Australia developing proposal for new digital ID system | FBI probing alleged Iran hack attempts targeting Trump, Biden camps | Google debuts AI-powered phones in latest attempt to best the iPhone
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Australia’s minister for government services, Bill Shorten, will unveil a new initiative that would allow people to have more control over the personal information they share. The scheme, called the Trust Exchange, would allow people to verify their identities and credentials based on official information already held by the federal government. The plan is still in its very early developmental stage. The Conversation
The FBI is investigating suspected hacking attempts by Iran targeting both a Trump associate and advisers to the Biden-Harris campaign, according to people familiar with the matter, as the agency formally acknowledged Monday it has opened a high-stakes national security investigation months before Election Day. So far, investigators have not found evidence that those hacking attempts were successful, these people said. The Washington Post
Google crammed all the cutting-edge technology it could into the latest Pixel phones. It is Google’s latest attempt to make a splash in a smartphone market dominated by its partner Samsung, as well as by Apple, which has already detailed the A.I. capabilities coming to the next generation of iPhones. The New York Times
ASPI
Australia
Albanese government developing proposal for new digital ID system to protect personal information
The Conversation
Michelle Grattan
The minister for government services, Bill Shorten, will unveil a new initiative that would allow people to have more control over the personal information they share. The scheme, called the Trust Exchange, would allow people to verify their identities and credentials based on official information already held by the federal government. The plan is still in its very early developmental stage.
Protecting our elections against tech-enabled disinformation
The Strategist
Tom Rogers
The Australian Electoral Commission has been remarkably successful in maintaining the confidence of the Australian people: survey results show persistently high levels of trust in our operations, with nine out of 10 Australians expressing a high degree of satisfaction. That assurance is indispensable when the democratic legitimacy of governments rests on trust in electoral outcomes—the foundation on which all other actions of democratic government rests. Yet maintaining these results may become increasingly complex with the rapidly expanding use of new technologies and an ever-evolving information ecosystem.
China
Beijing-based 'Green Cicada' AI network uncovered on social media, fears of US election disruption
ABC News
Andrew Greene
A network of at least 5,000 AI-run accounts has been exposed in a suspected Chinese-run information warfare campaign to spread divisive political discourse on the social media platform X. Local cyber security company CyberCX says it has uncovered an operation linked to a Chinese university and AI company that appears to mainly target contentious American narratives but has sometimes also engaged with Australian content.
Small datacenters face the axe under China's new energy policy
The Register
Matthew Connatser
China's digital infrastructure providers have been told they need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption, plus consider ending use of smaller facilities, under a sweeping "comprehensive green transition" plan announced yesterday. The plan sets goals that China's State Council – the equivalent of a Western democracy's cabinet – asserted will mean that by 2030 China has achieved 'remarkable results’ in the green transition in all areas of economic and social development." By 2035, Beijing expects "a green, low-carbon, and circular development economic system will be basically established and the goal of Beautiful China will be basically achieved."
Huawei readies new chip to challenge Nvidia, surmounting U.S. sanctions
The Wall Street Journal
Liza Lin and Raffaele Huang
China’s Huawei Technologies is close to introducing a new chip for artificial intelligence use, overcoming U.S. sanctions to challenge Nvidia increase; green up pointing triangle in the Chinese market. Chinese internet companies and telecommunications operators have been testing Huawei’s latest processor, called Ascend 910C, in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. Huawei told potential clients that the new chip is comparable to Nvidia’s H100, which was introduced last year and isn’t directly available in China, the people said.
USA
FBI probing alleged Iran hack attempts targeting Trump, Biden camps
The Washington Post
Devlin Barrett, Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, Isaac Arnsdorf and Shane Harris
The FBI is investigating suspected hacking attempts by Iran targeting both a Trump associate and advisers to the Biden-Harris campaign, according to people familiar with the matter, as the agency formally acknowledged Monday it has opened a high-stakes national security investigation months before Election Day. Three staffers on the Biden-Harris campaign received spear phishing emails that were designed to appear legitimate but could give an intruder access to the recipients’ communications, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a sensitive investigation. So far, investigators have not found evidence that those hacking attempts were successful, these people said.
The Elon / Trump interview on X started with an immediate tech disaster
The Verge
Gaby Del Valle and Kylie Robison
Elon Musk’s “conversation” with former President Donald Trump got off to a rocky start. The interview, which was hosted on X Spaces and scheduled to begin at 8PM ET Monday night, crashed immediately and didn’t begin until 42 minutes later. Those who did manage to get into the Space, including several Verge staffers, said it kicked off with lo-fi techno playing from Trump’s account for roughly 30 minutes. 18 minutes after the conversation was supposed to begin, Musk claimed that X was the target of a “massive DDOS attack” that had made it impossible for the Space to proceed as planned.
