Security ban slapped on DeepSeek AI app for Australian government devices | China announces measures against US firms | EU consumer group calls out safety of Temu products

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The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest focuses on the topics we work on, including cybersecurity, critical technologies, foreign interference & disinformation.

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• Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek has been banned from Australian government systems and devices, following an assessment by intelligence agencies that the software poses an “unacceptable risk” to national security. The Australian

• China announced a wide range of measures on Tuesday targeting US businesses including Google, farm equipment makers and the owner of fashion brand Calvin Klein, minutes after new US tariffs on Chinese goods took effect. Reuters

• European consumer-advocacy group BEUC called out Chinese e-commerce company Temu for selling products it considers dangerous and in breach of the European Union’s consumer-protection rules. The Wall Street Journal

Australia

Security ban slapped on DeepSeek AI app for government devices
The Australian
Ben Packham
Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek has been banned from Australian government systems and devices, following an assessment by intelligence agencies that the software poses an “unacceptable risk” to national security. The move, set in motion by a Home Affairs’ protective ­security order, is similar to the government’s ban on TikTok on official devices. Commonwealth entities have been directed to remove DeepSeek from their hardware, prevent future access to the app, and report compliance with the order to Home Affairs.

The AEC wants to stop AI and misinformation. But it’s up against a problem that is deep and dark
The Conversation
Susan Grantham
The upcoming federal election will see an influx of deepfakes, doctored images, and tailored narratives that blur the line between fact and fiction. Last week, the Australian Electoral Commission relaunched its Stop and Consider campaign. The campaign urges voters to pause and reflect, particularly regarding information about how to vote. But its message applies to all forms of misinformation.

China

China announces measures against Google, other US firms, as trade tensions escalate
Reuters
China announced a wide range of measures on Tuesday targeting US businesses including Google, farm equipment makers and the owner of fashion brand Calvin Klein, minutes after new US tariffs on Chinese goods took effect. Beijing also slapped tariffs on US products such as coal, oil and some autos in a rapid response to the new duties on Chinese goods imposed by US President Donald Trump, escalating trade tensions between the world's two biggest economies.

What’s at stake for Google in China?
The New York Times
Nico Grant
China retaliated against tariffs from the United States on Tuesday with a series of measures that took aim at American companies. Along with imposing tariffs and import restrictions, the country said, it had launched an antitrust investigation into Google. The announcement of the investigation was vague — just one line on a Chinese agency’s website. But it thrust Google, whose search engine is unavailable in China, into the middle of a geopolitical dispute and added to the company’s long list of regulatory headaches.

USA

Trump orders creation of sovereign wealth fund, hints it could buy TikTok
POLITICO
Sam Sutton and Christine Mui
President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing the Treasury and Commerce departments to take steps to form a sovereign wealth fund that could be used to fund new government projects and investments — including a possible acquisition of TikTok.

As DOGE teams plug into federal networks, cybersecurity risks could be huge, experts say
The Record by Recorded Future
Suzanne Smalley
The unbridled access that Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency workers reportedly have to federal networks poses grave cybersecurity risks, several experts told Recorded Future News on Monday. Allowing employees to plug computers with unknown security controls into the Office of Personnel Management network could give a foreign adversary a fresh way to breach the system and obtain sensitive data, including information from federal employees’ background checks and security clearance records, they said.

Americas

Canadian charged in two crypto platform thefts totaling $65 million
The Record by Recorded Future
Jonathan Greig
A Canadian man has been charged by U.S. federal prosecutors for allegedly hacking into two popular crypto platforms and stealing nearly $65 million. The Justice Department unsealed a five-count indictment on Monday accusing 22-year-old Andean Medjedovic of the two hacks, which targeted KyberSwap and Indexed Finance. The department did not say if Medjedovic is in custody or where he may be located.

North Asia

Japanese microlender raises $12.7m to expand to India, South Africa
Nikkei Asia
Minako Yamashita
Hakki Africa, the Tokyo-based microfinancing startup that extends auto loans in Kenya, has raised 1.97 billion yen ($12.7 million) in a recent funding round to expand operations to India and South Africa. Hakki Africa will set up shop in the Indian city of Bengaluru, providing financial services mainly for gig drivers looking to purchase electric motorbikes.

Southeast Asia

Indonesia, home to the world’s largest nickel reserves, struggles to achieve its EV dreams
Rest of World
Michelle Anindya
Karawang county, located about 90 minutes by road from Jakarta, has been a major automotive hub in Indonesia for decades, housing factories of companies like Yamaha and Toyota. Last July, the industrial area added another feather to its cap when Southeast Asia’s first electric vehicle battery factory was unveiled there.

Woman nabbed by Thai police on alleged link to $182 million romance scam
The Record by Recorded Future
James Reddick
A woman with alleged ties to the costliest romance scam in Thailand’s history was arrested on Saturday. According to Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), police apprehended the 52-year-old woman — identified only as Orathai — at Hat Yai International Airport in the country’s south. Orathai is accused of opening bank accounts at the behest of her Nigerian boyfriend that were allegedly used to launder the proceeds of a 6.2 billion Baht ($182.8 million) romance scam.

Ukraine - Russia

Russian attacks near Ukrainian nuclear infrastructure heighten scrutiny of Kyiv’s preparedness
Associated Press
Samya Kullab and Hanna Arhirova
Moscow’s renewed attacks on Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure this winter have heightened scrutiny over the Ukrainian Energy Ministry’s failure to protect the country’s most critical energy facilities near nuclear power sites. Despite more than a year of warnings that the sites were vulnerable to potential Russian attacks, the Energy Ministry failed to act swiftly, current and former Ukrainian officials in Kyiv told The Associated Press.

