GOP bill against Huawei | India to stop anonymised WhatsApp messages | Russian disinformation as a hurricane, China's as climate change.
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Rep. Jim Banks introduced a bill Tuesday aimed at barring the United States from sharing intelligence with any countries that permit Huawei to operate their 5G networks. “Huawei is a Trojan Horse for the Chinese Communist Party to spy on and infiltrate other nations. Our allies must choose: Adopt Huawei and lose access to U.S. intelligence, or remain our trusted partner.” The Hill
New Delhi is inching closer to recommending regulations that would require social media companies and instant messaging app providers to help law enforcement agencies identify users who have posted content it deems questionable. Tech Crunch
Both China and Russia see influence operations, including disinformation, as a normal activity. Both are using such operations domestically, to suppress dissent and control what people think, even though they are doing it differently: Russia and China actually represent two different models of domestic control of information and these two different models of “digital authoritarianism” are exported. War on the Rocks
ASPI ICPC
Surviving in a world of sharper technological competition
The Strategist
@lesleyseebeck
Discussions on technology and strategy in Canberra typically lead down one of three paths. The first is military implications and applications, usually in the context of our relations with the United States. The second is around trade and economics. The last is darker, focused on shutting doors and barring windows. Along each of those paths, technology is understood as something external, ‘done’ or given to Australia by others. There’s no real sense of initiation or ownership. We’ve allowed ourselves to think of Australia essentially as a spectator rather than a participant in technological innovation.
Beijing's Global Megaphone
Freedom House
Analysis by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and the New York Times revealed additional details about the tactics and targets of the Twitter network. They found that the same network had been active since mid-2017 and had previously been mobilized to smear a wide a range of Chinese government critics located inside and outside China. It was only after all of these campaigns that the network turned its focus to the Hong Kong protesters and attracted Twitter’s attention, resulting in its dismantling.
Russia as a hurricane, China as climate change: Different ways of information warfare.
War on the Rocks
@jeangene_vilmer @PaulCharon
In the cases of Taiwan and, more recently, Hong Kong, mainland China has been resorting to negative messaging and Russian-like techniques, as Jake Wallis explains: “there was something familiar about the playbook: cross-platform coordinated networks of fake and automated accounts amplifying messages designed to mobilise online audiences and drive offline effects.”
DTA seeks comms strategy to soothe privacy concerns over digital identity program
The Mandarin
@shannjenkins7
The Commonwealth government’s digital identity service provider myGovID is set to replace AUSkey at the end of March, along with GovPass — the digital identity system. In 2018, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute criticised the initiative, comparing it to the Australia Card and pointing to legislative flaws.
China
Hong Kong protests: did police use Israel’s Cellebrite hacking tech to crack protesters’ smartphones?
South China Morning Post
@John_F_Power
A former Hong Kong police detective and forensics expert says the city’s police have used controversial phone-cracking technology produced by an Israel-based forensics company.
China Silences Critics over Deadly Virus Outbreak
The New York Times
@liyuan6
China faces the spread of another mysterious disease, a coronavirus, which so far has killed 17 people and infected more than 540. And while Beijing’s response has improved in some ways, it has regressed in others. It is censoring criticism.
USA
GOP rep introduces bill to block intelligence sharing with countries using Huawei for 5G
The Hill
@juliegraceb
Rep. Jim Banks introduced a bill Tuesday aimed at barring the United States from sharing intelligence with any countries that permit Huawei to operate their 5G networks. “Huawei is a Trojan Horse for the Chinese Communist Party to spy on and infiltrate other nations. Our allies must choose: Adopt Huawei and lose access to U.S. intelligence, or remain our trusted partner,” Banks said in a statement. The legislation comes after the Department of Commerce placed the Chinese telecommunications giant on its blacklist last spring, preventing U.S. firms from working with Huawei without first obtaining a permit.
Elections have changed. So has Facebook.
Des Moines Register
@ngleicher
Since 2016 we’ve made large investments in teams and technologies to better secure our elections and are deploying them where they will have the greatest impact.
South Asia
India likely to force Facebook, WhatsApp to identify the originator of messages
Tech Crunch
@refsrc
New Delhi is inching closer to recommending regulations that would require social media companies and instant messaging app providers to help law enforcement agencies identify users who have posted content it deems questionable.
