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The pod is back after being struck down by illness. With their return, Arj and Jordan take on virality of a different kind: videos showing "random acts of kindness" on social media platform TikTok. They dive into why the videos are problematic from a privacy perspective.

While on TikTok, they also explore growing concern about the privacy protections surrounding TikTok user data, and what access the Chinese government may have.

OAIC opens investigations into Bunnings and Kmart https://www.oaic.gov.au/updates/news-and-media/oaic-opens-investigations-into-bunnings-and-kmart

ABC article about Melbourne woman filmed without consent https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-14/tiktok-video-maree-melbourne-flowers/101228418

BuzzFeed story about US TikTok user data accessed in China https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilybakerwhite/tiktok-tapes-us-user-data-china-bytedance-access

ABC News story about Australian TikTok user data potentially accessed in China https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-13/tiktok-admits-australian-data-accessible-in-china/101233320

SBS: "So what if China can access your TikTok data?" https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/so-what-if-china-can-access-your-tiktok-data/mr1anx97k

Music by Bensound.com

This week, Arj and Jordan dive into the growing challenge faced by social media platforms in India, as the Modi government institutes more aggressive approaches to content removal.

Also this week is a look at how scams are being carried out, as new data reveals Australians lost $2 billion to scams in 2021.

Links:

Reuters article about Twitter legal challenge against Indian govenrment https://www.reuters.com/world/india/twitter-pursues-judicial-review-indian-content-takedown-orders-source-2022-07-05/

Casey Newton analysis of Twitter/India stoush on Platformer (paywalled): https://www.platformer.news/p/twitter-sues-india

Twitter transparency reports on information requests and removal requests originating from India https://transparency.twitter.com/en/reports/countries/in.html

ACCC Targeting Scams report https://www.accc.gov.au/publications/targeting-scams-report-on-scam-activity/targeting-scams-report-of-the-accc-on-scams-activity-2021

Credits:

Music by Bensound.com

This week, Arj and Jordan get excited about Attorney General Mark Dreyfus' commitment to act on privacy reform within the first term of the recently elected Labor Government, but are given pause by his framing of the issues in terms of individual control and choice. They also re-cap the key reforms being contemplated.

Also up for discussion this week is an assessment of how well placed the Home Affairs department is to govern the recent critical infrastructure security reforms the government has brought in, on the back of a report by the Australian National Audit Office.

Links:

Transcript of Attorney General interview on ABC Radio National – Law Report https://ministers.ag.gov.au/media-centre/transcripts/abc-radio-national-law-report-28-06-2022

AFR on privacy reforms https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/dreyfus-pledges-sweeping-data-privacy-reforms-20220627-p5awvw

elevenM blog series on privacy reform https://elevenm.com/2021/02/04/privacy-in-focus-a-new-beginning/

elevenM’s submission to the Privacy Act Review https://elevenm.com/2022/02/20/elevenms-submission-to-the-privacy-act-review/

Australian National Audit Office report into Home Affairs' administration of critical infrastructure protection policy https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/administration-critical-infrastructure-protection-policy

Critical infrastructure reforms https://www.cisc.gov.au/legislative-information-and-reforms/critical-infrastructure

Credits:

Music by Bensound.com

*** An apology ***  

We had some serious audio issues with this episode, due to Arj being in a different environment than usual for the recording of this episode. We've tried to fix it as best we can in editing, but there will be some parts that are hard to hear. Sorry!

On this week's show, Arj and Jordan have something of a debate over whether the uproar over facial recognition is really justified, and whether it might be a palatable solution if it improves in reliability and accuracy.

Links:

News story about Adelaide City Council use of facial recognition https://www.itnews.com.au/news/sa-police-ignore-adelaide-council-plea-for-facial-recognition-ban-on-cctv-581559

News story about Microsoft limiting facial recognition uses https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jun/22/microsoft-limits-access-to-facial-recognition-tool-in-ai-ethics-overhaul

EFA Complaint https://www.efa.org.au/2022/06/22/efa-complains-to-oaic-about-retailers-use-of-facial-surveillance/

CHOICE report https://www.choice.com.au/consumers-and-data/data-collection-and-use/how-your-data-is-used/articles/kmart-bunnings-and-the-good-guys-using-facial-recognition-technology-in-store

Credits:

Music by Bensound.com

This week, Arj and Jordan dive deep into facial recognition and how we should regulate it, after a week of strong community reaction against revelations about the use of the tech by Aussie retailers. Arj and Jordan also give their take on the other burning question of the last week - "is AI sentient?"

