News

Cyberbeat is dedicated to providing fearless, clear and concise independent citizen journalism covering cybersecurity and information privacy with cyber news and features.

NSW Government Invests in Mobile Systems for Emergency Wi-Fi Connectivity

21 March 2024
The NSW government is investing in mobile systems to provide wi-fi connectivity to communities impacted by natural disasters. Customer service minister Jihad Dib made the commitment in June 2023.
Read More

Study finds workplace AI, robots, and trackers negatively impact quality of life

21 March 2024
Analysing data from over 6,000 individuals, researchers found that increased use of AI-based software, surveillance devices, and robotics correlates with decreased health and well-being.
Read More

Australian news media pursue payment from Meta for using their content to train AI

21 March 2024
Tech companies like Meta have been training their AI models with vast amounts of online data, including news sources. When questioned about this, a Meta spokesperson declined to comment, citing fair use allowances under US copyright law.
Read More

Users outraged over US sale plan of Tiktok

21 March 2024
Critics argue the bill infringes on free speech and harms millions reliant on TikTok for business and communication.
Read More

US Military Rushes Implementation of AI for Autonomous Weapons

21 March 2024
In Gaza, the Israeli military is utilising robots and remote-controlled dogs in the conflict, with drones and an AI system named The Gospel accelerating target identification and use of force.
Read More

Meta pulls out of Australian news deal

07 March 2024
Albanese government and local media companies prepare for battle with Meta, who plans to cut $70 million yearly payouts to news publishers. Meta's refusal to negotiate new deals hits media giants hard, sparking government action.
Read More

Superloop rejects Aussie Broadband opportunistic offer

07 March 2024
“The board of Superloop has, together with its retained financial and legal advisers, considered the offer and believes that the indicative proposal is opportunistic and fundamentally undervalues Superloop… The board does not intend to engage with ABB [Aussie Broadband] on the indicative proposal.”
Read More

U.K. Home Office breached data protection rules using electronic monitoring devices on migrants

07 March 2024
In summer 2022 the Home Office began a pilot exercise in which about 600 asylum claimants arriving in the UK were fitted with electronic ankle tags enabling their movements to be monitored via GPS.
Read More

Elon Musk Sues OpenAI and CEO Over Mission Deviation

07 March 2024
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco, claims a breach of contract and demands OpenAI's research and technology be made public, preventing financial gains from Microsoft. Musk alleges a shift from the initial non-profit focus to profit-making, betraying the essence of the startup co-founded by him.
Read More

Three men charged in NSW over SMS phishing scam operation

29 February 2024
NSW Police have arrested three men in connection with an SMS phishing scam operation.
Read More

X admits to taking down posts and accounts involving India farmers' protest

29 February 2024
X clarified that the removal was limited to India in compliance with the orders but emphasised its support for freedom of expression. The platform revealed it has legally challenged the government's actions.
Read More

Apple warns Australian tech proposal risks privacy, surveillance

29 February 2024
Regulator aims to detect and remove harmful material but faces criticism for potential impact on encryption. Apple emphasises global consequences of mandatory scanning measures.
Read More

Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness appointed as Australia's National Cyber Security Coordinator by the Department of Home Affairs

29 February 2024
In her last role, McGuinness was the deputy director for Commonwealth integration (DDCI) at the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), where she was responsible for advising the US Defence Intelligence Agency’s director on strengthening collaboration and information-sharing between the Five Eyes nations.
Read More

Air Canada BOT Defense-Blame not Fooling the Tribunal

22 February 2024
The airline tried to distance itself from the error by claiming the chatbot was responsible for its actions.
Read More

Activision Blizzard Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Monopolisation of Call of Duty Competitions

22 February 2024
Activision, known for its popular first-person-shooter game Call of Duty, has been accused of imposing "draconian" contract provisions on teams and players, leading to the exclusion of those who did not comply with their demands.
Read More

Maltese Authorities Arrest Man in Global Cybercrime Crackdown Targeting Australians

22 February 2024
AFP along with international agencies like the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Europol, collaborated to make the arrest.
Read More

Unpaid bill shuts down parliament expense system in January

22 February 2024
An invoice for 2FA service was missed by the Department of Finance.
Read More

Nvidia CEO Huang Relying on Others to Develop AI Infrastructure is not an Option

15 February 2024
Huang urged countries to activate their industries and prioritise the speedy development of AI infrastructure.
Read More

