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With yet another new release from OpenAI, the hype around AI is more intense than ever. But there also seems to be greater public awareness of the risks. This week Arj and Jordan evaluate efforts to make AI safer, looking particularly at the influence of larger players like OpenAI and Microsoft, and the likely consequences of the evident AI arms race. Links: Article about GPT-4 (The Verge) https:/...

Arj and Jordan discuss how much a major data breach really matters, in the wake of Optus and Medibank's recovery to positive customer growth just six months after their respective data breaches. They both get a little fired up when discussing commentary that takes a narrow view of the ultimate impact of the data breaches, and explore how data breach harms may be more akin to externalities like env...

This week, Arj and Jordan discuss moves to bolster Australia's national cyber security regime. The Australian Government recently announced its ambition to make Australia ‘the most cyber secure nation’ by 2030. Among several proposed initiatives are plans to establish a new Coordinator for Cyber Security and the release of a discussion paper floating a range of ideas. Arj and Jordan explore how th...

In this special episode of This Week in Digital Trust we feature an interview by our friend Jonathan Gadir with Woodrow Hartzog, renowned privacy expert, author and professor of law. Professor Hartzog is internationally recognised for his work in privacy and technology law, and an influential voice on the creation and enforcement of information and technology laws. Our conversation with Professor...

The Attorney-General's Department has released its proposed set of reforms to the Privacy Act.  But how far do the proposals go to help us solve our key privacy challenges: the fact that the onus of responsibility for privacy falls unduly on individuals, gaps in the current coverage of Australia's privacy regime, concerns about data brokers and targeted advertising, the particular harms faced...

On Valentine's day, Arj and Jordan explore recent attempts to improve safety for users of dating apps, which include proposals such as users requiring 100 points of ID to register and the banning of people with criminal histories. They discuss the unintended consequences of a tendency to deal with online safety challenges through greater policing or surveillance ("techno-carceral solutionism"), an...

A couple of the biggest stories dominating our public discussion have a common original sin. Our powerlessness in the face of the use and abuse of our personal data for institutional ends (be it by the State or by private companies) contributes to a sense of collective apathy. Like the story of the boiling frog, the dangers of this apathy build steadily and stealthily - right until they burst into...

This week, Arj and Jordan look at the human labour powering many AI solutions - solutions that we're encouraged to view as magic in a box. The way this labour is being used - much of it through sub-contracting arrangements in the developing world - raises worker welfare and privacy issues, among other concerns. Arj and Jordan explore this issue through a couple of news stories - one that reveals t...

This week, Arj and Jordan explore an encouraging proposal for regulating facial recognition. As the risks and dangers posed by AI and technologies like facial recognition continue to become apparent, UTS Human Technology Institute has published a "model law" for facial recognition that could become the basis for better regulation of facial recognition in Australia. As well as stepping through the...

This week, Arj and Jordan deconstruct the debate that has sprung up around Elon Musk's attempts to restrict the circulation of publicly available flight data about his private jet. They discuss how real time flight trackers have been an essential tool for journalists and independent researchers holding billionaires and governments to account and how many arguments about privacy are really argument...

In this special episode of This Week in Digital Trust, we explore familiar themes, but with a twist.  On the podcast we often discuss concepts of agency and a sense of identity in the context of privacy, and how our grip on these concepts can be undermined when we lose control over our information.  For Australians who have experienced disadvantage, especially children that have grown up...

This week Arj and Jordan take a look back at the big issues of 2022 and how things have played out since they were discussed in earlier episodes. They cover topics including the crash of crypto, the extent of cyber war in the Ukraine/Russia conflict, the march of facial recognition technology, and Australian Government reforms in the cyber and privacy domains. This is our last episode of 2022. We'...

This week, Arj and Jordan mark Human Rights Day (Dec 10) with an argument for making human rights a more central focus in Australia's public policy and reform discussions about privacy. The discussion offers a useful framing for analysing a recent decision by EU regulators against Meta's use of personalised advertising without explicit consent, a ruling expected to strike at the heart of the tech...

