This week Jordan is joined by fellow Victorian elevenM-er and OVIC alumnus Piotr Debowski to explore some of the challenges, trends and quirks of privacy complaints in Victoria and to introduce a new, free, elevenM resource: The Victorian Privacy Case Notes Database. Piotr led the development of the database, which provides case notes and commentary on Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Victorian Supreme Court decisions involving the interpretation and application of the Information Privacy Principles (IPPs) from the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic).We hope the database will be a useful resource for Victorian privacy officers or anyone with an interest in Victorian privacy case law. Feedback very welcome via https://elevenm.com.au/contact/.Links:elevenM's Victorian Privacy Case Notes Database - https://viccasenotes.elevenm.com.au/Our case note on Gao v Victoria Legal Aid [2012] VCAT 5223 - https://viccasenotes.elevenm.com.au/case-note/gao-v-victoria-legal-aid-2012-vcat-5223/ OAIC determination in 'WP' and Secretary to the Department of Home Affairs (with guidance on quantum of compensation) - https://www.oaic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/3077/wp-and-secretary-to-the-department-of-home-affairs-privacy-2021-aicmr-2-11-january-2021.pdf Credits:Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) eastcoaststudio.com.auMusic by bensound.com

This week we explore the how the Australian privacy regulator is transforming itself in an attempt to have a stronger impact - in the face ongoing funding pressures and a reform agenda that hasn't quite met the expectations of privacy advocates.A year into the tenure of Carly Kind as Australian Privacy Commissioner, we are seeing a more public and vocal regulator, a series of targeted enforcement actions and the issuing of more frequent communications and guidance.It's all part of a self-described transformation by the OAIC into a "more proactive, harms-focused regulator". Links:Our episode with Commissioner Carly Kind https://elevenm.com.au/podcast/episode/107-power-up-your-privacy-with-privacy-commissioner-carly-kind/Oct 2024 Interview with Carly Kind (Mi-3) https://www.mi-3.com.au/09-10-2024/enforcement-mode-privacy-commissioner-carly-kind-takes-aim-widespread-pixel-dataArticle about OAIC staff cuts (InnovationAus) https://www.innovationaus.com/privacy-watchdog-axes-30pc-of-staff/OAIC Corporate Report 2024-25 https://www.oaic.gov.au/about-the-OAIC/our-corporate-information/corporate-plans/corporate-plan-2024-25OAIC restructure report released under FOI https://www.oaic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/245559/FOIREQ24-00563-Document-for-release.pdfOAIC settlement with Meta https://www.oaic.gov.au/news/media-centre/landmark-settlement-of-$50m-from-meta-for-australian-users-impacted-by-cambridge-analytica-incidentOAIC enforceable undertaking with Oxfam https://www.oaic.gov.au/news/media-centre/oaic-accepts-oxfam-australia-enforceable-undertaking Credits:Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) www.eastcoaststudio.com.auMusic by Bensound.com

This week we analyse what appears to be a global shift in sentiment away from AI safety.Our discussion is triggered by the AI Action Summit in Paris, where world leaders overtly sought to minimise focus on AI risks and regulation in favour of an acceleration agenda.Links:AI Action Summit (Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_Action_SummitReport on AI Action Summit (Politico) https://www.politico.eu/article/ai-action-summit-france-paris-macron-vance-modi-artificial-intelligence-technology/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=emailAlondra Nelson speech https://www.techpolicy.press/three-fallacies-alondra-nelsons-remarks-at-elyse-palace-on-the-occasion-of-the-ai-action-summit/Tim Hwang on X https://x.com/timhwang/status/1889646392995377534 Credits:Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) www.eastcoaststudio.com.auMusic by Bensound.com

