AUKUS considers Japan cooperation in autonomous systems | Walkie-Talkie maker investigating Lebanon explosion reports | Musk evades Brazil ban
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Australia, the U.K and the U.S said on Wednesday that they will look to leverage Japanese technical expertise to develop maritime autonomous systems if Japan participates in the technology-sharing component of the AUKUS pact. Nikkei Asia
The Japanese manufacturer of the two-way radios reportedly detonated in a second round of explosions targeting the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon said Thursday that it was investigating the allegations. The Washington Post
Elon Musk’s social network used a technical maneuver to restore service for many Brazilians after a court blocked it, making the dispute a significant test of strength between national sovereignty and the borderless power of internet companies. The New York Times
Australia
AUKUS eyes potential Japan cooperation in autonomous maritime systems
Nikkei Asia
Shaun Turton and Rurika Imahhashi
Australia, the U.K and the U.S said on Wednesday that they will look to leverage Japanese technical expertise to develop maritime autonomous systems if Japan participates in the technology-sharing component of the AUKUS pact. The three nations are in talks with Tokyo to take part in the second plank -- or Pillar II -- of the AUKUS agreement, which focuses on jointly developing advanced defense capabilities.
Australia: New centre to propel foundational AI research
OpenGov Asia
Alita Sharon
The University of Adelaide announced a new strategic partnership aimed at advancing Australia’s artificial intelligence capabilities through the creation of a cutting-edge research hub, the Centre for Foundational AI. This collaboration between academia and industry will drive foundational research into machine learning and AI, positioning the country at the forefront of innovation in these fields. The initiative will span five years and will be led by a prominent Australian university’s machine learning institute.
China
Tech war: Chinese memory chip maker YMTC achieves design breakthrough despite US sanctions
South China Morning Post
Che Pan
China’s flash memory giant, Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp, has made a small technology leap in its chip design architecture, thanks to closer ties with domestic chip tool providers, despite Washington’s efforts to slow the country’s semiconductor progress, according to a teardown report from Canadian research firm TechInsights.
USA
U.S. and allies seize control of massive Chinese tech spying network
The Washington Post
Joseph Menn and Ellen Nakashima
The United States and allied countries said Wednesday they had taken control of a network of 260,000 internet-connected cameras, routers and other devices that the Chinese government had been using to spy on sensitive organizations. The operation, which occurred last week, took aim at a botnet known as Flax Typhoon, which U.S. officials said was run by a government contractor in Beijing, a publicly traded company called Integrity Technology Group.
Concerns over supply chain attacks on US seaports grow
Dark Reading
Robert Lemos
Last week, the House of Representatives' Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party released a report on the potential threats to the US port infrastructure, revealing that 80% of the ship-to-shore cranes at US ports are manufactured by a single Chinese government-owned company, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries. While the committee did not turn up evidence that the company used its access maliciously, the firm failed to address software vulnerabilities and retained the ability to remotely access the crane's systems via a cellular modem, often without explicit notification.
F.T.C. study finds ‘vast surveillance’ of social media users
The New York Times
Cecilia Kang
The Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday it found that several social media and streaming services engaged in a “vast surveillance” of consumers, including minors, collecting and sharing more personal information than most users realized. The findings come from a study of how nine companies — including Meta, YouTube and TikTok — collected and used consumer data.
North Asia
Japanese walkie-talkie maker investigating Lebanon explosion reports
The Washington Post
Julia Mio Inuma
The Japanese manufacturer of the two-way radios reportedly detonated in a second round of explosions targeting the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon said Thursday that it was investigating the allegations, but early signs pointed to the walkie-talkies being counterfeit. The explosions linked to the electronic devices killed at least 20 people and injured more than 450 across Lebanon on Wednesday, a day after 12 people were killed and thousands wounded by exploding pagers in a suspected Israeli attack.
North Korea-linked hackers target energy and aerospace companies in new espionage campaign
The Record by Recorded Future
Daryna Antoniuk
A cyber-espionage campaign with links to North Korea is targeting companies in the energy and aerospace industries, according to new research from Mandiant. The group behind the campaign, tracked as UNC2970, is likely linked to North Korea and overlaps with another Pyongyang-backed threat actor, TEMP. Hermit. The group was first identified in 2021 and has since targeted victims in the U.S., U.K., the Netherlands, Cyprus, Sweden, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.
Southeast Asia
Vietnam advances in global E-Government rankings
OpenGov Asia
Samaya Dharmaraj
Vietnam has achieved a significant advancement in the global digital governance arena, rising 15 places in the 2024 United Nations E-Government Development Index to secure the 71st position out of 193 countries. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam now ranks 5th out of 11 countries, up from 6th in 2022. This improved position is a result of the country’s strategic investments in digital governance, which have led to better online service delivery and greater citizen engagement. The UN report recognises Vietnam’s successful transition to the “Very High EGDI” group, emphasising the impact of its investments in telecommunications and human capital development.
