Last modified on December 7th, 2021 at 12:59 am

AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE GRANTED NEW SURVEILLANCE POWERS TO COMBAT CYBERCRIME

The newly passed Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identity and Disrupt) Bill 2020 (Cth) has provided the Australian Federal Police (AFP) with new powers to infiltrate and disrupt online crime.  The Bill establishes three principal powers that will “bolster authorities’ ability to keep up with evolving technologies to protect Australians.” These three powers are categorised as warrants …

Last modified on December 7th, 2021 at 12:59 am

RECENT CHANGES TO ELECTRONIC AND SPLIT EXECUTION OF DOCUMENTS UNDER S.127 OF CORPORATIONS ACT.

With the passing of the Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No.1) Act 2021 (Amending Act) on 10 August 2021, electronic execution and/or utilising split execution (in which the two officers sign different copies of the same document) documents by Australian companies under section 127 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) are once again expressly permitted. …

Last modified on December 7th, 2021 at 12:58 am

ACCC HOMES IN ON THE DOMINANCE OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Chair Rod Sims recently gave a speech detailing the dominance of digital platforms online.  Our modern economy is built upon technology, with one or two major digital platforms influencing and shaping the behaviour and desires of consumers. According to Rod Sims, this makes it increasingly difficult to regulate …

Last modified on December 7th, 2021 at 12:57 am

ARNOTTS TECHNOLOGY LAWYERS PROMOTES JONATHAN BERAN TO PARTNER

We are delighted to announce the promotion of Jonathan Beran to the position of Partner at Arnotts Technology Lawyers. Jonathan is an experienced Senior Lawyer and ex-General Counsel with more than 15 years of legal experience in corporate/commercial, disputes and regulatory matters with significant international experience. With Jonathan’s assistance the firm continues to focus on …

Last modified on December 7th, 2021 at 12:57 am

ACCC TAKES ON MAJOR NBN PROVIDERS OVER MISLEADING INTERNET SPEEDS

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is taking legal action against Telstra, Optus and TPG in the Federal Court of Australia for making false and/or misleading representations over advertised NBN plan speeds. The ACCC claims that hundreds of thousands of consumers were misled about the maximum speeds they could receive for Fibre to the …

Last modified on December 7th, 2021 at 12:56 am

UBER FOUND TO HAVE BREACHED AUSTRALIAN PRIVACY LAW

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has revealed that the ride-sharing and delivery app Uber has breached Australian privacy laws. In a detailed investigation, Uber was held to have interfered with the privacy of approximately 1.2 million Australians and failed to take reasonable steps to implement practices, procedures and systems relating to Uber’s functions …

Last modified on December 7th, 2021 at 12:56 am

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA RECOGNISES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INVENTORS UNDER PATENT LAW

In a landmark ruling, Justice Beach of the Federal Court of Australia has held that artificial intelligence (AI) is capable of being named as an inventor of a patent. This innovative case has been brewing for quite some time, starting with the developments of Dr Stephen Thaler and his program known as the Device for …

Last modified on December 7th, 2021 at 12:55 am

AUSTRALIA’S DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS SEEKS PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON CYBERSECURITY

The Australian Government recently opened the floor to public involvement as to the manner of strengthening the cybersecurity of Australia’s digital economy. Interested stakeholders are encouraged to prepare submissions to the Strengthening Australia’s Cyber Security Regulations and Incentives discussion paper. This discussion paper ties into Australia’s 2020 Cyber Security Strategy to deal with issues of …

Last modified on December 7th, 2021 at 12:54 am

AUSTRALIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION RELEASES FINAL REPORT ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION

The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) recently expressed its opinion on artificial intelligence (AI) decision-making. Consequently, the AHRC has now published its final report detailing AI regulation. The report followed a three-year investigation into technological growth and AI adoption in Australia. In its report, the AHRC dissected the benefits and risks of AI informed decision-making …

Last modified on December 7th, 2021 at 12:54 am

NEW REPORT SEEKS TO IMPROVE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR CHILDREN

Reset Australia has recently released its “Did we really consent to this? Terms & Conditions” report to detail how convoluted terms and conditions have become. In a world ruled by digital platforms and mobile devices, terms and conditions pop up every time you log in or download a new app/game. These terms and conditions are …