Here are a few I have come across the last week or so. Note: Each link is followed by a title and a few paragraphs. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.
General Comment
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It has been quiet a big week with a big ADHA push on what I see as a purely symbolic ‘axe the fax’ campaign. I guess it keeps them busy. Elsewhere a lot of angst on encryption issues and other more strategic issues.
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'Desperate' risk delayed electronic medical record, meeting minutes show
By Lucy Stone
March 26, 2019 — 9.45pm
Queensland Health was under such pressure to prove its fledgling digital record program was financially viable in 2014 that a deadline was set to roll out the software at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in June 2015, despite a warning it would be a “desperate” risk.
Meeting minutes from 2014 and 2015 obtained by Brisbane Times under Right to Information show the integrated electronic medical record (ieMR) project, using software purchased from US medical technology giant Cerner, was at risk of financial collapse.
Ultimately, the rollout at the hospital was delayed until November 2015, after both the department’s ieMR program director and Cerner warned the June deadline was not achievable.
The $600 million integrated electronic medical record, managed by eHealth Queensland, is designed to digitise all patient medical records and make them accessible by all doctors at all public hospitals across the state.
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Medical association urges pause on integrated Queensland electronic record
By Lucy Stone
March 29, 2019 — 4.43pm
The Australian Medical Association Queensland has urged the state government to pause the rollout of the integrated electronic medical record, with clinicians voicing serious concerns about its safety.
It follows a Brisbane Times investigation into the $600 million electronic medical record project, which has revealed clinicians and medical organisations have been calling for a suspension of the program amid serious patient safety concerns.
The AMAQ issued a statement on Friday confirming that while they supported electronic medical records, they wanted to see the rollout paused.
"The AMA Queensland e-health working group has raised these concerns with Queensland Health as they have arisen over the past 12 months, most recently during a discussion about the ieMR system," the statement said.
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Qld IT upgrade risks patient safety: AMA
Doctors have warned an upgraded patient records system being rolled out at Queensland hospitals is plagued by dangerous flaws.
Tracey Ferrier
Australian Associated Press March 29, 20198:13am
A new IT system being rolled out at Queensland hospitals is dangerous and must be halted to protect patients, the Australian Medical Association of Queensland has warned.
The ABC has obtained a letter from the AMAQ urging health and hospital services to halt the rollout of an upgraded patient records system, which is already being used at 10 hospitals.
It says the system is plagued by lags, resulting in patients being given multiple doses of drugs, and data such as heart rate and oxygen levels not being recorded during surgery.
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Queensland Health rejects call to pause electronic medical record rollout
Doctors group meets with department over concerns
The head of Queensland Health has rejected calls by a doctors group to pause the rollout of a digital health record system across the state’s hospitals.
ABC reporter Josh Bavas revealed today that the Australian Medical Association of Queensland (AMAQ) had called for the rollout of the Integrated Electronic Medical Record (ieMR) to be put on hold while concerns over its operation are addressed.
In a statement sent to Computerworld, the AMAQ said it continued to be supportive of the digitisation of hospitals and health services.
“However, we have voiced concerns about the roll-out of Queensland Health’s Integrated Electronic Medical Record (ieMR) across public hospitals,” the statement said. “These concerns have been reported to us by doctors working in the public health system.”
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New GP tool to help avoid unnecessary hospitalisations
Developed in part by the CSIRO, the algorithm uses practice data to identify chronically ill patients most in need of preventive intervention.
26 Mar 2019
The Risk Stratification Tool (RST) extracts data from GP clinic systems, including age, smoking status, alcohol consumption and body mass index (BMI), and uses the information to power an algorithm that helps predict a patient’s risk of hospitalisation.
Originally developed for the Federal Government’s Health Care Home trial, it was ‘trained’ using information from nearly two million de-identified patient records and has been installed in more than 160 practices.
Using data specifically chosen for its common availability in primary care settings, the algorithm has so far identified more than 7000 patients who had a greater than 9% probability of hospitalisation within 12 months.