This week we dive into the hype and fear around DeepSeek, the Chinese AI start-up taking the tech world by storm.We break down the apparent concerns driving the collective freakout over the app, which include bans by various national governments.We also explore the broader takeaways for Australia's AI capability and ecosystem and the responsible AI movement. Links:DeepSeek FAQ (Stratechery)https://stratechery.com/2025/deepseek-faq/Article about DeepSeek market impact (ABC News)https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-02/deepseek-nvidia-financial-markets-frenzy-ai-race/104866302Matt Levine on the links between hedge funds and LLMs (Bloomberg - paywall)https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-01-27/hedge-fund-ai-is-cheap-aiArticle about DeepSeek being banned from Australian government devices (Guardian)https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/feb/04/deepseek-banned-from-australian-government-devices-over-national-security-concernsArticle about DeepSeek censorship (Guardian)https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/28/we-tried-out-deepseek-it-works-well-until-we-asked-it-about-tiananmen-square-and-taiwanArticle explaining how DeepSeek censorship works at a technical level (WIRED)https://www.wired.com/story/deepseek-censorship/Casey Newton analysis (Platformer)https://www.platformer.news/deepseek-ai-explainer-china-worries/Article reporting potential shift in Australia's focus on AI safety (InnovationAus - paywall)https://www.innovationaus.com/not-just-the-guardrails-chalmers-shifts-govt-focus-on-ai/Article on Australia's unique AI opportunity (InnovationAus - paywall)https://www.innovationaus.com/deepseek-unearths-australias-ai-opportunity/ Credits:Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) www.eastcoaststudio.com.auMusic by Bensound.com

We're back in 2025. In this episode we break down Meta's decision to cease factchecking and permit dehumanising speech on its platforms. We explore the likely motivations and impacts of these changes, and the broader takeaways for Australia. Links: Article about Meta's factchecking changes (Reuters) https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-ends-third-party-fact-checking-program-adopts-x-like-community-notes-model-2025-01-07/ Analysis of factchecking changes (Platformer) https://www.platformer.news/meta-trump-pivot-messenger-themes-labor-zuckerberg-wishlist/ Detail on Meta's change to dehumanising speech (Platformer) https://www.platformer.news/meta-new-trans-guidelines-hate-speech/?ref=platformer-newsletter Oped on factchecking changes (NYT) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/opinion/meta-fact-checking-policy.html Article on response to factchecking changes (Guardian) https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jan/08/australia-meta-ending-factchecking-facebook-misinformation-sarah-hanson-young Meta explainer on its factchecking https://transparency.meta.com/en-gb/features/how-fact-checking-works/ Meta's marked up Hateful Conduct Policy (Meta) https://transparency.meta.com/en-gb/policies/community-standards/hateful-conduct/ Blog post on why collective understandings on social media can be dangerous (Programmable Mutter) https://www.programmablemutter.com/p/were-getting-the-social-media-crisis Blog post about Zuck's weird 'masculine energy' thing (Unmanned) https://sorayachemaly.substack.com/p/1-masculine-energy-or-the-vengeful Credits: Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) eastcoaststudio.com.au Music by Bensound.com

For our final episode of 2024, we take an optimistic look at the year that was (after a bit of a throat clearing on the things that bugged us), and what we're looking forward to in 2025. Our conversation covers developments in AI, privacy reform, social media and the growing digital rights community in Australia. We'll be taking a break over the summer holidays and will be back in late January. Links: Essay on revitalising the internet ecosystem (NOEMA) https://www.noemamag.com/we-need-to-rewild-the-internet/ Article about the end of big tech by Signal president (WIRED) https://www.wired.com/story/the-beginning-of-the-end-of-big-tech/   Credits:Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) eastcoaststudio.com.auMusic by Bensound.com

