GCHQ’s mass data interception violated right to privacy, court rules | Florida to fine social media companies that bar candidates | DHS to issue first cybersecurity regulations for pipelines
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The UK spy agency GCHQ’s methods for bulk interception of online communications violated the right to privacy and the regime for collection of data was unlawful, the grand chamber of the European court of human rights has ruled. The Guardian
Florida on Monday became the first state to regulate how companies like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter moderate speech online, by imposing fines on social media companies that permanently bar political candidates in the state. The New York Times
The Department of Homeland Security is moving to regulate cybersecurity in the pipeline industry for the first time in an effort to prevent a repeat of a major computer attack that crippled nearly half the East Coast’s fuel supply this month — an incident that highlighted the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to online attacks. The Washington Post
ASPI ICPC
Australia
Immediate, realistic and credible': Security boss warns of risk of major cyber attack
ABC News
@NourHaydar
One of Australia's top national security figures warns the threat of a cyber attack that could take down critical infrastructure like the nation's electricity network is "immediate" and "realistic".
China, Singapore line up for dumped CSIRO seL4 team
InnovationAus
Joseph Brookes
The world leading Australian research team dumped by the CSIRO’s Data61 last week is in the acquisition sights of a large Chinese company and the Singapore Government’s R&D agency.
Innovation Metrics Review, sunk without a trace
InnovationAus
James Riley
An in-depth investigation of the way government measures outcomes in Australia’s innovation system conducted by the most senior of public sector advisors is missing in action, gathering dust somewhere, two years after it was due for publication.
TPG confirms data on dark web belongs to its customer
Australian Financial Review
@DLLabs
TPG Telecom has confirmed that data freely available to download on the dark web belongs to one of its customers, following a cyber security breach of TPG’s servers in April.
China
Evil Eye Gazes Beyond China’s Borders: Troubling Trends in Chinese Cyber Campaigns
Council on Foreign Relations
Eli Clemens
Social media companies should be cognizant of three trends from this incident. First, Facebook was just one part in a larger APT campaign. Other firms that discover information operations should be alert to a range of blended tactics. Second, the ease of opening new accounts on Facebook and other social media accounts remains a critical vulnerability with the fake user accounts easily weaponized.
China needs allies, not isolation, to solve its chip shortage
Financial Times
In China, the biggest market for many of the world’s smart devices, the global chip shortage has for months been a “chip famine”. During the onset of Covid-19 a year ago, Chinese parents with homeschooled children bought up tablets and laptops, causing long waits. Then, as the rest of the world followed suit and factory problems bit, chip demand started far outweighing supply.
Trapped in Dubai – China’s hunt for a teenage dissident
Safeguard Defenders
What started as a solitary, early evening post on China’s Weibo platform on February 21 earlier this year, questioning the PLA and the Chinese government after its conflict with India the year before, is rapidly turning into an international incident in a dramatic standoff between a lone teenage Chinese dissident and the Chinese State.
Inner Mongolia Outlines How It May Ban Crypto Mining
CoinDesk
@DavidPan_1
Inner Mongolia’s branch of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the highest economic planning agency in China, issued a detailed draft guideline explaining how local authorities can crack down on crypto mining activities in the region.
Huawei to roll out self-developed Harmony OS for smartphones in early June
South China Morning Post
@celiachensi
Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co will deploy its HarmonyOS operating system on smartphones early next month in the latest move to shield its core smartphone business from US trade sanctions.
Huawei Vows It Won’t Make Cars or Invest in Automakers
Caixin
Zhang Erchi Denise Jia
Chinese tech giant’s dismissal of speculation drives down shares of BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology, Chongqing Sokon Industry and Chongqing Changan Automobile.
USA
DHS to issue first cybersecurity regulations for pipelines after Colonial hack
The Washington Post
@nakashimae @loriara
Two directives will seek oversight of the industry after a ransomware attack upended gas availability in the Southeast for 11 days.
Florida, in a First, Will Fine Social Media Companies That Bar Candidates
The New York Times
David McCabe
Florida on Monday became the first state to regulate how companies like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter moderate speech online, by imposing fines on social media companies that permanently bar political candidates in the state.
Oracle Boasted That Its Software Was Used Against U.S. Protesters. Then It Took the Tech to China.
The Intercept
@MaraHvistendahl
To sell the CIA-backed Endeca software for use by Chinese authorities, Oracle touted its use in Chicago for predictive policing.
Chicago PD constantly surveilled a man after its predictive policing system said he'd be involved in a shooting, but not whether he'd be the shooter or victim
The Verge
Matt Stroud
Robert McDaniel’s troubles began with a knock on the door. It was a weekday in mid-2013, as he made lunch in the crowded three-bedroom house where he lives with his grandmother and several of his adult siblings.
A breakdown of the different arguments pertaining to the App Store and how they were presented and discussed in the Epic vs Apple trial
Stratechery
@benthompson
Arguments in Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple Inc. wrapped up yesterday; Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers noted she had thousands of documents to pore over, but hoped to issue a decision within the next few months. I think there is a strong chance that Apple prevails, for reasons I’ll explain below, but that doesn’t mean the trial has been waste of time: it has cast into stark relief the different arguments that pertain to the App Store, and not all of them have to do with the law.
DC attorney general sues Amazon on antitrust grounds, alleges it illegally raises prices
CNBC
@lauren_feiner @annierpalmer
Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine announced Tuesday he’s suing Amazon on antitrust grounds, alleging the company’s practices have unfairly raised prices for consumers and suppressed innovation.
The Big Deal in Amazon’s Antitrust Case
The New York Times
@Shira Ovide
The claim that Amazon is crushing competition is both novel and railroad baron-style old-school.
North-East Asia
South Korea Commits $450 Billion to Dominate Semiconductor Market
ExtremeTech
@Joel Hruska
South Korea will invest $450 billion in its semiconductor industry by 2030, turning up the heat on the US to follow suit.
South and Central Asia
Facebook Executive Supported India’s Modi, Disparaged Opposition in Internal Messages
The Wall Street Journal
Jeff Horwitz @newley
A Facebook executive in India made internal postings supporting the now ruling Hindu nationalist party and disparaging its main rival, which some staff saw as conflicting with the company’s neutrality pledge.
Indian Police Visit Twitter Offices as Modi Goes on Pandemic Offense
The New York Times
@sameeryasir @emilyschmall
The visit sent a clear message that India’s powerful ruling party is becoming increasingly upset with the company.
UK
GCHQ’s mass data interception violated right to privacy, court rules
The Guardian
@Haroon_Siddique
The UK spy agency GCHQ’s methods for bulk interception of online communications violated the right to privacy and the regime for collection of data was unlawful, the grand chamber of the European court of human rights has ruled.
Europe
Google’s data terms are now in Germany’s competition crosshairs
TechCrunch
@riptari
Germany’s national competition regulator, the Bundeskartellamt, has continued its investigative charge against big tech — announcing that it’s opened two proceedings into Google.
Russia
Russian ‘King of Fraud’ Defends Fake Web Traffic as Not Criminal
Bloomberg
@Patricia Hurtado
Aleksandr Zhukov once boasted he was the “King of fraud” in a 2014 text message to an associate. A jury in Brooklyn, New York, is set to begin deliberating today whether the Russian national is actually guilty of that crime.
The Americas
Middle East
Drought and Crypto Mining Fuel Iran’s Business-Choking Blackouts
Bloomberg
@golnarM
Dry weather, a drop in electricity generation and a surge in illegal cryptocurrency mining are playing havoc with Iran’s power grid.
Misc
AI Can Write Disinformation Now—and Dupe Human Readers
Wired
@willknight
Georgetown researchers used text generator GPT-3 to write misleading tweets about climate change and foreign affairs. People found the posts persuasive.
The Costly Pursuit of Self-Driving Cars Continues On. And On. And On.
The New York Times
@cademetz
Many in Silicon Valley promised that self-driving cars would be a common sight by 2021. Now the industry is resetting expectations and settling in for years of more work.
Report finds startling disinterest in ethical, responsible use of AI among business leaders
ZDNet
@jgreigj
A new report from FICO and Corinium has found that many companies are deploying various forms of AI throughout their businesses with little consideration for the ethical implications of potential problems.
Events
Digital Politics in the Asia Pacific Seminar Series
ANU Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs
Anti-trust initiatives and new data protection and privacy legislation suggest that the relationship between Chinese tech companies and the Chinese party-state is shifting in important ways. In fact that relationship has for a long time been more complex and nuanced than many analyses allow. This seminar goes into the detail of legal and political shifts in the relationship between the world's biggest tech corporations and the government most interested in harnessing it.
Wednesday, 26 May 2021 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM AEST
Geopolitics, cybersecurity and sustainability: The case of undersea internet cables in the Pacific region
Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs
Geopolitics, cybersecurity and sustainability are important issues when it comes to the rollout of information and communication technologies in the Pacific region. This presentation will explore these issues through examination of undersea internet cables.
Thursday, 03 June 2021 11am–12pm AEST
Research
China’s Foreign Technology Wish List
Center for Security and Emerging Technology
“Science and technology diplomats” act as brokers as part of China’s broader strategy to acquire foreign technology. Each year, they file hundreds of official reports on their activities. This issue brief illuminates trends in the 642 reports filed by the S&T directorates of Chinese embassies and consulates from 2015 to 2020, quantifying which types of technologies the Chinese government is most focused on acquiring, and from where.
Jobs
ICPC Analyst or Senior Analyst - Cyber & technology
ASPI ICPC
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC) has a unique opportunity for an exceptional cyber-security or technology focused analyst or senior analyst to join its centre in 2021. Please note that interviews have commenced for this position and will continue until the end of June. This role will focus on policy relevant cybersecurity analysis, informed public commentary and either original data-heavy research and/or technical analysis. Analysts usually have around 7-15 years work experience. Senior analysts usually have a minimum of 15 years relevant work experience and tend to be involved in staff and project management, fundraising and stakeholder engagement.