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This week
IN THE NEWS: Communications Consumer Congress comes to a close, extra generative AI safeguards introduced & a complete guide to accessible documents, presentations and meetings
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Thank you to all our delegates and speakers for making the 2023 Communications Consumer Congress a huge success! We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the event, and the ACCAN team has collected great suggestions that will inform our work going forward. Day two recordings and transcripts will be available on our website shortly. [ACCAN]
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eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has approved a search engine industry code aimed at limiting potential harms of generative AI technologies. Concerns that illegal material (such as images depicting child sexual abuse) may be created or synthesised by generative AI built into search engines will be alleviated by protective requirements applied to major search providers including Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo and Yahoo. [ItNews]
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Telstra has announced an ‘alliance’ with American cyber security company Palo Alto to offer Australian enterprise customers with advanced security and protection solutions. The two companies will lure large businesses and government clients through the new offering. [ARN]
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This resource provides a series of guidelines on how to make Word and PDF documents accessible and outlines a checklist to create accessible publications and presentations. It also lists the accessibility features of different online meeting platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, and identifies key physical, visual and audio requirements for accessible physical meeting spaces. [ACCAN]
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Netcracker has released a suite of products that harness generative AI technology for telcos. The use and mis-use of consumer data is a key concern for ACCAN. It remains to be seen whether Australian telcos will take up the Netcracker offerings, or if generative AI technologies will be developed in-house or purchased from other vendors. Either way, transparency in how businesses interface consumer information with generative AI technology, and the security of customer data is of paramount importance. [BusyContinent]
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Research by price comparison website Finder has demonstrated that only 46% of Australian consumers have 5G connectivity on their mobile phones. The survey also found that only 8% of Australians are unsure of what 5G entails, suggesting significant awareness about the technology. Users still on the 3G network face a looming disconnection date in the near future, with consumers urged to upgrade their devices to 4G compatible handsets before their telco discontinues services. [Listnr]
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In a deal reported to expand Telstra’s IT services products, Australia’s largest telco has confirmed it has bid to purchase Versent, a Melbourne-based tech, computer, and cloud consultancy firm. Speculative suggestions have priced the deal at A$400 million which, if remotely accurate, would make this one of Telstra’s largest purchases in recent years. [ARN]
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NBN Co has flagged changes to its field service practices, after which customers can expect lower waiting times for upgrades and fewer visits from technicians to complete requested fibre upgrades. Benefits are expected to be felt over the course of FY24. [ITNews]
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In international news with potentially significant ramifications for internet users, Google is facing court action by the US Justice Department, accused by smaller search engine competitor DuckDuckGo of suppressing search results for the alternate platform. It is also claimed that Google has made it frustratingly complex to set other search engines as default browsers on Google devices and applications. [The Guardian]
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Dymocks has informed consumers that their information may have been “compromised”, with the passwords, addresses, phone numbers and birthdays of some users leaked on the dark web. Their announcement came on the same day as Australian telcos met with government cybersecurity agencies in Melbourne to discuss and wargame their response to cyber incidents, highlighting the importance of nationwide cyber preparedness across all sectors. Up-to-date information for Dymocks customers can be found on their website. [ABC]
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If you are Deaf, or have a hearing impairment or speech impairment, you can contact us on 02 9288 4000 through your preferred National Relay Service call number or access point.
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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 information contained in or attached to this message is intended only for the people it is addressed to. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of this information is unauthorised and prohibited. This information may be confidential or subject to legal privilege. If you receive this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the e-mail and any attachments. The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network does not warrant that the information in this e-mail or any attachments are free from any viruses, defects, errors, interception or interference.
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network's representation of residential and other consumers' interests in relation to telecommunications issues is supported by the Commonwealth through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.
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