Links:

CHOICE report https://www.choice.com.au/consumers-and-data/data-collection-and-use/how-your-data-is-used/articles/kmart-bunnings-and-the-good-guys-using-facial-recognition-technology-in-store

OAIC statement on facial recognition https://www.oaic.gov.au/updates/news-and-media/retailers-must-ensure-compliance-with-privacy-laws

ABC story about call for national guidelines https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-16/nsw-facial-recognition-technology-wild-west-kmart-good-guys/101156010

Blake Lemoine in conversation with LaMDA https://cajundiscordian.medium.com/is-lamda-sentient-an-interview-ea64d916d917

Washington Post original reporting on LaMDA https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/11/google-ai-lamda-blake-lemoine/

Timnit Gebru on the risks of AI https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/17/google-ai-ethics-sentient-lemoine-warning/

Credits:

Music by Bensound.com

What's an archivist do and how do we think about their role in the context of digitisation and other technology trends? This week Arj and Jordan are joined by archivist and fellow elevenM-er Cassie Findlay to discuss these questions, as the national broadcaster announces a major cut in archivists jobs.

They also look at the implications for online anonymity after a Federal court ruling requiring Twitter to hand over the personal information of the PRGuy17 Twitter account as part of a defamation lawsuit.

Links and notes:

About Cassie Findlay: Cassie is a member of the Australian Society of Archivists' Advocacy Committee. Twitter: @CassPF

ABC statement: https://about.abc.net.au/statements/abc-archives-proposal-for-change/

Australian Society of Archivists and the Australian Library and Information Association statement: https://www.archivists.org.au/about-us/statements/joint-statement-on-abc-staffing-cuts

Guardian article about Federal Court order re: PRGuy17: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jun/07/twitter-ordered-to-hand-over-prguy17s-personal-information-as-part-of-defamation-suit

This week, Arj and Jordan take a look at many influences on privacy laws (some more hidden than others) just as the US introduces a draft federal privacy bill. They also discuss a compelling report laying out a vision for how the tech ecosystem should be regulated. 

The show kicks off with a quick run through of ministerial appointments and announcements by the new Labor government in Australia, and the potential implications for tech policy.

Links:

New Government cabinet https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-01/who-is-new-labor-government-ministry-cabinet/101113496

The Markup report https://themarkup.org/privacy/2022/05/26/tech-industry-groups-are-watering-down-attempts-at-privacy-regulation-one-state-at-a-time

Tending the Tech-Ecosystem https://www.anu.edu.au/files/guidance/TPDC_Report_NO1_2022_digital_release.pdf

This week, Arj and Jordan discuss the implications for tech, privacy and cyber policy resulting from the election of a Labor Government (and a large crossbench of Greens and independents) in Australia. They also explore why children's privacy deserves greater focus from privacy regulators, as a new report shines a light on the privacy harms of EdTech.

Links:

In this special episode of This Week in Digital Trust we feature an interview by our friend Jonathan Gadir with Ari Ezra Waldman, a professor of law and computer science and widely published author of "Industry Unbound: The Inside Story of Privacy, Data, and Corporate Power".

Jonathan and Professor Waldman discuss the book and a range of related topics including why privacy matters, the limitations of privacy laws and compliance approaches, and ideas for a more outcome-focused approach to privacy. 

Links: 

Industry Unbound: The Inside Story of Privacy, Data, and Corporate Power

How Big Tech Turns Privacy Laws Into Privacy Theater

Twitter: Ari Ezra Waldman

Twitter: Jonathan Gadir

This week, Arj and Jordan discuss how effective Australia's News Media Bargaining Code has been in addressing power imbalances between publishers and tech platforms. They revisit a favourite topic - the indiscretions of Clearview AI - after yet another ruling against the facial recognition startup.

Links: