TGIF. We’re a little late with our news briefing this morning, so let’s just dive straight in.
1. Telcos breached for allowing SMS scams
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has taken action against three telcos (Sinch Australia Pty Ltd, Infobip Information Technology Pty Ltd, and Phone Card Selector Pty Ltd) after compliance failures were used by scammers to send SMS road toll, Medicare, and Australia Post impersonation scams to consumers. ACMA said its investigations found the three telcos allowed SMS to be sent using text-based sender IDs without sufficient checks to ensure they were being used legitimately. Infobip allowed 103,146 non-compliant SMS to be sent, Sinch allowed 14,291, and while Phone Card was also found to have inadequate systems in place to comply with the rules, there is no evidence that scammers exploited the opportunities it created.
2. Elon Musk quits as Twitter CEO
Another day, another Musk news item but this time it’s a big one. The man himself is apparently in the mood to follow-up on promises this week. After months of silence on the topic, the world’s second richest man has announced he’s selected a successor to take over the role of Twitter CEO. “Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter,” Musk wrote in a tweet (of course). “She will be starting in ~6 weeks. My role will transition to being exec chair & CTO, overseeing product, software, & sysops,” the billionaire added.
Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks!
My role will transition to being exec chair & CTO, overseeing product, software & sysops.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2023
3. NBN to use data and analytics to reduce energy consumption
Over to iTnews and the publication is reporting that NBN is using an analytics platform, working with an unnamed third-party, to help it identify opportunities to reduce energy use and the size of its bills. An NBN Co spokesperson toldiTnewsthat “a third party will utilise the software to help NBN Co to identify areas where it can reduce energy use, make the company more energy efficient, and lower power bills.” Super cool use of data.
4. $2.8 billion battery package for WA
InnovationAus is reporting that the government of Western Australia has proposed a $2.8 billion package for energy storage, wind power generation, and transmission network upgrades along the state’s main electricity grid. The multibillion-dollar promise was made in the state’s 2023-24 Budget. The funding includes $2.3 billion specifically for battery storage systems along the South-West Interconnected System and $368 million to support up to 210MW of renewable energy projects.
5. New Dyson hair tool
This last one is for the hairtech nerds. Dyson has unveiled its latest innovation in hair care – the Dyson Airstrait straightener. The tool is designed to straighten your hair, from wet to dry, using air, not hot plates, leaving no heat damage. Per Dyson, it works by “containing sections of hair between the two arms of the tongs from which a precisely angled high-pressure blade of air is forced downwards and into the hair, both simultaneously drying and straight styling!”.
BONUS ITEM: This one’s for our gamer friends out there. Also, here’s what our pals at Kotaku Australia had to say.
Today’s itinerary. #riseandgrind #Zelda #TearsOfTheKingdom pic.twitter.com/xGs8lTIB7L
— EB Games Australia (@EBGamesAus) May 10, 2023
Have a wonderful weekend, and a Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums out there.