5G story should be about Indian tech and skills, not allowing China’s Huawei in
The Print
@SJha1618
The Narendra Modi government’s recent decision to allow Huawei to partner with domestic telecom companies for 5G spectrum trials is likely to cause a flutter across the establishment – from the Indian Army to the NITI Aayog. Both these institutions have already expressed serious reservations. Even though the Modi government has said that Huawei has been cleared only for the trials, there is a fear that it will be difficult to stop the Chinese firm from securing contracts once it gets to demonstrate its capability.
UK
New 'transformational' code to protect children's privacy online
BBC News
Social media sites, online games and streaming services used by children will have to abide by a new privacy code set by the UK's data watchdog.
UK call on Huawei matters to Australia, too
The Australian
@John_Durie
The British government will shortly decide whether to let Huawei into its 5G market, and the decision will have a big impact on the Chinese company’s ability to convince the federal government to open the door in Australia.
Europe
EU Gives Governments Scope for Bans on Some 5G Suppliers
Bloomberg
@nat_droz
The European Union will advise member states to consider banning some suppliers from parts of their 5G networks, in a policy document that may give them more scope to restrict the activities of China’s Huawei.
Americas
Ashamed, embarrassed': Burnaby woman says she was paid $150 to support Meng Wanzhou outside court
City News 1130
@martinmacmahon
It was presented to her as a quick way to make $150, but now, a Burnaby woman has been left horrified after seeing pictures of herself holding a Meng Wanzhou support sign go viral.
Middle East
Here Is the Technical Report Suggesting Saudi Arabia’s Prince Hacked Jeff Bezos’ Phone
Motherboard
@KimZetter @josephfcox
Motherboard has obtained the report made by FTI Consulting into how Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman allegedly hacked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos's phone.
Misc
Lockheed Martin to migrate F-35 logistics system to cloud by 2022 end
Reuters
@SanjanaShivdas
Lockheed Martin said on Tuesday that a cloud-based network will replace the computer-based logistics system in all its F-35 fighter jets by 2022 end.
The Echo Chamber of Anti-Vaccination Conspiracies: Mechanisms of Radicalization on Facebook and Reddit
Institute for Policy, Advocacy and Governance
@eilah_tan
This paper explores how Facebook’s mechanism for community building has enhanced the spread of vaccination misinformation online, and compares it to Reddit’s conspiracy community, applying the RECRO model of online radicalization.
Jobs & Opportunities
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre has an outstanding opportunity for a talented and passionate technically-focused analyst to join its growing centre. We are looking for a creative and passionate individual who can contribute unique technical skills to work across a range of projects in the centre. This individual may possess skills and experience in one or more of the following areas including malware analysis, reverse-engineering, data analysis and web scraping (for work on online disinformation for example) and/or a deep technical knowledge of critical technologies. The successful candidate will be offered a remuneration package at a level aligned with their demonstrated skills and expertise. This is a contract position for an initial 1 year term with the option of extension. At any one time ASPI has multiple people working at the institute who are on secondments or unpaid leave from the Australian Public Service (APS). Similar arrangements - including secondments - can be negotiated in this instance pending approval from the APS department/agency.
Researcher – Cyber, Technology, Asia-Pacific
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre has an outstanding opportunity for an emerging researcher to join its growing centre and work directly with the ICPC Director. Staff in the centre have diverse backgrounds and are usually involved in several projects at once. We are looking for a team member with a flexible, entrepreneurial approach, who is a self-starter, has the ability to deliver to deadlines and enjoys working in a collaborative team environment. Foreign languages (particularly Asian languages) and social media analysis skills are desirable but not essential. We are looking for a creative and passionate individual who can work collaboratively in a team environment to support the centre’s program of work. This will include working with a variety of centre staff to conduct research on a range of priority projects, on project coordination and administration, working to facilitate international fellowships, supporting public and private events and engaging with key stakeholders.
Policy Advisor (Electorate Officer)
Tim Watts MP
I'm now accepting applications for a Policy Advisor based in my Footscray electorate office (6kms from the Melbourne CBD).
Open Grants Process – Cyber Cooperation Program
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is pleased to invite project proposals for Australia's Cyber Cooperation Program. The Cyber Cooperation Program provides the framework to partner with countries in the Indo-Pacific region so they are equipped to respond to the opportunities and challenges presented by the growth of the global Internet and digital technologies.