‘This is the first publicly available, scientifically validated Australian risk algorithm that has been used to identify patients in GP practices who are at risk of hospitalisation,’ CSIRO Australian e-Health Research Centre CEO Dr David Hansen said.
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Originally developed for the Federal Government’s Health Care Home trial, it was ‘trained’ using information from nearly two million de-identified patient records and has been installed in more than 160 practices.
Using data specifically chosen for its common availability in primary care settings, the algorithm has so far identified more than 7000 patients who had a greater than 9% probability of hospitalisation within 12 months.
‘This is the first publicly available, scientifically validated Australian risk algorithm that has been used to identify patients in GP practices who are at risk of hospitalisation,’ CSIRO Australian e-Health Research Centre CEO Dr David Hansen said.
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Study reveals EHR impact on nursing
Wednesday, 20 March, 2019
In a study that encompassed over 12,000 nurses in the US, over one third of respondents reported that electronic health record (EHR) systems did not help them to work efficiently.
Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes & Policy Research (CHOPR) examined nurse satisfaction with EHR systems and the concurrent effects of EHR adoption level and the hospital work environment on usability and quality outcomes. Data from more than 12,000 nurses at 353 hospitals in four states show that the work environment is associated with all EHR usability outcomes, with nurses in hospitals with better environments being less likely than nurses in less favourable environments to report dissatisfaction with EHR systems.
Overall, 25% of nurses reported dissatisfaction with their current record systems while similarly high percentages reported usability issues. Over half of the surveyed nurses reported that EHRs interfered with patient care, while nearly one third reported that they did not help them to do their work efficiently. Differences in usability reports were vastly different by the quality of the work environment. Nearly 40% of nurses working in hospitals with poor work environments reported dissatisfaction with the record system compared with less than 20% of nurses working in hospitals with better environments. Also of note, nearly half of nurses working in poor environments reported that the EHR system did not help them to work efficiently, compared with one quarter of nurses in better environments.
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Stand down, Brisbane Region
A 28-year-old female constable from Brisbane Region has been stood down from official duty with the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and will be tasked to perform non-operational duties.
The officer is alleged to have inappropriately accessed QPS computer systems and information.
She has been served a notice to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on April 8, charged with computer hacking and misuse, pursuant to s.408E of the Criminal Code.
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$6.3 Million to Continue Health Data Portal Development
The Australian Government is investing a further $6.3 million to continue the development of the Health Data Portal (the Portal) used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services funded under the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP) to report Indigenous health data.
26 March 2019
The Morrison Government is investing a further $6.3 million to continue the development of the Health Data Portal (the Portal) used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services funded under the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP) to report Indigenous health data.
The Portal is a safe and secure tool used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services to submit National Key Performance Indicators (nKPIs) and from 1 July 2019, it will include the Online Services Report (OSR) and the Health Care Provider (HCP) number report.
The Morrison Government is investing a further $6.3 million to continue the development of the Health Data Portal (the Portal) used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services funded under the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP) to report Indigenous health data.
The Portal is a safe and secure tool used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services to submit National Key Performance Indicators (nKPIs) and from 1 July 2019, it will include the Online Services Report (OSR) and the Health Care Provider (HCP) number report.
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Australian Govt pumps $6.3M into Health Data Portal development
Hafizah Osman | 29 Mar 2019
The Australian Government has invested a further $6.3 million towards developing the Health Data Portal, used to report on Indigenous health data.
The portal, used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services and funded under the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP), allows healthcare providers to publish reports for public consumption or exchange data and other files with authenticated individuals, businesses and other government agencies.
It aims to provide a simplified and streamlined process for organisations to deliver health services in communities.
The portal is also used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services to submit National Key Performance Indicators (nKPIs) and from July 1, will include the Online Services Report (OSR) and the Health Care Provider (HCP) number report.
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DHS prepares to set new SAP-based payments platform live
Uses white label model for reuse across government.
