Shows
This Week In Digital Trust#143 A debate about facial recognitionThis week Arj is joined by elevenM colleague Brett Watson to breakdown the issues surrounding the rollout of facial recognition technology (FRT) across retail settings, stadiums and other venues in Australia.The Privacy Commissioner recently ruled that the use of FRT by Australian retailers Bunnings and Kmart breached Australians' privacy. Bunnings is appealing the ruling, while Kmart is also considering an appeal - both arguing that their use of FRT is a proportionate response to issues like violence and theft in their stores.With that as the backdrop, Arj and Brett debate the merits of...
2025-11-0336 min
This Week In Digital Trust#137 Top spin - what good comms looks like after a data breachThis week we explore why so many organisations fall short in how they respond publicly to a cyber incident or data breach.Even for organisations that have a well-exercised "crisis communications" muscle, too often a data breach results in a response that infuriates and erodes trust in equal measure.We explore why standard crisis comms principles don't always apply in a data breach, and what good looks like.Links:Article with analysis of Qantas comms response (Mumbrella) https://mumbrella.com.au/just-trust-us-were-qantas-880124Article with analysis of...
2025-08-0431 min
This Week In Digital Trust#136 Age check - how plans to verify ages of social media users are faringThis week we revisit the conversation around banning under 16s from social media, and the range of technologies being considered to verify the ages of would-be social media users.We examine the preliminary findings of a government-commissioned trial of age assurance technologies, as well as some independent media reporting on technologies in the trial.The preliminary results have received mixed reviews, with particular concerns over the accuracy of facial recognition-based age estimation. Links:Preliminary findings of age assurance trial https://ageassurance.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/News-Release-Preliminary-Findings-for-publication-20250620.pdfArticle about preliminary findings o...
2025-07-2429 min
This Week In Digital Trust#128 See you in court! Unpacking 20 years of Victorian privacy caselawThis week Jordan is joined by fellow Victorian elevenM-er and OVIC alumnus Piotr Debowski to explore some of the challenges, trends and quirks of privacy complaints in Victoria and to introduce a new, free, elevenM resource: The Victorian Privacy Case Notes Database. Piotr led the development of the database, which provides case notes and commentary on Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Victorian Supreme Court decisions involving the interpretation and application of the Information Privacy Principles (IPPs) from the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic).We hope the database will be a useful resource for...
2025-03-2425 min
This Week In Digital Trust#127 New playbook - inside the privacy regulator's plan for sustained impactThis week we explore the how the Australian privacy regulator is transforming itself in an attempt to have a stronger impact - in the face ongoing funding pressures and a reform agenda that hasn't quite met the expectations of privacy advocates.A year into the tenure of Carly Kind as Australian Privacy Commissioner, we are seeing a more public and vocal regulator, a series of targeted enforcement actions and the issuing of more frequent communications and guidance.It's all part of a self-described transformation by the OAIC into a "more proactive, harms-focused regulator".
2025-03-1128 min
This Week In Digital Trust#119 Not just another AI safety standardThis week on the podcast, we're looking at a promising development in helping Australian organisations manage AI risks.
The Australian Government has released its Voluntary AI Safety Standard, as part of its safe and responsible AI agenda. The Standard features 10 guardrails as a practical blueprint for how Australian organisations can safely and responsibly use and innovate with AI.
We provide our take on the Standard and assessment of the challenges in seeing it adopted across the economy.
Links:
elevenM blog on the Voluntary AI Safety Standard https://elevenm.com.au/blog...
2024-10-1527 minThis Week In Digital Trust#118 Still waiting for Terminator - how the debate on existential AI risk has shiftedThis week on the podcast, we discuss how the conversation about AI risks seems to be shifting away from the catastrophic, existential, wiping-out-of-humanity type of scenarios.
While the X-risk proponents are still out there, media coverage, regulators and the public at large seem to be homing in on more immediate and tangible AI concerns like discrimination, privacy violations, and misinformation – to name a few.
We explore the reasons for this shift, which includes the fact that many people now have first-hand experience of many AI products - and their limitations.
Li...
2024-10-0132 minThis Week In Digital Trust#117 A reform story in two tranches - our reaction to new privacy lawsAfter five years of consultation on privacy reforms, the Federal Government has finally introduced legislation into the parliament. Its been billed by the Attorney General as the "first tranche" and a "first step", with promises of more reforms to come.
In this episode, we share our reaction to the bill and break down what's in and what's been left for a later day.
We also explore why comprehensive privacy reforms seem so hard to legislate, particularly as the Government seeks to introduce a suite of other tech reforms and obligations on topics such as social...
2024-09-1831 minThis Week In Digital Trust#116 Meet "Tex" - Australia's rootinest tootinest digital identity systemThis week Arj is joined by elevenM’s resident digital ID ‘aficionado’ Brett Watson to discuss all things digital identity.
In Episode 85 Jordan and Brett unpacked what a digital ID is, what it can do, and the various services and components that make up a digital ID system. Since then, the Australian Government has passed enabling legislation for its digital identity system and is currently consulting on legislative rules.
With the legislation passed, the government is now shifting its focus on digital ID from theory to practice. In a recent speech to the National Press Club...
2024-09-0931 minThis Week In Digital Trust#115 How the US election could shape privacy, AI and tech policyThis week, Arj is joined by elevenM colleague Jonathan Gadir to explore how the outcome of the upcoming US presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris might impact tech policy.
Drawing on the candidate's statements and constituencies, and the existing commitments of their parties, we explore the potential implications of the November election result on AI, privacy, cyber and tech regulation more broadly.
Links:
Biden executive order on AI https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/10/30/fact-sheet-president-biden-issues-executive-order-on-safe-secure-and-trustworthy-artificial-intelligence/
Article about Trump's plans to axe AI exec order (NextGov) https...
2024-08-2626 minThis Week In Digital Trust#113 The small business exemption - sensible carve-out or privacy blackspot?This week, Arj is joined by elevenM colleague Jonathan Gadir to discuss the small business exemption to the Privacy Act.
The exemption means that businesses with an annual turnover of $3 million or less are generally exempt from complying with the Act.
We explore the pros and cons of the exemption, and whether the government is is likely to remove the exemption as part of current reforms to the Privacy Act (as has been proposed).
Links:
OAIC fact sheet https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-guidance-for-organisations-and-government-agencies/organisations/small-business
2024-07-3025 minThis Week In Digital Trust#112 In the shoes of the regulatorThis week, Arj is joined by elevenM colleague Brett Watson to discuss regulators – who they are, what they do, and the influence they have on public policy.
The conversation focuses on one regulator in particular – Australia’s privacy regulator, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. In a few recent public communications, most notably an opinion piece relating to TikTok’s information handling practices, the (relatively) new Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind appears to be taking a more direct and forceful approach to advocating for law reform than we have typically seen from Australian regulators.
Arj and Bret...
2024-07-1931 minThis Week In Digital Trust#108 Take it down! Australia's eSafety Commissioner takes on XThis week, Jordan is joined by elevenM colleague Jonathan Gadir to break down the stoush between Elon Musk and Australia's eSafety Commissioner.