NT Residents Warned of Crypto Investment Scams as Victim Loses $5m

15 February 2024
AFP have flagged the rise of large-scale human trafficking facilitated by fake job ads and online scam centers. These trafficked individuals are then exploited to carry out online fraud, including investment scams.
Read More

Investigation Finds Public Servants Violated Code of Conduct in Robodebt Scheme

15 February 2024
Multiple individuals recommended for civil and criminal prosecution.
Read More

Former CIA officer sentenced to 40 years for leaking classified hacking tools to Wikileaks

08 February 2024
Prosecutors argued that in 2016, stolen information was shared with Wikileaks.
Read More

Europe Moves Closer to Landmark AI Rules as EU Countries Approve Proposal

08 February 2024
Proposed by the European Commission three years ago, these rules aim to establish a global standard for AI technology across a wide range of industries, from banking and retail to transportation and security. They also outline parameters for AI use in military and crime-related applications.
Read More

Autistic 13-year-old boy encouraged by counter-terrorism police in his fixation on Islamic State

08 February 2024
An NDIS recipient with an IQ of 71, was reported to police by his parents because of his fixation with Islamic State.
Read More

AI Deepfakes of Taylor Swift go Viral

01 February 2024
Popstar Taylor Swift, has fallen victim to explicit AI-generated images circulating on social media platforms.
Read More

Google Unveils Groundbreaking AI Upgrade for Android, Raises Privacy Concerns

01 February 2024
The competition between Google, Apple, and Facebook just got more intense. Android users, brace yourselves for an incredible AI upgrade from Google that could revolutionise your smartphone experience.
Read More

U.S. FTC Orders Major Tech Companies to Provide Information on AI Investments

01 February 2024
FTC Chair Lina M. Khan emphasised the importance of safeguarding competition: "Our study will investigate whether dominant companies' investments and partnerships risk obstructing innovation and fair competition, even as AI presents new opportunities."
Read More

Federal Government Sanctions Russian Citizen for Medibank Cyber Attack

01 February 2024
These sanctions are the first of their kind to be used against a cyber threat actor since their enactment in December 2021.
Read More

Italy's Privacy Watchdog Fines Trento City for AI Data Protection Breach

01 February 2024
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in street surveillance projects compromised with inadequate anonymisation and incorrect data sharing.
Read More

644 NDIS Users Left in the Dark about Leaked Medical Records 7 Months After HWL Ebsworth Hack

25 January 2024
Victims claim excessive information was requested without cause.
Read More

EU Blocks Amazon Takeover of iRobot

25 January 2024
Regulators are concerned that if the deal goes through, Amazon could give preferential treatment to the Roomba, making it difficult for other vacuum manufacturers to compete.
Read More

BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF Surpasses $1B in Assets in Just 4 Days

25 January 2024
The U.S. SEC approved multiple ETFs tracking the world's largest cryptocurrency last week, following years of regulatory obstacles.
Read More

Delivery Firm's AI Chatbot Causes Controversy: Swears, Insults, and Mocks Customer

25 January 2024
The incident serves as a reminder of the potential pitfalls and limitations of relying solely on AI for customer service, emphasising the importance of human intervention and oversight.
Read More

Scientists Determine: Majority of Internet Text is Poorly Translated AI Trash

25 January 2024
A new study reveals that a significant portion of online content has been badly translated, mostly by machine, in languages spoken in Africa and the Global South.
Read More

Poor Security Posture leads to US Securities and Exchange Commission Hack

17 January 2024
The incident caused a temporary surge in the price of bitcoin before quickly dropping.
Read More

Voice Actors Express Outrage over AI Deal that Sidelines Them

17 January 2024
Some have argued that the deal contradicts the union's previous efforts to protect voice actors from AI use.
Read More

Microsoft overtook Apple as the world's most valuable stock in the world

17 January 2024
Microsoft Corp’s stock has been rallying in recent months thanks to its AI announcements.
Read More

AI Models can Strategically Deceive their Users when Put Under Pressure

17 January 2024
The researchers defined strategic deception as "attempting to systematically cause a false belief in another entity in order to accomplish some outcome."
Read More

