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:

This week, Arj and Jordan discuss the deeper privacy implications and associations of the US Supreme Court draft opinion seeking to overturn the Roe V Wade precedent. They also explore the significance of a leaked Facebook document that revealed the social media giant has poor visibility and control over the data it holds.

Links:

Daniel Solove tweet: https://twitter.com/DanielSolove/status/1521712924980613120

IAPP story about privacy implications: https://iapp.org/news/a/leaked-roe-v-wade-opinion-sparks-right-to-privacy-concerns/

VICE story about abortion data: https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vzjb/location-data-abortion-clinics-safegraph-planned-parenthood

VICE story about Facebook: https://www.vice.com/en/article/akvmke/facebook-doesnt-know-what-it-does-with-your-data-or-where-it-goes

This week, Arj and Jordan offer their take on Elon Musk's proposed acquisition of Twitter and his plans to take it private in the name of free speech. They also discuss the growing use of consultants by governments to delivery tech projects, as opposed to the public service. 

Links:

InnovationAus coverage: https://www.innovationaus.com/regulator-to-closely-watch-twitter-following-musk-takeover/

Senate Inquiry report into undermining of public sector capability and performance: https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportsen/024628/toc_pdf/APSIncunderminingpublicsectorcapabilityandperformance.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf

This week, Arj and Jordan break down the ideas and arguments behind two big ticket keynote addresses from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Global Privacy Summit, which took place on April 12-13 in Washington DC. They discuss how Apple CEO Tim Cook used the opportunity to oppose competition law reform, arguing that Apple's ability to protect its users privacy relies on the maintainence of its App store monopoly. They also dig into what US Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan's address signals about her approach to privacy and competition regulation, and how she'll be pushing for more substantive limits on the ways in which dominant firms condition access to critical technologies.

Links:

IAPP recording of Tim Cook's keynote - https://iapp.org/news/video/keynote-tim-cook-apple-ceo-iapp-global-privacy-summit-2022/

IAPP coverage of Tim Cook's keynote - https://iapp.org/news/a/apples-tim-cook-protecting-privacy-most-essential-battle-of-our-time/

IAPP coverage of Lina Khan's keynote - https://iapp.org/news/a/ftc-chair-touts-interdisciplinary-approach-to-data-privacy-security/

IAPP recording of Lina Khan's keynote - https://iapp.org/news/video/keynote-lina-khan-chair-of-the-federal-trade-commission-iapp-global-privacy-summit-2022/

This week, Arj and Jordan look at how exemptions in our current privacy regime play a role in the use of microtargeting by political parties in the current Australian election campaign, and the impact of this tactic on democracy. With mixed feelings, they talk once again about notorious facial recognition start-up Clearview AI, which is once again in the press promoting a new use for its technology. Finally, a new report investigating the use of AI in policing in Australia provides some intriguing takeaways for safe and sustainable use of the technology.

Links:

How political parties are using microtargeting to sway voter choices ahead of the federal election.  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-06/political-parties-leverage-microtargeting-for-federal-election/100958682

The Australian Ad Obervatory https://www.admscentre.org.au/adobservatory/

Artificial intelligence and policing in Australia https://www.aspi.org.au/report/ai_policing_australia

Face scanner Clearview AI aims to branch out beyond police https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-technology-business-europe-national-governments-4a4db5b7340792f8a8b08c41c4653f5a

FTC Takes Action Against Company Formerly Known as Weight Watchers for Illegally Collecting Kids’ Sensitive Health Data https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/03/ftc-takes-action-against-company-formerly-known-weight-watchers-illegally-collecting-kids-sensitive