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This week we unpack the soap opera that was Sam Altman's firing-then-reinstatement at OpenAI (makers of ChatGPT). Beneath the drama, and there was a lot of it, the saga potentially stands as a commentary on the state of AI safety approaches within the tech community, and on the effectiveness of self-governance. We also touch on the US Government's executive order on safe and trustworthy AI...

This week we explore the issue of privacy in the workplace. Historically employers have been exempt from Privacy Act in Australia, but this is a live issue again with the privacy reform process underway and the Government having agreed in-principle to extending privacy protections to workers. We also explore how the problem space is expanding in the era of hybrid working and as technologies for tr...

This week, Jordan sits down with elevenM privacy communications expert Tessa Loftus to debate whether we should just give up on privacy policies. Historically, privacy regulation has leant heavily on transparency and consumer choice - the idea that if we just give consumers the right information, then they can take control of their privacy. But the reality is that most privacy policies are an unin...

The importance of tech policy as a subset of public policy has emerged forcefully into the spotlight in recent years. With new technologies rapidly transforming societies, countries and governments all around the world are now grappling with the best way to shape these technologies to serve our collective long-term interests. This week we sit down with Johanna Weaver, Director of the Tech Policy D...

This week Jordan sits down with Brett Watson, elevenM's resident expert on Digital ID to figure out how far we are from proving who's a dog on the internet. The Optus data breach led to a renewed commitment to modernising the way that we prove our identity online. Today there is a huge amount of activity in this complex space. In just the last few weeks, the Australian government released...

This week we deconstruct the idea of social license in tech, starting with the story of a technology that Google and Facebook didn't dare release, but which is now available to everyone.   Originally coined in the context of mining and extractive industries, 'social license' refers to community acceptance of a company's business practices. For some companies, maintaining social lic...

This week we discuss revelations from a US Department of Justice investigation into X (formerly Twitter), which raises questions over how it can comply with existing privacy orders given large workforce departures since Elon Musk's takeover. The situation provides insight into the reliance of all organisations on well-resourced and skilled privacy teams in order to meet privacy compliance chal...

This week we discuss the privacy and security risks of the automobile. Modern cars are basically operating systems on wheels, and have many of the same data challenges as other digital platforms. Sadly, a recent study from Mozilla suggests cars are the worst product category when it comes to privacy.   Links : Mozilla report on cars https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its...

This week we discuss and react to the Federal Government's response to the Privacy Act review report. The Government's long-awaited response comes after several years of discussion and debate about the way forward for Australia's privacy regime. We break down which proposals the Government is moving forward with, which ones it won't, and which ones are slated for further discussion...

This week we feature an interview with Peter Warren Singer, a US strategist and scholar on warfare and digital threats. Our conversation starts with lessons from the conflict in Ukraine on how threats and adversarial tactics are evolving. We also explore the continued use of social media as a weapon, and the nature of evolving threats to critical infrastructure and the motivations of state actors...

This week we revisit the hard problem of age verification, which we last discussed in episode #64. In order to protect kids from explicit content and other harmful effects of online platforms, we first need to be able to identify them. But can we do that without major risks to privacy and free speech? The eSafety Commissioner's Roadmap to Age Verification has the answer. Kind of. We'll dig...

This week we explore the privacy risks in otherwise publicly visible information, after a dozen privacy regulators from around the world issued a joint statement on the issue of data scraping. The regulators' statement emphasises that even personal information that is publicly accessible is subject to data protection and privacy laws, and calls out social media platforms to do more to prevent...

This week we explore the tension between the competing values of privacy and public interest journalism. Today, journalists enjoy a broad exemption from privacy laws. However, reform proposals have ignited debate about whether that free pass is still appropriate. We discuss the scope and merits of these reform proposals and explore the arguments by journalists on why the exemption is necessary.  ...

This week we review responses to the Australian Government's open consultation on how to mitigate the potential risks of AI. In June, the Government called for submissions to its discussion paper titled "Safe and responsible AI in Australia". While the submissions haven't been published, several have made their way into the public domain.  As well as sharing the recommendations o...

This week we discuss targeted advertising, its role in the development of the commercial internet, and how it affects users today. We explore the varying attitudes to the practice of targeted advertising, its benefits and harms, and regulatory measures being considered to curb its excesses. Links: $20m ACCC penalty for Meta https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/20m-penalty-for-meta-companies-for-c...

This week, we're excited to feature a conversation with Angelene Falk, Australia's Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner. The topic of our conversation is the 2023 Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey, which the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has just published. We discuss the value of surveying the community on privacy and explore the report’s key findin...

This week, we go deep on misinformation. We start by breaking down some new academic research into the effect of Facebook and its algorithms on polarisation, and challenge some of the reporting on the key takeaways from the research. We also explore Australia's proposed misinformation bill and discuss its merits and the commentary surrounding the bill. Links: Nature blog on research (Nature) h...

This week we discuss the burgeoning trade in our location data. Our mobile devices and the apps on them regularly collect and and transmit the details of our physical location. Sometimes this is to support a useful and convenient purpose, like finding a nearby cafe or a family member. But at other times, it's in order to share and sell that data with third-parties such as data brokers. We expl...

This week we discuss the new social networking app from Meta - Threads. Will it successfully meet the expectation for, and Meta's promo claims of, a new public conversation app to rival Twitter from years gone by? We also discuss the reasons behind the app not launching in the EU, and the regulatory lessons of this outcomes.   Links: Introducing Threads: A New Way to Share With Text (Meta) htt...

This week we explore the growing use of facial recognition by stadiums, after a recent CHOICE report revealed the technology was in use at several major sporting and concert venues around Australia. We evaluate the merits of varying uses of the technology, from the security use cases to enabling of more convenient check-in and purchasing services for stadium patrons. Links: CHOICE report https://w...

This is the fourth and final episode in our short series about AI. In this episode, we assess the public dialogue about AI and how it has evolved in recent times. We discuss the heady excitement about the technology's possibilities and emerging concerns about its risks, and what the right risks to focus on are. We also explore how the emerging AI conversation compares to discussions about prev...

This is the third episode in a short series about AI. In this episode we explore international moves to regulate AI, with approaches ranging from voluntary guidance and self regulation to dedicated legislation for AI. We explore the varying philosophical approaches (notably between the US and Europe), and discuss Australia's approach to the challenge, which is currently focused on a discussion...

This is the second episode in a short series about AI. With the potential harms of AI receiving greater exposure over recent months, we take a look at how businesses are responding. We explore the role and effectiveness of "ethical principles", introduced by many organisations to guide AI usage, and how existing corporate governance practices can be extended to the challenges of AI.   Li...

This is the first episode in a short series about AI. After months of frenzied activity and dialogue, the AI conversation seems to be consolidating around some common questions, including: What is AI exactly? What are the harms it can cause? How should businesses govern their use of AI? What should policymakers and governments do? What's the public perspective and how is that being shaped? And...

We break down the recent record fine against Meta by the Irish data protection regulator, which focuses on Meta's practice of transferring data about its EU customers to the US, where it is exposed to US spy agencies. The fine, and the legal proceedings that led to it, originate with a complaint by an Austrian man called Max Schrems. For over a decade, Schrems and his not-for-profit NOYB have...