george brandis – Stilgherrian

11 February 201812 February 2018

Weekly Wrap 402: When goats were being considered

My fortnight from Monday 28 January to Sunday 11 February 2018 is documented here, along with some plans for the future.

Articles

Meltdown-Spectre amplifies call for new hardware-software contract, ZDNet Australia, 29 January 2018.
VicRoads to fill identity theft pothole eventually, ZDNet Australia, 31 January 2018.
Farewell Soapy, but will Australia’s new attorney-general be any better?, ZDNet Australia, 9 February 2018. Senator George Brandis is off to London. His replacement is Christian Porter.

A fourth piece I wrote has yet to appear.

Media Appearances

On Wednesday 7 February, I spoke about Elon Musk on ABC Melbourne in a distinctly informal conversation.
On Friday 9 February, I discussed the matter of what we did before Google and other search engines on ABC Adelaide.

Podcasts

None. But as you’ll have seen, I’ve launched The 9pm GoatFest Tasmania crowdfunding campaign to finance a podcast from GoatFest Tasmania on Sunday 25 February, and then a Public House Forum on Tuesday 28 February. Stay tuned for updates.

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

I’ve avoided locking my goals into specific days of the week, because it just ramps up stress for no real benefit. But this week must have a fixed pattern.

On Monday, I’m shopping in ~~Penrith~~ Katoomba for various personal items, while writing for ZDNet and doing other bits and pieces en route.

On Tuesday, I’m heading to Sydney for the wedding of my ZDNet commissioning editor Chris Duckett during the afternoon and on into the evening. I plan to stay in Sydney overnight, which I consider to be a sensible precaution. I’ve kept Wednesday free of commitments too. On Thursday, there’s a media lunch with CrowdStrike, before a return train back to the Blue Mountains and, that evening, wrapping up the Pozible campaign.

Friday will be a writing day, I suspect.

Further Ahead

If all goes well, I’ll be at GoatFest Tasmania in Launceston on Sun 25 Feb, then recording a Public House Forum podcast in Hobart on Tue 27 Feb.

Looking way further ahead:

Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Conference, Canberra, 10â€“12 April.
Australian Cyber Conference, formerly the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) National Conference, Melbourne, 9â€“11 October.

Update 12 February 2018: Edited to reflect a schedule change for Monday.

[Photo: Narrow Platform. A woman walks along Platform 2 at Wentworth Falls station just before a train arrives on 9 February 2018.]

13 June 2017

Talking end-to-end encryption on ABC RN Breakfast

Australia is opening a new campaign in the seemingly never-ending Cyptowars. This time, the target is end-to-end encryption.

Our favourite attorney-general, Senator George Brandis QC, wants “the cooperation of companies like Apple and Facebook and Google and so on” to help the government break into encrypted communications. That cooperation would presumably extend to messaging apps that use end-to-end encryption, such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, and so on.

And cooperation would be ensured, thanks to new legal sanctions.

Brandis says he’s not interested in putting mandatory “back door” access into the encryption used by messaging platforms. But how can that be true when he’s asking for the tech companies to be able to provide access to customers’ encrypted messages? That’s exactly what a back door is.

Anyway, this morning I was interviewed on this topic by Fran Kelly on the ABC’s RN Breakfast. We spoke for more than seven minutes.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.9MB)

For more analysis, try George Brandis’s salvo in cryptowars could blow a hole in architecture of the internet, by the Guardian’s Paul Farrell.

26 December 201626 December 2020

Weekly Wrap 343: Death and Christmas

Exeter Hotel, Rundle Street, Adelaide: click to embiggen

My week of Monday 19 to Sunday 25 December 2016 was one of my more unusual weeks in 2016, and that’s saying something.

23 December 2016

Talking civil use of metadata on ABC 105.7 Darwin

ABC logo When mandatory telecommunications data retention legislation was first introduced — the so-called “metadata” retention laws — Australia’s favourite Attorney-General Senator George Brandis QC stressed that it wouldn’t be used for civil proceedings. Guess what just happened?

On Tuesday, Brandis’ office announced a review of the laws to see whether retained metadata could be used — wait for it — in civil proceedings.

On Wednesday I wrote about this in a ZDNet column titled Brandis rushes to release telco metadata for civil proceedings.

And on Wednesday afternoon I spoke about it with Kate O’Toole on ABC 105.7 Darwin. Here’s that conversation.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.2MB)

05 November 2016

Weekly Wrap 335: Being a busy media whore in Melbourne

My week of Monday 24 to Sunday 30 October 2016 was spent in Melbourne, being busy, and being a bit of a media whore.