In recent weeks, Musk and his platform X have resisted calls to globally remove content related to a stabbing event in Sydney in April. The standoff has opened up a conversation about the merits of regulating so-called harmful online content, and the extent to which doing so impinges on free speech.
Jordan and Jonathan debate the merits of the eSafety Commissioner's actions and its powers, the feasibility of the global takedown requests, and...
2024-05-2123 minThis Week In Digital Trust#87 Is it time to give up on privacy policies?This week, Jordan sits down with elevenM privacy communications expert Tessa Loftus to debate whether we should just give up on privacy policies.
Historically, privacy regulation has leant heavily on transparency and consumer choice - the idea that if we just give consumers the right information, then they can take control of their privacy. But the reality is that most privacy policies are an unintelligible to most people, and we've all lost control.
So what's the answer? Can businesses communicate better about privacy? Or should we give up on consumer choice and put the onus...
2023-11-2128 minThis Week In Digital Trust#85 Taking identity digitalThis week Jordan sits down with Brett Watson, elevenM's resident expert on Digital ID to figure out how far we are from proving who's a dog on the internet.
The Optus data breach led to a renewed commitment to modernising the way that we prove our identity online. Today there is a huge amount of activity in this complex space. In just the last few weeks, the Australian government released draft legislation to establish a national digital identity framework, and the several major banks and a major payment service provider announced that they are forging ahead with...
2023-10-3036 minThis Week In Digital Trust#82 The modern car is a lemon (for privacy)This week we discuss the privacy and security risks of the automobile.
Modern cars are basically operating systems on wheels, and have many of the same data challenges as other digital platforms.
Sadly, a recent study from Mozilla suggests cars are the worst product category when it comes to privacy.
Links:
Mozilla report on cars https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its-official-cars-are-the-worst-product-category-we-have-ever-reviewed-for-privacy/
POLITICO report on car data collection https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/2022/08/02/car-knows-about-you-data-collection-privacy-00049309
The Markup study on car data collection https://themarkup.o...
2023-10-0928 minThis Week In Digital Trust#81 At last! The Government responds on privacy reformThis week we discuss and react to the Federal Government's response to the Privacy Act review report.
The Government's long-awaited response comes after several years of discussion and debate about the way forward for Australia's privacy regime.
We break down which proposals the Government is moving forward with, which ones it won't, and which ones are slated for further discussion.
Links:
Government response to the Privacy Act Review Report https://www.ag.gov.au/rights-and-protections/publications/government-response-privacy-act-review-report
Article about reform response (InnovationAus) https://www.innovationaus.com/cautious-welcome-for-govts-planned-privacy-law-upgrade/
2023-10-0339 minThis Week In Digital Trust#80 An interview with Peter Warren SingerThis week we feature an interview with Peter Warren Singer, a US strategist and scholar on warfare and digital threats.
Our conversation starts with lessons from the conflict in Ukraine on how threats and adversarial tactics are evolving.
We also explore the continued use of social media as a weapon, and the nature of evolving threats to critical infrastructure and the motivations of state actors in our region such as China.
We also explore the idea of using fiction and narrative help organisations and leaders better understand the threat environment and communicate their...
2023-09-2531 minThis Week In Digital Trust#79 The long and winding road to age verificationThis week we revisit the hard problem of age verification, which we last discussed in episode #64.
In order to protect kids from explicit content and other harmful effects of online platforms, we first need to be able to identify them. But can we do that without major risks to privacy and free speech?
The eSafety Commissioner's Roadmap to Age Verification has the answer. Kind of.
We'll dig through the findings and recommendations in the recently published roadmap report, including the state of current age assurance technology, the legislative and regulatory framework required to...
2023-09-1935 minThis Week In Digital Trust#78 Scraping for privacyThis week we explore the privacy risks in otherwise publicly visible information, after a dozen privacy regulators from around the world issued a joint statement on the issue of data scraping.
The regulators' statement emphasises that even personal information that is publicly accessible is subject to data protection and privacy laws, and calls out social media platforms to do more to prevent the practice.
We explore the factors behind the uptick in data scraping, and who should be most responsible for stopping it.
*** Correction ***
In the episode Jordan...
2023-09-1128 minThis Week In Digital Trust#77 Stop press! Does privacy really inhibit good journalism?This week we explore the tension between the competing values of privacy and public interest journalism.
Today, journalists enjoy a broad exemption from privacy laws. However, reform proposals have ignited debate about whether that free pass is still appropriate.
We discuss the scope and merits of these reform proposals and explore the arguments by journalists on why the exemption is necessary.
Links:
Article on journalism exemptions (Guardian) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/11/consumer-advocates-reject-media-calls-to-preserve-exemptions-to-australian-privacy-law
Media Watch on journalism exemption (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_aaxFcd1B...
2023-09-0429 minThis Week In Digital Trust#76 AI regulation in Australia - the ideas are inThis week we review responses to the Australian Government's open consultation on how to mitigate the potential risks of AI.
In June, the Government called for submissions to its discussion paper titled "Safe and responsible AI in Australia". While the submissions haven't been published, several have made their way into the public domain.
As well as sharing the recommendations of our own (elevenM) submission, we explore proposals from big tech giants Microsoft and Google, various members of academia, think-tanks such as the UTS Human Technology Institute, and the Australian Human Rights Commission.
L...
2023-08-2828 minThis Week In Digital Trust#75 Targeted advertising - the internet's grand bargain or its original sin?This week we discuss targeted advertising, its role in the development of the commercial internet, and how it affects users today.
We explore the varying attitudes to the practice of targeted advertising, its benefits and harms, and regulatory measures being considered to curb its excesses.
Links:
$20m ACCC penalty for Meta https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/20m-penalty-for-meta-companies-for-conduct-liable-to-mislead-consumers-about-use-of-their-data
ACMA fine for CBA over spam https://www.acma.gov.au/articles/2023-06/commonwealth-bank-penalised-355-million-spam-breaches
ACMA fine for mycar Tyre and Auto over spam https://www.acma.gov...
2023-08-2130 minThis Week In Digital Trust#74 Angelene Falk: Talking community attitudes with the Information and Privacy CommissionerThis week, we're excited to feature a conversation with Angelene Falk, Australia's Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner.
The topic of our conversation is the 2023 Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey, which the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has just published.
We discuss the value of surveying the community on privacy and explore the report’s key findings including attitudes to privacy, expectations of the role of organisations, attitudes to data breaches, awareness of privacy legislation and what protections people want in relation to new technologies like AI and for children.
Links:
Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey 2023 https://www.oa...
2023-08-1428 minThis Week In Digital Trust#73 Research on misinformation. Misinformation on researchThis week, we go deep on misinformation.
We start by breaking down some new academic research into the effect of Facebook and its algorithms on polarisation, and challenge some of the reporting on the key takeaways from the research.
We also explore Australia's proposed misinformation bill and discuss its merits and the commentary surrounding the bill.
Links:
Nature blog on research (Nature) https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02420-z
Article about research into Meta's impact on polarisation (Atlantic) https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/07...
