Regional communications review begins

The latest review into telecommunications in regional Australia will be “one of the most important in recent time”, according to the Rural Regional and Remote Communications Coalition. [The Weekly Times]

Budget 2018 'must reform' mobile blackspots program: Labor

Australia's Labor party is calling for a "fresh approach" to the mobile blackspots program, saying the federal government must use its Budget next week to take a step away from using the program to "meet political priorities rather than community needs". [ZDnet]

Australians with hearing impairments call on government to fund (NRS) interpreting service

Australians with hearing impairments are calling on their local politicians for more funding for a vital interpreting service, to ensure they can communicate visually via video with interpreters. [ABC RN]

Facial recognition proposal creates infrastructure for ‘mass surveillance’

The Australian Human Rights Commission has warned that bills to create a national facial recognition service will have an “unprecedented” impact on Australians’ privacy. [computerworld.com.au]

Twitter says bug led to passwords stored in plaintext

Twitter has advised its 330+ million users to change their passwords, following the discovery of a bug that stored passwords in plaintext. [iTWire]

Using your mobile while driving: here’s how you’ll be

It's a candid camera moment, but you won’t be smiling. New laws coming into effect on July 1 will allow cameras to catch people using their mobile phones while driving. [news.com.au]
 

Vodafone launches unlimited mobile data plans just before Telstra's 4G network fell over

Hot on the heels of Telstra launching its own unlimited data plans, and before Telstra's 4G network outage, Vodafone announced "Australia’s first widely available mobile plans with unlimited data". [iTWire]

Google Australia posts AU$125m profit as it continues to fight ATO on tax matters

Google Australia has made its financial results to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) available, reporting AU$125 million in after-tax profit for 2017; up from the AU$104 million posted a year prior. [ZDnet]
 

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