Since this Weekly Wrap is late, just like last week’s, I’ll get straight into it.

Articles

International mobile data networks still a serious security problem, ZDNet Australia, 24 October 2016.
Censusfail: An omnishambles of fabulous proportions, ZDNet Australia, 26 October 2016.

Podcasts

None, but I recorded material for another Ruxcon-related episode of Corrupted Nerds, and The 9pm Edict Public House Forum 4. Both will appear during the week of 7 November.

Media Appearances

On Monday, some of my comments about the late Leslie Nassar were included in the Crikey obit, Razer: vale Leslie Nassar, engineering genius and champion shit-stirrer.
Also on Monday, one of my silly tweets was included in a Junkee story, People Are Roasting George Brandis Over His Incredibly Weird Signature.
On Tuesday, my comments on medical technology hacks were feature on ABC Radio’s The World Today. The ABC also ran a news item, Cyber security experts claim St Jude cardiac implants vulnerable to life-threatening hacks.
On Tuesday night, I spoke about various technology matters in ABC 774 Melbourne. I hope to have a recording available by 10 November.
The Register ran an item on my tweeted observation, Aussie trams equivalent to 30 skateboarding rhinos.
On Wednesday, I was MC for the La Trobe University event, “Big Data and Cybersecurity: Are We Ready?”. I’m told that a recording will become available eventually.
On Friday, my comments on Twitter closing Vine were featured on ABC Radio’s AM. The ABC also ran a news story, Vine video sharing app killed off in latest sign of troubled times for Twitter.

Corporate Largesse

None.

[Photo: Melbourne is doomed, photographed on 30 October 2016. A cold front was approaching Melbourne, accompanied by a severe weather warning about strong winds. This is what it looked like from St Kilda Beach.]

02 October 2016

Weekly Wrap 331: Maybe possibly a phase shift, perhaps

My week of Monday 26 September to Sunday 2 October 2016 was quite good, I think, for a whole bunch of reasons.

I did a decent amount of media production. I got one of my lingering geek-for-hire projects moving again. And it was a successful first week of the action plan put together by my doctor. Many wins.

I also launched a Pozible crowdfunding campaign, Stilgherrian > Melbourne 2016, to fund a variety of things late this month. Please consider.

Articles

The dog ate my Census, says ABS, ZDNet Australia, 26 September 2016.
Brandis swings his golden hammer, misses mark, ZDNet Australia, 29 September 2016. It’s about his plan to criminalise the re-identification of de-identified government data.

Podcasts

None, because I rescheduled the planned recording session for The 9pm Edict to this coming Wednesday.

Media Appearances

On Monday, ZDNet posted another short video in their Security TV series, Cyber civil defence for the rest of us. It’s part of a feature on Cyberwar and the Future of Cybersecurity.
On Thursday, I spoke about the death of voicemail on ABC 1233 Newcastle.

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

Monday is Labour Day, a public holiday, so I’ll be trying to take it easy. I suspect I’ll fail.

On Tuesday, I’m writing for ZDNet, bringing my geek-for-hire projects up to date, and negotiating my next moves with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

On Wednesday, I’m recording and streaming an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast. That’s scheduled for 2100 AEST.

Thursday sees a medical appointment, the final episode of The Code at 2030 AEDT, and the wrap-up of my Pozible campaign at 2100 AEDT.

Friday will mostly be about some geek-for-hire work.

I’m hoping that the weekend will be the first with no actual work in quite some time. At least that’s the plan.

Further Ahead

I plan to record the next Public House Forum episode of the Edict on Saturday 15 October somewhere in or near Sydney.

I’m going to the AISA National Conference in Sydney on 18-20 October, and the iappANZ Trust In Privacy Annual Summit in Sydney on 14 November.

I plan to be in Melbourne from 21-30 October, or thereabouts. The trip includes the Ruxcon Security Conference on Sat-Sun 22-23 Oct (I’m also on the closing panel), a radio spot on ABC 774 Melbourne on Tue 25 Oct at 1930 AEDT, MCing an event for LaTrobe University on the evening of Wed 26 Oct (details TBA), and recording a Public House Forum episode of the Edict on Sat 29 Oct.

[Photo: Sydney’s Glebe Island Bridge, photographed on the sunny 28 September 2016.]