2023-08-0829 minThis Week In Digital Trust#72 Location! Location! Location!This week we discuss the burgeoning trade in our location data.
Our mobile devices and the apps on them regularly collect and and transmit the details of our physical location.
Sometimes this is to support a useful and convenient purpose, like finding a nearby cafe or a family member. But at other times, it's in order to share and sell that data with third-parties such as data brokers.
We explore these practices in more detail.
Links:
Article about US lawmaker moves to prevent law enforcement from buying location d...
2023-08-0127 minThis Week In Digital Trust#71 Pulling at Threads - a breakdown of Meta's new appThis week we discuss the new social networking app from Meta - Threads. Will it successfully meet the expectation for, and Meta's promo claims of, a new public conversation app to rival Twitter from years gone by?
We also discuss the reasons behind the app not launching in the EU, and the regulatory lessons of this outcomes.
Links:
Introducing Threads: A New Way to Share With Text (Meta) https://about.fb.com/news/2023/07/introducing-threads-new-app-text-sharing/
Article welcoming Threads with heady excitement (SMH) https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/hit-app-threads-is-intoxicating-it-offers-the-internet-we-were-promised-20230709...
2023-07-2521 minThis Week In Digital Trust#70 A face in the crowdThis week we explore the growing use of facial recognition by stadiums, after a recent CHOICE report revealed the technology was in use at several major sporting and concert venues around Australia.
We evaluate the merits of varying uses of the technology, from the security use cases to enabling of more convenient check-in and purchasing services for stadium patrons.
Links:
CHOICE report https://www.choice.com.au/consumers-and-data/data-collection-and-use/how-your-data-is-used/articles/facial-recognition-in-stadiums
Article about Australian stadium facial recognition use (ABC) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-06/facial-recognition-used-sports-stadiums-scg-mcg-allianz-stadium/102562646
2023-07-1826 minThis Week In Digital Trust#69 AI mini-series - Part 4 - Talking about talking about AIThis is the fourth and final episode in our short series about AI.
In this episode, we assess the public dialogue about AI and how it has evolved in recent times.
We discuss the heady excitement about the technology's possibilities and emerging concerns about its risks, and what the right risks to focus on are. We also explore how the emerging AI conversation compares to discussions about previous disruptive technologies such as social media.
Links:
Open letter about AI risks https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/
News article w...
2023-07-1113 minThis Week In Digital Trust#68 AI mini-series - Part 3 - How to regulate AIThis is the third episode in a short series about AI.
In this episode we explore international moves to regulate AI, with approaches ranging from voluntary guidance and self regulation to dedicated legislation for AI.
We explore the varying philosophical approaches (notably between the US and Europe), and discuss Australia's approach to the challenge, which is currently focused on a discussion paper from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
Links:
OpenAI’s CEO Goes on a Diplomatic Charm Offensive (Foreign Policy)https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/06/20/openai-ceo-diplomacy-artificial-intelligence/
De...
2023-07-0431 minThis Week In Digital Trust#67 AI mini-series - Part 2 - The business response to AI harmsThis is the second episode in a short series about AI.
With the potential harms of AI receiving greater exposure over recent months, we take a look at how businesses are responding.
We explore the role and effectiveness of "ethical principles", introduced by many organisations to guide AI usage, and how existing corporate governance practices can be extended to the challenges of AI.
Links:
UTS HTI: The State of AI Governance in Australia https://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/2023-05/HTI%20The%20State%20of%20AI%20Governance%20in%20A...
2023-06-2030 minThis Week In Digital Trust#66 AI mini-series - Part 1 - What is AI and what are its harms?This is the first episode in a short series about AI.
After months of frenzied activity and dialogue, the AI conversation seems to be consolidating around some common questions, including: What is AI exactly? What are the harms it can cause? How should businesses govern their use of AI? What should policymakers and governments do? What's the public perspective and how is that being shaped?
And there seems to also be some consolidation of opinions in response to those questions.
In this series, we'll explore those questions and the emerging consensus.
2023-06-1223 minThis Week In Digital Trust#65 Max Schrems, the man who dealt a blow to US spyingWe break down the recent record fine against Meta by the Irish data protection regulator, which focuses on Meta's practice of transferring data about its EU customers to the US, where it is exposed to US spy agencies.
The fine, and the legal proceedings that led to it, originate with a complaint by an Austrian man called Max Schrems. For over a decade, Schrems and his not-for-profit NOYB have pursued several privacy complaints via the courts - leading to the striking down of major international data transfer agreements.
Who is this man that has had...
2023-06-0627 minThis Week In Digital Trust#64 The hard problem of age verificationThis week we dissect proposals to introduce online age verification to protect kids from explicit content and other harmful effects of online platforms.
There's significant momentum behind the idea, with various technologies being offered as an answer and the Australian government evaluating a roadmap from the eSafety Commissioner and also considering using digital identity as a solution.
But the concept has its complications, including privacy implications, the workability of proposed technologies and potential broader effects on online participation.
Links:
Govt mulls digital ID for online age verification (InnovationAus) https://w...
2023-05-3029 minThis Week In Digital Trust#63 GDPR scorecard - Five years onIt's referred to as the gold standard or high watermark of privacy regulation around the world.
This week is five years since the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect.
We are joined by elevenM privacy practice lead Melanie Marks to reflect on the history and importance of the regulation and to discuss its impact and shortcomings.
Links:
What Is GDPR and Why Should You Care? (WIRED) https://www.wired.com/story/how-gdpr-affects-you/
GDPR success summary (European Commission) https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic...
2023-05-2335 minThis Week In Digital Trust#62 Cha-ching! The cash flows for privacy and cyberThis week we look at the Federal Government's budget commitments to privacy, cyber security and online safety.
Notably, the Government has signifantly increased funding for privacy regulation for the next four years, while its funding commitments for cyber security reflect an important shift towards building broad-based economy-wide resilience.
We break down the various commitments and their likely impact.
Links:
Budget documents https://budget.gov.au/content/documents.htm
OAIC portfolio budget statements https://www.ag.gov.au/system/files/2023-05/2023-24-AG-PBS-OAIC.PDF
eSafety funding qu...
2023-05-1629 minThis Week In Digital Trust#61 How to catch a robotMomentum continues to build for the need to rein in AI.
Despite it being a global challenge, the approaches to regulating AI vary from country to country in some fairly fundamental (and even philosophical) ways. In this week's episode, we explore these different approaches.Links:
Australian experts call for AI regulator (InnovationAus) https://www.innovationaus.com/australian-experts-want-a-ai-regulator-investigation-of-failures/
Microsoft warns against AI regulation in favour of industry-led sandbox approach (InnovationAus) https://www.innovationaus.com/microsofts-warning-against-sovereign-data-and-tech-capability/
Lina Khan essay (NYTimes) https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/03/opinion/ai-lina-khan-ftc-technology.html
Thomas Friedman column...
2023-05-0935 minThis Week In Digital Trust#60 The creepy testIt's Privacy Awareness Week, so we're peeling back the layers on one of the most common concepts used to raise awareness about privacy: the creepy test.
It's that sense of "ew!" we sometimes feel when we encounter technologies or business practices that step over the bounds of responsible use of our personal information.