The Department of Human Services is preparing to set a bare-bones version of its new SAP-based centralised payments platform live in a move that paves the way for it to be offered to other agencies across government in a white label form.
It comes as the department’s approaches the halfway mark of its billion-dollar Centrelink payments system overhaul affectionately known as the welfare payments infrastructure transformation (WPIT) program.
The rearchitected payments platform, dubbed ‘Payment Utility’, will initially be used to transform how the department sends and receives more than $170 billion in payments through its Centrelink master program each year.
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Morrison flags new laws to stop social media platforms being 'weaponised'
Companies, execs to face penalties under new scheme
26 March, 2019 11:20
Scott Morrison is foreshadowing tough new criminal laws to crack down on social media companies which fail to quickly remove footage like that streamed by the gunman in the New Zealand massacre.
Under the proposal, it would not be just the companies that faced heavy penalties but individual executives based in Australia could be found personally liable.
The laws would make it a criminal offence for the companies to fail to rapidly take down footage filmed by perpetrators of extreme violence.
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Government says legislation tackling terror streaming still on agenda
Meeting with digital giants fail to dissuade government from legislative response
The government says that a meeting held today with social media giants failed to persuade it that a legislative response to the live-streaming on Facebook of the Christchurch terrorist attack is unnecessary.
In addition to Facebook, representatives from Google and Twitter reportedly attended the meeting.
Communications minister Senator Mitch Fifield told a press conference that in response to the meeting, the government would launch a taskforce that will report to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet through the Attorney-General's department, the Communications department, and the Home Affairs department.
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Government to boost fines for privacy breaches
Privacy watchdog to get a budget boost
The government says it will legislate increase the penalties that can be levied under the Privacy Act to 10 per cent of a company’s turnover, $10 million, or three times the value of a benefit obtained through the misuse of information, whichever is greater, up from a current cap of $2.1 million for serious or repeated breaches.
The government also announced today it would also increase the powers of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) to impose penalties of up to $63,000 for bodies corporate and $12,600 for individuals for failure to cooperate with efforts to resolve minor privacy breaches.
“Existing protections and penalties for misuse of Australians’ personal information under the Privacy Act fall short of community expectations, particularly as a result of the explosion in major social media and online platforms that trade in personal information over the past decade,” Attorney-General Christian Porter said in a statement.
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Govt wants to punish data misuse with $10m-plus fines
Won’t introduce draft legislation until after election.
Companies that suffer privacy breaches or that misuse customer data could face much stiffer penalties of at least $10 million under law changes being floated by the federal government.
Attorney-General Christian Porter and Communications Minister Mitch Fifield said they would draft legislation “for consultation in the second half of 2019” - banking on winning the May election or bipartisanship to see the changes through.
Though the changes would impact all organisations subject to privacy laws, the government was keen to focus on how it would net social media platform operators.
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Award-winning SA business Clevertar in administration after talks with creditor ‘broke down’
Valerina Changarathil, The Advertiser
March 28, 2019 4:00pm
A Flinders University-backed award-winning SA business that received international recognition — including from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak — and multiple grants has called in administrators after discussions with a major creditor broke down.
Clevertar, which was developing revolutionary digital avatars for digital healthcare services, is now in voluntary administration with Pitcher Partners’ Michael Basedow.
In documents filed with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, Mr Basedow said he had been in discussions with Clevertar since December, after he was approached by Clevertar’s solicitors.
Mr Basedow revealed he was informed on March 25 that talks with a major creditor of Clevertar “had broken down” and that the directors would be proceeding with the appointment of an administrator.
Note: Mark Pitcher is the managing director of the business chaired by Jim Birch, who also chairs the Federal Government’s Australian Digital Health Agency, which is charged with rolling out the My Health Record initiative.
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Tech giants face bigger penalties for online data breaches
- March 24, 2019
Tech giants such as Google and Facebook will face far stronger penalties if they breach privacy laws, under sweeping changes proposed to help protect information about Australians.
