The Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Act 2022 (Cth) (SLACIP Act) came into effect on 2 April 2022 to amend the Security of Critical infrastructure Act 2018 (Cth). The SLACIP Act is focused on strengthening security measures in Australia, particularly in terms of technological and data safety in critical infrastructure assets. Critical infrastructure refers …
The Full Federal Court of Australia has overruled the decision that permitted artificial intelligence (AI) as being the inventor of a patent. In July 2021, it was held in Stephen Thaler v Comptroller General of Patents Trade Marks and Designs that AI is capable of being named as an inventor of a patent. This was …
The Australian Academy of Science and the University of Western Australia’s Minderoo Tech & Policy Lab has released a discussion paper on sensitive data collected from professional Australian athletes. The discussion paper is focused on professional athletes and the data collected and used by commercial parties over the last decade. Data collected about athletes is …
To cement Australia’s digital economy, the Australian Government has released an update to its Digital Economy Strategy for 2022. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Australian Government has invested more than $3.5B in digital initiatives and has shown no sign of slowing down. The Digital Economy Strategy 2022 update has extended the 2021-22 federal budget …
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released a report to the government on the adequacy of digital platforms’ disinformation and news quality. As part of the Digital Platforms Inquiry, the Australian government is preparing a voluntary code of practice to address disinformation and misinformation online. This code was launched on 22 February 2021 …
The European Union (EU) published a report by the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON) on the upcoming Markets in Crypto-assets Regulation Bill (MiCA Bill). The MiCA Bill was initially announced in 2020 to expand cryptocurrency use to businesses throughout the EU. The MiCA Bill covers a variety of crypto-related topics with mixed reception from …
The Australian Parliament recently amended national security legislation via the National Security Legislation Amendment (Comprehensive Review and Other Measures No.1) Bill to enhance Australia’s security capabilities. The Bill is coming off the back of the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the REDSPICE initiative. REDSPICE is a defensive program that stands for resilience, effects, defence, space, intelligence, cyber, …
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has published an Information Sheet (INFO 269) warning social media influencers of their potential breach of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). INFO 269 is targeted at online personalities who promote or sell financial products and services to their audience. ASIC has been investigating these “finfluencers” since mid-2021 due …
The ANZ Bank has minted the first-ever stablecoin that is pegged to the Australian dollar. This move by the bank is off the back of Australia’s push to legitimise the use of cryptocurrency in real transactions. Senator Andrew Bragg recently announced a new legislative proposal by way of the Digital Services Act. This piece of …
The Corporations Amendment (Meetings and Documents) Act 2022 (Cth) (Act) has received royal assent to make virtual meetings and e-signatures permanent for Australian corporations. The Act was initially introduced as a temporary measure in response to COVID-19 in 2020 to enable businesses to continue operating without physically interacting. This worked as an immediate band-aid solution …