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Chinese social media campaign spreading disinformation about Australian politics | Musk's SpaceX firm bars Kyiv from using Starlink tech for drone control | Why did Google’s ChatGPT rival go wrong
A coordinated foreign influence campaign linked to the Chinese government is using social media to undermine confidence in Australia’s democratic system, according to researchers at a Canberra-based defence thinktank. The researchers believe the network is operating from within China and is either spreading disinformation about Australian politics or amplifying concerns about political scandals. They reference rape allegations made by the former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins and against the former attorney general Christian Porter, which he strongly denies. The network is believed to have about 30 active accounts so far, which mostly appear to be women. In almost all cases, their posts use the #auspol and #QandA hashtags often used to discuss politics on Twitter. They post in English and Mandarin The Guardian
SpaceX has limited Ukraine's ability to use its satellite internet service for military purposes - after reports that Kyiv has used it to control drones. BBC
Google’s unveiling of a rival to ChatGPT had an expensively embarrassing stumble on Wednesday when it emerged that promotional material showed the chatbot giving an incorrect response to a question. The Guardian
ASPI
Social media campaign linked to Chinese government spreading disinformation about Australian politics, thinktank says The Guardian Henry Belot A coordinated foreign influence campaign linked to the Chinese government is using social media to undermine confidence in Australia’s democratic system, according to researchers at a Canberra-based defence thinktank. The researchers believe the network is operating from within China and is either spreading disinformation about Australian politics or amplifying concerns about political scandals. They reference rape allegations made by the former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins and against the former attorney general Christian Porter, which he strongly denies. The network is believed to have about 30 active accounts so far, which mostly appear to be women. In almost all cases, their posts use the #auspol and #QandA hashtags often used to discuss politics on Twitter. They post in English and Mandarin.
Read more about this network targeting Australia here in Musk’s Twitter takeover comes as the CCP steps up its targeting of smart Asian women.
Australia and the US are cracking down on 'Chinese spies' in STEM, and Beijing is taking advantage ABC News Wing Kuang Bart Hogeveen, head of cyber capacity building at Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), says there are "ample signs" in the public domain that China is seeking technology information and intellectual properties from overseas. "China has clearly expressed its ambition to transform the 'Made in China' policy to 'the world's technology powerhouse' in their words," he said. Mr Hogeveen said academic institutions and small-to-medium-sized businesses had also been reassessing their linkages and intellectual openness with China in recent years.
World
Opening an ICRC Delegation for Cyberspace EJIL: Talk! Massimo Marelli With humanitarian organizations becoming more active in and reliant upon new technologies and the digital domain, they have evolved from simple bystanders to full-fledged stakeholders in cyberspace. They also become vulnerable to adverse cyberoperations that could impact their capacity to protect and assist people affected by violence or armed conflict whilst having to grapple with digitally-enabled harm to affected populations, whether induced by others or its own practices.
Australia
Australia orders checks on China-made cameras in defense offices Nikkei Asia The Australian government will examine surveillance technology used in offices of the defense department, Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday, amid reports that Chinese-made cameras installed there posed a security risk.
USA
U.S. declassifies balloon intelligence, calls out China for spying The Wall Street Journal John Hudson, Ellen Nakashima, Dan Lamothe The State Department on Thursday released details about China’s high-altitude balloon surveillance program, declassifying information collected by U.S. U-2 spy planes and other sources to expose what the Biden administration is calling a sophisticated effort to surveil “more than 40 countries across five continents.”
Secretly-Launched Russian Satellite with unknown purpose breaking up in orbit, US Says VICE Matthew Gault A mysterious Russian satellite of unknown purpose is breaking up in low-Earth orbit, US officials confirmed this week.
Ukraine - Russia
Ukraine war: Elon Musk's SpaceX firm bars Kyiv from using Starlink tech for drone control BBC James FitzGerald SpaceX has limited Ukraine's ability to use its satellite internet service for military purposes - after reports that Kyiv has used it to control drones.
U.S., Britain impose sanctions on Russia's Trickbot hacking gang Reuters Raphael Satter, Suzanne Smalley he United States and Britain have imposed sanctions against seven leading members of a notorious Russian hacking gang known as Trickbot, officials announced on Friday. Trickbot's malicious software at one point was counted among one of the internet's most pernicious security threats, capable of stealing financial data, spreading across networks, and dropping ransom software.
Europe
Norwegian minister under fire for using TikTok on her work phone The Sydney Morning Herald Norway’s justice minister apologised for having failed to admit, when quizzed in Parliament, that she had installed and used TikTok on her government-issued phone.
Big Tech
Why did Google’s ChatGPT rival go wrong and are AI chatbots overhyped? The Guardian Dan Milmo Google’s unveiling of a rival to ChatGPT had an expensively embarrassing stumble on Wednesday when it emerged that promotional material showed the chatbot giving an incorrect response to a question.
TikTok expects to be subject to stricter EU online content rules Reuters Foo Yun Chee Chinese social media company TikTok is likely to be subject to stricter EU online content rules because its number of active users exceed a threshold set out under the Digital Services Act (DSA), a senior executive at the company said on Wednesday.
Twitter draws EU Ire for sending incomplete disinformation report Bloomberg Jillian Deutsch Twitter Inc. was the only tech platform that didn’t send a complete report to the European Union detailing how it was tackling disinformation, a move that risks angering regulators.
Apple and Google warned on app stores by Japan antitrust watchdog Nikkei Asia Satsuki Kaneko Apple and Google may be violating Japanese antitrust law with their handling of mobile apps, the Japan Fair Trade Commission said Thursday, arguing for further regulation to prevent anti-competitive behavior by tech platforms.
Misc
The people onscreen are fake. The disinformation is real. The New York Times Adam Satariano, Paul Mozur With few laws to manage the spread of the technology, disinformation experts have long warned that deepfake videos could further sever people’s ability to discern reality from forgeries online, potentially being misused to set off unrest or incept a political scandal. Those predictions have now become reality.
The New York Times
Zachary Small
The verdict means First Amendment protections did not apply to a digital project blurring the line between art and business.
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