Good morning. It’s Friday 23rd August.

The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest focuses on the topics we work on, including cybersecurity, critical technologies, foreign interference & disinformation.

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• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles are set to announce Bradshaw as new director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate. Capital Brief

• Sharing sexually explicit material generated by deepfake tech is now banned, with the creation of a new criminal offence by Parliament this week. The Mandarin

• Nepal lifted a ban on Chinese-owned TikTok on Thursday, more than nine months after outlawing the popular video sharing app for disturbing “social harmony and goodwill.” Reuters

To win the AI race, China aims for a controlled intelligence explosion
The Strategist
Nathan Attrill
China’s leader Xi Jinping has his eye on the transformative forces of artificial intelligence to revolutionise the country’s economy and society in the coming decades. But the disruptive, and potentially unforeseen, consequences of this technology may be more than the party-state can stomach.

A global treaty to fight cybercrime—without combating mercenary spyware
Lawfare
Kate Robertson
On Aug. 8, the international community concluded its final negotiations at the United Nations over an international cybercrime treaty. The treaty—now set to go to a vote before the UN General Assembly—is intended to align the cybercrime laws and investigatory police powers of its state parties.

AI-fueled demand buoys semiconductor market while legacy chips lag
Nikkei Asia
Ryosuke Eguchi
Global semiconductor demand continues to be in an upswing, underpinned by orders for AI chips and other advanced products while the materials and legacy chip sectors remain in a slump.

Albanese set to name Abigail Bradshaw as new top cyber spy
Capital Brief
Anthony Galloway
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles are set to announce Bradshaw as new director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate.

Non-consensual deepfake porn now illegal under federal law
The Mandarin
Melissa Coade
Sharing sexually explicit material generated by deepfake tech is now banned, with the creation of a new criminal offence by Parliament this week. The move follows additional funding allocated to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, and a decision to bring forward a federal review of the Online Safety Act by 12 months.

Google to help build cyber protection for Australian infrastructure
Reuters
Byron Kaye
Google and Australia’s national science agency will join hands to develop digital tools that automatically detect and fix software vulnerabilities for operators of critical infrastructure, seeking to combat a surge in cyberattacks.

Australia’s privacy regulator just dropped its case against ‘troubling’ facial recognition company Clearview AI. Now what?
The Conversation
Rita Matulionyte
The office of the Australian Information Commissioner announced this week it would be taking no further action against facial recognition company Clearview AI. This marked a significant victory for one of the most controversial technology companies in the world.

Liberals talked of banning Chinese super app – now MPs flock to it
The Age
Paul Sakkal and Matthew Knott
Liberal MPs are flocking back to Chinese social media service WeChat, reversing a Morrison-era boycott over national security concerns to win back diaspora voters who turned against the party and cost it seats at the last election.

AI smart glasses are the latest gadget gold rush for Chinese tech firms
South China Morning Post
Ben Jiang
AI-powered eyewear has become the latest smart gadget trend for Chinese tech firms rushing to profit from consumer excitement around combining generative AI with wearables following Ray-Ban’s release of the Meta smart glasses.One of the latest companies to enter the market is Xiaomi-backed start-up Superhexa, which this month launched its AI audio glasses Jiehuan.

Neuralink says second brain device implant ‘went well’
Bloomberg
Sarah McBride
Neuralink Corp., Elon Musk’s brain-computer company, said surgery for its second implant in a human “went well” and the patient is now able to design 3D objects and play video games like Counter-Strike 2.

Senators want investigation of AI-enabled ammo vending machines
The Verge
Gaby Del Valle
The Texas-based company American Rounds has installed AI-enabled ammunition vending machines at grocery stores in certain states. AI-enabled ammunition vending machines could facilitate mass shootings and let people circumvent federal bans prohibiting people with certain criminal convictions from buying ammunition, two senators warn.

Telecom company agrees to $1M fine over Biden deepfake
NBC News
Alex Seitz-Wald
A telecom company has agreed to pay a $1 million fine for its role in the deepfake robocall that impersonated President Joe Biden’s voice ahead of the New Hampshire Democratic primary, federal authorities plan to announce Wednesday.