Hackers leak 2.7 billion data records with Social Security numbers
Bleeping Computer
Lawrence Abrams
Almost 2.7 billion records of personal information for people in the United States were leaked on a hacking forum, exposing names, social security numbers, all known physical addresses, and possible aliases. The data allegedly comes from National Public Data, a company that collects and sells access to personal data for use in background checks, to obtain criminal records, and for private investigators. National Public Data is believed to scrape this information from public sources to compile individual user profiles for people in the US and other countries.
FBI disrupts the Dispossessor ransomware operation, seizes servers
Bleeping Computer
Sergiu Gatlan
The FBI announced on Monday that it seized the servers and websites of the Radar/Dispossessor ransomware operation following a joint international investigation. The joint operation was carried out in collaboration with the U.K.'s National Crime Agency, the Bamberg Public Prosecutor's Office, and the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office. The FBI says the ransomware gang breaches networks through vulnerabilities, weak passwords, and the lack of multi-factor authentication configured on accounts. After gaining access to the victim's network, they steal data and deploy the ransomware to encrypt the company's devices.
US considers a rare antitrust move: breaking up Google
Bloomberg
Leah Nylen and Anna Edgerton
A rare bid to break up Alphabet Inc.’s Google is one of the options being considered by the Justice Department after a landmark court ruling found that the company monopolized the online search market, according to people with knowledge of the deliberations. The move would be Washington’s first push to dismantle a company for illegal monopolization since unsuccessful efforts to break up Microsoft Corp. two decades ago. Less severe options include forcing Google to share more data with competitors and measures to prevent it from gaining an unfair advantage in AI products, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private
US appeals court rules geofence warrants are unconstitutional
TechCrunch
Zack Whittaker
A federal appeals court has ruled that geofence warrants are unconstitutional, a decision that will limit the use of the controversial search warrants across several U.S. states. The Friday ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which covers Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, found that geofence warrants are “categorically prohibited by the Fourth Amendment,” which protects against unwarranted searches and seizures. Civil liberties and privacy advocates applauded the ruling, which effectively makes the use of geofence warrants unlawful across the three U.S. states for now.
News outlets were leaked insider material from the Trump campaign. They chose not to print it
Associated Press
David Bauder
At least three news outlets were leaked confidential material from inside the Donald Trump campaign, including its report vetting JD Vance as a vice presidential candidate. So far, each has refused to reveal any details about what they received. Instead, Politico, The New York Times and The Washington Post have written about a potential hack of the campaign and described what they had in broad terms. Their decisions stand in marked contrast to the 2016 presidential campaign, when a Russian hack exposed emails to and from Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, John Podesta.
Southeast Asia
Vietnam turns chip sector magnet with affordable, quality talent pool
Nikkei Asia
LI Lien Hoang, Cheng Ting-fang, Kim Jaewon and Lauly Li
"In Vietnam we're at the R&D stage," Quan said. "Production is really hard and expensive, but this will put us in that direction." BOS compatriot ADTechnology runs two research centers in Ho Chi Minh City. The availability of tech workers in a time of shortage could help Vietnam achieve one of its long-held dreams: moving up the tech value chain. Marvell, for example, describes Vietnam as a "strategic location for the development of engineering talent." Industry veteran Le Quang Dam helped build the U.S. company's first office in the country. From only a few dozen engineers in the first few years, his team now numbers more than 400, up from 300 last year.
South & Central Asia
India orders unusual recall of reports on Apple antitrust probe
Reuters
Aditya Kalra
India's antitrust body has ordered an unusual recall of reports of an investigation that found Apple breached competition laws, after the U.S. giant complained its commercial secrets were disclosed to opponents, including Tinder-owner Match. The move will prolong a procedure, begun in 2021 and already marred by delays, that centres on Apple's alleged abuse of its dominant position in the apps market to force developers to use its proprietary in-app purchase system, at a fee of up to 30%.
India withdraws controversial broadcast bill after backlash
Financial Times
John Reed
Narendra Modi’s government has withdrawn a draft broadcasting services bill after facing a backlash from online content creators and civil liberties groups, in a climbdown that analysts said was a stark reflection of its reduced parliamentary mandate. India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting circulated a draft of the bill last month to a small number of stakeholders for feedback. Although the drafts were watermarked in an apparent attempt to prevent leaks, copies were shared in New Delhi that stirred concerns about its potential chilling effect on free speech and the compliance burden on online creators.