Social media companies and online platforms that seriously or repeatedly breach privacy laws would be fined $10 million under the reforms, marking a big jump from the current penalty of $2.1 million.
Alternatively, they could be charged three times the value of any benefit obtained by misusing information or 10 per cent of their annual domestic turnover, depending on which figure is greatest.
Online companies would also be required to stop using or disclosing personal information about individuals upon request.
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ASD says probe into parliament hack still ongoing
- 24 March 2019
- Written by Sam Varghese
The investigation into the attack on the networks of the Australian Parliament and the three main political parties — Liberal, Labor and National — is ongoing and the Australian Signals Directorate says it can offer no comment on it now.
In response to an inquiry from iTWire as to whether the ASD had any update on the breach, an Australian Cyber Security Centre spokesperson offered a one-line response: "The Australian Signals Directorate cannot comment on ongoing investigations."
The breach was made public on 8 February but no mention was made whether data was exfiltrated or not. There were claims of China being behind the break-in, but the ASD said at the time that accurate attribution would take time.
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Infamous junior doctors' exam meltdown caused by high-level stuff-ups, investigation reveals
By Kate Aubusson
March 28, 2019 — 10.50am
A critically compromised computer-based test meant to determine the futures of aspiring physicians was signed off by a low-level employee, triggering a disastrous IT meltdown.
A damning investigation into the Royal Australasian College of Physicians' botched basic training exam has exposed high-level failures of governance and cut-corners by the organisation responsible for 25,000 specialists and trainees.
RACP ignored warnings from their own trainees months before exam day on February 19 last year, when "an unknown technical fault" shut down its first attempt at a computer-based Basic Training Exam.
At exam sites across Australia, roughly 1200 trainees were left distraught, angry and confused after months of study, minimal sleep, personal sacrifice and an $1800 exam fee.
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DiData, NTT collaborate with Aussie unis on healthcare tech
Continues partnership with Deakin, Western Sydney.
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), along with the Australian branch of its subsidiary Dimension Data, have teamed up with two local universities to tackle social issues common to both Australia and Japan.
Deakin University and Western Sydney University, which have previously joined forces with DiData to form a Client Innovation Centre, will this time collaborate on technological solutions to address the ageing populations of both nations.
The memorandum of understanding signed at Dimension Data's Sydney headquarters is influenced by Japan's vision of 'Society 5.0', which the Japan Business Foundation, or Keidanren, said follows the fourth industrial revolution.
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Dimension Data, NTT collaborating on Australian, Japan research into health of ageing population
- 26 March 2019
- Written by Peter Dinham
Global ICT solutions and services provider Dimension Data and Japanese telco NTT have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Australia’s Deakin University and Western Sydney University to collaborate on research projects, including a focus on the health of the ageing.
The research projects will focus on solving social challenges that are common between Australia and Japan, and the “joint-vision partnership” is the first time NTT has entered into an agreement of this nature with research institutions outside Japan.
Under the agreement, all parties say they will start working together to develop and implement innovative solutions to improve the lives, health and well-being of citizens.
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Funding to encourage adoption of secure messaging in health
Friday, March 29, 2019 - 11:18
The Australian Digital Health Agency has announced it will provide $A30,000 to software vendors to integrate new standards into their existing clinical information and secure messaging systems, as part of the push to eliminate paper-based messaging in healthcare.
It says many healthcare professionals are already using secure messaging platforms; however, many of these platforms are not compatible with one another, meaning healthcare professionals cannot send information to one another and instead need to use unreliable fax machines or the post.
All private vendors that currently operate a clinical information or secure messaging system with secure messaging capabilities, at two different sites as a minimum, are eligible for the $30,000 bonus.
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Media release - Axe the fax: new Agency incentive supports paperless healthcare
27 March 2019: The Australian Digital Health Agency has today announced an incentive to accelerate clinical software provider adoption of standards to deliver enhanced secure messaging functionality into their systems by 2020.
