China signals it is open to a deal keeping TikTok in US | Facebook, X, YouTube to do more against online hate speech | Meta will keep its fact checkers outside of the US 'for now'
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The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday that companies can make their own decisions on operations and acquisitions, a reversal of the government’s previous position that it would block any forced sale of TikTok. The Wall Street Journal
Meta's Facebook, Elon Musk's X, Google's YouTube and other tech companies have agreed to do more to tackle online hate speech under an updated code of conduct that will now be integrated into EU tech rules. Reuters
Meta Platforms will continue to use its fact checkers outside of the US “for now” even as the Instagram and Facebook owner does away with the practice at home. Bloomberg
Australia
New think tank urges Albanese to stand up to Trump’s big tech buddies
The Australian Financial Review
Tess Bennett
A tech industry-backed think tank is urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to go head-to-head with American social media giants over plans to regulate them more heavily, even as the companies cosy up to President-elect Donald Trump who they hope will loosen the rules.
Security researchers warn of insecure Chinese IoT devices on the Aussie market
CyberDaily
David Hollingworth
Researchers at Australian cyber security firm CyberCX have issued a warning regarding poorly secured, Chinese-made IoT devices in the wake of hackers compromising an internet-connected doorbell and camera.
China
China signals it is open to a deal keeping TikTok in US
The Wall Street Journal
Raffaele Huang & Stu Woo
China suggested it was willing to work with Donald Trump to keep TikTok operating in the US. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday that companies can make their own decisions on operations and acquisitions, a reversal of the government’s previous position that it would block any forced sale of TikTok.
USA
Trump could sign TikTok order in the Rotunda
POLITICO
Meredith Lee Hill & Rachael Bade
Advisers to Donald Trump have discussed having the incoming president sign an executive order to “save” TikTok shortly after he’s sworn in Monday in the Capitol Rotunda — in the presence of the video app’s chief executive as well as lawmakers who backed legislation to ban the app as a national security threat.
TikTok ban: all the news on the app’s shutdown and return in the US
The Verge
Jon Porter
TikTok is coming back online after briefly going dark in the US to comply with the divest-or-ban law that went into effect on January 19th.
Drone makers looking to steer clear of China fear Beijing's wrath
The Wall Street Journal
Joyu Wang & Heather Somerville
For US companies, dependence on China has become untenable, particularly as Beijing shows it is willing to cut off their access to essential supplies. In Taiwan, that spells opportunity. However, recent examples of Beijing punishing companies for their ties to Taiwan have made US businesses cautious in their efforts to avoid China.
‘We’ve impeded China’: departing official defends US export controls
Financial Times
Demetri Sevastopulo
For the past four years, Alan Estevez has been finding new obstacles to place in China’s path as it tries to use US technology to develop cutting-edge chips and artificial intelligence. Estevez conceded that US policy could do no more than slow China since it had smart engineers, money to invest and government support. But he said Washington had been successful, pointing to statements from Chinese AI groups identifying US export controls as their main obstacle.
CIA's chatbot stands in for world leaders
The New York Times
Julian E Barnes
Over the last two years, the Central Intelligence Agency has developed a tool that allows analysts to talk to virtual versions of foreign presidents and prime ministers, who answer back. The spy agency is trying to give its teams better tools and make it easier for the private sector to develop technology for their secretive work.
North Asia
Hit by wave of online attacks, Japan shifts to ‘active cyber defence’
The Straits Times
Walter Sim
Japan aims to take a more proactive approach to cyber defence by allowing hackers working for the authorities to “attack” pre-emptively to prevent or stop sabotage attempts. Under a new strategy of “active cyber defence”, Japan plans to allow hackers working for the police or Self-Defence Forces (SDF) to infiltrate servers to neutralise the source of cyber attacks.
Southeast Asia
Philippines arrests Chinese national suspected of spying on critical infrastructure
The Record by Recorded Future
Daryna Antoniuk
Philippine authorities have arrested a Chinese national and two Filipino citizens suspected of conducting surveillance on critical infrastructure, including military facilities, the country’s National Bureau of Investigation said on Monday.
S’pore actor Laurence Pang loses $35k to pretty face in online scam in Philippines
The Straits Times
Mara Cepeda
In a plot twist worthy of a drama series, a veteran Singaporean actor fell for an online charmer who later turned out to be more of a con artist than his next romantic lead. Mr Laurence Pang, 78, lost nearly 1.5 million pesos (S$35,000) after he was duped by “Mika”, a woman he met on a dating site, into investing his money in an online business scam in the Philippines.
South & Central Asia
After Musk-Ambani tussle, India bets satellite spectrum policy can attract many companies
Reuters
Aditya Kalra & Aditi Shah
India's decision to allocate satellite spectrum, rather than auction it, will give consumers more choice, the telecoms minister said on Monday, playing down concern by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio that it could lose out to Elon Musk's Starlink.