This week, we break down the concept of the creepy test and evaluate its usefulness.
Links:
"A Theory of Creepy" (Paper by Tene and Polonetsky) https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2326830
C...
2023-05-0123 minThis Week In Digital Trust#59 Say it to my face: Tackling online abuseThis week, we discuss the push to abolish anonymity on social media, as a means to preventing online abuse.
Policymakers have been grappling with the challenges of trolling and online abuse for a few years, but it has come into the spotlight after the complaints of several prominent Australian footballers and athletes.
While enforcing real identity seems an obvious solution, Arj and Jordan debate its effectiveness and explore its adverse side effects on other internet users.
Links:
Article about abuse of NRL players (Fox Sports) htt...
2023-04-2629 minThis Week In Digital Trust#58 Like nabbing Capone for tax evasionThis week, we discuss the emerging response to now well-documented concerns about generative AI from regulators and lawyers.
With data protection authorities seemingly leading the charge, we discuss whether privacy is actually the right lever to be pulling when it comes to taking action against these technologies, in light of broader concerns about discrimination, defamation and copyright infringement.
Or is this like getting Al Capone on tax evasion charges?
Links:
ChatGPT is entering a world of regulatory pain in Europe (Politico) https://www.politico.eu/article/chatgpt-world-regulatory-pain-eu-privacy-data-protection-gdpr/
S...
2023-04-1824 minThis Week In Digital Trust#57 Tech on iceThis week, we discuss the merits of recent ideas to pause the development or rollout of harmful technologies and data practices.
Recent widespread consternation about AI (particularly ChatGPT and GPT-4 from OpenAI) has led to an open letter from various AI and tech personalities calling for a 6-month pause in future development. But Jordan and Arj discuss that the letter may not be all that it seems.
The open letter comes at the same time as a new paper from Australia's Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC), which argues for a new Privacy Safety Regime w...
2023-04-0432 minThis Week In Digital Trust#56 Privacy is deadThis week, we finally weigh in on a debate that arises frequently - is privacy dead?
Arj and Jordan explore the apparent contradiction between people's stated desire for privacy and their behaviours that accept companies or technologies that repeatedly fall short of acceptable privacy practices. They look at several studies and experiments that help explain why it's not reasonable to leave safeguarding of privacy up to individuals alone.
Links:
IAPP global survey on privacy https://iapp.org/news/a/most-consumers-want-data-privacy-and-will-act-to-defend-it/
Australian Community Attitudes to Pri...
2023-03-2721 minThis Week In Digital Trust#55 Casualties of the AI arms raceWith yet another new release from OpenAI, the hype around AI is more intense than ever. But there also seems to be greater public awareness of the risks.
This week Arj and Jordan evaluate efforts to make AI safer, looking particularly at the influence of larger players like OpenAI and Microsoft, and the likely consequences of the evident AI arms race.
Links:
Article about GPT-4 (The Verge) https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/15/23640047/openai-gpt-4-differences-capabilties-functions
Article about GPT-4 (Guardian) https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/mar/15/what-is-gpt-4-and-how-does-it-differ-from-chatgpt
Article about...
2023-03-2231 minThis Week In Digital Trust#54 No harm, no foul?Arj and Jordan discuss how much a major data breach really matters, in the wake of Optus and Medibank's recovery to positive customer growth just six months after their respective data breaches.
They both get a little fired up when discussing commentary that takes a narrow view of the ultimate impact of the data breaches, and explore how data breach harms may be more akin to externalities like environmental pollution.
Links:
Presentation by Optus CEO about recovery from data breach (AFR - paywall) https://www.afr.com/companies/telecommunications/what-we-learned-at-optus-from-being-hacked-20230307...
2023-03-1323 minThis Week In Digital Trust#53 The most cyber secure nationThis week, Arj and Jordan discuss moves to bolster Australia's national cyber security regime.
The Australian Government recently announced its ambition to make Australia ‘the most cyber secure nation’ by 2030. Among several proposed initiatives are plans to establish a new Coordinator for Cyber Security and the release of a discussion paper floating a range of ideas.
Arj and Jordan explore how the new strategy, while borrowing heavily from past strategies, could lead to a much-needed rebalancing of responsibilities away from individuals and small businesses. They also debate the merits of a new Cyber Security Act, whic...
2023-03-0729 minThis Week In Digital Trust#52 A duty of loyalty (with Woodrow Hartzog)In this special episode of This Week in Digital Trust we feature an interview by our friend Jonathan Gadir with Woodrow Hartzog, renowned privacy expert, author and professor of law.
Professor Hartzog is internationally recognised for his work in privacy and technology law, and an influential voice on the creation and enforcement of information and technology laws.
Our conversation with Professor Hartzog is timely as we contemplate the direction of our own privacy regime in Australia. Jonathan and Prof Hartzog discuss failings in current approaches to privacy regulation and explore ideas such as a “duty of...
2023-02-2737 minThis Week In Digital Trust#51 The wait is overThe Attorney-General's Department has released its proposed set of reforms to the Privacy Act.
But how far do the proposals go to help us solve our key privacy challenges: the fact that the onus of responsibility for privacy falls unduly on individuals, gaps in the current coverage of Australia's privacy regime, concerns about data brokers and targeted advertising, the particular harms faced by children and the vulnerable and the likely role of lobbying and vested interests in privacy reform?
Arj and Jordan are joined this week by elevenM privacy practice lead Melanie Marks to explore t...
2023-02-2236 minThis Week In Digital Trust#50 Swiping left on techno-carceral solutionismOn Valentine's day, Arj and Jordan explore recent attempts to improve safety for users of dating apps, which include proposals such as users requiring 100 points of ID to register and the banning of people with criminal histories.
They discuss the unintended consequences of a tendency to deal with online safety challenges through greater policing or surveillance ("techno-carceral solutionism"), and the broader issue with viewing deep-seated and complex social issues through a narrow technology lens.
Links:
Article calling on dating apps to introduce criminal history checks (Guardian) https://www.theguardian.com...
2023-02-1321 minThis Week In Digital Trust#49 The boiling frogA couple of the biggest stories dominating our public discussion have a common original sin.
Our powerlessness in the face of the use and abuse of our personal data for institutional ends (be it by the State or by private companies) contributes to a sense of collective apathy. Like the story of the boiling frog, the dangers of this apathy build steadily and stealthily - right until they burst into the light of some emergency.
Arj and Jordan explore two such headline emergencies: the reckless and harmful Robodebt scheme and the urgent moves by western...
2023-02-0727 minThis Week In Digital Trust#48 Ghosts in the machineThis week, Arj and Jordan look at the human labour powering many AI solutions - solutions that we're encouraged to view as magic in a box. The way this labour is being used - much of it through sub-contracting arrangements in the developing world - raises worker welfare and privacy issues, among other concerns.
Arj and Jordan explore this issue through a couple of news stories - one that reveals the workers involved in labelling images taken by some Roomba robot vacuum cleaner models, and a second story that reveals the role played by low-paid Kenyan workers...