Eliminating paper-based messaging in healthcare is a priority of the National Digital Health Strategy, which was approved in 2017 by all states and territories through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Health Council.
The Agency has been working with the software industry and healthcare providers to develop standards to improve the secure exchange of healthcare information. Following the successful trialling of the co-designed standards in 2018, the Agency is encouraging widespread adoption as part of the program.
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Axe the fax
The push is on to ditch old paper-based, electronic messaging equipment, with new incentives announced
The Australian Digital Health Agency has today announced an incentive to accelerate the replacement of paper-based electronic messaging in healthcare.
The new incentives will speed up “clinical software provider adoption of standards to deliver enhanced secure messaging functionality into their systems by 2020,” the Agency says.
Eliminating paper-based messaging in healthcare is a priority of the National Digital Health Strategy, which was approved in 2017 by all states and territories through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Health Council.
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Funding to encourage adoption of secure messaging
The incentive, aimed at clinical software providers, is part of the push to eliminate paper-based messaging in healthcare.
28 Mar 2019
While GPs and healthcare professionals already utilise secure messaging systems, many of the software platforms are not compatible with one another, resulting in the use of fax machines or post to send information.
To combat this issue, the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) is offering $30,000 to software vendors to help fund the integration of new features into existing systems that will allow health professionals to securely send information across differing platforms.
All private vendors that currently operate a clinical information or secure messaging system with secure messaging capabilities, at two different sites as a minimum, are eligible for the bonus.
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To combat this issue, the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) is offering $30,000 to software vendors to help fund the integration of new features into existing systems that will allow health professionals to securely send information across differing platforms.
All private vendors that currently operate a clinical information or secure messaging system with secure messaging capabilities, at two different sites as a minimum, are eligible for the bonus.
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The ADHA wants to end the use of fax machines in Australian healthcare
Part of its plan to cease the use of the fax machine is to stand up a common platform for healthcare providers to communicate, with the agency offering $30,000 to each successfully pitched secure messaging service.
The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) is on the hunt for providers to deliver a secure messaging facility for clinicians to use as part of its drive to eliminate paper-based messaging in healthcare.
In an expression of interest (EOI) document, the ADHA said that while parts of the Australian healthcare sector have adopted messaging services that are more advanced than the fax machine, they have generally been confined to those operating under the same service.
"This lack of interoperability has inhibited the uptake of secure messaging across the sector," it wrote.
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Use of myGov portal up by 40% over last 12 months
- 26 March 2019
- Written by Sam Varghese
The usage of the government myGov portal has risen by 40% in the last 12 months, a statement from the Department of Human Services claims, with 500,000 users logging in on a daily basis.
Human Services Minister Michael Keenan said in a statement that recent improvements had made the portal simpler, faster and more efficient to use. The number of accounts had grown to 15 million.
myGov is now a front-end to Medicare, Centrelink, the Child Support Agency, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Australian Taxation Office.
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Australia revamping the regulation of software, including Software as a Medical Device
On 13 February 2019, Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) released a consultation paper seeking comment on how software, including Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) is currently regulated in Australia (the Paper). This new Paper follows the TGA's recent consultation on draft regulatory guidance and information materials to assist industry to understand and comply with their responsibilities to ensure that medical devices are cyber secure.
Rapid developments in emerging medical device technology have caused regulators worldwide to review applicable legislation in order to ensure continued clarity and stability in the regulatory environment. Through the release of this Paper, the TGA is also showing its commitment to engage with industry stakeholders through the process of developing and refining new regulatory recommendations and guidelines. In summary, the Paper proposes three main changes:
- updating classification rules for medical devices to ensure SaMD products are classified according to the potential harm they could cause to patients;
- requiring SaMD products be included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and have an Australian sponsor;
- providing clear and transparent safety and performance requirements for SaMD and other regulated software.