This week, Arj and Jordan dive into the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX. It leads them to a broader discussion about Effective Altruism, a philosophy and a movement to govern charitable giving that has been taken up with gusto by influential tech billionaires (like FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried). Arj and Jordan discuss how some of the thinking behind Effective Altruism may be having advers...

This week, Arj and Jordan explore the concept of "safe harbour", a legal concept giving board directors a defence from liability from a privacy or cyber incident. With increased penalties recently introduced for privacy breaches and greater scrutiny on boards and executives, we're starting to hear this idea being floated more often. We explore its merits. We also chat briefly about the Australian...

This week, Arj and Jordan dive into the Musk/Twitter saga. Opinions abound on this one - but Arj and Jordan look closely at how Musk is going with his promise to bring back free speech, the viability of Musk's blue-check verification thought-bubble, and likely repercussions of the departure of privacy, security and compliance officers from the platform. Links: Musk fires engineers after critical p...

This week, Arj and Jordan dive into the vexed question of whether companies should pay ransoms to cybercriminals. The government's position is clear: do not pay. The reality on the ground for most companies is much more complex. Arj and Jordan step through these complexities and the competing imperatives organisations face when confronted with this difficult decision. Important note : This is a co...

This week, Arj and Jordan dive into the issue of privacy and security of data in the rental market.  After a spate of data breaches affecting Australian businesses, commentators had been warning of the disaster-in-waiting in the real estate sector. And sure enough we got one. Arj and Jordan explore the underlying factors involved, including practices and attitudes at individual real estate ag...

We're back after a break. This week, Arj is joined by elevenM privacy practice lead Melanie Marks to discuss the Australian Government's move to significantly lift penalties on businesses that violate privacy, as the nation experiences a spate of serious data breaches. They discuss the likely impact and effectiveness of the fines, clear up some misconceptions about what the fines are actually for,...

This week, Arj and Jordan get wonky, exploring why public policy approaches to scaling back market power are increasingly dovetailing with reforms to better safeguard individual privacy. The conversation takes them to unexpected places, covering two new momentous EU regulations, Amazon's acquisition of Roomba maker iRobot, and the so-called "hipster antitrust" movement. Links: Article about Digita...

This week, Arj and Jordan give their views on the strategic and policy takeaways from the now infamous Optus breach. They explore a philosophical shift in business attitudes to data, proposed legislative reforms, and the broader cultural shift needed in how we collectively approach the building of technology. Links: Jeremy Kirk reporting https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/optus-under-1-million-extor...

In this special episode of This Week in Digital Trust we feature an interview by our friend Jonathan Gadir with Chris Dolman, executive manager for Data and Algorithmic Ethics at IAG. Jonathan and Chris discuss the place of data ethics within organisations, how to break down the AI and data ethics risks, and how to think about the governance of these risks. They also use real-world example to illu...

This week, Arj and Jordan explore why privacy and data protection laws sometimes fall short of delivering the outcomes we need and desire - especially those crafted using a principle-based approach. The discussion follows another insightful paper by UNSW law academic Katherine Kemp on the continued practice of ‘data enrichment’, which Prof. Kemp argues is illegal. They also discuss the failed comp...

It's been labelled “the most important election you’ve never heard of”.  This week, Arj and Jordan dive into an upcoming debate over the election of the next secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union, a 150-year-old body that has been pivotal in the setting of internet standards and policy. The backdrop is a fascinating discussion about whether the long-held Western visio...

Should companies be forced to host all data about Australian citizens onshore? With debates about data localisation kicking off all over the globe, Arj and Jordan this week unpack the issues surrounding this policy. They also discuss the normalising of surveillance technologies among young people, after a Sydney school introduced fingerprint scanners for access to bathrooms. Links: Home Affairs di...