FAA proposes new cybersecurity rules for airplanes
The Record by Recorded Future
Jonathan Greig
The Federal Aviation Administration unveiled a proposal this week for new rules governing the cybersecurity of airplanes, engines and propellers as they are increasingly designed to be connected to both internal and external data networks that could make them vulnerable to cyber threats.

Schumer optimistic about passing federal AI regulation this year
The Wall Street Journal
Isabelle Bousquette and Steven Rosenbush
Despite deep concerns about the safety of artificial intelligence, efforts to pass legislation to address its risks have been elusive in the U.S. Lawmakers at the Democratic National Convention say they continue to push for an election year breakthrough.

Feds charge alleged negotiator for Russian ransomware group
The Verge
Emma Roth
The US government has charged a member of a Russian ransomware group known as Karakurt, as reported earlier by BleepingComputer. In a press release on Tuesday, the Department of Justice claims 33-year-old Deniss Zolotarjovs of Moscow, Russia, conspired to commit money laundering, wire fraud, and extortion.

Elon Musk’s X reveals investors in court filing
The Washington Post
Trisha Thadani
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Elon Musk’s X to unseal the list of shareholders involved with X Holdings Corp., giving the public an official look at the investors who aided his $44 billion purchase of the social media platform previously known as Twitter in October 2022.

SK Group backs US$140 million fund to bring South Korean chip firms to China
Bloomberg
Debby Wu and Yoolim Lee
SK Group is putting its money into a new fund designed to help South Korean chip firms set up shop in China, even as the US ratchets up pressure on its allies to curb Beijing’s tech ambitions.

Can South Korea regain its edge in innovation?
Nature
James Mitchell Crow
South Korea’s reputation as a leading innovator is under threat. In a benchmarking report released by the country’s Ministry of Science and ICT in February, South Korea had slipped behind China in science and technology development for the first time. The report analysed research papers, patents and expert surveys in 11 technology areas, including information and communications technology, defence and nanoscience.

Nepal lifts TikTok ban after app addresses cyber crime concerns
Reuters
Nepal lifted a ban on Chinese-owned TikTok on Thursday, more than nine months after outlawing the popular video sharing app for disturbing “social harmony and goodwill.” The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting after the company agreed to cooperate with Nepal’s law enforcers to address TikTok-related crime and regulate its content, a government source said on condition of anonymity.

HKIC-backed start-up Spark forms historic Thai partnership for EV charging stations
South China Morning Post
Yujie Xue
An electric vehicle start-up backed by Hong Kong’s government-owned investment arm has formed a partnership with a Thai energy company, the first of its kind overseas, to supply green transport solutions.

Moscow detains scientist suspected of carrying out DDoS attacks on Russia
The Record by Recorded Future
Daryna Antoniuk
Russia’s Federal Security Service has opened a criminal case against a scientist in Moscow suspected of carrying out distributed denial-of-service attacks on behalf of Ukraine’s intelligence agency. The suspect, a physicist identified by local media as 33-year-old Artem Khoroshilov, has been accused of treason.

How Russian trolls are trying to go viral on X
The Wall Street Journal
Alexa Corse
Russian trolls are ramping up their efforts again on social media ahead of another U.S. presidential election, and they seem desperate for influencers to notice them. Amid elevated fears of foreign election meddling, the exchange offered an early example of a shift toward relying more on low-quality, high-volume spam tactics that experts and officials say could escalate on social-media platforms in the coming months.

Hackers target bank clients in Czechia, Hungary and Georgia in novel phishing campaign
The Record by Recorded Future
Daryna Antoniuk
Hackers set up malicious banking applications that were nearly identical to legitimate European ones in an effort to steal user data in an elaborate phishing scheme, according to new research. These malicious apps were installed on Android and iOS devices from third-party websites, bypassing traditional security measures that warn users about the installation of unknown programs, according to a new report from Slovakia-based cybersecurity firm ESET.

UK authority closes competition probes into Google, Apple App Stores
The Wall Street Journal
Adrià Calatayud
The UK’s antitrust authority closed investigations into Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store as it prepares for the rollout of new rules that give the watchdog greater powers to boost competition in digital markets.