Regulation of SaMD is problematic in light of the swift emergence of new players in the market, who may not have had the opportunity to engage with the TGA, or lack awareness of existing regulatory requirements in Australia. Further, cyber security challenges arise due to the growing complexity of the cyber threat landscape, and the absence of current regulatory guidelines to effectively address this issue.
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Algorithms 'useless' at predicting suicide
Findings underscore the need for doctors to be aware of patients' risk factors
29th March 2019
The power of big data algorithms to accurately predict whether a patient will take their own life is close to zero and will not replace the need for doctors’ risk assessments any time soon, experts say.
The comments come on the back of new US research that aimed to determine the effectiveness of current suicide prediction models at identifying those at risk of taking their own lives.
The systematic review of 64 different models that had been used on 14 million people, including Australians, showed their predictive validity in identifying those who will suicide was “extremely low” at 0.01 for most.
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Labor pledges economic inquiry into encryption law impact
- 27 March 2019
- Written by Sam Varghese
The Australian Labor Party has pledged to hold an inquiry that looks into the economic impacts of the Federal Government's encryption law after the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security completes its ongoing review and submits a report on 3 April.
The pledge was made by Shadow Minister for Human Services and the Digital Economy, Ed Husic, at a forum in Sydney on Wednesday, organised under the banner of Safe Encryption Australia, and attended by about 320 people either in or associated with the tech industry.
Husic acknowledges that his “side of politics” didn’t want to be wedged on Security but insists they will work to include amendments based upon the 17 recommendations #AmendAA
— Gavin Costello (@gavincostello) March 26, 2019
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Atlassian says encryption-busting laws threaten jobs
Creates confusion around employee obligations.
Atlassian’s co-founder and co-chief executive Scott Farquhar has called out the government's hastily passed encryption-busting laws for threatening jobs and creating uncertainty in Australia's tech sector.
He also criticised how the controversial laws affect the inner workings of Australia's largest software company, with employees struggling to understand their obligations.
Addressing a packed Safe Encryption Australia forum held in Sydney this morning, Farquhar said concerns about “economic security” needed to be weighted against those of national security and citizen safety.
“We’ve got to recognise this law threatens jobs,” he told a room of 300 representatives from across the technology sector.
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Encryption legislation: Labor’s Husic commits to changing ‘terrible’ laws
Labor has “crystal clear” commitment to amending legislation, Ed Husic says
Labor MP Ed Husic says that Labor has a “crystal clear” commitment to making significant changes to the so-called ‘encryption’ legislation passed last year with the party’s support.
Husic said Labor will “fix these terrible laws” — passage through parliament of which was made possible after the opposition withdrew a number of amendments it had intended to make and voted for the government's bill.
The Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act (TOLA Act) was passed on the final sitting day of 2018.
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Tech chiefs: Australian companies ‘turned into Huaweis’ by encryption bill
Assistance and Access Bill already damaging reputation of local firms overseas
The encryption bill, intended to help police and national security agencies intercept online communications, could turn Australian companies ‘into Huaweis’, technology chiefs have warned today.
Atlassian co-founder and CEO Scott Farquhar; founder of NUIX Eddie Sheehy, and Fastmail chief of staff Nicola Nye, claimed the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018, which passed in bizarre circumstances in December, was already making local businesses ‘untouchable’ in some overseas markets.
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Encryption laws a threat to investment: Microsoft
Mar 27, 2019 — 5.20pm
Key Points
- Microsoft's President says overseas firms are nervous about storing data here.
- Labor's Ed Husic said they would change the laws if they win government.
- Peter Dutton described Labor's plans to require warrants as 'absurd.'
Microsoft's president and chief legal officer Brad Smith has warned the government's controversial anti-encryption laws are putting millions of dollars of foreign investment at risk, as companies and governments lose trust in the ability to safely host data in Australia.
Speaking at an event in Canberra on Wednesday, Mr Smith, who is the second highest ranking executive at Microsoft after chief executive Satya Nadella, added significant weight to strenuous criticisms from the local technology industry of the Telecommunications Assistance and Access Act (TOLA), which passed last December to give law enforcement access to encrypted messages.
