Facebook and tech giants to target attacker manifestos, far-right militias in database | The TikTok spiral | Police are telling ShotSpotter to alter evidence from gunshot-detecting AI
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A counterterrorism organization formed by some of the biggest U.S. tech companies including Facebook and Microsoft is significantly expanding the types of extremist content shared between firms in a key database, aiming to crack down on material from white supremacists and far-right militias, the group told Reuters. Reuters
A joint investigation by triple j Hack and Four Corners has found the TikTok algorithm is exposing Australians to dangerous content while controlling which people and political movements get users’ attention. TikTok says its mission is to “inspire creativity and bring joy”. But it risks distorting the way much of a generation is seeing the world, and not always for the better. ABC News
Prosecutors in Chicago are being forced to withdraw evidence generated by the technology, which led to the police killing of 13-year-old Adam Toledo earlier this year. VICE
ASPI ICPC
The TikTok spiral
ABC News
@AvaniDias @jeanavivem @L_Day
“We see evidence of how content moderation that takes place in China, how that type of thinking is still applied to TikTok outside of China,” ASPI’s Fergus Ryan says. He says TikTok is struggling with its identity. “As it has expanded around the world, and particularly after it’s received a lot of scrutiny, the company has tried to, as much as possible, disconnect TikTok, the company, from its roots in China. But ultimately, those links can’t be fully severed.”
TikTok: Data mining, discrimination and dangerous content on the world's most popular app
ABC Four Corners
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute did the first academic investigation into TikTok, concluding the company actively uses the algorithm to hide political speech it deems controversial.
Handling peak demand for government services without crashing
Government News
Government departments are continuing to rely on stovepiped IT projects that leave them exposed to myGov-style system crashes and cyber attacks, according to an independent think tank. The warning is contained in new resource released by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute to help government agencies deal with peak and surge demand for digital services. It comes after high profile fails including the myGov website crash during the early days of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and the offlining of the eCensus in 2016 after a series of DDoS attacks.
Read our new report ‘Digital government services: Building for peak demand’
‘We will not rest’: Anti-vaxxers promise more huge lockdown protests
The New Daily
@JoshButler
Ariel Bogle, disinformation researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Cyber Policy Centre, warned against “reductive” explanations of the protesters’ intentions and said they drew from a wide range of origins. “It was such a grab bag,” she told TND. “There was talk of lockdowns hurting business, economic and poverty arguments, sprinklings of global conspiracy theories, anti-vaxxer ideas.” Ms Bogle said this “big tent” protest meant the message and event was spread through many different social media groups, amplifying it to a far wider range of people than standard anti-vaxxer or conspiracy events.
The World
DeepMind offers AI tool to predict shape of all human proteins
Financial Times
Artificial intelligence has solved one of the greatest puzzles in biology, by predicting the shape of every protein expressed in the human body. The research was carried out by London AI company DeepMind, which used its AlphaFold algorithm to build the most complete and accurate database yet of the human proteome, which underpins human health and disease. Last week, DeepMind published the methods and code for its model, AlphaFold2 in Nature, showing it could predict the structures of known proteins with almost perfect accuracy.
The Spyware Threat to Journalists
The New Yorker
@SteveCollNY
In this gathering age of digital autocracy, it is hard to avoid the impression that the dictators are winning. A decade ago, the Arab Spring fostered hopeful visions of social-media-enabled people-power movements toppling anachronistic strongmen from Beijing to Riyadh and Caracas. Facebook, Twitter, and other messaging platforms remain transformative tools for mobilization in many countries, yet autocratic regimes have fought back ruthlessly by unleashing legions of loyalist censors, bots, and trolls to control online discourse, and by using spyware to watch and harass troublesome journalists and dissidents.
Australia
Australia hears case for open access to Apple NFC tech as QR codes will not do
ZDNet
@ashabeeeee
Google says opening access to NFC technology will spur innovation while payments expert Lance Blockley argues QR code payments are not sufficient in an Australian context.
