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This weekly blog is to explore the news around the larger issues around Digital Health, data security, data privacy, AI / ML. technology, social media and related matters.
I will also try to highlight ADHA Propaganda when I come upon it.
Just so we keep count, the latest Notes from the ADHA Board were dated 6 December, 2018 and we have seen none since! Its pretty sad!
Note: Appearance here is not to suggest I see any credibility or value in what follows. I will leave it to the reader to decide what is worthwhile and what is not! The point is to let people know what is being said / published that I have come upon.
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Criminals targeted for encrypted phones
Law enforcement agencies are examining ways to fight back against specially modified encrypted mobile phones that have become central to organised crime.
The most dominant encrypted phone service in the Australian underworld, Ciphr, has in recent months alone been connected to massive drug importations, multimillion-dollar cash seizures, kidnappings and torture.
As many as 10,000 encrypted Ciphr phones are estimated to be in use nationwide, law enforcement sources say.
It’s a lucrative business in its own right, with users paying $2500 every six months to be able to communicate securely with other criminals.
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Fears anti-vaxxers could derail vaccination rollout
January 8, 2021 — 5.00am
A new code tackling disinformation on Facebook, Twitter and Google could be introduced within weeks, as urgency to limit the risk from online falsehoods and propaganda grows ahead of the coronavirus vaccination rollout in Australia.
The social media behemoths have been grappling with how to deal with fake news and misleading posts on their services during turbulent events over the past year including the outcome of the US Presidential election and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Twitter suspended Donald Trump's account on Thursday (local time) after he posted a video inaccurately saying the election had been stolen from him, while his supporters stormed Capitol Hill. The attempted coup prompted President Barack Obama to criticise the Republican party "and its accompanying media ecosystem" for being unwilling to tell their followers the truth and creating a "fantasy narrative [that] has spiralled further and further from reality".
Keeping misinformation under control has become a major focus of the social media giants and a voluntary local code to stop the spread of falsehoods online is expected to be introduced quickly in 2021.
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https://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/telecom/security/2021-cybersecurity-roundup
06 Jan 2021 | 13:00 GMT
2021 Cybersecurity and IT Failures Roundup
Lessons learned from the many failures, interruptions, crimes and other IT-related setbacks that made the news in 2020
The pandemic year just passed once again demonstrates that IT-related failures are universally unprejudiced. Companies large and small, sectors private and public, reputations stellar and scorned: none are exempt. Herewith, the failures, interruptions, crimes and other IT-related setbacks that made the news in 2020.
Aviation: The Year Without Airline Grinches (Almost)
Over the past several years, airline flight delays and cancellations [PDF] related to IT issues have averaged about one per month. The year 2020 kicked off with “technical issues” affecting British Airways’ computerized check-in at London’s Heathrow Airport, which caused more than 100 flight cancellations with numerous others being delayed. The outage impacted at least 10,000 passengers’ travel plans over two days in February. Then in March, as Covid-19 related government travel bans started to take hold, Delta Air Lines reported, “intermittent technical difficulties” for bookings and ticket changes.
Once the travel bans firmly took hold and flying trimmed back to a minimum, however, there has not been a major IT outage reported since Delta’s. I suspect this hiatus will not last long, as airline flight schedules start returning closer to some semblance of “normal,” perhaps (here’s hoping!) later this year.
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Facebook, Twittter, YouTube block US President Donald Trump amid Washington violence
Social media giants Twitter and Facebook have suspended US President Donald Trump’s accounts, after he repeated disputed claims of election fraud and professed “love” for the mob of protesters who stormed the Capitol.
Twitter removed three tweets from the President, and warned that further rule violations would result in a “permanent suspension” of his Twitter account. It suspended him for 12 hours and threatened to ban his account altogether.
The company tweeted that the President had committed “repeated and severe violations of our civic integrity policy”.
“This means the account of @realDonaldTrump will be locked for 12 hours following the removal of these tweets. If the tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked,” Twitter tweeted.
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https://www.smh.com.au/technology/twitter-suspends-trump-amid-capitol-violence-20210107-p56sde.html
Twitter suspends Trump amid Capitol violence
By Barbara Ortutay and David Klepper
January 7, 2021 — 12.10pm
Twitter has suspended the account of President Donald Trump for 12 hours after he repeatedly posted false accusations about the election after his supporters stormed the Capitol following a Trump rally.
Twitter said that future violations by Trump would result in a permanent suspension.
Earlier in the day, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube all removed a short video from Trump in which he urged those supporters Wednesday to “go home” while also repeating falsehoods about the integrity of the presidential election.
