China condemns U.S. over new export controls on Chinese firms | Abigail Bradshaw appointed new Chief of Australian Signals Directorate | Nigeria in push to crack down on online extortion scams
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China on Sunday said it “resolutely opposes” the U.S. decision to add multiple Chinese entities to its export control list in a bid to further curb Russia’s access to advanced U.S. technology required for its weapons. NBC News
Australian Cyber Security Centre chief Abigail Bradshaw has been named the new director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate, replacing outgoing chief Rachel Noble. Ms Bradshaw, a former Navy officer with deep expertise in cyber, national security, crisis management and incident response roles across government, will take up the top job on September 6. Innovation Australia
Nigeria is keen to help crack down on internet extortion scams after Meta’s removal of thousands of fake Nigerian Instagram and Facebook accounts put a spotlight on how to protect vulnerable young people online. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the country’s anti-corruption watchdog, told the Financial Times it was willing to work with global law enforcement to arrest Nigerian-based suspects. Financial Times
ASPI
China may be putting the Great Firewall into orbit
The Strategist
Mercedes Page
The first satellites for China’s ambitious G60 mega-constellation are in orbit in preparation for offering global satellite internet services—and we should worry about how this will help Beijing export its model of digital authoritarianism around the world. The G60’s inaugural launch on 5 August 2024 carried 18 satellites into low-Earth orbit (LEO) on a Long March 6A rocket. Led by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology and backed by the Shanghai Municipal Government, the project aims to compete in the commercial satellite internet market with SpaceX’s Starlink, providing regional coverage by 2025 and global coverage by 2027.
Australia
ACSC chief appointed new top cyber spy
InnovationAus
Justin Hendry
Australian Cyber Security Centre chief Abigail Bradshaw has been named the new director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate, replacing outgoing chief Rachel Noble. Ms Bradshaw, a former Navy officer with deep expertise in cyber, national security, crisis management and incident response roles across government, will take up the top job on September 6. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defence minister Richard Marles announced the appointment on Monday, confirming reports in Capital Brief on the imminent shakeup last week.
Is it time for a national accord on quantum?
InnovationAus
Susanne Lloyd-Jones and Kayleen Manwaring
Last week, quantum computers were added to Australia’s Defence and Strategic Goods List of controlled items facing export restrictions. That’s because quantum technologies – which may soon provide huge advances in computing, communication and sensing – are rapidly growing in strategic importance. The AUKUS partnership between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom includes arrangements for sharing quantum technologies. Last year, Australia and the UK agreed to cooperate on quantum by sharing research and expertise and encouraging investment. A similar arrangement was signed with the US in 2021.
Quantum tech is a high-stakes gamble. Here’s how Australia can find a way forward
The Conversation
PsiQuantum
Last week, quantum computers were added to Australia’s Defence and Strategic Goods List of controlled items facing export restrictions. That’s because quantum technologies – which may soon provide huge advances in computing, communication and sensing – are rapidly growing in strategic importance. The AUKUS partnership between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom includes arrangements for sharing quantum technologies. Last year, Australia and the UK agreed to cooperate on quantum by sharing research and expertise and encouraging investment. A similar arrangement was signed with the US in 2021.
China
China slams U.S. for adding firms to export control list over alleged support for Russian military
NBC News
Sheila Chiang
China on Sunday said it “resolutely opposes” the U.S. decision to add multiple Chinese entities to its export control list in a bid to further curb Russia’s access to advanced U.S. technology required for its weapons. In a statement published on state media Xinhua, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Commerce called the move “a typical act of unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction.”
China robots conference spotlights the changing face of humanoids
Reuters
Qiaoyi Li and Kevin Krolicki
As China seeks to race ahead in humanoid robot development, its supply chains showcased cheaper and innovative parts at the world robot conference in Beijing, but some executives warn the industry has yet to improve product reliability. Wisson Technology (Shenzhen), known for its flexible robotic manipulators, doesn’t depend on motors and reducers - transmission devices commonly used in robotics - but instead uses 3D-printed plastics and relies on pneumatic artificial muscles to power its robots.
China’s tech giants splash out on AI despite US restrictions
Financial Times
Ryan McMorrow and Eleanor Olcott
China’s tech giants have doubled capital spending this year as they splurge on artificial intelligence infrastructure, despite US sanctions designed to limit the country’s progress in the crucial technology. Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu had combined capital expenditure of Rmb50bn ($7bn) in the first half, compared with Rmb23bn a year earlier. The groups said the focus was on buying processors and infrastructure related to powering the training of large language models for AI, both their own models and those of others.
China’s AI engineers are secretly accessing banned Nvidia chips
The Wall Street Journal
Raffaele Huang
Chinese artificial-intelligence developers have found a way to use the most advanced American chips without bringing them to China. They are working with brokers to access computing power overseas, sometimes masking their identity using techniques from the cryptocurrency world.
Is Xi Jinping an AI doomer?
