Facebook deliberately caused havoc in Australia to influence new law: whistleblowers | S. Korea's spy agency joins NATO cyber defence group | Data firm provides abortion clinic visitor home locations
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When Facebook blocked news pages last year to pre-empt Australian legislation that would force it to pay for content, it also took down hospitals, emergency services and charities. The company says that was inadvertent; whistleblowers allege it was a negotiating tactic. The Wall Street Journal
Placer.ai allowed anyone to freely create an account and start using its visualized data to see where visitors to Planned Parenthood facilities approximately live. VICE
South Korea's state intelligence agency said Thursday it has joined a cyber defence group under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the first Asian member. Yonhap News Agency
ASPI ICPC
Ukraine - Russia
How Russia employs fake fact-checking in its disinformation arsenal
DFR Lab
Ingrid Dickinson
Kremlin-aligned outlets embrace open-source research and fact-checking tropes to make disinformation more convincing.
Australia
Facebook Deliberately Caused Havoc in Australia to Influence New Law, Whistleblowers Say
The Wall Street Journal
Keach Hagey, Mike Cherney and Jeff Horwitz
When Facebook blocked news pages last year to pre-empt Australian legislation that would force it to pay for content, it also took down hospitals, emergency services and charities. The company says that was inadvertent; whistleblowers allege it was a negotiating tactic.
Defence and Diplomacy: Australia’s Enhanced Cyber Capability
Australian Institute of International Affairs
Conor McLaughlin
Cyberspace is fast becoming a dominant attribute to the functioning of the Australian economy and society more generally. It is logical to assume that Australia’s defence and security posture will reflect the growing importance of digital technology in policy considerations.
Former ANZ subsidiary breached obligations over cybersecurity failures
Business News Australia
David Simmons
RI Advice will repay $750,000 in legal fees to the corporate watchdog after the Federal Court determined that the firm breached its license obligations by failing to have adequate systems in place to manage cybersecurity risks.
China
USA
Location Data Firm Provides Heat Maps of Where Abortion Clinic Visitors Live
VICE
Joseph Cox
Placer.ai allowed anyone to freely create an account and start using its visualized data to see where visitors to Planned Parenthood facilities approximately live.
As Roe v. Wade reversal looms, should you delete your period-tracking app? TechCrunch
Digital Security and Privacy Tips for Those Involved in Abortion Access Electronic Frontier Foundation
Code words and fake names: The low-tech ways women protect their privacy on pregnancy apps Washington Post
Nakasone has been asked to remain at helm of NSA, Cyber Command
The Record by Recorded Future
Martin Matishak and Dina Temple-Raston
U.S. Cyber Command and National Security Agency chief Gen. Paul Nakasone has been asked to remain in his post for another year, according to two senior defense officials, extending a four-year term that has seen the organizations expand their missions to include election security and combating ransomware.
Nakasone says Cyber Command did nine 'hunt forward' ops last year, including in Ukraine
CyberScoop
Suzanne Smalley
National Security Agency Director and U.S. Cyber Command Gen. Paul Nakasone said Tuesday that Cyber Command conducted nine “hunt forward” operations in different countries last year, a data point he shared to illustrate why the command’s use of persistent engagement is critical to its success.
White House wants nation to prepare for cryptography-breaking quantum computers
The Record by Recorded Future
Joe Warminsky
National Security Memorandum 10 (NSM-10) calls for "a whole-of-government and whole‑of‑society strategy" for quantum information systems.
A teen girl sexually exploited on Snapchat takes on American tech
Washington Post
Drew Harwell
A 16-year-old girl is leading a class-action lawsuit against one of the country's most popular apps — claiming its designers have done almost nothing to prevent the sexual exploitation of girls like her.
North Asia
S. Korea's spy agency joins NATO cyber defense group
Yonhap News Agency
South Korea's state intelligence agency said Thursday it has joined a cyber defense group under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the first Asian member.
South & Central Asia
VPN Providers Threaten to Quit India Over New Data Law
WIRED
Chris Stokel-Walker
The country has ordered companies operating VPNs to collect user data and hand it over to officials—but they’re refusing to do so.
Africa
Huawei unveils another talent development program for Sub-Saharan Africa
KBC
Eric Biegon
Chinese technology conglomerate Huawei has unveiled the Leadership, Employability, Advancement & Possibility’ otherwise known as LEAP, a program that seeks to provide a cohesive approach to talent development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Election influencers for hire: Kenya's disinformation factories
News24
Tony Karumba
In a nondescript office north of Kenya's capital Nairobi, social media influencer Ian James Mwai constantly glances at his two mobile phones, wary of missing an opportunity to promote the political party he works for.
Big Tech
Elon Musk expected to serve as temporary Twitter CEO after deal closes
CNBC
Annie Palmer
Elon Musk is expected to serve as a temporary Twitter CEO for a few months after he completes his takeover of the company, sources told CNBC's David Faber.
Apple, Google, Microsoft a Step Closer to Passwordless Future With FIDO
CNET
Ian Sherr
Get ready to start hearing a lot more about FIDO, or Fast Identity Online, for login instead of passwords.
Research
U.S.-Japan Technology Security Alliance
CSIS
The need to protect critical and emerging technologies features prominently in the policy debates in Tokyo and Washington. As the United States formulates its own strategy, Japan will be an important ally in coordinating approaches to balance technology competition and cooperation in the digital economy.
The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and Digital Trade in Southeast Asia
CSIS
Andreyka Natalegawa and Gregory B. Poling
Southeast Asia is not a monolith when it comes to digital trade, and the Biden administration will face headwinds trying to convince countries to sign on to high-standard provisions on digital trade through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
Misc
A security researcher easily found my passwords and more: How my digital footprints left me surprisingly over-exposed
ZDNet
Danny Palmer
The internet never forgets information that we post online - and, as I discovered, old information can come back to haunt you.
Jobs
The Sydney Dialogue - Senior Events Coordinator
ASPI ICPC
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) is currently recruiting for an experienced events professional to coordinate the planning and logistics of the second iteration of ASPI’s Sydney Dialogue - the world’s premier summit on emerging, critical and cyber technologies.
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.