China
‘Wolf warrior’ diplomats take issue with Olympics coverage of China
Australian Financial Review
@MikeSmithAFR
Despite its early lead in the Olympic medal tally, China’s “wolf warrior” diplomats have turned the country’s sporting win into a whinge. Official government social media accounts and online commentators have accused Western media outlets of portraying Chinese athletes in an unflattering light.
China Tutoring Ban Hits ByteDance, Puts Tencent’s $3 Billion Stake in Danger
The Information
@JuroOsawa @waynema @beijingscribe
TikTok-owner ByteDance had made big plans for online education, hiring around 10,000 employees to tap a $100 billion market. China’s sudden ban of for-profit tutoring in school curriculum may have scuppered those plans.
USA
Facebook and tech giants to target attacker manifestos, far-right militias in database
Reuters
@eculliford
A counterterrorism organization formed by some of the biggest U.S. tech companies including Facebook and Microsoft is significantly expanding the types of extremist content shared between firms in a key database, aiming to crack down on material from white supremacists and far-right militias, the group told Reuters.
Police Are Telling ShotSpotter to Alter Evidence From Gunshot-Detecting AI
VICE
@ToddFeathers
Prosecutors in Chicago are being forced to withdraw evidence generated by the technology, which led to the police killing of 13-year-old Adam Toledo earlier this year.
Court orders US Capitol rioter to unlock his laptop ‘with his face’
TechCrunch
@zackwhittaker
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered a man accused of participating in the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6 to unlock his laptop “with his face” after prosecutors argued that the laptop likely contains video footage that would incriminate him in the attempted insurrection.
The Cybersecurity 202: Cyber experts give Biden top marks at six months
Washington Post
@Joseph_Marks_
At his six-month mark in office, President Biden is making the right moves to ensure the United States is safer in cyberspace, according to an overwhelming majority of cybersecurity experts we polled..Biden has effectively managed the day-to-day crises while dealing with longer-range concerns such as getting top cyber officials in place and facing off with Russian President Vladimir Putin over hacking, according to 86 percent of The Cybersecurity 202 Network.
Intel to build Qualcomm chips, aims to catch foundry rivals by 2025
Reuters
@StephenNellis
Intel Corp said on Monday its factories will start building Qualcomm Inc chips and laid out a roadmap to expand its new foundry business to catch rivals such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd by 2025.
China’s Huawei Hires Democratic Lobbyist Tony Podesta
The Wall Street Journal
@DanStrumpf @bykowicz @jacquiemcnish
Huawei Technologies Co. has hired veteran Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta—whose firm imploded in 2017 amid financial and legal troubles—as part of the Chinese company’s expanded U.S. influence operation, according to people familiar with the matter.
‘Holy moly!’: Inside Texas’ fight against a ransomware hack
AP News
@JZBleiberg @etuckerAP
In 2019, ransomware had yet to emerge as one of the top national security concerns confronting the United States, an issue that would become the focus of a presidential summit between Washington and Moscow this year. But the attacks in Texas were a harbinger of the now-exploding threat and offer a vivid case study in what happens behind the scenes when small-town America comes under attack.
TikTok a Year After Trump’s Ban: No Change, but New Threats
WIRED
@willknight
The popular short-video app survived a plan to block it on US phones. Now, it’s mistrusted by both the US and Chinese governments.
I’m a Parkland Shooting Survivor. QAnon Convinced My Dad It Was All a Hoax.
VICE
@daithaigilbert
Over the course of the last four years, but in particular since the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown, the QAnon conspiracy cult has been tearing families apart, and many family members say their loved ones have transformed into different people in front of their eyes.
North Asia
How Taiwan is trying to defend against a cyber 'World War III'
CNN
@EricCheungwc @willripleyCNN Gladys Tsai
As China steps up military pressure on Taiwan, the self-governing island is preparing for the next big frontier of warfare: crippling cyberattacks.
UK
UK looks to remove China’s CGN from nuclear power projects
Financial Times
The British government is exploring ways to remove China’s state-owned nuclear energy company from all future power projects in the UK, including the consortium planning to build the new £20bn Sizewell nuclear power station in Suffolk, according to people close to the discussions. The change in mood at the top of government also affects proposals by China General Nuclear to build a new plant at Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex using its own reactor technology and raises questions about the future of the UK’s nuclear energy programme.