I’m a woman working in ‘deep tech.’ Here’s why you don’t see more women in AI (hint: it isn’t a pipeline problem)
Fortune
Brooke Hartley Moy
The first time a venture fund assumed I was an executive assistant for my male cofounder, I laughed. The second time it happened, I responded with a curt clarification, “I’m actually the CEO.” By the third time, I started to wonder why the broader tech industry seemed unable to process the idea of a female executive in generative AI.

Google DeepMind staff call for end to military contracts
The Verge
Kylie Robison
In May 2024, around 200 employees at Google DeepMind (representing roughly 5 percent of the division) signed a letter urging the company to end its contracts with military organizations, expressing concerns that its AI technology was being used for warfare, Time magazine reported.

Google agrees to America’s first newsroom funding deal. It’s already unpopular.
POLITICO
Tyler Katzenberger, Jeremy B. White and Lara
Google has brokered a first-in-the-nation deal with California lawmakers to direct millions of dollars to local newsrooms, the latest in a series of global efforts to require tech companies to support the journalism they profit from.

OpenAI signs multi-year content partnership with Condé Nast
The Guardian
Condé Nast and OpenAI announced a multi-year partnership on Tuesday to display content from the publisher’s brands such as the Vogue, Wired and the New Yorker within the AI startup’s products, including ChatGPT and its SearchGPT prototype.

• California announces new deal with tech to fund journalism, AI research
  Associated Press
  Trân Nguyễn
  California will be the first U.S. state to direct millions of dollars from taxpayer money and tech companies to help pay for journalism and AI research under a new deal announced Wednesday. Under the first-in-the-nation agreement, the state and tech companies would collectively pay roughly $250 million over five years to support California-based news organization and create an AI research program.

OpenAI says California’s controversial AI bill will hurt innovation
Bloomberg
Shirin Ghaffary
OpenAI is opposing a bill in California that would place new safety requirements on artificial intelligence companies, joining a chorus of tech leaders and politicians who have recently come out against the controversial legislation.

The Sydney Dialogue
ASPI
The Sydney Dialogue was created to help bring together governments, businesses and civil society to discuss and progress policy options. We will forecast the technologies of the next decade that will change our societies, economies and national security, prioritising speakers and delegates who are willing to push the envelope. We will promote diverse views that stimulate real conversations about the best ways to seize opportunities and minimise risks.

AI and data in a US election year
United States Studies Centre
The United States Studies Centre (USSC) is delighted to invite you to hear from a leading expert on US technology and national security policy, Helen Zhang, Non-Resident Fellow at the USSC. Helen co-founded the popular international relations media organisation International Intrigue. Helen is a former ‘Googler’ and ex-diplomat with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

What is the Government’s new digital ID program?
ABC
Marc Fennell
The Government has announced a new digital ID program which will allow people to securely use their phone to share personal information. So how does it work?

• Australia’s new digital ID system: finding the right way to implement it
  ASPI
  Dr Rajiv Shah
  This report reviews the Australian Government’s proposed plans for establishing a digital ID, and the ways the new system is expected to work. It explores the planned digital ID system, the key features of the approach, and the privacy and security protections that have been built into the proposals.

Advisor (Research), Digital Project, AHEL (London or Berlin)
IISS
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is the world’s leading think tank examining geopolitical and geo-economic risk from an international perspective, with a specialist expertise in risks with a national security dimension. The IISS is seeking an Advisor to support the IISS Digital Project by conducting preliminary research and analysis on global developments with an initial focus on the geopolitics of cyber and defence economics. This position is suited for individuals with some experience in international affairs and managing related projects.

U.S.-India AI Fellowship Program 2024-2025
ORF America
The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and ORF America are excited to announce the U.S.-India AI Fellowship Program 2024-2025. The program seeks to support innovative policy solutions, AI research, promote cross-cultural understanding, and build lasting professional relationships between young leaders interested in advancing AI cooperation between India and the United States. The inaugural one-year AI Fellowship Program will bring together a cohort of 20 diverse, early and mid-career professionals and emerging leaders (10 from India and 10 from the United States) with diverse backgrounds in industry, government, academia, and civil society, and expertise and interest in AI, the economy, and society.

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