Russia is swaying Twitter users outside the West to its side | Hikvision, Xinjiang, Uyghurs & human rights abuses | US rushes to catch up with China in supercomputer race
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To Western ears, Russia’s portrayal of Ukraine’s leaders as Nazis sounds absurd. But just as Ukraine’s military strength surprised the Kremlin, the effectiveness of Russian propaganda might also be underestimated. An analysis of recent Twitter posts suggests that Russia’s online information operations may be focused outside the West—and already bearing fruit. The Economist
A new 32-page white paper examines Hikvision's role in human rights abuses, including mosque and concentration camp surveillance, Xinjiang's enormous mass surveillance networks, and Uyghur ethnicity detection 'AI.' IPVM
The US is about to vault into a new era of supercomputing, with a once in a decade leap forward in processing power that will have a big effect on fields ranging from climate change research to nuclear weapons testing. But the national swagger usually prompted by such breakthroughs is likely to be muted. China passed this milestone first and is already well on the way to building an entire generation of advanced supercomputers beyond anything yet in use elsewhere. The Financial Times
ASPI ICPC
Ukraine - Russia
Russia is swaying Twitter users outside the West to its side
The Economist
To Western ears, Russia’s portrayal of Ukraine’s leaders as Nazis sounds absurd. But just as Ukraine’s military strength surprised the Kremlin, the effectiveness of Russian propaganda might also be underestimated. An analysis of recent Twitter posts suggests that Russia’s online information operations may be focused outside the West—and already bearing fruit.
This Hacktivist Site Lets You Prank-Call Russian Officials
Wired
Andy Greenberg
To protest the war in Ukraine, WasteRussianTime.today auto-dials Russian government officials, connects them to each other, and lets you listen in to their confusion.
China
Hikvision, Xinjiang, Uyghurs & human rights abuses
IPVM
Conor Healy
A new 32-page white paper examines Hikvision's role in human rights abuses, including mosque and concentration camp surveillance, Xinjiang's enormous mass surveillance networks, and Uyghur ethnicity detection 'AI.'
China economy tsar vows to back tech firms after crackdown
Australian Financial Review
Richard Waters
Vice Premier Liu He’s remarks were short on detail but signal further easing of the regulatory risk for China’s technology behemoths.
China’s censors aim to contain dissent during harsh COVID-19 lockdowns
The Diplomat
Sarah Cook
As Shanghai enters its seventh week of COVID-19 lockdowns, China’s censors have been hard at work trying to contain an eruption of public outrage and enforce the leadership’s prohibition of any public debate or calls to reconsider its strategy.
USA
US rushes to catch up with China in supercomputer race
The Financial Times
The US is about to vault into a new era of supercomputing, with a once in a decade leap forward in processing power that will have a big effect on fields ranging from climate change research to nuclear weapons testing. But the national swagger usually prompted by such breakthroughs is likely to be muted. China passed this milestone first and is already well on the way to building an entire generation of advanced supercomputers beyond anything yet in use elsewhere.
With Roe in doubt, is tech surveillance of pregnancy next?
Al-Jazeera
As some states are poised to make abortion illegal, data tracking could expose sensitive health information.
Data marketplace selling info about who uses period tracking apps
VICE
Joseph Cox
Privacy experts immediately said that period tracking and other apps could become a target for law enforcement agencies or motivated vigilantes to exploit to identify potential people seeking abortions or those providing them.
How the Biden administration let right-wing attacks derail its disinformation efforts
The Washington Post
Taylor Lorenz
Nina Jankowicz was the subject of online attacks from the moment she was named head of the newly created Disinformation Governance Board. Three weeks later, the Department of Homeland Security said the board's work would be "paused."
Expert hired to run DHS' newly created disinformation board resigns
CNN
Sean Lyngaas and Priscilla Alvarez
The disinformation expert hired to run the Department of Homeland Security's newly created disinformation board has resigned after the department paused the board.
Big Tech
A network of TikTok accounts is teaching users how to make pipe bombs and other weapons
Media Matters
A seemingly affiliated network of TikTok accounts is teaching users how to make dangerous — and often illegal — weapons, garnering millions of combined views on videos that are in clear violation of TikTok’s own community guidelines prohibiting “instructions on how to make or use weapons that may incite violence.”
Twitter loses three more senior employees ahead of Musk’s takeover
Bloomberg
Edward Ludlow and Kurt Wagner
Twjtter is losing three more senior employees, including two vice presidents, a reflection of the uncertainty inside the social media company as staffers wait for Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition to close.
Making the metaverse: What it is, how it will be built, and why it matters
Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
I’ll set out why the metaverse is a compelling new evolution of the internet; some of the potential benefits it creates for education, healthcare and economic opportunity; the importance of building it in a way that ensures it is open and interoperable; some early thoughts on how to approach questions of governance; and how I believe we have time on our side to ensure it is built collaboratively and responsibly.
Europe
Facebook fails to stop Spanish language anti-abortion disinformation, study says
The Guardian
A group examined nine profiles reaching more than 2.79 million people peddling inaccurate information without consequence.
New Zealand
Tech Against Terrorism’s Assessment of New Zealand’s Digital Violent Extremism Report
Tech Against Terrorism
Our review of New Zealand’s transparency report shows that the Department of Internal Affairs includes all information and metrics recommended by Tech Against Terrorism, except those regarding decisions to remove content which are appealed and otherwise contested.
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.