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Encryption law to be reviewed by national security legislation monitor
- 28 March 2019
- Written by Sam Varghese
The Federal Government's encryption law has been referred to the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, Dr James Renwick, for review and a report by 1 March next year, the first time the panel has referred any legislation to the INSLM.
The referral was made by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security which is conducting a review itself and has a deadline of 3 April to submit a report to Parliament.
The PJCIS now plans to have another review next year, after the INSLM report is handed down.
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Companies 'no longer comfortable' storing data in Australia, Microsoft warns
By Fergus Hunter and Emma Koehn
March 27, 2019 — 6.12pm
The president of global technology giant Microsoft has warned that the Morrison government's encryption-piercing laws are harming Australia's international reputation as a trusted destination for data storage and investment.
Brad Smith, also the company's chief legal officer, said foreign companies and governments were "no longer comfortable" sending their data to Australia after the Assistance and Access Bill, which gives security agencies improved powers to access the encrypted data of suspects, was rushed through Parliament and enshrined into law late last year.
In response to ongoing concerns about the legislation, Parliament's joint committee on intelligence and security also announced on Wednesday it has referred the bill for review by the government's Independent National Security Legislation Monitor — the first referral to the oversight body in the committee's history.
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Encryption law: time for tech industry to take the reins
- 28 March 2019
- Written by Sam Varghese
The Federal Government has taken the easy way out in dealing with issues around its encryption law and kicked it down the road, leaving it for the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor to deal with by April 2020.
Importantly, from the government's point of view, the intelligence and police agencies, the main constituents whom it has sought to please, can continue to use provisions of the law, with no sign of any amendments in sight – yet. Not that these would help a great deal – the legislation is so flawed that it cannot be rescued.
On Wednesday, for the umpteenth time, there was a cry of protest from the tech industry, with a Sydney forum, organised under the name Safe Encryption Australia, outlining the negatives of the law.
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NBN alert on hoax calls
- 12:00AM March 25, 2019
NBN Co has warned homes preparing to connect to the National Broadband Network to be on guard for scammers, with the company citing a significant rise in fraudulent calls.
According to NBN Co there had been an 84 per cent increase in inquiries about suspected scams made to its contact centre since October 2018.
The rise in activity has become more pronounced as the rollout of the NBN reaches its final phase. With more than 8.5 million homes and businesses able to order an NBN service, the bigger footprint of the network allows scammers to target a bigger catchment of potential victims.
The scammers use the calls, which fall broadly into two categories, to steal personal and banking details from consumers.
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https://itwire.com/telecoms-and-nbn/86476-nbn-co-warns-against-scammers-impersonating-its-staff.html
NBN Co warns against scammers impersonating its staff
- 25 March 2019
- Written by Sam Varghese
NBN Co, the firm rolling out Australia's national broadband network, has warned customers not to be taken in scammers who try to impersonate its officials.
The company issued the caution after it there was a 84% increase in inquiries about suspected scams to its contact centre since OCtober last year. About 28% originated from residents in NSW, 24% came from Victoria and 19% from Queensland.
The company has provided a checklist for those who suspect that someone who claims to be from the NBN Co does not represent the company.
NBN Co chief security officer Darren Kane said: “We urge residents and businesses to be vigilant of callers claiming to be from NBN Co requesting personal or financial information.
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NBN Co makes final move to kill off 12Mbps broadband plans
Exclusive: Dumps CVC discounts to pressure customers to upgrade or leave.
NBN Co is putting the squeeze on the quarter of its user base that have not yet upgraded to more expensive plans by making their existing services even more congested or costly.
The changes, which could come into effect as early as May, will make 12Mbps broadband services even more uneconomical - and are part of a year-long campaign to do exactly that.
The latest move will see NBN Co call time on a bandwidth discount that has allowed retail service providers (RSPs) to sell largely uncongested 12/1Mbps services on the NBN at a cheap price.
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Enjoy!
David.