Singapore’s role in Vietnam’s Smart Nation vision
OpenGov Asia
Alita Sharon
Vietnam’s smart journey took centre stage at the 18th Singapore-Vietnam Connectivity Ministerial Meeting, as the two nations deepened their ties. This partnership is expected to drive Vietnam’s digital growth and accelerate its journey toward becoming a modern, smart economy. The meeting prioritised collaboration in areas like energy, carbon credits, agri-trade and digital transformation. The launch of the Singapore-Vietnam Innovation Talent Exchange Programme, allowing 600 young talents from both nations to work in innovation-related sectors, highlights the growing synergy. A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed to boost Singaporean investments in Vietnam.
Thailand makes great strides in global cybersecurity index
Bangkok Post
Suchit Leesa-nguansuk
Thailand skyrocketed to seventh place in the Global Cybersecurity Index this year from 44th in the 2020 ranking, with 194 countries rated, according to the National Cyber Security Agency. The GCI is administered by the International Telecommunication Union, with 46 countries including Thailand deemed tier 1. Thailand made great strides in the index, which should raise the confidence and trust of businesses and foreign investors in terms of cybersecurity, which is a crucial factor for supporting digital transactions, e-government services and the country's digital competitiveness, said Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong.
Malaysia and Cambodia lead QR payment expansion in ASEAN
Nikkei Asia
Atsushi Tomiyama, Tsubasa Suruga, Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat and Norman Goh
Making payments through scanning QR codes with smartphones is expanding rapidly in Southeast Asia, with countries like Malaysia and Cambodia leading the growth in transactions. QR payments started to spread in the emerging region several years ago due to low bank account ownership levels, scarce ATM networks in rural areas and the arrival of low-priced smartphones. The trend has spread thanks partly to the introduction of tourist services and cross-border links.
Myanmar’s silent digital crisis
The Diplomat
Phyu Sin Shin Thant
The recent arrest of Telegram CEO and founder Pavel Durov in Paris has highlighted the global concern over the platform’s rapid, unregulated growth. This development highlights Telegram’s potential as a haven for cybercriminals, as investigations scrutinize its content moderation and role in enabling crimes like child pornography and cyber fraud. Less discussed is how Telegram is also enabling cybercrime and non-consensual pornography in war-torn Myanmar.
Europe
EU antitrust regulators to spell out how Apple must open up to rivals
Reuters
Foo Yun Chee
EU antitrust regulators launched proceedings on Thursday to ensure that Apple, opens new tab complies with landmark rules requiring it to open up its closed ecosystem to rivals or risk a possible hefty fine. Under the so-called specification proceedings, the European Commission will spell out what Apple has to do to abide by the Digital Markets Act, which came into effect last year. "Today is the first time we use specification proceedings under the DMA to guide Apple towards effective compliance with its interoperability obligations through constructive dialogue," EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
UK
British MPs and international organisations hacked on X
The Guardian
Tom Ambrose
British politicians and international organisations have had their accounts on X hacked on Wednesday night. MPs including Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, and the Labour MPs Chris Elmore and Carolyn Harris all shared the same message on the social media site. Although quickly removed, the messages could still be read on TweetDeck, a dashboard used to manage accounts on X, formerly Twitter.
Middle East
Qatar launches National Cyber Security Strategy 2024-2030
Doha News
Nassima Babassa
The National Cyber Security Agency has officially launched the National Cyber Security Strategy 2024-2030, which aims to establish Qatar as a leader in cybersecurity and to promote the safe use of emerging technologies. Abdulrahman bin Ali Al Farahid Al Malki, the President of the National Cyber Security Agency, highlighted that in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030, the new strategy is intended to build trust in cyberspace.
Gender & Women in Cyber
Ready to Rumble: US Women's Cyber Team preps for global CTF contest
Dark Reading
Jennifer Lawinski
Do they have what it takes to capture the flag? The 12 members of a new cyberteam will find out this fall, when four international teams meet at the Kunoichi Cyber Games to see whose cybersecurity athletes have what it takes to win in an intense cyberskills tournament. These cyber athletes will have to demonstrate their mastery of forensics, Web security, reverse engineering, binary exploitation, and cryptography in competition at the 2024 Code Blue Conference, Nov. 14 to 15, in Tokyo.
