In news that may not shock anyone, the Trump regime has decided to not only continue privacy invasive border entry biometric data harvesting, but also now forcing the handing over of 5 years worth of social media history to make sure anyone entering the US won't say anything mean about him.

Today the Federal Government has released their National AI Plan, the substance of which reflects a lack of desire to regulate Big Tech’s AI systems before they harm people. They had a great opportunity to regulate Big Tech, but their AI Plan has sold us, and our data, out to the AI companies.

Scammers are going to be targeting children thanks to the social media age ban, imitating age verification tools to steal data, and dodgy 'free VPNs' being promoted to kids. Full article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-01/cyber-security-story-scam-warnings-scams/106036670

The Government has just launched a survey to garner community insights for their Digital Duty of Care. While a legislated digital duty of care is a strong argument, it carries practical risks. 1/3

Data breaches are going to be more common as more sensitive data is stored by companies. Rebecca, and any Australian, should have the right to delete their own data, especially the kind of sensitive data held by IVF companies. https://digitalrightswatch.org.au/campaigns/right-to-delete/

Last week we launched our campaign for Australia to have a Right to Delete law. Here's a handy explainer on the background behind the campaign. https://digitalrightswatch.org.au/2025/10/16/your-data-their-rules-australians-need-data-deletion-rights/

Not only is it concerning that unregulated AI use is being reported in the legal system, but also the privacy implications of feeding sensitive documents into a black box AI algorithm. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-03/legal-services-board-of-victoria-warns-lawyers-about-ai-in-court/105916628

We welcome the Albanese government ruling-out a text-and-data-mining exemption for Big Tech. By itself, this decision is insufficient. The Government needs to recognise that all Australians are creative individuals who deserve protection, not just those who make a living from artistic work.

Australians want better protections for their privacy. A 'Right to Delete' would mean we could have control over our data, protecting ourselves from the kinds of data breaches we are seeing more and more in the news. Join our campaign for a Right to Delete now: digitalrightswatch.o...

We're excited to share a piece written by our very own Chair Lizzie O'Shea. 'AI has been pitched as the great solution of the modern age - but the unfettered growth of this new technology could come at the expense of everything we hold dear.' Check it out here:

We were pleased to be invited to give evidence for the inquiry into the National Cultural Policy last week. It's crucial that human rights of individual artists to own their creative works are protected, not exploited. Video here: youtu.be/sTZCuXuOoIU...

We must be aware of the risks of a lack of human oversight over the work of generative AI. All the more reason for proper AI regulation. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/oct/06/deloitte-to-pay-money-back-to-albanese-government-after-using-ai-in-440000-report

It's almost like banning kids from the internet isn't the answer to predatory social media algorithms pushing radical views and mis / disinformation

Last week we entered a submission into the "Inquiry into the Internet Search Engine Services Online Safety Code and the under 16 social media ban"

Our fun and interactive panel event will canvas the big questions and try to come up with a few answers before this juggernaut goes out of control. Come along to meet and mingle with people who care.

Our jobs. Our culture. Our democracy. All up for grabs by emerging ‘AI’ technology. Our fun and interactive panel event will canvass the big questions and try to come up with a few answers. Come along to meet and mingle with people who care. Adelaide, you're first up! unisa.edu.au/connect...

Our jobs. Our culture. Our democracy. All up for grabs by emerging 'AI' technology. Our fun and interactive panel event will canvass the big questions and try to come up with a few answers. First stop is Adelaide. Grab your free ticket here: unisa.edu.au/connect...

Rather than ineffective and anti-privacy measures which will still leave vulnerable people exposed to harm, we need to adopt methods of ensuring child safety online that start with dismantling predatory social media algorithms.

Age-verification is an invasion of privacy. The technologies behind it are gender- and racially-biased and least effective where it most matters - for those ages close to 16. It needs to be abandoned for methods which respect privacy and effectively protect children online. www.theguardian.com/...

What is “Sovereign AI”? It is a term often invoked but rarely defined. A National AI Plan is due by the end of 2025 and the Tech Policy Design Institute is holding consultations nationally from 18-26 September to hear from civil society about this. Join in here: share.hsforms.com/1X...

Yesterday the Government released the national climate risk assessment report. Have you seen any mis or disinformation in comment sections? It could well be bots!

Today is the final day to make a submission to the Productivity Commission’s inquiry into AI and Data. Use our quick submission generator to tell decision-makers how AI should (and shouldn’t) shape Australia’s future. Make sure your voice is counted. digitalrightswatch.o...