Europe
J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk named in cyberbullying lawsuit filed by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif after Olympic win
Variety
Elsa Keslassy and Alex Ritman
J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk have both been named in a criminal complaint filed to French authorities over alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment” against Algerian boxer and newl crowned Olympic champion Imane Khelif. Nabil Boudi, the Paris-based attorney of Khelif, confirmed to Variety that both figures were mentioned in the body of the complaint, posted to the anti-online hatred center of the Paris public prosecutor’s office on Friday.
Europe pressures Elon Musk to curb hate speech ahead of Donald Trump interview
The Wall Street Journal
Tim Higgins
The mere suggestion that Europe thinks it can limit what is said during a U.S. presidential campaign event is an extreme escalation of the continent’s efforts to rein in Big Tech. On Monday, Thierry Breton, the European Union commissioner for the internal market, issued an unprecedented warning to Elon Musk that Monday’s interview of former President Donald Trump on the X social-media platform could run afoul of the EU’s new sweeping online laws aimed at limiting harmful content.
UK
Labour MPs begin quitting X over ‘hate and disinformation’
The Guardian
Eleni Courea
Labour MPs have begun quitting X in alarm over the platform, with one saying Elon Musk had turned it into “a megaphone for foreign adversaries and far-right fringe groups”. Over the weekend, newly elected MPs took to WhatsApp groups to raise growing concerns about the role X played in the spread of misinformation amid the far-right-led riots in parts of England and Northern Ireland.
Elon Musk should face arrest if he incited UK rioters, says ex-Twitter chief
The Guardian
Caroline Davies
Elon Musk should face “personal sanctions” and even the threat of an “arrest warrant” if found to be stirring up public disorder on his social media platform, a former Twitter executive has said. It cannot be right that the billionaire owner of X, and other tech executives, be allowed to sow discord without personal risks, Bruce Daisley, formerly Twitter’s vice-president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, writes in the Guardian.
Big Tech
Google debuts A.I.-powered phones in latest attempt to best the iPhone
The New York Times
Nico Grant
Google crammed all the cutting-edge technology it could into the latest Pixel phones. The devices are chock-full of artificial intelligence, to let users engage with a conversational assistant, edit people into photos and search for information found in their screenshots, the company said in blog posts. It is Google’s latest attempt to make a splash in a smartphone market dominated by its partner Samsung, as well as by Apple, which has already detailed the A.I. capabilities coming to the next generation of iPhones.
Artificial Intelligence
Jobhunters flood recruiters with AI-generated CVs
Financial Times
Cristina Criddle and Delphine Strauss
About half of all job seekers are using artificial intelligence tools to apply for roles, inundating employers and recruiters with low-quality applications in an already squeezed labour market. Candidates are turning increasingly to generative AI — the type used in chatbot products such as ChatGPT and Gemini to produce conversational passages of text — to assist them in writing their CVs, cover letters and completing assessments. Estimates from employers and recruiters who spoke to the Financial Times, as well as multiple published surveys, have suggested the figure is as high as 50 per cent of applicants.
Deep-Live-Cam goes viral, allowing anyone to become a digital doppelganger
ArsTechnica
Benj Edwards
Over the past few days, a software package called Deep-Live-Cam has been going viral on social media because it can take the face of a person extracted from a single photo and apply it to a live webcam video source while following pose, lighting, and expressions performed by the person on the webcam. While the results aren't perfect, the software shows how quickly the tech is developing—and how the capability to deceive others remotely is getting dramatically easier over time.
Misc
Microsoft Azure AI health bot infected with critical vulnerabilities
Dark Reading
Nathan Eddy
Multiple privilege escalation issues in Microsoft Azure's cloud-based Health Bot service opened the platform to server-side request forgery and could have allowed access to cross-tenant resources. The vulnerabilities, identified by Tenable Research, were quickly patched by Microsoft but showcase inherent concerns about chatbot risks, researchers warned.
Events & Podcasts
Jobs
Analyst or Researcher – Climate and Security Policy Centre
ASPI
We are seeking a high-performing individual to join our Climate and Security Policy Centre as a Researcher/Analyst. We are looking to recruit individuals to support the assessment of security risks posed by climate change in the Indo-Pacific. The role will involve data and policy analysis. The closing date for applications is 16 August 2024– an early application is advised as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if suitable applications are received.
Receptionist/Corporate Coordinator
ASPI
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) is looking for an experienced Receptionist/Corporate Coordinator. This is an outstanding opportunity for a highly organised and skilled individual to join our dynamic, positive, and hardworking team. The Receptionist/Corporate Coordinator will handle daily administrative operations at ASPI, serving as the primary contact for visitors and phone inquiries. The role involves a variety of administrative tasks and several corporate responsibilities. The closing date for applications is 16 August 2024– an early application is advised as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if suitable applications are received.
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