Google Continues to Cut Hundreds of Jobs while Earning Billions

17 January 2024
Alphabet Workers Union opposes these cuts, criticising the tech giant for profiting while firing employees.
Read More

St Vincent’s Health Australia not Clear WHAT Data was Stolen

11 January 2024
It will take time to fully assess the extent of the breach and if any sensitive information has been stolen, St Vincent’s Health Australia promises to notify and support those affected.
Read More

Long-running Class Action Lawsuit Bites Apple

11 January 2024
Apple has started paying $ 92 per iPhone user over allegations that it deliberately slowed down iPhones
Read More

Tesla Issues Its Largest Ever Recall in China

11 January 2024
The majority of cars sold in China are affected
Read More

Court Services Victoria Stares Down Ransom Demand

11 January 2024
The breached technology captures court hearings, including those involving sensitive witnesses, and provides transcriptions for cases that may not be open to media coverage.
Read More

New York Times sues Microsoft and OpenAI

04 January 2024
The New York Times claims that ChatGPT used millions of its articles without permission to improve its language model, resulting in competition between ChatGPT and the newspaper as a trusted source of information.
Read More

Google Settles $5B Privacy Lawsuit: Allegations of Secretly Tracking Internet Use

04 January 2024
The plaintiffs alleged that Google's analytics, cookies, and apps allowed the company to track their online activities, even when using Google's Chrome browser in "Incognito" mode or other browsers in "private" browsing mode.
Read More

DragonForce claims cyber attack on Yakult Australia

04 January 2024
While the company's IT systems in Australia as well as New Zealand were hit, the offices in both regions remain open and operational.
Read More

Governments spying on Apple and Google users via push notifications

21 December 2023
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden warns the Justice Department.
Read More

Mind-reading AI

21 December 2023
Portable, non-invasive, mind-reading AI turns thoughts into text.
Read More

Fortnite creator triumphs in US court battle against Google, jury declares illegal monopoly

21 December 2023
Ruling challenges Google's transaction fees and app distribution practices.
Read More

Activision Blizzard Settles $50M Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination Against Women

21 December 2023
The lawsuit alleged that the company engaged in discriminatory practices against women employees, including denying them advancement opportunities and paying them less than their male counterparts.
Read More

Proton Mail at odds with Australian Online Safety Regulator

21 December 2023
CEO of Proton, Andy Yen, has stated that the proposed standards would infringe upon users' privacy by forcing online services to access and read private conversations.
Read More

New Laws Proposed to Regulate Tech Giants and Protect Consumer Rights

14 December 2023
The committee expressed concerns over the market dominance of these powerful companies and their anti-competitive practices.
Read More

Google Launches Gemini - Outperforming ChatGPT

14 December 2023
Alphabet reveals three versions of Gemini, optimised for varying processing power, from data centres to mobile devices.
Read More

New Mexico Sues Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg for Allowing Child Predators on Facebook and Instagram

14 December 2023
According to the lawsuit, Meta actively directed children to explicit content and enabled adults to exploit minors for pornography. They are also accused of creating unregulated user groups dedicated to child exploitation.
Read More

UK's Top Websites Face Fines Over Cookie Transparency

14 December 2023
The Information Commissioner's Office has stressed the importance of making it easy to "reject all" advertising cookies, as it is to "accept all." Cookie regulations are currently governed by the GDPR and PECR.
Read More

Australia to Deploy Cyber Experts to Pacific Islands

30 November 2023
The government has allocated $26 million for the setup of "rapid assistance" teams that will respond to cyber crises in the Pacific.
Read More

Facebook and YouTube warned by India to enforce rules to deter deepfake technology

30 November 2023
The warning was delivered by deputy IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a closed-door meeting, where he emphasised the need for companies to update their usage terms and comply with regulations introduced in 2022.
Read More

Apple to Adopt Messaging Standard for Better Communication with Android Devices

23 November 2023
Google praises Apple's move and pledges to work together.
Read More

FBI Alerts Organisations to Guard Against Scattered Spider Hackers

23 November 2023
These skilled hackers use fake profiles and impersonations to trick victims.
Read More

Google sends 36% of advertising revenue from Apple's Safari web browser to Apple

23 November 2023
The trial, which began in September, has been largely shielded from public view. Google has paid over $26bn to various companies, including Apple, to secure its position as the default search engine.
Read More

