 |
This week
IN THE NEWS: Small Business’ Experience of Cybersecurity Survey, Consumer Data Right Telco Sector Designation, and more.
|
 |
|
Are you a small business owner with website-building experience? You are invited to take part in ACCAN’s Small Business’ Experience of Cybersecurity survey, which investigates cybersecurity practices of small businesses. This survey will help us to determine preferred methods of content delivery for an upcoming consumer education initiative targeting Australian small businesses. This project is funded by auDA Foundation, the administrator of Australia’s top-level domain. Click here to take part in the survey [ACCAN].
|
|
|
|
ACCAN has made a submission to the Department of the Treasury’s Exposure Draft Designation for the Telco Sector CDR. As previously submitted, ACCAN supports the inclusion of the Telco sector in the Government’s CDR regime. We were pleased to note that many of our previously recommended data sets were included in the designation. However, we believe that the CDR will provide greater consumer benefit when additional data sets related to broadband speed and reliability are able to be included in the regime [ACCAN].
|
|
ACCAN recently made a submission to the Attorney-General’s second round consultation on Australia’s Privacy Act (1988). The discussion paper made a number of proposals developed in consideration of the feedback to the first round of consultation in late 2020. ACCAN had made a comprehensive submission to this first round, and we were pleased to see that many of the proposals put forward in the second round positively reflected our positions [ACCAN].
|
|
Prolonged phone and internet outages are causing “enormous anxiety and stress” in flood-affected communities in northern New South Wales, residents say. Despite post-disaster reviews by emergency services and investments made by federal and state government agencies to strengthen the network, Ballina MP Tamara Smith said more needed to be done [ABC].
|
|
Telstra has partnered with a Starlink-like satellite internet service, opening the way for direct competition with Elon Musk's company. At a conference in Barcelona, Telstra chief executive officer Andrew Penn announced a memorandum of understanding with UK-based OneWeb to bring a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet service to Australia. It's the first time one of the established telcos has opted for LEOs, and could lead to faster internet at lower prices for rural and regional areas that cannot access the fixed-line network [ABC].
|
|
Apple has added 5G connectivity to its low-cost iPhone SE and iPad Air and introduced a high-performance chip for its new Mac Studio, a desktop aimed at creative professionals [iTNews].
|
|
Facebook announced Wednesday that it is rolling out new anti-misinformation features aimed at reducing the amplification of potentially harmful content spreading within Facebook groups [Gizmodo].
|
|
The Australian government has awarded Telstra, Optus and TPG a cool $10.9 million in order to upgrade mobile networks in bushfire and disaster-prone regions. The Mobile Network Hardening Program will fund 220 new generators, 47 battery capacity upgrades, 212 battery extension devices, and will make upgrades at 320 base stations, and 40 sites prone to bushfire damage [Channel News].
|
|
Twitter has promised “aggressive” action against accounts of misrepresenting their political affiliation ahead of the May federal election, part of the social media giant’s global efforts to stop toxic misinformation online [AFR].
|
|
|
|
|
WebNews #553
Unsubscribe
from this mailing
click here
|
|
Tel: (02) 9288 4000
Email: media@accan.org.au
Web: accan.org.au
Twitter: @accan_au
Facebook.com/accanau
LinkedIn: accan.org.au/LinkedIn
|
| |
|
Although we take care to direct subscribers to sites with accurate and reliable content, we advise that ACCAN is not responsible for the content within external sites and has no control over the views, services or information contained therein. Information contained on external sites may not necessarily reflect ACCAN's policy, standards or beliefs.
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.
|
|
|