2023-01-3121 minThis Week In Digital Trust#47 Saving facial recognitionThis week, Arj and Jordan explore an encouraging proposal for regulating facial recognition.
As the risks and dangers posed by AI and technologies like facial recognition continue to become apparent, UTS Human Technology Institute has published a "model law" for facial recognition that could become the basis for better regulation of facial recognition in Australia.
As well as stepping through the highlights of the model law, Arj and Jordan explore the challenges with regulating facial recognition and why a dedicated law for facial recognition is necessary in light of existing privacy regulations.
2023-01-2428 minThis Week In Digital Trust#46 Leavin' on a jet planeThis week, Arj and Jordan deconstruct the debate that has sprung up around Elon Musk's attempts to restrict the circulation of publicly available flight data about his private jet.
They discuss how real time flight trackers have been an essential tool for journalists and independent researchers holding billionaires and governments to account and how many arguments about privacy are really arguments about power and accountability.
Going deeper, Arj and Jordan talk about the idea of maintaining a privacy interest in information despite it being publicly available. They explore the important role of law, friction and...
2023-01-1730 minThis Week In Digital Trust#45 Setting the record straightIn this special episode of This Week in Digital Trust, we explore familiar themes, but with a twist.
On the podcast we often discuss concepts of agency and a sense of identity in the context of privacy, and how our grip on these concepts can be undermined when we lose control over our information.
For Australians who have experienced disadvantage, especially children that have grown up in out-of-home care, these challenges are even more pronounced. Many typically don't have any access to their own records or sufficient visibility about how they are used and for wh...
2023-01-0927 minThis Week In Digital Trust#44 This year in digital trustThis week Arj and Jordan take a look back at the big issues of 2022 and how things have played out since they were discussed in earlier episodes.
They cover topics including the crash of crypto, the extent of cyber war in the Ukraine/Russia conflict, the march of facial recognition technology, and Australian Government reforms in the cyber and privacy domains.
This is our last episode of 2022. We'll be back in early Jan. Thank you all for listening to the first year of TWIDT!
Links:
Bitcoin crashes in 2022 (Yahoo Finance...
2022-12-2036 minThis Week In Digital Trust#43 The privacy blindspotThis week, Arj and Jordan mark Human Rights Day (Dec 10) with an argument for making human rights a more central focus in Australia's public policy and reform discussions about privacy.
The discussion offers a useful framing for analysing a recent decision by EU regulators against Meta's use of personalised advertising without explicit consent, a ruling expected to strike at the heart of the tech giant's business models.
They also discuss how stronger privacy laws that make the acquisition of "third-party data" more difficult might be spurring a trend towards new reward schemes and wellbeing apps...
2022-12-1430 minThis Week In Digital Trust#42 When do gooders do badThis week, Arj and Jordan dive into the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX. It leads them to a broader discussion about Effective Altruism, a philosophy and a movement to govern charitable giving that has been taken up with gusto by influential tech billionaires (like FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried).
Arj and Jordan discuss how some of the thinking behind Effective Altruism may be having adverse effects on the direction of technology more broadly.
Links:
FTX collapse news story (ABC News) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-03/the-downfall-of-ftx-crypto-king-sam-bankman-fried/101714162
...
2022-12-0526 minThis Week In Digital Trust#41 Choppy seas and safe harboursThis week, Arj and Jordan explore the concept of "safe harbour", a legal concept giving board directors a defence from liability from a privacy or cyber incident. With increased penalties recently introduced for privacy breaches and greater scrutiny on boards and executives, we're starting to hear this idea being floated more often. We explore its merits.
We also chat briefly about the Australian Government's new "hack the hackers" gambit and the status of legislation to drastically increase fines for privacy violations.
Links:
Government announces standing operation to disrupt cybercrime (Home Affairs) https...
2022-12-0125 minThis Week In Digital Trust#40 Twitter goes from dawn to MuskThis week, Arj and Jordan dive into the Musk/Twitter saga.
Opinions abound on this one - but Arj and Jordan look closely at how Musk is going with his promise to bring back free speech, the viability of Musk's blue-check verification thought-bubble, and likely repercussions of the departure of privacy, security and compliance officers from the platform.
Links:
Musk fires engineers after critical posts (CNBC) https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/15/musk-fires-twitter-engineers-after-critical-posts-on-twitter-and-slack.html
Musk halts blue check subscription plan (Reuters) https://www.reuters.com/technology/musk-says-his-companies-will-remain-well-positioned-2023-2022-11-11/
...
2022-11-2230 minThis Week In Digital Trust#39 To pay or not to payThis week, Arj and Jordan dive into the vexed question of whether companies should pay ransoms to cybercriminals.
The government's position is clear: do not pay. The reality on the ground for most companies is much more complex. Arj and Jordan step through these complexities and the competing imperatives organisations face when confronted with this difficult decision.
Important note: This is a complex topic and it's important to emphasise that in this discussion we aren't advocating one way or the other in relation to paying ransoms generally - merely illustrating how businesses faced with a...
2022-11-1427 minThis Week In Digital Trust#38 Rent-seeking data hoardersThis week, Arj and Jordan dive into the issue of privacy and security of data in the rental market.
After a spate of data breaches affecting Australian businesses, commentators had been warning of the disaster-in-waiting in the real estate sector. And sure enough we got one.
Arj and Jordan explore the underlying factors involved, including practices and attitudes at individual real estate agencies, power imbalances in the housing market and legislative gaps.
Links:
Samantha Floreani article on real estate data practices (Guardian) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/04/t...
2022-11-0730 minThis Week In Digital Trust#37 A fine balanceWe're back after a break. This week, Arj is joined by elevenM privacy practice lead Melanie Marks to discuss the Australian Government's move to significantly lift penalties on businesses that violate privacy, as the nation experiences a spate of serious data breaches.
They discuss the likely impact and effectiveness of the fines, clear up some misconceptions about what the fines are actually for, and explore some of the less-discussed additional powers introduced alongside the fines.
Links:
Privacy Legislation Amendment (Enforcement and Other Measures) Bill 2022 https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo...
2022-11-0125 minThis Week In Digital Trust#36 Hipster privacy shall defeat the data hoovering robotsThis week, Arj and Jordan get wonky, exploring why public policy approaches to scaling back market power are increasingly dovetailing with reforms to better safeguard individual privacy.
The conversation takes them to unexpected places, covering two new momentous EU regulations, Amazon's acquisition of Roomba maker iRobot, and the so-called "hipster antitrust" movement.
Links:
Article about Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act (InnovationAus) https://www.innovationaus.com/eu-double-act-puts-regulatory-squeeze-on-platform-tech/
FTC probing Amazon's iRobot aquisition (Reuters) https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/ftc-seeks-more-data-amazons-17-bln-deal-vacuum-maker-irobot-2022-09-20/
ACCC Digital platforms...
2022-10-1823 minThis Week In Digital Trust#35 Once more unto the breach (the Optus one, that is)This week, Arj and Jordan give their views on the strategic and policy takeaways from the now infamous Optus breach. They explore a philosophical shift in business attitudes to data, proposed legislative reforms, and the broader cultural shift needed in how we collectively approach the building of technology.
