Australia to make big tech liable for citizens’ online safety | Meta fined nearly €800mn for breaking EU law over classified ads practices | Amazon questioned by congress over growing TikTok relations
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The Australian government plans to enact laws requiring big tech firms to protect its citizens online, the latest move by the center-left Labor administration to crack down on social media including through age limits and curbs on misinformation. Bloomberg
Meta has been fined nearly €800mn by Brussels after regulators accused Facebook’s parent company of stifling competition by “tying” its free Marketplace services with the social network. Financial Times
Representatives from Amazon.com Inc. were called to Capitol Hill for a closed-door meeting with a key House committee earlier this fall to answer questions about the retail giant’s deepening relationship with the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok. Bloomberg
ASPI
Seven things for Britain’s AUKUS review to fix
The Strategist
Sophia Gaston
AUKUS needs to be recognised for its centrality to the British government’s economic ambitions. One of the most important institutional decisions of the past decade has been the choice to prioritise Britain’s knowledge economy—specifically, research and development, higher education and technological innovation—as the foundation of the national prosperity agenda. This means that a project such as AUKUS Pillar 2 (which seeks to accelerate our technological readiness pipeline in cooperation with our closest allies) gives Britain not only the capacity to engage meaningfully in strategic competition but also a leg-up on its core economic mission.
Australia
Australia to make big tech liable for citizens’ online safety
Bloomberg
Ben Westcott
The Australian government plans to enact laws requiring big tech firms to protect its citizens online, the latest move by the center-left Labor administration to crack down on social media including through age limits and curbs on misinformation.
Why Labor’s controversial ‘truth bill’ has triggered freedom of speech fears
The Nightly
Nicola Smith
A controversial bill on misinformation and disinformation has triggered fears over curbs on freedom of speech as the Albanese Government prepares to push through a raft of new social media laws before the end of the year.
Misinformation bill a great idea if we want to model ourselves on China
The Australian
Adam Creighton
This idea that Google or Meta – or even more amusingly Elon Musk’s X, given his close relationship with Trump – would hand over hundreds of millions or billions of dollars to the Australian government is absurd, yet that’s exactly what the Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation Bill, currently before parliament, would require.
China
‘Robot revolution’ forces China’s human workforce to adapt
Financial Times
Eleanor Olcott
Crouched around a whirring machine on the upper floor of Zongwei’s factory in Suzhou, a group of engineers puts China’s next generation of manufacturing equipment through its paces. The research and development team is one of many across China racing to solve one of the biggest challenges facing its 6mn manufacturers: how to remain competitive as labour costs rise due to a shrinking working-age population.
Chinese hackers target Tibetan websites in malware attack, cybersecurity group says
Associated Press
David Rising
A hacking group that is believed to be Chinese state-sponsored has compromised two websites with ties to the Tibetan community in an attack meant to install malware on users’ computers, according to findings released Wednesday by a private cybersecurity firm.
USA
Trump pledged to gut Biden’s AI rules, as OpenAI eyes landmark infusion
The Washington Post
Pranshu Verma and Gerrit De Vynck
OpenAI outlined a proposal on Wednesday calling on the United States to support the artificial intelligence industry with a landmark infusion of funding and resources, previewing a potential lobbying and policy battle emerging for the incoming Trump administration.
Trump lobbied to scrutinize AI rules
Semafor
Morgan Chalfant
A lobbying group representing the tech industry is urging the incoming Trump administration to broadly review existing federal authorities and rules regarding artificial intelligence to single out regulations that may be “unnecessarily impeding AI adoption.
More spyware, fewer rules: what Trump’s return means for US cybersecurity
WIRED
Eric Geller
For American companies grousing about new cybersecurity rules, spyware firms eager to expand their global business, and hackers trying to break AI systems, Donald Trump’s second term as president will be a breath of fresh air.
Investigation into Chinese hacking reveals ‘broad and significant’ spying effort, FBI says
Associated Press
David Klepper
A federal investigation into Chinese government efforts to hack into US telecommunications networks has revealed a “broad and significant” cyberespionage campaign aimed at stealing information from Americans who work in government and politics, the FBI said Wednesday.
China-linked hackers stole wiretap data from telcos, FBI and CISA say
POLITICO
John Sakellariadis and Maggie Miller
Federal investigators confirmed Wednesday that hackers affiliated with China broke inside a swathe of telecommunications providers and stole data relating to lawful wiretaps, signaling a major counterintelligence failure.
Teen behind hundreds of swatting attacks pleads guilty to federal charges
WIRED
Dhruv Mehrotra
In perhaps the largest swatting case to ever be prosecuted, an 18-year-old from Lancaster, California, has pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a nationwide spree of hundreds of shooting and bomb threat hoaxes that sent police scrambling to high schools, courthouses, and the homes of law enforcement officials and prominent politicians.