Trump posted that video more than two hours after protesters entered the Capitol, interrupting lawmakers meeting in an extraordinary joint session to confirm the Electoral College results and President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
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Google doubles down on claims news bargaining code will 'break' search
Miranda Ward Reporter
Jan 6, 2021 – 5.31pm
Google Australia has doubled down on disputed claims that a new bargaining code will affect its search function and asserted the government's proposed laws will advantage some media businesses over others.
The push-back came as Google's local boss Mel Silva claimed the company's $1.3 billion global licensing program was the best means for the search giant to negotiate with media companies and pay for content.
In response to the competition regulator's findings that there was a power imbalance between digital companies and traditional media companies, the government proposed a new law and bargaining code.
The legislation encourages Google and Facebook to strike deals with media publishers that would ensure the news creators were paid by the technology giants for their journalism.
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Cyber attacks may trigger next crisis for banks
James Eyers Senior Reporter
Jan 7, 2021 – 12.00am
As banks continue to grapple with the pandemic crisis amid fresh outbreaks, the prudential regulator wants the entire financial sector to fortify its defences against the next potential threat: a damaging cyber attack on banks or the payments system.
With the latest outbreaks of COVID-19 in Sydney and Melbourne set to prolong remote working, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority is concerned security breaches may undermine confidence in the financial system. It is keen to identify points of weakness as more banks connect with fintechs and rely on outside technology players.
“The risks, as we see them, are growing all the time and the sophistication of the actors is also growing all the time,” said APRA chairman Wayne Byres, flagging a more intense focus on “operational resilience” in 2021.
Describing the financial system as “a piece of Australia’s critical infrastructure like the electricity or telecommunication network,” he told The Australian Financial Review that banks, insurers and super funds should never consider work on cyber defence completed – even though the challenges of 2020 were largely well managed.
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Sweeping hack of US government 'likely Russian in origin'
By Eric Tucker
January 6, 2021 — 8.42am
Washington: Top national security agencies in a rare joint statement have confirmed that Russia was likely responsible for a massive hack of US government departments and corporations, rejecting President Donald Trump's claim that China might be to blame.
The statement represented the government's first formal attempt to assign responsibility for the breaches at several agencies and to assign a possible motive for the operation. It said the hacks appeared to be part of an “intelligence-gathering," suggesting the evidence so far pointed to a Russian spying effort rather than an attempt to damage or disrupt US government operations.
“This is a serious compromise that will require a sustained and dedicated effort to remediate,” said the statement, distributed by a cyber working group comprised of the FBI and other investigative agencies.
US officials, including Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and cybersecurity experts have previously said Russia was to blame. But Trump, in a series of tweets late last month, sought to downplay the severity of the hack and raised the unsubstantiated idea that China could be responsible.
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'Another level': Insurers chase data as sector fights for relevance
By Emma Koehn
January 5, 2021 — 12.00am
As private health insurers battled elective surgery shutdowns, shrinking margins and economic uncertainties throughout 2020, funds started discussing data science in more detail — and pinning hopes on digital engagement to turn around their fortunes.
The health insurance sector, which research firm Ibisworld estimates was worth $25 billion in 2020, had initially expected the COVID-19 lockdowns to translate into extra profits. Funds had predicted restrictions on elective surgery would result in fewer of these claims being made, putting insurers in a better financial position throughout 2020.
However, those expectations were dashed when a restart of allied health and surgeries forced funds to add "deferred claims" provisions to their 2020 balance sheets.
Meanwhile, quarterly data from the Australian Prudential and Regulatory Authority (APRA) suggested margins for the industry were shrinking further as younger Australians ditched the private health system in droves. As of the September 2020 quarter, the net margin across the sector sat at just over 2 per cent.
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Big Tech is only going to get a whole lot bigger: bring on 2021
· The Times
The world was turned upside down in 2020 with industries torn apart and millions thrown into unemployment.
The US technology giants not only rose above the carnage but gained from it, strengthening their positions at the heart of how we live, what we buy, who we talk to, and what we watch, listen to and consume.
So what will 2021 bring for Big Tech? Five predictions:
Amazon will rival FedEx
The Seattle-based giant has been building towards this moment for some time. It has ordered 100,000 delivery vans and built a giant air fleet.
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AICD round table: Pandemic puts cybersecurity in the spotlight for directors
Cybersecurity is now one of the “hot topics” of Australian boardrooms, accelerated by the big increase in e-commerce as a result of the pandemic and having more staff working from home.
A round table of leading company directors organised for The Australian by the Australian Institute of Company Directors was told that companies were concerned that Australia had a shortage of skills when it came to dealing with cybersecurity.
They said companies needed to be more vigilant in dealing with suppliers to ensure they also had high levels of cybersecurity.
“It’s definitely at the forefront,” said Coles director Wendy Stops, who is a member of the council of the University of Melbourne and former director of the Commonwealth Bank.
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Comments more than welcome!
David.
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