Links:
Jeremy Kirk reporting https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/optus-under-1-million-extortion-threat-in-data-breach-a-20142
Jeremy Kirk on Twitter https://twitter.com/jeremy_kirk/status/1573652986437726208?s=21&t=5kqrqoy-kIEnnvUh0YavOQ
Data is the new asbestos (InnovationAus) https://www.innovationaus.com/data-is-the-new-asbestos-optus-hack-renews-calls-for-privacy-reform/
Clare O’Neil on...
2022-10-1127 minThis Week In Digital Trust#34 What is data ethics?In this special episode of This Week in Digital Trust we feature an interview by our friend Jonathan Gadir with Chris Dolman, executive manager for Data and Algorithmic Ethics at IAG.
Jonathan and Chris discuss the place of data ethics within organisations, how to break down the AI and data ethics risks, and how to think about the governance of these risks. They also use real-world example to illustrate and explore some of the common factors that lead to data ethics risks, such as "poor proxies" and "false causality".
Links:
Chris Dolman on...
2022-10-0426 minThis Week In Digital Trust#33 When the law is not enoughThis week, Arj and Jordan explore why privacy and data protection laws sometimes fall short of delivering the outcomes we need and desire - especially those crafted using a principle-based approach.
The discussion follows another insightful paper by UNSW law academic Katherine Kemp on the continued practice of ‘data enrichment’, which Prof. Kemp argues is illegal.
They also discuss the failed compliance of law enforcement agencies with laws that allow them to access private data.
Links:
Katherine Kemp paper "Australia’s Forgotten Privacy Principle" https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/p...
2022-09-2723 minThis Week In Digital Trust#32 Internet Idol - a contest for the future of cyberspaceIt's been labelled “the most important election you’ve never heard of”.
This week, Arj and Jordan dive into an upcoming debate over the election of the next secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union, a 150-year-old body that has been pivotal in the setting of internet standards and policy.
The backdrop is a fascinating discussion about whether the long-held Western vision of an open, global, free and secure internet is now over, as more anti-democratic regimes clamp down on networks and platforms in their jursidictions, while Western governments themselves seek new ways to fix the ills of...
2022-09-2124 minThis Week In Digital Trust#31 Our data is girt by seaShould companies be forced to host all data about Australian citizens onshore? With debates about data localisation kicking off all over the globe, Arj and Jordan this week unpack the issues surrounding this policy.
They also discuss the normalising of surveillance technologies among young people, after a Sydney school introduced fingerprint scanners for access to bathrooms.
Links:
Home Affairs discussion paper https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/reports-and-pubs/files/data-security/nds-action-plan.pdf
Tech companies on data localisation (InnovationAus): https://www.innovationaus.com/tech-giants-rally-against-data-localisation-in-australia/
ABC News story on fingerprint scanners...
2022-09-1324 minThis Week In Digital Trust#30 You can call me AIWhat actually *is* AI? Is the term meaningful? Is it always the best answer?
This week, Arj and Jordan explore how technologies like AI and machine learning are being approached, and the growing tendency towards "AI solutionism". They also discuss a couple of provocative proposals to entirely abandon the use of the term "AI", and how this might aid our approach to problem solving and policymaking.
Links:
ABC News story on botched aged care AI trial https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-31/aged-care-cctv-trial-artificial-intelligence-false-reports/101390952
Ellen Broad article on use...
2022-09-0626 minThis Week In Digital Trust#29 Unscrambling the cyber strategy egg + the moths still drawn to the flame of facial recognitionThis week, Arj and Jordan discuss the merits of the Albanese Government's decision to overhaul the previous government's national cyber security strategy, which included the eye-catching $10 billion funding allocation for Project REDSPICE.
They also discuss why organisations continue to consider facial recognition, in spite of the intense uproar over its use in recent weeks and months. This comes as ClubsACT considers trialling the technology in pubs and clubs to enforce self-exclusion requests from problem gamblers.
Links:
IT News story on cyber strategy overhaul https://www.itnews.com.au/news/government-re-launches-cyber-security-strategy-584180
...
2022-08-3022 minThis Week In Digital Trust#28 When knowing you is not enoughThis week, Arj and Jordan discuss what it means to be identified online. Does a company "know" you if they can't link the data they hold about you to your real world identity, but can still tell that you're the same person moving from one online service to another? What does our concept of what it means to be identified mean for how privacy is regulated and enforced?
Links:
Katherine Kemp paper on online tracking by media companies https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4141609
$60m penalty against Google https://w...
2022-08-2325 minThis Week In Digital Trust#27 Privacy in IsraelIn this special episode of This Week in Digital Trust we feature an interview by our friend Jonathan Gadir with Avishai Ostrin, a director with Israeli privacy consulting firm PrivacyTeam.
Jonathan and Avishai explore the differing attitudes and approaches to privacy in Israel, many of which stem from underlying cultural attitudes. They also discuss what it's like to be a privacy advocate in a very security-focused nation, and developments involving Israeli spyware company, NSO Group.
Links:
Avishai Ostrin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avishaiostrin/
PrivacyTeam: https://www.privacyteam...
2022-08-1631 minThis Week In Digital Trust#26 Arrival at the promised land or a deal with the devil? Federal privacy law lands in the USThis week, Arj and Jordan discuss the merits of the proposed new federal privacy law in the US. Also this week - a new once-in-a-decade report from CSIRO also lays out seven megatrends to shape our future, three of which fall squarely into the realm of technology, digital policy and other favourite topics of the podcast.
Links:
IAPP coverage of American Data Privacy and Protection Act https://iapp.org/news/a/american-data-privacy-and-protection-act-heads-for-us-house-floor/
Daniel Solove opinion on federal privacy law: https://teachprivacy.com/a-faustian-bargain-is-preemption-too-high-a-price-for-a-federal-privacy-law/
Woodrow Hartzog and Neil Richards...
2022-08-0527 minThis Week In Digital Trust#25 When Big Tech feels the squeezeThis week, Arj and Jordan look how China is using various levers to pressure Big Tech into compliance with national goals. They also look at how Meta platforms such as facebook have an impact on a range of human rights, after the US giant published a self-assessment.
Links:
Meta’s First Annual Human Rights Report https://about.fb.com/news/2022/07/first-annual-human-rights-report/
Platformer analysis of Meta's report (paywalled): https://www.platformer.news/p/meta-measures-its-human-rights-impact?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Influence Empire by Lulu Chen (Guardian extract): https://www.th...
2022-08-0122 minThis Week In Digital Trust#24 The problem with random acts of kindness on TikTokThe pod is back after being struck down by illness. With their return, Arj and Jordan take on virality of a different kind: videos showing "random acts of kindness" on social media platform TikTok. They dive into why the videos are problematic from a privacy perspective.
While on TikTok, they also explore growing concern about the privacy protections surrounding TikTok user data, and what access the Chinese government may have.
Links:
OAIC opens investigations into Bunnings and Kmart https://www.oaic.gov.au/updates/news-and-media/oaic-opens-investigations-into-bunnings-and-kmart
ABC article about Melbourne...