Telco boards must adhere to cyber risk management programs or risk penalties

23 November 2023
The updated regulations aim to strengthen critical systems against cyberattacks and grant the government the authority to intervene and provide guidance during incidents.
Read More

Baby DNA stored for DECADES in U.S. government labs

16 November 2023
New Jersey police were found to obtain samples for a case without a warrant.
Read More

Booths becomes first UK supermarket to eliminate self-service checkouts

16 November 2023
Following customer feedback, the supermarket chain has brought back fully-staffed checkouts in all but two of its 28 stores.
Read More

Australia’s biggest ports operator back online after Cyber incident

16 November 2023
DP World Australia, one of the country's largest port operators, has resumed operations at all its facilities after a cyber security incident.
Read More

Optus Outage caused by bad routing data

16 November 2023
Optus outage disrupted 10 million customers, shut down Melbourne’s trains, and stopped some people making calls to emergency services.
Read More

Tragic Accident: Industrial Robot Mistakenly Crushes Worker in South Korea

16 November 2023
Machine apparently identified man inspecting it as one of the boxes it was stacking.
Read More

Kmart fined $1.3 million for sending 200,000 marketing emails to people who unsubscribed

09 November 2023
ACMA chair says no excuse for disregarding privacy. All e-marketing businesses should comply with rules.
Read More

Senate Committee Warns AI's Impact on Integrity, KPMG Files Complaint

09 November 2023
An AI tool, Google Bard, was responsible for generating false allegations of serious wrongdoing in a submission by a group of academics.
Read More

Guardian accuses Microsoft of reputation damage with AI-generated poll

09 November 2023
The poll was taken down after readers expressed anger.
Read More

UK's Online Safety Bill Becomes Law, Prompting Concerns over Privacy and Messaging Services Threatening to Withdraw

02 November 2023
Critics have expressed worries about potential privacy issues. Messaging services like WhatsApp have even threatened to withdraw from the UK due to the implications of the act.
Read More

US States Take Legal Action Against Instagram and Meta for Harming Youth Mental Health

02 November 2023
The lawsuit accuses Meta of deceiving the public about the dangers of its platforms and intentionally luring young people into addictive social media use.
Read More

New Subsea Cable System in South Pacific to Provide More Connectivity Between Australia and the United States

02 November 2023
Google and Vocus will establish three diverse Australian landings along with dual cable paths to the US, substantially improving the resilience of Australia’s critical connections to the world…
Read More

Google Defends Important Dominance in US Trial Default Search Engine

02 November 2023
U.S. antitrust fight focused on billions of dollars Google paid to maintain search engine dominance.
Read More

U.S. President Biden Signs Executive Order to Create A.I. Safeguards

02 November 2023
The President aims to assert the United States' leadership in AI regulation.
Read More

Cybersecurity sleuth hacks CIA's Twitter account to steer spies in a different direction

26 October 2023
The vulnerability could have allowed foreign countries to intercept Western intelligence.
Read More

NBN Co Finally Approved for New Pricing and Terms: A Long Time Coming!

26 October 2023
ACCC approves varied special access undertaking (SAU) after multiple revisions.
Read More

Microsoft to Build "Cyber Shield" for Australia, Investing Billions in National Digital Economy

26 October 2023
Working alongside the Australian Signals Directorate, Microsoft will construct the "MACS" (Microsoft-Australian Signals Directorate Cyber Shield) to safeguard against global online threats.
Read More

Controversial Facial Recognition Search Engine Tested by Australian Federal Police

26 October 2023
FOI Documents reveal numerous connections between AFP devices and the websites PimEyes and FaceCheck.ID.
Read More

Microsoft completes $69bn takeover of Activision Blizzard, securing gaming industry's largest-ever deal

19 October 2023
The takeover solidifies Microsoft's position as a major player in the gaming industry, potentially surpassing Nintendo in market dominance.
Read More

X has been hit with a $610,500 fine for failing to meet online safety expectations

19 October 2023
Company formerly known as Twitter becomes the first online platform to be issued a fine under Australia’s Online Safety Act
Read More

Telstra buys Versent for $267.5 million to boost digital services

19 October 2023
Telstra expects the acquisition to contribute to the growth of its Telstra Purple business services, increase NAS growth, and facilitate digitisation in the Australian industry.
Read More