CFPB looks to place Google under federal supervision, setting up clash
The Washington Post
Tony Romm
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has taken steps to place Google under formal federal supervision, an extraordinary move that could subject the technology giant to the regular inspections and other rigorous monitoring that the government imposes on major banks.
US regulators plan to investigate Microsoft’s cloud business
Financial Times
Arash Massoudi and , James Fontanella-Khan
The Federal Trade Commission is preparing to launch an investigation into anti-competitive practices at Microsoft’s cloud computing business, as the US regulator continues to pursue Big Tech in the final weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency.
Trump victory could ease regulatory path for Musk’s robotaxi, but hurdles remain
Reuters
Chris Kirkham and Rachael Levy
As Tesla’s electric-vehicle sales have flattened this year, CEO Elon Musk has increasingly staked the company’s future on his vision for self-driving robotaxis, despite the massive technological and regulatory obstacles in delivering them.
Tesla issues sixth cybertruck recall this year
The New York Times
Amanda Holpuch
Tesla has issued its sixth recall this year for the angular, stainless steel Cybertruck after it found more than 2,400 of the electric trucks may have a defect that could cause them to lose drive power, increasing the risk of crashes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Wednesday.
Southeast Asia
AI masters Singlish in key breakthrough to serve healthcare and patients’ needs
The Straits Times
Osmond Chia
Singlish has long been a hurdle for artificial intelligence voice assistants, given the many accents and languages used in Singapore. But one healthtech project, named AI Singapore Speech Lab, has made strides in teaching AI models Singapore’s spin on English.
Ukraine-Russia
How pro-Russian hackers took down South Korea websites over support for Ukraine
Korea Pro
Shreyas Reddy
A series of coordinated cyberattacks by a pro-Russian coalition has left South Korea’s web infrastructure reeling this month, after politically motivated hacktivists across the world banded together to oppose Seoul’s support for Ukraine.
Europe
Meta fined nearly €800mn for breaking EU law over classified ads practices
Financial Times
Javier Espinoza
Meta has been fined nearly €800mn by Brussels after regulators accused Facebook’s parent company of stifling competition by “tying” its free Marketplace services with the social network.
EU AI Act: Draft guidance for general purpose AIs shows first steps for Big AI to comply
TechCrunch
Natasha Lomas
A first draft of a Code of Practice that will apply to providers of general-purpose AI models under the European Union’s AI Act has been published, alongside an invitation for feedback — open until November 28 — as the drafting process continues into next year, ahead of formal compliance deadlines kicking in over the coming years.
Hungary's defence procurement agency hacked, government says
Reuters
Foreign hackers broke into the IT systems of a Hungarian government agency responsible for defence procurement but no sensitive data about Hungary's military have been compromised, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff said on Thursday.
Google says it will stop serving political ads in the EU
The Verge
Jess Weatherbed
Google has announced it will stop showing political ads to users in the European Union next year due to uncertainties around the bloc’s new transparency regulations. In a new blog post, Google says the upcoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising rules that aim to prevent election interference and help voters make informed choices will introduce significant “operational challenges and legal uncertainties.”
Defence firm Thales eyes profit growth after cyber expansion
Reuters
Tim Hepher
Defence and technology company Thales promised investors growth in revenue and profits on Thursday, as global arms spending rises and Thales reaps benefits from a decade of investments in cybersecurity.
UK
Britain must treat tech giants like nation states, minister warns
The Times
Oliver Wright and Mark Sellman
Global technology companies are now so large and powerful that countries such as Britain must treat them in the same way they would treat a nation state, a senior government minister has warned.
Big Tech
Amazon questioned by congress over growing TikTok relationship
Bloomberg
Alexandra S. Levine
Representatives from Amazon.com Inc. were called to Capitol Hill for a closed-door meeting with a key House committee earlier this fall to answer questions about the retail giant’s deepening relationship with the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok.
Guardian will no longer post on Elon Musk’s X from its official accounts
The Guardian
Dan Milmo
The Guardian has announced it will no longer post content on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, from its official accounts. In an announcement to readers, the news organisation said it considered the benefits of being on the platform formerly called Twitter were now outweighed by the negatives, citing the “often disturbing content” found on it.
Bluesky has added 1 million users since the US election as people seek alternatives to X
Associated Press
Sarah Parvini
Social media site Bluesky has gained 1 million new users in the week since the U.S. election, as some X users look for an alternative platform to post their thoughts and engage with others online.
Events & Podcasts
Navigating digital safety: Exploring security and trust in online spaces for young Australians
ASPI
Join us from 6:00 – 8:30pm on 27 November at ASPI in Canberra for an important discussion on the challenges of privacy, internet security, and online safety. As users of online platforms, young Australians are exposed to varied and increasing risks, including risks to their personal data privacy.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest is brought to you by the Cyber, Technology & Security team at ASPI.