The Economist
In July of last year Henry Kissinger travelled to Beijing for the final time before his death. Among the messages he delivered to China’s ruler, Xi Jinping, was a warning about the catastrophic risks of artificial intelligence (AI). Since then American tech bosses and ex-government officials have quietly met with their Chinese counterparts in a series of informal meetings dubbed the Kissinger Dialogues. The conversations have focused in part on how to protect the world from the dangers of AI. On August 27th American and Chinese officials are expected to take up the subject (along with many others) when America’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, travels to Beijing.
IBM China said to be laying off more than 1,000 employees as it closes research labs
South China Morning Post
Xinmei Shen
US computing giant IBM has reportedly shut down its research and development (R&D) operations in China, joining a slew of global Big Tech firms in trimming their mainland businesses amid geopolitical headwinds. IBM is closing its China Development Lab and China Systems Lab, while laying off more than 1,000 employees in cities including Beijing, Shanghai and the northern port city Dalian, according to reports by local news outlets.
USA
Optica CEO departs amid probes into society’s links to Huawei
Bloomberg
Kate O'Keeffe
The leader of Washington-based scientific society Optica and the head of its foundation have left the group amid investigations into its decades-long alliance with sanctioned Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co. Optica Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Rogan and Chad Stark, who ran the group’s foundation, are no longer with the organization, according to an internal email seen by Bloomberg News. Their departures come after Bloomberg reported how Optica had cultivated ties with Huawei for years despite national-security concerns around the company.
The Port of Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport say they’ve been hit by ‘possible cyberattack’
InnovationAus
Anthony Ha
The Port of Seattle, which also operates the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, said it was hit with a “possible cyberattack” that appeared to affect websites and phone systems. The port first noted the outages via social media on Saturday morning, with the airport then posting that it had “experienced certain system outages indicating a possible cyberattack.” Late Saturday evening, the airport said it was still experiencing outages: “There is not an estimated time for return and Port teams continue to work to restore full service.” It also encouraged travelers to use airline apps to get their boarding passes and bag tags, and to allow extra time to reach their gates.
How the Journal analyzed Elon Musk’s posts on X
The Wall Street Journal
Andrea Fuller, John West, Alexa Corse and Kara Dapena
To understand how Elon Musk’s conversations online have evolved, the Wall Street Journal analyzed a near-comprehensive data set of 41,894 of his interactions on the X platform, formerly Twitter, from 2019 through July 2024. The list of posts came from researchers at Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub. The Journal then used that list to collect Musk’s posts, as well as his retweets, tweets to which he replied and any quoted tweets. Journal reporters identified a small number of additional posts not in Clemson’s list.
Americas
Trudeau says Canada will slap big tariffs on Chinese-made EVs
CBC
John Paul Tasker
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday Canada will impose punitive tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles — copying a similar initiative that the U.S. is already pursuing to stop a flood of what's been described as unfairly state-subsidized cars. Trudeau made the announcement at the federal cabinet retreat in Halifax where ministers are meeting to craft a strategy for the year ahead — the last year before an expected federal election in October 2025.
Southeast Asia
Thailand approves Western Digital's $693 mln investment project
Reuters
Thailand has approved Western Digital's (WDC.O) 23.5 billion baht ($693 million) project to expand hard disk production in the country, Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) said on Monday, as cloud technology and data centre demand grows. The investment would boost the Thai economy by adding exports worth 200 billion baht per year and creating an extra 10,000 jobs, the BOI said. Western Digital's Thai facility currently employs 28,000 people in Thailand, where some 80% of the world's hard disks are made, according to the BOI.
South & Central Asia
Navigating legal challenges in the AI era
OpenGov Asia
Alita Sharon
The second annual India-Singapore Judicial Roundtable in New Delhi marked a significant step in the deepening of bilateral ties between the judiciaries of Singapore and India. This year’s discussions stressed the critical role of technology, particularly artificial intelligence, in shaping the future of legal frameworks and corporate accountability. The event provided a platform for legal experts from both nations to delve into the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), climate change, and governance, reflecting the growing importance of these issues in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.
Ukraine-Russia
Not only for killing: Drones are now detecting land mines in Ukraine
The New York Times
Lara Jakes
With a stiff gait, a drone dog stomped up and down a makeshift minefield at a U.S. Army testing center in Virginia, shuddering when it neared a plate-size puck meant to simulate an anti-tank explosive. On its back was a stack of cameras, GPS devices, radios and thermal imaging technology that military developers hope will help it detect mines at close range, sparing humans from that dangerous task. For the most part, the dog appeared to know when to stay away from the mock mine, given the artificial intelligence embedded in its system to identify threats. “Mostly it does, but sometimes it doesn’t,” Kendall V. Johnson, a physicist at the countermine division of the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command, said during a demonstration this summer outside Washington. “That’s something we’re working on currently.”
Europe
‘Russians do everything via Telegram.’ Pavel Durov’s arrest upends Kremlin military comms
POLITICO
Veronika Melkozernova
French authorities detained Pavel Durov on allegations that his Telegram social media platform was being used for child pornography, drug trafficking and organized crime — but the immediate freakout came from Russia. That's because Telegram is widely used by the Russian military for battlefield communications thanks to problems with rolling out its own secure comms system. It's also the primary vehicle for pro-war military bloggers and media — as well as millions of ordinary Russians.