Ukraine - Russia
Ukraine restores state registers after suspected Russian cyberattack
The Record by Recorded Future
Daryna Antoniuk
Ukraine has restored the infrastructure of its state registers, which were disrupted last month by a major cyberattack believed to have been carried out by Russian military intelligence hackers.
Europe
Facebook, X, YouTube to do more against online hate speech, EU says
Reuters
Foo Yun Chee
Meta's Facebook, Elon Musk's X, Google's YouTube and other tech companies have agreed to do more to tackle online hate speech under an updated code of conduct that will now be integrated into EU tech rules, the European Commission said on Monday.
EU takes China to WTO over high-tech patent royalties
Reuters
The European Commission filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization on Monday against what it said was China's "unfair and illegal" practice of setting worldwide royalty rates for EU standard essential patents without the patent owner's consent.
Le Monde, French newspaper of record, quits Elon Musk’s X
POLITICO
Csongor Körömi
One of France's most prominent newspapers, Le Monde, is abandoning Elon Musk's X, the paper's editor-in-chief announced Monday. In his editorial, Jérôme Fenoglio said the burgeoning alliance between U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and "social platform bosses" like Musk and Mark Zuckerberg poses a global threat to free access to reliable information.
Western European companies now see cyber threat as bigger risk than conflict or inflation
The Irish Times
Eoin Burke-Kennedy
Business leaders in western Europe see the risk of cyber attack as a bigger threat than conflict, technical disruption, inflation or climate change. That’s according to consultancy PwC’s latest “Global CEO Survey”, which was published on Monday at the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
UK
AI tool can give ministers ‘vibe check’ on whether MPs will like policies
The Guardian
Jessica Elgot & Robert Booth
A new artificial intelligence tool can warn ministers whether policies are likely to be very unpopular with their party’s MPs, using a search described as a “parliamentary vibe check”.
UK charging firm warns over changes to electric car sales amid ‘difficult’ market
The Guardian
Jasper Jolly
A charging company has said proposed UK changes to electric car sales rules could increase uncertainty over demand, as it said that it had been caught out by lower numbers of purchases by British drivers.
Africa
Apple hit by Belgian probe over ‘blood minerals’ from Congo
Financial Times
David Pilling, Alice Hancock, Laura Dubois & Michael Acton
Belgium has started a criminal probe into allegations that Apple has knowingly sourced “blood minerals” from the Democratic Republic of Congo, in what lawyers for the central African country have called a “massive laundering and greenwashing operation”. Lawyers for DRC allege iPhones and other electronics use minerals supplied by armed groups behind atrocities.
Big Tech
Meta will keep its fact checkers outside of the US 'for now'
Bloomberg
Jillian Deutsch
Meta Platforms will continue to use its fact checkers outside of the US “for now” even as the Instagram and Facebook owner does away with the practice at home, the company’s head of global business Nicola Mendelsohn said.
The TikTok boomerang
The Strategist
Angela Huyue Zhang
Since US data security was the rationale for the TikTok ban, American users’ migration to other Chinese apps only amplifies those concerns. Unlike TikTok—a platform that does not operate in China and is not subject to Chinese law—RedNote is a domestic Chinese app bound by strict Chinese regulations.
Welcome to the era of gangster tech regulation
The Verge
Elizabeth Lopatto
Our tech overlords all have problems, and they want to buy the solutions.
Events & Podcasts
Safeguarding Australian elections: Addressing AI-enabled disinformation
ASPI
As artificial intelligence advances, it creates new challenges for democracy and electoral integrity. AI-enabled disinformation, deepfakes, and influence operations are increasingly being weaponised to distort political discourse and erode public trust. This event on Thursday 6 February, 5:30-6:30pm, co-hosted by ASPI and CETaS, will focus on the intersection of AI, electoral integrity and democratic resilience.
Women in Cyber Summit
AISA
The Women in Cyber Summit will be held in The Great Hall at Parliament House, Canberra on Thursday 6 February 2025 starting at 9:00 am and concluding at 5:00 pm. The summit program will feature a full day of presentations and interactive panel session sessions with leading government and industry speakers.
Jobs
ASPI Deputy Director – Cyber, Technology & Security Program
ASPI
ASPI is seeking a talented leader for the Deputy Director of Cyber, Technology & Security (CTS) Operations. This is an exceptional opportunity to contribute to one of the Indo-Pacific’s leading think tanks, focused on advancing policy and research at the intersection of cyber, technology, and national security. The CTS Program is ASPI’s largest program, and includes ASPI’s China Investigations and Analysis team. The closing date for applications is Friday, 24 January 2025 – an early application is advised as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if suitable applications are received.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest is brought to you by the Cyber, Technology & Security team at ASPI.