2022-07-2527 minThis Week In Digital Trust#23 Breaking down Twitter's stoush with India, and the secret sauce of scamsThis week, Arj and Jordan dive into the growing challenge faced by social media platforms in India, as the Modi government institutes more aggressive approaches to content removal.
Also this week is a look at how scams are being carried out, as new data reveals Australians lost $2 billion to scams in 2021.
Links:
Reuters article about Twitter legal challenge against Indian govenrment https://www.reuters.com/world/india/twitter-pursues-judicial-review-indian-content-takedown-orders-source-2022-07-05/
Casey Newton analysis of Twitter/India stoush on Platformer (paywalled): https://www.platformer.news/p/twitter-sues-india
...
2022-07-1323 min
This Week In Digital Trust#22 A glimmer of hope or a return to bad ideas? The latest on privacy reformThis week, Arj and Jordan get excited about Attorney General Mark Dreyfus' commitment to act on privacy reform within the first term of the recently elected Labor Government, but are given pause by his framing of the issues in terms of individual control and choice. They also re-cap the key reforms being contemplated.
Also up for discussion this week is an assessment of how well placed the Home Affairs department is to govern the recent critical infrastructure security reforms the government has brought in, on the back of a report by the Australian National Audit Office.
2022-07-0527 minThis Week In Digital Trust#21 The lowdown on facial recognition (part II) - how bad is it, really?*** An apology ***
We had some serious audio issues with this episode, due to Arj being in a different environment than usual for the recording of this episode. We've tried to fix it as best we can in editing, but there will be some parts that are hard to hear. Sorry!
On this week's show, Arj and Jordan have something of a debate over whether the uproar over facial recognition is really justified, and whether it might be a palatable solution if it improves in reliability and accuracy.
L...
2022-06-2820 minThis Week In Digital Trust#20 The lowdown on facial recognition (part I) and how to talk with robots that have feelingsThis week, Arj and Jordan dive deep into facial recognition and how we should regulate it, after a week of strong community reaction against revelations about the use of the tech by Aussie retailers. Arj and Jordan also give their take on the other burning question of the last week - "is AI sentient?"
Links:
CHOICE report https://www.choice.com.au/consumers-and-data/data-collection-and-use/how-your-data-is-used/articles/kmart-bunnings-and-the-good-guys-using-facial-recognition-technology-in-store
OAIC statement on facial recognition https://www.oaic.gov.au/updates/news-and-media/retailers-must-ensure-compliance-with-privacy-laws
ABC story about call for national guidelines https://www.abc.net...
2022-06-2232 minThis Week In Digital Trust#19 Safeguarding our history and national identity, and the fight for anonymityWhat's an archivist do and how do we think about their role in the context of digitisation and other technology trends? This week Arj and Jordan are joined by archivist and fellow elevenM-er Cassie Findlay to discuss these questions, as the national broadcaster announces a major cut in archivists jobs.
They also look at the implications for online anonymity after a Federal court ruling requiring Twitter to hand over the personal information of the PRGuy17 Twitter account as part of a defamation lawsuit.
Links and notes:
About Cassie Findlay: Cassie is a member...
2022-06-1439 minThis Week In Digital Trust#18 Slicing up the sausage of tech policy and regulation - what goes into it and how it ought to be made in the futureThis week, Arj and Jordan take a look at many influences on privacy laws (some more hidden than others) just as the US introduces a draft federal privacy bill. They also discuss a compelling report laying out a vision for how the tech ecosystem should be regulated.
The show kicks off with a quick run through of ministerial appointments and announcements by the new Labor government in Australia, and the potential implications for tech policy.
Links:
New Government cabinet https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-01/who-is-new-labor-government-ministry-cabinet/101113496
T...
2022-06-0834 minThis Week In Digital Trust#17 Tech policy under a newly elected government and why childrens privacy needs more attentionThis week, Arj and Jordan discuss the implications for tech, privacy and cyber policy resulting from the election of a Labor Government (and a large crossbench of Greens and independents) in Australia. They also explore why children's privacy deserves greater focus from privacy regulators, as a new report shines a light on the privacy harms of EdTech.
Links:
Australian Federal Election 2022 Live Results https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal/2022/results?filter=all&sort=az&state=all
Privacy Act Review https://www.ag.gov.au/integrity/consultations/review-privacy-act-1988
Digital platforms inquiry https://www...
2022-05-3129 minThis Week In Digital Trust#16 "Privacy Unbound" - an interview with Professor Ari Ezra WaldmanIn this special episode of This Week in Digital Trust we feature an interview by our friend Jonathan Gadir with Ari Ezra Waldman, a professor of law and computer science and widely published author of "Industry Unbound: The Inside Story of Privacy, Data, and Corporate Power".
Jonathan and Professor Waldman discuss the book and a range of related topics including why privacy matters, the limitations of privacy laws and compliance approaches, and ideas for a more outcome-focused approach to privacy.
Links:
Industry Unbound: The Inside Story of Privacy, Data, and Corporate Power
...
2022-05-2441 minThis Week In Digital Trust#15 Public interest journalism in the era of big tech platforms and the poster child of bad tech startups (reprise)This week, Arj and Jordan discuss how effective Australia's News Media Bargaining Code has been in addressing power imbalances between publishers and tech platforms. They revisit a favourite topic - the indiscretions of Clearview AI - after yet another ruling against the facial recognition startup.
Links:
Reset Australia report into News Media Bargaining Code
WSJ article about Facebook blocking news pages in Australia
ACLU victory over Clearview AI
Washington Post article about Clearview AI contacting mothers of dead Russian soldiers
VICE story about Planned Parenthood data
2022-05-1633 minThis Week In Digital Trust#14 Roe Vs Wade overturn from the perspective of privacy and the Facebook's apparent data self-ownThis week, Arj and Jordan discuss the deeper privacy implications and associations of the US Supreme Court draft opinion seeking to overturn the Roe V Wade precedent. They also explore the significance of a leaked Facebook document that revealed the social media giant has poor visibility and control over the data it holds.
Links:
Daniel Solove tweet: https://twitter.com/DanielSolove/status/1521712924980613120
IAPP story about privacy implications: https://iapp.org/news/a/leaked-roe-v-wade-opinion-sparks-right-to-privacy-concerns/
VICE story about abortion data: https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vzjb/location-data-abortion-clinics-safegraph-planned-parenthood
2022-05-1125 minThis Week In Digital Trust#13 Tech policy implications of Elon's Twitter play and the role of the public service in government tech projectsThis week, Arj and Jordan offer their take on Elon Musk's proposed acquisition of Twitter and his plans to take it private in the name of free speech. They also discuss the growing use of consultants by governments to delivery tech projects, as opposed to the public service.
