Encryption bill passes, dangers of 'smart' gifts this Christmas
Weekly webnews
In the news this week, Australia's eSafety commissioner warns parents about potential dangers of "smart toys" ahead of Christmas, the Federal Government passes controversial encryption laws and more.
Australia’s eSafety commissioner is warning parents to be vigilant about introducing “smart toys” into the family home this Christmas. [The New Daily/AAP]
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has urged the federal government to adopt the recommendations in the latest Regional Telecommunications Review. [Technology Decisions]
Security agencies will gain greater access to encrypted messages after a Labor backdown allowed the Federal Government to pass its legislation on Parliament's final sitting day.[ABC]
Telstra has unveiled a prototype 5G smartphone that is the size of a regular smartphone, which it is testing on its live 5G commercial production network, as well as on an HTC 5G smart hub powered by Qualcomm technology.[ZDNet]
Unsolicited scam telephone calls still plague Australia, with a new report just released by the Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) revealing that six in 10 Australians are more concerned with scam calls now compared to five years ago. [itWire]
Instagram is making it easier for people with visual impairments to experience its site. Today it started rolling out a new automatic alternative text feature which will create descriptions of photos uploaded to the social networks using object recognition technology. [Lifehacker]
The Australian National Broadband Network (NBN) company has begun deploying G.fast technology enabling gigabit speeds across its fibre-to-the-curb (FttC) network, although it has yet to switch on the capability. [ZDNet]
waNBN connections are becoming available in more and more places as the network rolls out. Switching over to the NBN can be complicated; thankfully Lifehacker has created a quick checklist of what you need to make sure you do before you take the leap. [Lifehacker]
Activ8me has become latest broadband provider to be hauled into court by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) accused of making inflated and misleading claims for its internet services.[itnews]
Optus is set to close Vividwireless, one of Australia’s earliest wireless internet operators, in April 2019. [itnews]
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The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network's representation of residential and other consumers' interests in relation to telecommunications issues is made possible by funding provided by the Commonwealth of Australia under section 593 of the Telecommunications Act 1997. This funding is recovered from charges on telecommunications carriers.
WebNews #460
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