Telegram messaging app CEO Durov arrested in France
Reuters
Ingrid Melander and Guy Faulconbridge
Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire founder and owner of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet late on Saturday and placed in custody, three sources told Reuters. The arrest of the 39-year-old technology billionaire prompted on Sunday a warning from Moscow to Paris that he should be accorded his rights and criticism from X owner Elon Musk who said that free speech in Europe was under attack.Telegram says it abides by EU laws after CEO detained in France
Bloomberg
Telegram on Sunday questioned the grounds for France’s detention of Chief Executive Officer Pavel Durov, the messaging app’s billionaire co-founder who was taken into custody at a Paris airport over the weekend. Durov, 39, was detained at Le Bourget on Saturday on suspicion of failing to take steps to prevent criminal use of Telegram, according to Agence France-Presse. His original detention was extended by 24 hours late Sunday, a judicial official said.Telegram is a bigger headache than Elon Musk’s X for the EU
POLITICO
Pieter Haeck
The arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov spotlights a messaging platform that is an even bigger headache for European governments than the app formerly known as Twitter. Telegram's claims that users' privacy was sacrosanct and that chats weren't visible to governments or even to Telegram itself have attracted cybercriminals, pedophiles and terrorists even as the company described itself as a haven for "pro-democracy movements around the world."
New Dutch leader bans phones in Cabinet meetings to dial back espionage threat
Associated Press
The new Dutch prime minister has banned cell phones and other mobile devices from the weekly meetings of his Cabinet in a move aimed at dialing back the risk of digital eavesdropping by spies. “The threat of espionage is timeless. Electronic devices, a telephone, iPad, are all little microphones and countries are interested in decision-making also in the Netherlands and you want to prevent that. It’s a very simple measure — all the phones in a safe,” Dick Schoof, a former head of the national intelligence agency, told reporters Friday.
Uber fined $324 million by Dutch watchdog over driver data protection
The New York Times
Melissa Eddy
Uber faces a fine of 290 million euros, or more than $324 million, over a violation of European Union rules that protect data privacy, a Dutch agency said Monday. The agency, the Dutch Data Protection Authority, found that Uber, which has its European headquarters in Amsterdam, transferred sensitive information about its drivers in Europe to the United States without using tools to protect it. Among the personal data were account details, taxi licenses, photos, identification documents and, in some cases, criminal and medical data. Uber rejected the ruling and said it planned to appeal. “This flawed decision and extraordinary fine are completely unjustified,” said Michael Valvo, an Uber spokesman.
UK
Children ‘need digital vaccination to fight fake news and boost digital skills’
The Independent
Martyn Landi
All UK children should be given a “digital vaccination” of access to technology and digital skills that ensures they are not susceptible to misinformation and to help close the digital divide, a new report has said. The report says a minimum digital living standards framework should be established, which would look to ensure that every household has a set level of digital infrastructure, including high-speed broadband, a functioning digital device and digital skills training.
Africa
Nigeria in push to crack down on online extortion scams
Financial Times
Aanu Adeoye
Nigeria is keen to help crack down on internet extortion scams after Meta’s removal of thousands of fake Nigerian Instagram and Facebook accounts put a spotlight on how to protect vulnerable young people online. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the country’s anti-corruption watchdog, told the Financial Times it was willing to work with global law enforcement to arrest Nigerian-based suspects.
Big Tech
Hungry for clean energy, Facebook looks to a new type of Geothermal
The New York Times
Brad Plumer
Big tech companies across the United States are struggling to find enough clean energy to power all the data centers they plan to build. Now, some firms are betting on a novel solution: harvesting the heat deep beneath the Earth’s surface to create emissions-free electricity, using drilling techniques from the oil and gas fracking boom.
Events & Podcasts
The Sydney Dialogue
ASPI
The Sydney Dialogue was created to help bring together governments, businesses and civil society to discuss and progress policy options. We will forecast the technologies of the next decade that will change our societies, economies and national security, prioritising speakers and delegates who are willing to push the envelope. We will promote diverse views that stimulate real conversations about the best ways to seize opportunities and minimise risks.
UNSW to host upcoming Australian Cybersecurity Games
UNSW
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) will host students from universities across Australia in the upcoming Australian Cybersecurity Games. The competition, run by SECedu, an Australian network of educators and cyber security professionals, will take place between September 2-30, 2024. SECedu was founded as a partnership between UNSW Sydney and Commonwealth Bank and combines the talents of Australia’s top computer science schools with the country’s largest and most respected cyber security teams to train the next generation of cyber security professionals.
Jobs
ASPI Research Internship
ASPI
Have you recently completed your studies (undergraduate or postgraduate) and want to develop your expertise in defence, foreign and national security policy, including in areas such as strategic competition, defence, deterrence, foreign interference, technology, and security? Do you want to inform the public and government on the critical strategic choices facing Australia and learn what it takes to be a professional analyst? If so, apply for the ASPI Research Internship Program! Please note that this is a paid internship program. Applications will close at midnight Friday 27 September 2024.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest is brought to you by the Cyber, Technology & Security team at ASPI.