Facebook to ban all QAnon accounts from its platform | US Congress launches investigation in tech monopoly powers | South Korea accuses North of hacking science ministry
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Facebook said Tuesday that it is banning all QAnon accounts from its platforms, a significant escalation over its previous actions and one of the broadest rules the social media giant has put in place in its history. NBC News
House lawmakers who spent the last 15 months investigating the practices of the world’s largest technology companies said on Tuesday that Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google had exercised and abused their monopoly power and called for the most sweeping set of changes to antitrust laws in half a century. The New York Times
The South Korean government accused North Korea of attempting seven different cyberattacks against its Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology between Jan. 2020 and July 2020, according to a government press release. NK News
ASPI ICPC
Cyber strategy is about enabling trust and building stronger defences
Australian Financial Review
Australia is about as well protected as other developed nations of a similar size, but that is of little comfort, says Fergus Hanson, director of The International Cyber Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. “If you look at are we well protected to prevent against nation-state attack on our critical infrastructure, no, we’re not very well protected at all,” he says. Part of the problem is that cyber security wasn’t built into many of the IT systems being used in Australia and there are many legacy systems with old infrastructure. “So now we're in this process of playing catch-up, so the government is proposing new legislation that'll have step-in powers to potentially allow our technical agency to help operators of critical national infrastructure to defend themselves against cyber attack,” he says.
Russia is spreading lies about Covid vaccines, says UK military chief
The Guardian
@dansabbagh
Their “disinformation narratives” were designed to permeate anti-vaccination social media groups, Carter added, pointing to an example uncovered earlier this summer by Australian researchers that spread rapidly from Ukraine.
Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nick Carter launches the Integrated Operating Concept
UK Government
The COVID crisis has highlighted how the use of propaganda, data misuse, disinformation, and strategic influence is presenting complex and rapidly evolving challenges for researchers, civil society, and of course for policymakers. And our autocratic rivals have utilised these techniques most effectively. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute is tracking how a range of actors are manipulating the information environment to exploit the COVID-19 crisis for strategic gain - including pro-Russian vaccine politics whose disinformation narratives are designed to permeate anti-vaccination social media groups.
Australia
Andrews seeks Chinese tech precinct for Melbourne as part of 'gateway' push
The Age
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews last year asked the Chinese government to set up a technology research and development centre in Melbourne, prompting warnings about intellectual property theft and the potential national security implications. Mr Andrews’ request for a so-called "torch centre" to be set up in Melbourne was part of his attempt last October to court Chinese investment and which saw him describe Victoria as "China's gateway to Australia". The offer was made in a letter sent last year to China’s Minister for Science and Technology, Wang Zhigang, and followed up in person in a meeting between the Premier and vice-minister Huang Wei in October last year.
George Christensen Just Confessed To Owning That Facebook Account Following Conspiracy And Extremist Pages
Gizmodo
Australian politician George Christensen confirms that a Facebook account that liked white nationalist and QAnon pages belongs to him.
China
China manipulating international institutions, warns UK armed forces chief
The Independent
@KimSengupta07
China is following a policy of manipulating international institutions and laws while harnessing technologies to achieve aggressive military strategic goals disguised as civilian ventures, the chief of Britain’s armed forces has warned.
USA
House Lawmakers Condemn Big Tech’s ‘Monopoly Power’
The New York Times
@ceciliakang @dmccabe
House lawmakers who spent the last 15 months investigating the practices of the world’s largest technology companies said on Tuesday that Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google had exercised and abused their monopoly power and called for the most sweeping set of changes to antitrust laws in half a century.
House Judiciary's tech antitrust report urges sweeping legal changes
Axios
@ashleyrgold @dalykyle
The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday laid out Democrats' vision of a U.S. antitrust policy built to rein in Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook and other giant tech firms.
Facebook bans QAnon across its platforms
NBC News
@oneunderscore__ @BrandyZadrozny
Facebook said Tuesday that it is banning all QAnon accounts from its platforms, a significant escalation over its previous actions and one of the broadest rules the social media giant has put in place in its history.
Facebook and Twitter take action against misleading Trump post
Axios
Facebook on Tuesday removed a post from President Trump in which he falsely claimed that COVID-19 is less deadly "in most populations" than the flu. Twitter labeled the tweet for violating its rules about "spreading misleading and potentially harmful information," but left it up because it may be "in the public's interest."
WeChat, Wild Rumors and All, Is Their Lifeline. Washington May End That.
The New York Times
@nicole_hong
The app has reshaped the experience of Chinese-Americans for the better, but also spreads misinformation and government propaganda.
NSA boss Paul Nakasone in self-isolation after potential coronavirus exposure
CyberScoop
@shanvav
The director of the U.S. National Security Agency, Gen. Paul Nakasone, has entered quarantine out of an abundance of caution after a potential exposure to the coronavirus.
North-East Asia
South Korea accuses North Korea of hacking attempts against science ministry
NK News
@minchaochoy
The South Korean government accused North Korea of attempting seven different cyberattacks against its Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology between Jan. 2020 and July 2020, according to a government press release.
South-East Asia
Indian startup founders criticise Google Play Store dominance
Medianama
@nixxin
About a month ago, Vijay Shekhar Sharma (VSS), the founder of payments company Paytm, created a WhatsApp group for Indian startup founders, to enable them to network and connect with each other. Called “India Startup Connect”, the group currently has 163 members. At 12:29 pm on Tuesday afternoon, a message on the group from Murugavel Janakiraman set a chain of events into motion, which could have consequences for Google in India.
UK
Europe
Facebook to defy new Turkish social media law
Financial Times
Erdogan government alarmed human rights groups with rules to oversee tech companies.
Huawei set to challenge EU discrimination law in Estonia
Telecoms.com
Estonia has drafted a fairly standard law banning high-risk telecoms vendors, but Huawei has reportedly decided to make a stand this time.
Misc
Instagram marks its 10th anniversary with new anti-bullying features
Engadget
@karissabe
Instagram is officially 10 years old, and is marking the end of its first decade with new features meant to encourage users to be nice to one another.
When AI is in control, who’s to blame for military accidents?
The Bulletin
As militaries incorporate AI into everything from surveillance systems to tank turrets, one thing is for certain: there will be accidents. But how will governments deal with the fallout from a military accident involving AI? Accidents will continue to happen, but if AI is making critical military decisions, who will be to blame?
Events
Key Takeaways of the Prague 5G Security Conference with Daniel Bagge
Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
An off-the-record discussion on the Prague 5G Security Conference with Daniel Bagge, Cyber Attaché from the Embassy of the Czech Republic. Oct 7, 2020 10:00 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada).
ASPI Webinar Launch: The Flipside of China’s Central Bank Digital Currency
ASPI
In this webinar, report authors Dr Samantha Hoffman, Senior ASPI Analyst, John Garnaut and Dr Matthew Johnson from Garnaut Global, and ASPI research intern Alexandra Pascoe will discuss some of the key findings from the report and offer insights into the potential of China’s central bank digital currency. Oct 14, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm AEST.
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.
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