Good morning. Let’s get stuck into the tech news, shall we?
1. Data breach at an Aussie travel agency
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that passport images, travel itineraries, and travel tickets have been exposed in a data breach. Inspiring Vacations, a travel agency based in Melbourne, says it is investigating a breach that occurred in November, with 112,000 records leaked from a database without password protection. The database has now been secured, according to Jeremiah Fowler at Website Planet, the cybersecurity researcher who first discovered the breach.
2. $22 million put towards critical minerals
As reported by InnovationAus, Australia’s critical minerals industry is getting a funding boost, with $22 million being allocated to three government-led mineral research projects. The projects are led by CSIRO, Geoscience Australia, and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), with the intention of improving knowledge, tech, and IP on the extraction and processing of critical minerals. ANSTO will research discovery, extraction, and processing of rare earth elements from low-grade deposits, while CSIRO will develop IP for the production of materials including lithium, rare earths, and refractory metals. Geoscience Australia will research domestic industry opportunities for critical minerals.
3. Duolingo cuts 10% of its contractors
As reported by Bloomberg, language learning app Duolingo has cut 10 per cent of its contractor workforce, and is shifting to AI tools to make up for the loss of real people. The company claims that the contractors were “off-boarded” and said in a statement to Bloomberg “We just no longer need as many people to do the type of work some of these contractors were doing. Part of that could be attributed to AI.”
4. English and Welsh judges approved to use AI in legal opinions
AP is reporting that judges in England and Wales have been given cautious approval to use AI in writing legal opinions. “Judges do not need to shun the careful use of AI, but they must ensure that they protect confidence and take full personal responsibility for everything they produce,” said Master of the Rolls Geoffrey Vos.
5. Apple Vision Pro to launch in February, no word on Australia yet
To wrap up, as reported by The Verge, Apple’s VR headset, the Apple Vision Pro, will launch on February 2 in the U.S., with prices set to begin at $US3,500. Preorders are set to begin on January 19, however, Australian pricing or availability has not been announced just yet. We’ll obviously be keeping an eye on this, but for now, it looks like Apple is skipping some markets.
BONUS ITEM: Let him clean.
Mouse secretly filmed tidying man’s shed every night https://t.co/ZZ6GH3hPxB
— Guardian Australia (@GuardianAus) January 8, 2024
Have a nice day.