Links:
InnovationAus coverage: https://www.innovationaus.com/regulator-to-closely-watch-twitter-following-musk-takeover/
Senate Inquiry report into undermining of public sector capability and performance: https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportsen/024628/toc_pdf/APSIncunderminingpublicsectorcapabilityandperformance.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf
2022-05-0326 minThis Week In Digital Trust#12 Breaking down IAPP Global Privacy Summit keynotes - Tim Cook and Lina KhanThis week, Arj and Jordan break down the ideas and arguments behind two big ticket keynote addresses from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Global Privacy Summit, which took place on April 12-13 in Washington DC. They discuss how Apple CEO Tim Cook used the opportunity to oppose competition law reform, arguing that Apple's ability to protect its users privacy relies on the maintainence of its App store monopoly. They also dig into what US Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan's address signals about her approach to privacy and competition regulation, and how she'll be pushing for more...
2022-04-1933 minThis Week In Digital Trust#11 Electioneering when you have all the data, Clearview AI leaps for yet another branch, and a more thoughtful way forward for AI in policingThis week, Arj and Jordan look at how exemptions in our current privacy regime play a role in the use of microtargeting by political parties in the current Australian election campaign, and the impact of this tactic on democracy. With mixed feelings, they talk once again about notorious facial recognition start-up Clearview AI, which is once again in the press promoting a new use for its technology. Finally, a new report investigating the use of AI in policing in Australia provides some intriguing takeaways for safe and sustainable use of the technology.
Links:
How political...
2022-04-1133 minThis Week In Digital Trust#10 Budget winners and losers (cyber, privacy, in that order), hack tha police and Big Tech shadow lobbyingThis week, Arj and Jordan assess how far the Federal Budget cash splash extends to the realms of cyber security and privacy. They also take a closer look at the underlying reasons hackers managed to get their hands on data of customers of Apple and Meta, and discuss recent investigations into the murky worlds of shadow lobbying and PR by the big tech platforms.
2022-04-0427 minThis Week In Digital Trust#9 The cyber war that wasn't (yet), competing AI worldviews and Meta under fire for pushing crypto scamsThis week, Arj and Jordan dig into why we haven't seen the big cataclysmic cyber war in Ukraine that defence hawks have long warned us to expect. A couple of new AI initiatives also bring to focus conflicting philosophies in how we should think about AI, while a new court action against Meta lays bare the contradictions between Facebook as a "neutral platform" and as a sophisticated data-driven machine capable of precise targeting.
2022-03-2828 minThis Week In Digital Trust#8 Warzones as a playground for tech startups, the challenges of content moderation and a better way forward for tech policymakingThis week, Arj and Jordan dissect Clearview AI's incursion into the war between Ukraine and Russia, as it seeks to further promote its facial recognition technology. The war has also created complications for Meta, particularly in relation to content moderation - an area that's becoming increasingly topical in Australia as we head towards a Federal election.
The guys also get wonky about a couple of new initiatives aimed at bringing more cross-domain coordination to tech policy and regulation in Australia, and the respective merits of each of these ideas.
2022-03-2323 minThis Week In Digital Trust#7 Facial recognition, social media trolling and funding the OAICThis week, Arj and Jordan talk about the human impact of law enforcement uses of facial recognition, and check in again on the Social Media (Anti-Trolling) Bill after a damning round of Senate committee hearings. They also cover the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner's (OAIC) current funding challenges and complaints backlog, and talk about why adequate funding for the OAIC is critical, especially now, as other regulators (such as the Australian Competition and Consumer Comission) are becoming more active in the privacy space.
2022-03-1526 minThis Week In Digital Trust#6 Another digital platforms discussion paper, a review of the news media bargaining code, crypto and tech policy lessons from UkraineThis week Arj and Jordan touch briefly on a discussion paper from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's ongoing Digital Platform Services Inquiry, and Treasury's review of the News Media Bargaining Code. Then, a discussion about crypto and whether there are any tech policy lessons emerging from the awful war in Ukraine.
2022-03-0828 minThis Week In Digital Trust#5 Rushing critical infrastructure, data breach statistics and Rod Sims legacyThis week Arj and Jordan check in on the (surprisingly rapid) progress of the Critical Infrastructure Bill and pick through the most recent Notifiable Data Breach statistics from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. They also discuss Rod Sims legacy as the outgoing Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commissioner, how he has led the Commission's recent focus digital platforms and privacy, and the trade-offs of regulating privacy through a market and consumer lens.
2022-03-0121 minThis Week In Digital Trust#4 ABC's mandatory logins, a news media bargaining code payday and the ASIO chief on transparency and government surveillanceIn this episode, Jordan and Arjun cover the ABC's recent news media bargaining code payday and dig into some privacy criticisms of the national broadcaster's decision to move ahead with mandatory logins for it's popular streaming platform iView. They also unpack some comments from ASIO chief Mike Burgess in response to the politicisation of his agency's work and discuss the extremely broad powers customs officials have to search electronic devices at the border.
2022-02-2228 minThis Week In Digital Trust#3 The IRS facial recognition windback and the tech regulation stampedeIn this episode, Jordan and Arjun take a look at the US Internal Revenue Service's decision to step back from the use of facial recognition technology, in the face of hearty opposition from privacy advocates. In rapid fire fashion, they also step through each of the tech bills being jammed through Federal Government right now.
2022-02-1535 minThis Week In Digital Trust#2 The not-actually-about-trolling Anti-Trolling bill, AFP facial recognition ruling and the future of e-votingIn this episode, Jordan and Arjun discuss the broader implications of the Government's "mis-named" anti-trolling legislation, they unpack the privacy commissioner's ruling against the Australian Federal Police's use of Clearview AI facial recognition service, and recap the unsurprising decision by NSW to not move ahead with electronic voting.
2022-02-0638 minThis Week In Digital Trust#1 Unmasking the Government's anti-troll reforms, the UK vs facial recognition and the role of consultants in government tech projectsIn this episode, Jordan and Arjun dive into the Government's latest attempts to fix social media, this time by tackling anonymous social media profiles. They compare the UK's missive against facial recognition service Clearview AI with Australia's ruling a few weeks ago. Finally, the guys dicuss the growing use of external consultant by Government departments for tech projects, and what this means for privacy and security outcomes.
2021-12-0540 min
This Week In Digital TrustCDR score for the Big 4 banks, NSW vs Victoria on responsible innovation, and debating Google's billion dollar fundIn this episode, Jordan and Arjun look more closely at the Information Commissioner's audit of the major banks' compliance with CDR privacy safeguards. They also engage in a healthy bit of state v state rivalry, on the back of recent announcements from the NSW and Victorian governments on digital technology. In closing, Google's $1bn investment in Australia's digital future gets a critical look.
2021-11-3039 minThis Week In Digital TrustCritical technologies, a debate over principles and the end of a libertarian fantasyIn this episode, Jordan and Arjun discuss the Federal Government’s new ‘critical technologies plan, exploring whether it's covering everything a national plan should cover. They also debate the value of principles, in light of the Government's release of new supply chain principles.
A speech about the future of the internet also gets both the guys rather excited. We round off the episode with the latest developments in facial recognition.
2021-11-2435 min
NTP PodcastArjun Ramachandran: Principal at elevenMIn this episode we sit down with Arjun Ramachandran, Principal at elevenM to talk about his experience in the Newcastle tech scene, the changing needs of the University framework, the challenges of working from home and some key resources he recommends for those in the tech community. We hope you enjoy the episode!
2020-09-1449 min