Copyright and AI have been all over the dial recently. We're going to talk with some smart people about the AI threats to creative Australians. Join us for this zesty online briefing on the 12th August. We'll discuss: 1/4

Noticed the growing use of AI in job interviews? Looks like outsourcing this work to Clippy is not only deeply disrespectful to applicants, but littered with discrimination (surprise!) www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Now the election is done, the government now faces the prospect of trying to get the social media ban done in 7 months or so. Google may offer Wallet as a solution but it doesn't really work for teens using ID. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

🚫📱 Banning social media for under-16s in NZ isn't the solution! In this article I suggest 10 reasons why it shouldn't happen theconversation.com/10-reasons-w...

Despite misleading marketing, Israeli company TeleMessage, used by Trump officials, can access plaintext chat logs. My findings are based on TM SGNL's source code, and they are corroborated by hacked data micahflee.com/despite-misl...

eSafety have opened expressions of interest for their consultation on social media age restrictions, incl "implementation of the age restrictions, including the guidelines that certain social media platforms will have to follow when the new law comes into effect." www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/ind...

Another problem with rushing half-baked legislation through parliament is other countries may be encouraged to follow suit

CADA's 'Workdays with Thy' is voiced using speech synthesis tech from ElevenLabs, trained on the likeness of a real ARN employee: www.mediaweek.com.au/backlash-ove...

See you tonight!

According to Minister Husic, AI regulation will be prioritised by the federal government in the next term: "We clearly weren’t able to get this done this term, but it’ll be stuff that has to be considered and prioritised in the next." www.innovationaus.com/husic-says-a...

"I am worried about the unification of the tech industry with an authoritarian regime that creates a future where technology is used to control people, rather than give them autonomy." Lizzie had a chat with Vogue about technology, AI and the rise of digital twins www.vogue.com.au/fashion/news...

Supporters in Naarm: come join us for a screening of 2073—the latest documentary from acclaimed director Asif Kapadia (AMY, SENNA)—at Cinema Nova in Carlton on 22 April, followed by a Q&A with our chair, Lizzie O'Shea. Tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/e/asif-kapad...

What would the internet be like if it was designed by and for children? Today is the last day of voting for SXSW Sydney's conference track, and we'd love your support to host this conversation alongside OAIC's @katebower.bsky.social: publicvoting.sxswsydney.com/profile/ca36...

@drwaus.bsky.social has called for the removal of the political party exemption from the Privacy Act for years. Here's one example from 2022 in which @grugstan.bsky.social and I lay out concerns about mis/disinformation, voter manipulation, public trust, cyber security, democracy and more!

Supporters in Naarm: come join us for a screening of 2073—the latest documentary from acclaimed director Asif Kapadia (AMY, SENNA)—at Cinema Nova in Carlton on 22 April, followed by a Q&A with our chair, Lizzie O'Shea. Tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/e/asif-kapad...

Are you in Auckland this Thursday? I’ll be speaking about the need to decouple from US tech, especially in light of the alliance between Silicon Valley and Donald Trump. Sign up to join us: digitalsovereignty.lilregie.com

Interesting development in Arkansas: age verification law “would violate the First Amendment rights of Arkansans” because it is a “content-based restriction on speech that is not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling government interest.”

Signal is still the best messaging platform we have for encrypted communications, but no amount of sophisticated technology will compensate for bad security culture. ActionSkills has a great guide on security culture for working in groups actionskills.au/resource/sec...

The normalisation of surveillance in public spaces is deeply concerning, and the use of Meta RayBan AI glasses to covertly record and harass women is horrific — and a completely unsurprising use of the technology www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03...

new @wired.com guide, especially as crossing into the US gets more dangerous for your digital privacy. steps you can take to minimize the risk of Customs and Border Patrol accessing your data.

What does the fight for digital rights look like in the age of AI? We have some thoughts: digitalrightswatch.org.au/2025/03/12/t...

How does AI impact #NDIS? #ABF are "predicting risks in visa program[s]" & #ATO detecting fraud with it, but @drwaus.bsky.social, @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social & others said a new AI Transparency regime has revealed little about inputs, use cases & risks. ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

A review into the use of covert electronic surveillance powers granted under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act show these powers are being used without proper justifications or record keeping. www.innovationaus.com/sloppy-cops-...

What does the fight for digital rights look like in the age of AI? We have some thoughts: digitalrightswatch.org.au/2025/03/12/t...

AI transparency standards need to address the data inputs and not just outputs. Comments from our Chair, Lizzie O'Shea: "Such models are fundamentally built upon mass invasion of privacy and any policy intervention must reckon with this." ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

The NLA's suspension of my #trove API access has been picked up in this news story from the Australian Computing Society: https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2025/national-library-cracks-down-on-public-data-access.html #glam #OpenData