Hello. It’s Friday, we made it to the end of the week. But before those of you in NSW head off to the polls, we’ve got five things happening in the tech world we’d like to bring you up to speed on.
1. Rio Tinto suffers 2nd ‘tech breach’ in as many weeks
The Australian is reporting this morning that Rio Tinto is investigating its second technology breach in less than two weeks, this time involving a ransomware gang that claims to be selling information collected in a hack on the dark web. According to the report, the company’s chief security officer notified staff that one of its suppliers, GoAnywhere, which provided transfer services, had been the target of a “cyber criminal group”. It was reported the memo said “threats have been made by a cyber criminal group to release data on to the dark web”.
2. One-third of us think our phones are listening
According to a recent survey conducted by NordVPN, and further detailed by 9News, 37 per cent of Australian respondents felt they were seeing adverts for items mentioned on television or in conversations, with the VPN provider saying “ultrasonic cross-device tracking” is to blame. NordVPN said smart devices can pick up sounds inaudible to humans and with encoded data can develop “highly advanced and elaborate marketing” techniques that cause 42 per cent of people to feel “followed” by their smart tech.
3. Misuse of data by fertility apps
Staying on tracking for a minute and new research out of UNSW has revealed serious privacy flaws in fertility apps used by Australian consumers. Fertility apps provide a number of features. For instance, they may help users track their periods, identify a “fertile window” if they’re trying to conceive, track different stages and symptoms of pregnancy, and prepare for parenthood up until the baby’s birth. These apps collect deeply sensitive data about consumers’ sex lives, health, emotional states and menstrual cycles. And many of them are intended for use by children as young as 13. Read more via the researcher’s article on The Conversation or the full report here.
An analysis of 12 popular apps’ privacy policies reveals a number of concerns, including confusing privacy messages and unnecessarily long data retention windows.@Katharine_Kemp from @UNSW provides 6 steps you can take to reduce your privacy risks:https://t.co/6pwTTKQlf5
— The Conversation (@ConversationEDU) March 22, 2023
4. 3D-printed rocket launches, but doesn’t reach orbit
Relativity Space successfully launched a 3D-printed rocket, The Verge is reporting, but it didn’t make it to orbit. Per Engadget, Relativity Space was able to launch its methane-fueled, 3D-printed Terran R rocket after being forced to scrub a few prior attempts. However, Terran R failed to reach orbit, as the second stage engine sputtered out several minutes into the flight. Relativity called the launch “a huge win” and said, “We will assess flight data and provide public updates over the coming days.”
5. The U.S. cracks down on celebs flogging crypto
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has a message for celebrities eyeing paid deals to promote cryptocurrencies: Disclose you’re getting paid, or else. The SEC revealed that it had charged eight celebrities, including actress Lindsay Lohan, influencer Jake Paul, rappers Lil Yachty and Soulja Boy, singers Akon and Ne-Yo, and more for promoting the tronix (TRX) and bitTorrent (BTT) tokens on social media but not revealing they had been paid for doing so, which is illegal. The regulator claims the celebrities were paid by Justin Sun, the founder of the Tron blockchain, who provided them with specific text to promote the tokens and instructed them not to disclose their compensation.
BONUS ITEM: To show symbolic support for greater action on climate change and nature loss, Earth Hour wants you to switch everything off for an hour on Saturday night, starting at 8.30 pm (your time).
🌏 This #EarthHour, we’re calling on Australians to switch off and join a worldwide community taking #TimeOutForNature.
🌳 To help you take time out, @WWF_Australia and @TasWalkingCo are giving you the chance to win a dream escape! Sign up now: https://t.co/CbeOkl0oZW pic.twitter.com/6Ek4XuGDFN
— EarthHour_AU (@EarthHour_AU) March 9, 2023
Have a great weekend.