Information Age Archives

Caroline Ellison, who ran the FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s trading firm, handed 2-year sentence over the crypto fraud

Denham Sadler, Information Age - October 1, 2024 3 MIN READ

Caroline Ellison, the ex-girlfriend of crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried who turned star witness against him, has been sentenced to two years in prison over her role in the $16 billion FTX cryptocurrency scam. Ellison was the CEO of Alameda Research, the trading branch of Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency exchange FTX. Alameda was found to have taken funds… Read more »

Gadgets

Australians won’t get Apple Watch sleep apnoea alerts because they’ve not yet had the nod from regulators

Tom Williams - September 25, 2024 4 MIN READ

Apple customers in Australia are going without some key software features in their iPhones and Apple Watches after the company released its major operating system updates last week. Unlike in the United States and more than 150 other countries, Australian users who have updated their Apple Watch software are unable to use their devices’ sleep… Read more »

Cyber security

Cops crack global crime chat app, arrest Australian mastermind

Leonard Bernardone - September 19, 2024 4 MIN READ

A Sydney man has been arrested and charged as the alleged head of a global organised crime app, as police continue to make Australian arrests into the week. The 32-year-old man, Jay Je Yoon Jung, was arrested at his home in Narwee on Tuesday as part of a global takedown effort against encrypted communications network… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Your call is important to our chatbot: CBA looks to AI as customer service replacement

Denham Sadler, Information Age - September 17, 2024 3 MIN READ

The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) will test a generative AI-based chatbot that could replace its call centre staff as part of Australia’s largest financial institution’s expanded use of AI technology. On Tuesday, CBA announced it would become the first Australian company to use Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) P5s, which are based on Nvidia computer chips supporting… Read more »

Gadgets

The good news in Apple’s iPhone 16 release is that prices are coming down in Australia

Tom Williams - September 11, 2024 3 MIN READ

Apple is reducing the prices of its latest iPhones in Australia but not in the United States, as it introduces new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models. The new devices, which the company said would be available from Friday, 20 September, will see a drop in price of up to $100 compared to last… Read more »

Business

Canva empowers its profitability, jacking up subscription fees by up to 300%

Denham Sadler, Information Age - September 4, 2024 3 MIN READ

Canva has announced a tripling of their prices for some of its users as the Australian tech company prepares for a public listing in the US. In the US, some users have had their subscription increase from $119.99 per year to $300 per year for the first 12 months – an increase of 316% –… Read more »

Politics

The Australian government is threatening quantum founders with 10 years in jail if they export it – even stuff that doesn’t exist – without permission

Denham Sadler, Information Age - August 30, 2024 3 MIN READ

The Australian quantum sector will now face harsh criminal penalties if it shares information or technology, even accidentally, with individuals from overseas after quantum technology was brought under the export control scheme. The Department of Defence unveiled the first changes to the Defence and Strategic Goods List in three years, with quantum computers officially added.… Read more »

Social Media

Mining billionaire Twiggy Forrest had a big win the US courts over scam ads on Facebook

David Braue - August 27, 2024 3 MIN READ

Australian mining magnate Dr Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest is a step closer to holding Meta to account for deepfake scam advertisements, after the dismissal of an appeal by the tech giant marked the first time it has failed to hide behind a US law widely seen to provide blanket immunity online. Forrest first discovered his image… Read more »

Global tech

‘Who, moi?’ Australian Google exec denies the tech giant dominates search at a Senate hearing

Tom Williams - August 20, 2024 3 MIN READ

Google has claimed it does not dominate search engine services in Australia after a judge earlier this month found the tech giant operated an illegal search monopoly in the United States. Representatives from Google responded to questions from Australian senators during a meeting of the Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence on Friday, which also… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Elon Musk’s AI generator, Grok, is lacking filters, so nudity and political deepfakes are running amok on X

Tom Williams - August 16, 2024 3 MIN READ

Note: This article contains images generated by artificial intelligence. Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI has released Grok-2, the latest version of its Grok artificial intelligence chatbot, which can now generate images with what appears to be very few guardrails to prevent potential abuse. Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini, which are only available to subscribers of Musk’s social… Read more »

Politics

Labor’s updated science priorities add AI, quantum and robotics to the tech stack

Denham Sadler, Information Age - August 13, 2024 3 MIN READ

The federal government has unveiled a new science statement and accompanying priorities that include a focus on harnessing artificial intelligence for good and preparing for its impact. Minister for Industry Ed Husic released new versions of Australia’s National Science and Research Priorities, which will guide the nation’s public and private research focus and investment over… Read more »

Global tech

US judge rules Google’s search engine is a monopoly

Tom Williams - August 6, 2024 3 MIN READ

Google has created an illegal monopoly in the search engine industry by violating US antitrust law and spending billions on contracts to be the default search provider on most devices in the US, a judge has ruled. The case, which could have major implications for Google’s parent company Alphabet and other tech giants, also marks… Read more »

Global tech

Cookie plan crumbles: Google breaks privacy promise to end third-party tracking

Denham Sadler, Information Age - July 27, 2024 3 MIN READ

Google has ditched its long-running plan to get rid of third-party tracking cookies on Chrome, after more than four years of promising to do so to improve online privacy. The tech giant revealed that it would no longer be banning third-party cookies from next year as previously planned in a Privacy Sandbox blog post, and will… Read more »

Cyber security

Scam warning alert after half of Australia’s population falls victim to MediScare’s data hack

Tom Williams - July 23, 2024 3 MIN READ

Approximately 12.9 million Australians had their personal and health information stolen during a data breach involving MediSecure, the defunct electronic prescriptions company has confirmed. The figure means almost half of the Australian population was likely impacted by the breach of scripts distributed by MediSecure up until November 2023, making it one of the largest cyber… Read more »

Business

Telstra cops new rules after it ‘put people’s privacy and safety at risk’ in 163,000 license breaches

Tom Williams - July 12, 2024 3 MIN READ

Australia’s communications watchdog has imposed new rules on Telstra after the telecommunications giant was found to have leaked the details of more than 140,000 people who requested their phone numbers not be shared publicly. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said it had issued Telstra with “a remedial direction” following an investigation of the… Read more »