The Department of Home Affairs has prepared a discussion paper outlining the plan to modernise and streamline Australia’s electronic surveillance legislative framework by 2023. The discussion paper addresses the need to consolidate existing legislation into a new system. Currently, electronic surveillance legislation includes the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (Cth), Surveillance Devices Act 2004 …
The Federal Court of Australia has ruled against Aristocrat for the patent of an electronic gambling machine (EGM). The Court reversed the decision of the primary judge against Aristocrat to clarify the eligibility for patents. The Federal Court noted that patent eligibility does not occur via a two-stage enquiry as previously held by the primary …
The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCA) has commenced a new program to broaden accessibility to technology to regional areas in Tasmania. This pilot program is designed to reduce the stress and costs associated with court proceedings, which are generally located in major Tasmanian cities. Electronic hearings have several socio-economic and environmental benefits, …
Australia and the United States have signed the Clarifying Lawful Use of Data (Cloud) Act to enable Australian and US law enforcement agencies and social media companies to easily share data. This Act was passed in response to the increase in online crime. Both Australia and the US now have the ability to demand data …
New technology will now enable the Australian Federal Police to build criminal profiles with DNA obtained from crime scenes. The Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS) tool will allow forensic police to predict the gender, eye colour, hair colour, and biogeographical ancestry of criminals. This futuristic technology is set to revolutionise crime scene investigations. The purpose of …
Australian computer scientist, Craig Wright, has gotten one step closer to confirming his identity as the founder of Bitcoin. The creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, has remained anonymous since Bitcoin’s first appearance in 2009. Many have come forward to claim the title of creator and one such individual is Australian computer scientist, Craig Wright. Wright …
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently decided to not oppose Meta’s proposed acquisition of Kustomer. Meta, previously known as Facebook, has shifted its brand to establish a new age digital world. Meta primarily generates revenue from advertising and related services on its digital platforms of Facebook and Instagram. Comparatively, Kustomer is a small …
To support users of online content platforms, the Australian Government has proposed a new Social Media Anti-Trolling Bill. This Bill was brought about following the High Court’s ruling that online media companies are to be liable for defamatory comments made on their social media posts. With this in mind, this new Bill may seem to …
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has taken the fight against market manipulation to the front lines by infiltrating an unlawful pump and dump investing group. In the age of millennial investing, many individuals have banded together to create secret groups to artificially inflate the prices of different stocks and cryptocurrencies. This has made …
International convenience store chain, 7-Eleven, has come under fire from the Privacy Commissioner for unlawfully collecting biometric data from Australian patrons. Much like most businesses that operate these days, 7-Eleven utilises CCTV security to monitor its 700 locations in Australia, however, in June last year the company also introduced survey tablets. These tablets came with …
