China bans rare mineral exports to the U.S. | TikTok removed 3 influence campaigns during Romania’s elections | Documents contradict Google’s claims about its Project Nimbus contract with Israel
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China said on Tuesday that it would begin banning the export of several rare minerals to the United States, an escalation of the tech war between the world’s two biggest powers. The move comes a day after the Biden administration tightened Chinese access to advanced American technology. The New York Times
TikTok recently dismantled several networks of accounts that had tried to interfere with elections in Romania, executives said Tuesday, with some removed as late as Friday. The social media company testified before the European Parliament on Tuesday to counter allegations that it hadn't properly handled political content tied to the ongoing presidential election in Romania. POLITICO
When questioned about its controversial cloud computing contract with the Israeli government, Google has repeatedly claimed the so-called Project Nimbus deal is bound by the company’s general cloud computing terms of service policy. The Intercept
Australia
National security watchdog mulls new limits on hacking powers
InnovationAus
Justin Hendry
The national security legislation watchdog is considering whether Australia’s peak criminal intelligence agency needs controversial powers that allow it to take over the online accounts of criminals and hack into their networks. Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Jake Blight, who is currently reviewing the so-called hacking powers, is also mulling whether to put a far higher bar on the types of serious offences the laws can used for.
97% of adult Australians have limited skills to verify information online – new report
The Conversation
Sora Park and Tanya Notley
Australians now use social media more often than any other type of media, including TV, radio and websites. While the increased use of social media platforms present new opportunities to access and engage with information, it also introduces serious challenges associated with the spread of misinformation. The sheer volume of information available on social media is overwhelming. These platforms can be used to target people with false, manipulative and misleading claims.
A new trial to keep young people off social media and porn sites
InnovationAus
Toby Murray
When federal parliament passed legislation last week which will ban under 16s from social media, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese celebrated. Posting on X, he said: “We’re doing everything we can to keep our kids safe”. Part of that commitment involves launching a trial of age assurance technologies to determine the best way of enforcing the social media ban for under 16s and preventing young people under 18 from accessing online pornography sites.
Govt mandates scam-busting SMS ID register
InnovationAus
Justin Hendry
Telcos will be required to block or warn Australians about scam texts from scammers that spoof legitimate senders after the Albanese government landed on a mandatory approach to its SMS Sender ID Register. Communications minister Michelle Rowland announced the decision on Tuesday, ending months of consultation with major telcos and banks and charting a course for the arrival of the SMS Sender ID Register in late 2025.
China
China bans rare mineral exports to the U.S.
The New York Times
David Pierson, Keith Bradsher and Ana Swanson
China said on Tuesday that it would begin banning the export of several rare minerals to the United States, an escalation of the tech war between the world’s two biggest powers. The move comes a day after the Biden administration tightened Chinese access to advanced American technology. The ban signals Beijing’s willingness to engage in supply chain warfare by blocking the export of important components used to make valuable products, like weaponry and semiconductors.
Chip war: China’s semiconductor supply chain faces tough test amid broader US sanctions
South China Morning Post
Che Pan
China’s chip ambitions are being tested again as fresh US sanctions, the third escalation in three years, hit more broadly across the semiconductor supply chain, industry insiders said. The US Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, added 140 Chinese chip-related organisations to a trade blacklist and placed additional restrictions on China’s access to semiconductor manufacturing tools in a major escalation by Washington to cripple China’s chip technology progress.
USA
Telcos struggle to boot Chinese hackers from networks
Axios
Sam Sabin
China-linked spies are still lurking inside U.S. telecommunications networks roughly six months after American officials started investigating the intrusions, senior officials told reporters Tuesday. This is the first time U.S. officials have confirmed reports that Salt Typhoon hackers still have access to critical infrastructure — and they're proving difficult to kick out.
Chinese lidar sensors pose hacking risk to US military equipment
iTnews
Stephen Nellis and Michael Martina
Chinese-made lidar sensors could expose the US military to hacking and sabotage during a conflict, according to a Washington think tank report that calls for a ban on putting those sensors into American defence equipment. Lidar sensors use lasers to generate a digital three-dimensional map of the world around them.
America’s tech blind spot
The Strategist
S Alex Yang and Angela Huyue Zhang
Nationalism has emerged as a potent force shaping global tech policy, nowhere more so than in the United States. With Donald Trump returning to the White House for a second term, his vision for America’s technological future is coming into sharper focus. At home, Trump promises a sweeping deregulatory agenda coupled with industrial policy aimed at boosting domestic tech businesses. Abroad, his administration appears poised to double down on aggressive restrictions aimed at keeping American technology out of China’s hands.
New USAF focuses: fighter-like drones and electromagnetic warfare
The Strategist
Bill Sweetman
‘Listening to new options’, according to a senior civilian advisor, is a key piece of the US Air Force process of force redesign. One of those options is using the fighter-like drones that will come from the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, which was central to a panel discussion at the US Mitchell Institute’s Air Power Futures Forum in November. Another is a tighter focus on electromagnetic spectrum operations, the currently favored term for electromagnetic warfare and related activities.
Data brokers may be banned from selling your social security number
The Verge
Gaby Del Valle
In the wake of high-profile hacks affecting hundreds of millions of Americans, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is proposing a rule limiting data brokers’ ability to sell Americans’ sensitive personal and financial information. Under the proposed rule, data brokers that sell information about consumers’ income, credit history, credit score, or debt payments would be considered consumer reporting agencies.