This week we discuss the Australian Government's plan to make 16 the minimum age to access social media. The plan has broad political support and resonates with many concerned parents, but there's more to it than meets the eye. We discuss the specifics of how the ban will be implemented (with key elements not yet solved and potentially problematic), and interrogate the underlying philosophical approach of banning social media for kids rather than seeking to make the platforms less harmful for everyone.   Links: PM media release on ban https://www.pm.gov.au/media/minimum-age-social-media-access-protect-australian-kids Article about parliamentary inquiry into social media (Guardian) Australian parliamentary inquiry stops short of backing social media ban for under-16s https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/nov/18/australian-parliamentary-inquiry-stops-short-of-backing-social-media-ban-for-under-16s Open letter from researchers arguing against the ban https://au.reset.tech/uploads/ACRT-Open-letter-re-social-media-bans.pdf Article about eSafety Commissioner's lack of public support (Crikey) https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/11/19/teen-social-media-ban-esafety-commissioner-julie-inman-grant/#:~:text=When%20Prime%20Minister%20Anthony%20Albanese,in%20rolling%20out%20the%20ban.   Credits:Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) eastcoaststudio.com.auMusic by Bensound.com

Awareness is growing that the power of many AI tools derives from the fact that they are trained on our personal information. We discuss how regulators (like Australia's OAIC) are now stepping up their expectations that privacy obligations be adhered to by developers and deployers of AI. We also explore the case study of Australian start-up harrison.ai - whose AI tool was trained on hundreds of thousands of medical images - and which recently brought the issue of privacy and AI into the spotlight.   Links: OAIC privacy guidance for GenAI developers https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-guidance-for-organisations-and-government-agencies/guidance-on-privacy-and-developing-and-training-generative-ai-models OAIC privacy guidance for GenAI deployers https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-guidance-for-organisations-and-government-agencies/guidance-on-privacy-and-the-use-of-commercially-available-ai-products Crikey reporting on Harrison.ai and I-MED (Crikey) https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/09/19/patient-scan-data-train-artificial-intelligence-consent/ OAIC blog post about GenAI and personal information https://www.oaic.gov.au/news/blog/can-personal-information-be-used-to-develop-or-train-a-generative-ai-model Article about Harrison.ai (AFR - paywalled) https://www.afr.com/young-rich/the-brothers-making-a-fortune-revolutionising-healthcare-with-ai-20240905-p5k834 Credits:Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) eastcoaststudio.com.auMusic by Bensound.com

This week on the podcast, our eyes are opened to a remarkable online advertising practice called "real-time bidding". RTB is where an auction involving the sensitive information of online users is initiated as they load up a web page, with advertisers bidding for the space on the page. Recent reports from Reset.Tech Australia and the Irish Council of Civil Liberties reveal the practice has led to the exposure of sensitive information about users - from purchasing habits through to real-time location and insights into their mental health - and is also fuelling scams and national security concerns. We discuss the broader implications of this practice, and the options for managing the risks it poses.   Links:Any Buyer Accepted (Reset.Tech Australia) https://au.reset.tech/news/any-buyer-accepted-unregulated-data-markets-create-personal-security-risks/Australia’s Hidden Security Crisis (Irish Council of Civil Liberties) https://www.iccl.ie/digital-data/australias-hidden-security-crisis/Scam Prevention Framework https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/stephen-jones-2022/media-releases/albanese-government-unveils-scams-prevention-frameworkArticle about US bill to ban sale of personal data to foreign adversaries (The Verge) https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/20/24106991/house-data-broker-foreign-adversaries-bill-passes   Credits:Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) eastcoaststudio.com.auMusic by Bensound.com

This week on the podcast, we're looking at a promising development in helping Australian organisations manage AI risks. The Australian Government has released its Voluntary AI Safety Standard, as part of its safe and responsible AI agenda. The Standard features 10 guardrails as a practical blueprint for how Australian organisations can safely and responsibly use and innovate with AI. We provide our take on the Standard and assessment of the challenges in seeing it adopted across the economy. Links: elevenM blog on the Voluntary AI Safety Standard https://elevenm.com.au/blog/breaking-down-the-voluntary-ai-safety-standard/ Voluntary AI Safety Standard https://www.industry.gov.au/publications/voluntary-ai-safety-standard/introduction-standard SAAM - Safe AI made easy for small businesses https://www.saam.com.au/ Credits: Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) eastcoaststudio.com.au Music by Bensound.com