Microsoft Faces $28.9 Billion Tax Bill as IRS Demands Payment

19 October 2023
The dispute centres around the company's accounting practices over the past two decades.
Read More

European Union Considers Proposal to Curb Addictive Apps

12 October 2023
According to a draft report, numerous online services are deliberately designed to keep users glued to their screens for as long as possible. Shockingly, research shows that young adults aged 16-24 spend an average of seven hours a day on the internet. This alarming trend is a cause for concern.
Read More

MPs and peers call for ‘immediate stop’ to live facial recognition surveillance

12 October 2023
In the U.K. MPs and peers are teaming up to demand an immediate end to the use of live facial recognition surveillance by police and private companies.
Read More

Should Bing and iMessage comply with new tough tech rules?

12 October 2023
European regulators are seeking input from users and competitors.
Read More

Epic Games axes 16% of its workforce and sells recently acquired BandCamp

05 October 2023
"We have determined that layoffs are necessary to stabilise our finances."
Read More

French Authorities Raid Nvidia Offices amidst Growing Concerns of Big Tech Dominance

05 October 2023
This action comes as part of ongoing efforts by the FCA to investigate potential anti-competitive practices and ensure a level playing field in the market.
Read More

Writers Guild of America Strike Ends After 148 Days, Sets Precedent for AI Protections

05 October 2023
Throughout the strike, the threat of AI becoming a widespread addition to the workforce loomed over the members, causing concern and existential questions about its impact on their livelihoods.
Read More

Medical data and Wesfarmers

28 September 2023
Medical practitioners have raised concerns over over patient data as Bunnings and Kmart enter the prescriptions business.
Read More

Federal government reveals ”cyber shields" for enhanced national cyber security

27 September 2023
Shields will create a multi-layered defense system against attacks.
Read More

Cisco's game-changing acquisition of Splunk

27 September 2023
This move aims to strengthen Cisco's software business and take advantage of the growing demand for artificial intelligence.
Read More

ChatGPT has Learnt to Talk

27 September 2023
ChatGPT can now communicate through spoken words, thanks to OpenAI.
Read More

Microsoft's security flaw exposed company data on GitHub for nearly a year

27 September 2023
A URL was created to allow users to download the models, but it inadvertently granted permissions to the entire storage account, exposing additional private data. The exposed data included secrets, private keys, passwords, and over 30,000 Microsoft Teams messages.
Read More

TikTok fined 345 million euros for breaching children's privacy laws in the EU

20 September 2023
It is the biggest fine to date TikTok has received from regulators.
Read More

Google to Pay $93m for Misleading Users on Location Tracking

20 September 2023
Tech giant ‘continued to collect and store a user’s location data’ even if users turned off their location history.
Read More

Gov to curtail one-to-many face matching by law enforcement

20 September 2023
The government is having a second go at legislation for identity and facial matching services, one that will still enable central identity data pools to exist but place heavier restrictions on usage.
Read More

Pegasus spyware exploits vulnerability in Apple devices

14 September 2023
Citizen Lab confidently attributed the exploit to NSO's Pegasus spyware based on their forensic analysis.
Read More

Signing contracts may soon become obsolete

14 September 2023
The federal government has announced it is taking statutory declarations into the digital age, saying it will accept electronic signatures and video link witnessing from next year.
Read More

Modern Cars Spying on You - Privacy Not Included

14 September 2023
Car brands quietly entered the data business by turning their vehicles into powerful data-gobbling machines.
Read More

British Information Commissioner's Office reviewing period and fertility trackers due to data security concerns

14 September 2023
Users often have issues with consent for personal information usage.
Read More

Microsoft unbundles Teams from Office to avoid EU antitrust fine

06 September 2023
Microsoft is making changes to address concerns about its chat and video app Teams being bundled with its Office product.
Read More

About CyberBeat

CyberBeat is a grassroots initiative from a team of producers and subject matter experts, driven out of frustration at the lack of media coverage, responding to an urgent need to provide a clear, concise, informative and educational approach to the growing fields of Cybersecurity and Digital Privacy.

Contact CyberBeat

If you have a story of interest, a comment, a concern or if you'd just like to say Hi, please contact us

Terms & Policies >>

Sponsors

We couldn't do this without the support of our sponsors and contributors.