Europe
TikTok removed 3 influence campaigns during Romania’s elections
POLITICO
Pieter Haeck
TikTok recently dismantled several networks of accounts that had tried to interfere with elections in Romania, executives said Tuesday, with some removed as late as Friday. The social media company testified before the European Parliament on Tuesday to counter allegations that it hadn't properly handled political content tied to the ongoing presidential election in Romania. The first round, held last month, led to a surprise win for an ultranationalist candidate with a strong TikTok presence.
Former Polish spy chief arrested to testify before parliament in spyware probe
The Record by Recorded Future
Suzanne Smalley
The former head of Poland’s internal security service was arrested Monday and hauled before parliament to testify about how powerful zero-click spyware was deployed by the country’s prior government against several hundred people. The Polish government has been aggressively investigating the prior administration’s use of Pegasus spyware to surveil an estimated hundreds of opposition politicians and other targets in recent years.
Big Tech
Documents contradict Google’s claims about its Project Nimbus contract with Israel
The Intercept
Sam Biddle
When questioned about its controversial cloud computing contract with the Israeli government, Google has repeatedly claimed the so-called Project Nimbus deal is bound by the company’s general cloud computing terms of service policy. While that policy would prohibit uses that lead to deprivation of rights, injury, or death, or other harms, contract documents and an internal company email reviewed by The Intercept show the deal forged between Google and Israel doesn’t operate under the tech company’s general terms of service. Rather, Nimbus is subject to an “adjusted” policy drafted between Google and the Israeli government.
Meta says gen AI had muted impact on global elections this year
Reuters
Sheila Dang
Despite widespread concern that generative AI could interfere with major elections around the globe this year, the technology had limited impact across Meta Platforms' the tech company said on Tuesday. Coordinated networks of accounts seeking to spread propaganda or false content largely failed to build a significant audience on Facebook and Instagram or use AI effectively, Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, told a press briefing. The volume of AI-generated misinformation was low and Meta was able to quickly label or remove the content, he said.
Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky pleads guilty to two fraud counts
Reuters
Luc Cohen
Alex Mashinsky, the founder and former CEO of cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of fraud. Mashinsky, 59, was indicted on July 13, 2023, on seven counts of fraud, conspiracy and market manipulation charges. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said he misled customers of Celsius to persuade them to invest, and artificially inflated the value of his company's proprietary crypto token. He pleaded not guilty later that day.
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg seeks ‘active role’ in Donald Trump’s tech policies
Financial Times
Hannah Murphy
Meta has conceded it was too heavy-handed with certain content moderation in the past, in an overture to Donald Trump as its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg seeks an “active role” in shaping tech policy debates with the incoming US administration. Sir Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, said the social media platform previously “overdid it a bit” when moderating pandemic-related content, a concession that appears designed to placate the president-elect, who has repeatedly accused the company of censorship and silencing conservative speech.
Bluesky dreaming? Social media shifts signal tech power and influence
The Interpreter
Miah Hammond-Errey
Shifts in social media platforms are part of a larger tech power play and critical in understanding how information is challenging democracies. Algorithmic curation which contributes or leads to radicalisation, abuse or violence is not yet a crime. It should be. Social media platforms need to contribute positively to democratic debate and ensure a safe space for users, free from abuse, hate speech, algorithmic manipulation, propaganda and state-sponsored information operations.
FTC bans location data company that powers the surveillance ecosystem
404 Media
Joseph Cox
The Federal Trade Commission announced sweeping action against some of the most important companies in the location data industry on Tuesday, including those that power surveillance tools used by a wide spread of U.S. law enforcement agencies and demanding they delete data related to certain sensitive areas like health clinics and places of worship. Venntel, through its parent company Gravy Analytics, takes location data from smartphones, either through ordinary apps installed on them or through the advertising ecosystem.
Artificial Intelligence
Why does the name ‘David Mayer’ crash ChatGPT? OpenAI says privacy tool went rogue
TechCrunch
Devin Coldewey
Users of the conversational AI platform ChatGPT discovered an interesting phenomenon over the weekend: the popular chatbot refuses to answer questions if asked about a “David Mayer.” Asking it to do so causes it to freeze up instantly. Conspiracy theories have ensued — but a more ordinary reason is at the heart of this strange behavior.
Australia must find its place in the global AI economy
InnovationAus
Helen Zhang
The global AI race is fully taking shape. Billions have been invested by leading frontier AI developers like OpenAI in the United States and Huawei in China. Beyond Washington and Beijing, many other countries are rapidly trying to find their place in the global AI ecosystem, from the United Arab Emirates’ large-scale investment in AI firms to France’s new build-out of its supercomputing capacity.
Jobs
ASPI Director – Defence Strategy Program
ASPI
ASPI is recruiting for one of its key leadership positions - the Director of its Defence Strategy Program. This is an exceptional opportunity for a talented senior leader to contribute to the work of one of the Indo-Pacific’s top think-tanks with a focus on military strategy and capability, emerging security issues and our region. The incoming Director of Defence Strategy is expected to have strong knowledge in at least some of the issues covered by the team, in addition to superior management (including project and stakeholder management) skills, a proven ability to build senior and global relationships and the capacity to fundraise to support the team’s work.
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