Michelle Rowland Archives - InnovationAus.com

‘Premature’ 3G shutdown risks public safety, inquiry warns

Justin Hendry — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 09:18:38 +0000

Australia’s 3G network shutdown should not go ahead as planned later this month, with a Senate committee warning the dangers it poses to public safety are “too great to ignore”. The committee has called on Communications minister Michelle Rowland to “urgently” meet with Telstra and Optus to postpone the shutdown, which is slated to take...

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Govt sets up sweeping social media probe

Joseph Brookes — Fri, 10 May 2024 02:01:14 +0000

The Albanese government will establish a new joint committee to examine growing issues with social media like online scams, illicit content, black box algorithms and Meta’s decision to “abandon” news content deals with publishers. These and other issues will be examined by a Joint Parliamentary Select Committee into the influence and impacts of social media...

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Online age verification pilot gets green light

Justin Hendry — Wed, 01 May 2024 05:44:42 +0000

A trial of age assurance technology will be conducted in Australia to shield children from online pornography and other adult content in response to the sharp rise in the number of women killed by a current or former partner. The federal government will also introduce new legislation to ban the creation and distribution of non-consensual...

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Optus outage review: Telcos to face new Triple Zero rules

Justin Hendry — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 12:30:47 +0000

Telcos will face a suite of new obligations to ensure emergency calls are carried by other networks in the event of an outage and share real-time network data with a new co-ordination body under the biggest overhaul of Australia’s Triple Zero system in a decade. A post-incident review of the nationwide Optus outage that left...

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Online disruption power could hit Musk where it hurts

Joseph Brookes — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 07:20:45 +0000

An independent review of Australia’s online safety laws has flagged a new way to disrupt the revenue of social media companies like X as part of changes that would hand more powers and a wider scope to the regulator. One potential change to the Online Safety Act would allow the eSafety Commissioner to force private...

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LEOSats could bridge First Nations digital divide

Brandon How — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 07:58:38 +0000

Low Earth orbit satellite technology should be trialled as a connectivity solution to address the digital divide experienced by regional First Nations communities, according to a government working group. The 2023 chair’s report for the Low Earth Orbit Satellite (LEOSat) Working Group, released on Wednesday, highlights six focus areas for telecommunications priorities and regulatory reform....

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3G shutdown in spotlight after minister intervenes

Justin Hendry — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 03:53:06 +0000

Communications minister Michelle Rowland took the unprecedented step this week of intervening in the upcoming shutdown of Telstra and Optus’ 3G networks to ensure that more is done to notify customers that they may be affected. The minister’s intervention appears to have occurred as a response to the growing concern among the community that the...

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Meta abandons Australian news publishers

Joseph Brookes — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 02:45:09 +0000

Facebook owner Meta will not renew its deals with Australian news publishers, cutting off hundreds of millions of dollars from the industry and daring the government to enforce its media bargaining code. The Albanese government said Meta’s decision was a “dereliction of its commitment” to Australian news media and that it is seeking advice on...

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Aust-UK deepen online safety cooperation with new pact

Brandon How — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 05:50:24 +0000

Australia and United Kingdom have committed to bilateral cooperation on improving digital online safety and security issues under a new intergovernmental agreement. The Memorandum of Understanding includes references to illegal content, child safety, age assurance, technology facilitated gender-based violence, and addressing harms caused by rapidly changing technologies like generative AI. Under the agreement, signed on...

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Review to examine new penalties, cost recovery for online safety

Justin Hendry — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 05:10:26 +0000

A review of Australia’s online safety laws will consider greater enforcement powers for the eSafety Commissioner and new penalties for social media giants to address the growing number of internet harms, such as deepfakes and pile-on attacks. The review will also explore whether a cost recovery model could be used to fund regulatory activities, much...

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