigenous IT businesses and Defence
ASPI
To coincide with cyber security and Indigenous business month, ASPI launched its IndigiCyber and STEM Pathways project with an event that brought Indigenous IT businesses together with the Department of Defence, the National Indigenous Australians Agency and the Digital Transformation Agency. The key messages of the day were that senior leadership and a long-term vision in the APS and Government can help build Indigenous business (IB) sector so they move up the value chain. However, there is a need to encourage feedback mechanisms between IBs and departments so that (1) IBs are continuously upskilled and (2) IBs are involved in the design of solutions that attempt to overcome siloed departmental and jurisdictional arrangements.
China
China Clampdown on Big Tech Puts More Billionaires on Notice
Bloomberg
@pingroma @cocojournalist
Xi Jinping’s Communist Party is stepping up efforts to rein in some of China’s most powerful companies, jolting investors and dealing a blow to the country’s richest entrepreneurs.
Jack Ma's Bund Finance Summit Speech
Interconnected
@kevinsxu
I don’t normally do any translation, because Interconnected is focused on original work and thinking. But I felt compelled to provide an English version of Jack Ma’s speech on October 24 at the Bund Finance Summit in Shanghai, because mainstream media coverage of the speech and the subsequent cancellation of Ant Group’s IPO has been lacking and simplistic.
U.S. vs. China in 5G: The Battle Isn’t Even Close
The Wall Street Journal
@DanStrumpf
By most measures, China is no longer just leading the U.S. when it comes to 5G. It is running away with the game. China has more 5G subscribers than the U.S., not just in total but per capita. It has more 5G smartphones for sale, and at lower prices, and it has more-widespread 5G coverage. Connections in China are, on average, faster than in the U.S., too.
Huawei to sell smartphone unit for $15 billion to Shenzhen government, Digital China, others - sources
Reuters
Huawei plans to sell budget-brand smartphone unit Honor in a 100 billion yuan ($15.2 billion) deal to a consortium led by handset distributor Digital China and the government of its home town of Shenzhen, people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Xiaomi takes advantage of Huawei’s woes
The Economist
Xiaomi’s share price has doubled since June. Its value surged to $80bn on November 5th. The main explanation is the flagging performance of none other than Huawei, which has been cut off from a critical resource—mobile chips—after export restrictions imposed by America came into effect on September 15th.
China drafts new antitrust guideline to rein in tech giants, wiping US$102 billion from Alibaba, Tencent and Meituan stocks
SCMP
China has released a draft antitrust guideline to rein in internet-based monopolies, signalling policymakers’ heightened concerns over the growing power, influence and risks of digital platforms and their market practices in the economy. The move immediately erased about US$102 billion of market value from Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holdings and Meituan.
USA
Facebook and Google are still banning political ads. Dems say that’s bad news for the Georgia runoffs.
Protocol
@issielapowsky
The fate of the United States Senate will be determined by two Georgia runoffs scheduled for less than two months from now — and Democrats say Facebook and Google are already screwing it up.
Cyberattack on U. of Vermont hospital IT network delays chemotherapy, mammogram appointments
CyberScoop
@snlyngaas
A cyberattack at the University of Vermont Health Network has forced one of the network’s hospitals to delay chemotherapy and mammogram appointments, making it the latest example of how cybercriminals can impact patient care.
Facebook takes down a widespread network of pages tied to Stephen Bannon for pushing misinformation
The Washington Post
@lizzadwoskin
The pages, which promoted the "Stop the Steal" effort and other misleading messages about voter fraud and the election, were removed over the weekend, while the former top Trump strategist’s account was frozen.
One Big Challenge for Biden? China’s Push for Tech Supremacy
Wired
@willknight
Trump’s aggressive policy scored only modest successes. Analysts say the US needs a more nuanced approach if it wants to out-compete Beijing.
‘My faith is shaken’: The QAnon conspiracy theory faces a post-Trump identity crisis
The Washington Post
President Trump’s election loss and the week-long disappearance of their anonymous prophet have forced supporters of the baseless movement to rethink their beliefs: “Have we all been conned?”
A Way Forward for U.S. Policy on TikTok
Lawfare
@LindsayPGorman
The unfolding saga over TikTok and WeChat will have lasting impact far beyond the availability of dance videos and lip syncs. Reporters, tech watchers, First Amendment scholars and social media influencers alike are anxiously watching each twist in the fight between the U.S. and China over information technology and social media apps—a fight that presents a stark choice between the way a free and open society approaches the nexus of business and national security, and the path advocated by authoritarian governments like China.
Read more about ASPI ICPC’s work on TikTok here.
South-East Asia
Indonesia Has 197 Million Internet Users in 2020, APJII Survey Shows
Jakarta Globe
Close to 197 million, or 74 percent, of the Indonesian population, have used the internet this year, up 8.9 percent from last year, as the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated online learning usage among students and people in remote areas, a survey by the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association, or APJII, showed on Monday.
South and Central Asia
India should create bubbles of trust with its geopolitical allies
Mint
ven if political changes around the world rekindle interest in multilateral approaches to world trade, technology and climate change, New Delhi must prioritize deepening relationships with its geopolitical allies (there, I said the word). Like air bubbles for international travel during the pandemic, first create bubbles of trust bilaterally with strategic partners and then explore whether these can coalesce into larger bubbles that include more countries.
Europe
Amazon Hit by EU Antitrust Complaint, Faces New Probe Over Sales
Bloomberg
Amazon.com Inc. faces an antitrust complaint from European Union regulators that escalates an investigation into how it handles data from rival sellers on its massive online retail platform.
Russia
Leaks and lawsuits blight Russia facial recognition
Thomson Reuters Foundation
@UmbertoBacchi
When Anna Kuznetsova saw an ad offering access to Moscow's face recognition cameras, all she had to do was pay 16,000 roubles ($200) and send a photo of the person she wanted spying on. The 20-year-old - who was acting as a volunteer for a digital rights group investigating leaks in Moscow's pervasive surveillance system - sent over a picture of herself and waited.
Misc
I'm Tired of Broken Smart Homes
Gizmodo
While smart homes can be pretty convenient, they also require a certain type of never-ending vigilance. Specifically, you have to keep up with which companies support what platforms, and if any mergers or acquisitions have royally screwed your entire setup.
Mysterious Bugs Were Used to Hack iPhones and Android Phones and No One Will Talk About It
VICE News
@lorenzofb
Google found at least seven critical bugs being exploited by hackers in the wild. But after disclosing them days ago, the company has yet to reveal key details about who used them and against whom.
Jobs
Senior Researcher / Project Lead
ASPI ICPC
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC) has an outstanding opportunity for a senior researcher to lead a one-year project looking at leadership networks across Asia. Interviews will start immediately.
Optus Chair in Cybersecurity and Data Science, Research Academic Level D/E
University of South Australia
Based in the UniSA STEM academic unit, this research leadership role of Optus Chair in Cybersecurity and Data Science will provide leadership and foster excellence in teaching and high impact research in the increasingly sophisticated and crucial fields of cyber security and data science.