Europe

EU consumer group calls out safety of Temu products
The Wall Street Journal
Edith Hancock
European consumer-advocacy group BEUC called out Chinese e-commerce company Temu for selling products it considers dangerous and in breach of the European Union’s consumer-protection rules. The group said Monday that tests carried out by its members in Denmark and Italy over the past 15 months showed some products, such as cosmetics and children’s toys, had safety problems and shouldn’t be on sale in the EU. None of the products they tested complied with EU law, it said.

Temu, Shein and Amazon to be liable in EU for ‘unsafe’ or ‘illegal’ goods
Financial Times
Andy Bounds
The EU plans to make ecommerce platforms such as Temu, Shein and Amazon Marketplace liable for dangerous or illegal products sold online, in a crackdown on the flood of imports from China. According to a draft proposal seen by the Financial Times, customs reforms would oblige online platforms to provide data before goods arrive in the EU, allowing officials to better control and inspect packages. The proposal comes amid concerns about the rise in dangerous and counterfeit goods shipped from Asia directly to European customers.

Apple raises concern over first porn app on iPhone under EU rules
Reuters
Stephen Nellis
Apple on Monday criticized a pornography app newly available on iPhones in the European Union, saying the bloc's digital policy was undermining consumer confidence in Apple. Since it first opened the App Store on iPhones in 2008, Apple has controlled what apps could be downloaded to the devices, with then-CEO Steve Jobs saying in 2010 that keeping porn off the iPhone was Apple's "moral responsibility" and one of the company's major motivations for acting as a gatekeeper.

Sweden releases suspected ship, says cable break ‘clearly’ not sabotage
The Record by Recorded Future
Alexander Martin
The Swedish Prosecution Authority announced on Monday it was releasing a cargo ship that had been suspected of sabotaging a communications cable in the Baltic Sea, explaining that its investigators were now ruling out an act of sabotage.

Meta chief lobbyist slams EU tech laws and fines
POLITICO
Pieter Haeck
The EU’s tech fines are a “tariff” on US companies and the bloc is going in the “wrong direction” with its tech regulation, Meta’s top lobbyist Joel Kaplan said Tuesday. Kaplan slammed the EU’s recent practice of imposing hefty fines on companies like Meta during a live-streamed interview at a Meta event in Brussels. He warned the bloc will miss out on the current artificial intelligence wave if it presses ahead with its tech rules.

Europe's AI bulls pin hopes on 'Jevons Paradox' after DeepSeek rout
Reuters
Lucy Raitano
Artificial intelligence bulls in Europe are dusting off a 160-year-old economic theory to explain why the boom in the sector's stocks may have further to run, despite the emergence of China's cheap AI model DeepSeek. Tech stocks worldwide plunged on Jan. 27 after the launch of DeepSeek - apparently costing a fraction of rival AI models and requiring less sophisticated chips - raised questions over the West's huge investments in chipmakers and data centres.

Czech Senator faces Russian threats over fake social media post
EURACTIV
Aneta Zachová
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has verbally attacked Czech Senator Miroslava Němcová, calling her a "degenerate European creature" and wishing for her death. His comments were prompted by a fake social media post falsely attributed to Němcová, claiming that she had called for a renewed blockade of Leningrad. The senator has strongly denied any connection to the post, despite its widespread circulation in Russian media.

Big Tech

Meta sinks more than $100bn into virtual reality and smart glasses bet
Financial Times
Tim Bradshaw and Hannah Murphy
Meta’s total investment in virtual and augmented reality is set to top $100bn this year, as its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has declared 2025 will be a “defining year” for its smart glasses. In its latest annual report, Meta revealed it invested $19.9bn in its Reality Labs division last year, hitting a new high after more than a decade of heavy losses.

Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI clinches deal with Kakao, talks with SoftBank and Samsung about Stargate
Reuters
Hyunjoo Jin
OpenAI said on Tuesday it will develop artificial intelligence products for South Korea with chat app operator Kakao, unveiling a second major alliance with a high-profile Asian partner this week. OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman also separately sat down with the leaders of Samsung Electronics, SoftBank and Arm Holdings in Seoul. SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son told reporters the Stargate AI data centre project in the United States had been discussed.

DeepSeek diplomacy: Disruption, dominance and data
Lowy Institute
Miah Hammond-Errey
DeepSeek’s emergence doesn’t solve AI hallucinations. The problems with the reliability of information persist. But the sudden splash caused by the Chinese company’s large language model is disruptive, challenging as it is to US tech dominance along with data access concerns.

Misc

We can do better with OSINT. It needs structured training and careers
The Strategist
Norman McMurray
A centralised OSINT agency or centre of excellence could standardise tradecraft, developing specialised tools and creating a formal career pathway. However, this approach would require significant investment and coordination. While some agencies are developing internal OSINT capabilities, the absence of standardisation means these programs provide no recognised qualifications. Without formal accreditation, these internal training programs function similarly to the commercial courses, rather than as part of a structured intelligence career pathway.

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.

The AI Action Summit and beyond: 3 Steps to strengthen global AI collaboration
OECD
Beginning with Bletchley Park in 2023 and Seoul in 2024, the AI Summit series has reached a pivotal moment. The upcoming AI Action Summit in Paris from February 10-11 will provide a unique platform for multilateral coordination and could bring significant progress to the global dialogue on AI governance.

Breaking the cycle: Combating online IBSA for a safer digital experience
Resolver
This session will explore the profound impact of Image-Based Sexual Abuse on individuals and communities. Together, we will discuss reporting mechanisms, actionable strategies, and ways to challenge the status quo to create a safer and more inclusive digital environment for everyone. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of the conversation and drive change in the digital landscape on Mar 6, 2025 at 10:00 PM.

The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest is brought to you by the Cyber, Technology & Security team at ASPI.