Europe
Chipmaker TSMC says too early to say on Germany expansion
Reuters
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) said on Monday that it was too early to say whether it will build factories in Germany and that talks were in early stages, as the EU seeks to reduce chip imports amid a supply shortage. The European Commission had held discussions with global chip giants, including Intel and TSMC, as the EU seeks to boost semiconductor production and shield itself from shocks in the global supply chain.
TSMC eyes Germany as possible location for first Europe chip plant
Nikkei Asia
@ChengTingFang @Lauly_Th_Li
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said on Monday it is considering building its first European semiconductor plant in Germany as the global race to onshore chip production heats up.
How the global semiconductor tussle is shaping ASML’s future
Financial Times
The future looks unremittingly bright for ASML, Europe’s most valuable technology company, apart from one dot on the horizon: geopolitics. As the manufacturer of what one tech executive calls “the most complicated machine humans have built”, ASML is benefiting from the global boom for semiconductors that run our connected world.
Africa
Misc
QR Codes Are Here to Stay. So Is the Tracking They Allow.
The New York Times
@erinkwoo
Fueled by a desire for touchless transactions, QR codes popped up everywhere in the pandemic. Businesses don’t want to give them up.
Four Things to Consider on the Future of AI-enabled Deterrence
Lawfare
Alex Wilner @caseyebabb @JessMarinDavis
The impact of artificial intelligence on security policy has many dimensions, and one of the most important will be how it shapes deterrence. Artificial intelligence complexifies many of the components of successful deterrence, such as communicating a threat clearly and being prepared for adversary adaptation. Alex Wilner, Casey Babb and Jessica Davis of Carleton University unpack the relationship between artificial intelligence and deterrence, explaining some of the likely challenges and offering suggestions for how to improve deterrence.
Research
Survey of Chinese Espionage in the United States Since 2000
CSIS
This survey lists 160 publicly reported instances of Chinese espionage directed at the United States since 2000.
Application of the Due Diligence Principle to Cyber Operations
International Law Studies
Tomohiro Mikanagi
The discreet use of proxies by States renders it difficult to prove attribution to States under the existing rules of attribution. On the other hand, the due diligence principle, if applicable, does not require attribution but can lead to the invocation of State responsibility for cyber operations emanating from the territory of other States.
Events
ASPI Webinar: In-Conversation with Marietje Schaake
ASPI ICPC
SPI's International Cyber Policy Centre is delighted to invite you to an in-conversation with Marietje Schaake, President of the Cyber Peace Institute, the International Policy Director at Stanford's Cyber Policy Center and International Policy Fellow at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. Join Fergus Hanson for an online ‘fireside chat’ with Marietje focusing on technology, democracy and the question of accountability. They will discuss how democracies can cooperate amidst rising authoritarianism and the privatised governance of technologies. They will also consider the rule of law and how it relates to the oversight of existing and emerging technologies. 27 July 2021 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Jobs
ICPC Deputy Director – 12 month parental leave cover
ASPI ICPC
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC) is currently recruiting for a one-year parental leave cover for its Deputy Director position. This is an exceptional opportunity for a talented and experienced individual to contribute to the work of Australia's leading think-tank on cyber, information, technology and other national security issues in a unique leadership role.
ICPC Senior Analyst & Program Manager
ASPI ICPC
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC) potentially has an outstanding opportunity for a proactive, efficient and talented senior analyst & program manager to join its centre..We are looking for a senior individual with a minimum of 10-15 years of demonstrated relevant work experience who possesses excellent project management, stakeholder engagement and staff management skills. They must also possess strong knowledge - either as a generalist or a specialist - of some of the topics ICPC works across, and feel comfortable engaging with politicians, senior policymakers, business representatives and preferably also the media.
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. These are senior roles and applicants shortlisted will have a track record of high-quality China-focused research and policy analysis.