Women in tech groups 'can’t run on inspiration alone'
BBC
Zoe Kleinman
Groups supporting women in STEM fields are struggling to survive as corporations’ shrinking budgets, and cultural changes, see diversity strategies take a back seat. Ada Lovelace Day – a global annual celebration of women working in Stem – is on borrowed time. Named after a 19th century female mathematician, the day came into being in 2009 when it was created by Suw Charman-Anderson. She had graduated with a science degree, but felt “fundamentally unwelcome” as one of just three women in her class. And she later grew tired of going to tech conferences and not seeing any women on stage. Ms Charman-Anderson says that the initiative is now running out of funds again, as almost happened two years ago.
Most influential women in UK tech: The 2024 longlist
Computer Weekly
Each year, as Computer Weekly searches for the top 50 Most Influential Women in UK Tech, we publish the list of all of those nominated to shine a light on the number of amazing women in the technology sector. This year, the longlist has grown to more than 700 women, and there will also be additions to the list of Rising Stars, and Computer Weekly’s women in tech Hall of Fame which recognises people who have made a lifetime contribution to the UK’s tech sector.
Big Tech
Musk finds a (temporary) way around Brazil’s X ban
The New York Times
Jack Nicas
X made a technical change to how it routes its internet traffic, enabling the site to evade the digital roadblocks set up in recent weeks by Brazilian internet providers. But by Wednesday night, the president of Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, said his agency believed it would soon be able to restore the block. The new twist showed how Mr. Musk appears far from backing down in Brazil, making the dispute a significant test of strength between national sovereignty and the borderless power of internet companies.
Meta to European Union: Your tech rules threaten to squelch the AI boom
The Wall Street Journal
Kim Mackrael
A group of companies including Meta Platforms, Spotify and Italian luxury-fashion giant Prada warned Thursday that the European Union risks missing out on the full benefits of artificial intelligence because of the bloc’s tech regulations. In an open letter that was coordinated by Meta, executives from more than two dozen companies said AI can boost productivity and expand the economy, but Europe might reap fewer rewards than other jurisdictions.
ByteDance denies reported plan to make self-designed chips and cut reliance on Nvidia
South China Morning Post
Coco Feng
Chinese technology giant ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, has denied reports that it plans to design and produce two types of semiconductors by 2026 to cut reliance on leading US chip designer Nvidia. The Beijing-based company, which also operates TikTok’s Chinese sibling Douyin, said its initiatives in the field of semiconductors “are in the early stage, focusing on cost optimisation of recommendations, advertising and other businesses”, local media reported, citing a ByteDance statement written in Chinese.
Artificial Intelligence
UN advisory body makes seven recommendations for governing AI
Reuters
Supantha Mukherjee
An artificial-intelligence advisory body at the United Nations on Thursday released its final report proposing seven recommendations to address AI-related risks and gaps in governance. The U.N. last year created a 39-member advisory body to address issues in the international governance of AI. The advisory body called for the establishment of a panel to provide impartial and reliable scientific knowledge about AI and address information asymmetries between AI labs and the rest of the world.
U.N. urges AI cooperation as 118 countries absent from global talks
Nikkei Asia
Yifan Yu
The United Nations is calling for an international scientific panel on artificial intelligence and twice-yearly intergovernmental AI talks to lay the groundwork for an inclusive global governance framework. A few countries, namely the U.S. and China, are racing to set the standards on how to govern the emerging AI technology. But Global South, regions of the world that are less economically developed, have so far largely been excluded from the effort to establish cross-border AI governance. Out of the 193 U.N. member states, 118 have not participated in any interregional AI governance initiatives.
Apple Intelligence will support German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, and Vietnamese in 2025
TechCrunch
Brian Heater
Apple announced Wednesday that its generative AI offering will be available in even more languages in 2025. Additions to Apple Intelligence include English (India), English (Singapore), German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and “others” yet to be announced. The feature will launch in American English, when it arrives as part of the iOS 18.1 update. The company previously announced that localized English support for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K. will arrive later in 2024, with support for Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish coming in 2025.
Alibaba accelerates AI push by releasing new open-source models, text-to-video
Reuters
Chinese technology company Alibaba released on Thursday new open-source artificial intelligence models and text-to-video AI technology, intensifying its efforts to compete in the booming area of generative AI. The open-source models, numbering more than 100, come from Alibaba's Qwen 2.5 family, its latest foundational large language model released in May.
A bottle of water per email: the hidden environmental costs of using AI chatbots
The Washington Post
Pranshu Verma and Shelly Tan
Chatbots use an immense amount of power to respond to user questions, and simply keeping the bot’s servers cool enough to function in data centers takes a toll on the environment. While the exact burden is nearly impossible to quantify, The Washington Post worked with researchers at the University of California, Riverside to understand how much water and power OpenAI’s ChatGPT, using the GPT-4 language model released in March 2023, consumes to write the average 100-word email.
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