Tech Mirror

Privacy: Move Fast and Regulate It

Curious about the future of privacy in Australia? Join us as we delve into the world of privacy regulation in Australia. Our expert panel shares their thoughts on the Government’s response to the Privacy Act Review Report. 

It’s a follow-up to episode #22 ‘Privacy is Not Dead’. Returning guest Anna Johnston, founder and Principal of Salinger Privacy, is joined by Ryan Black, Head of Policy for the Tech Council of Australia, and Kate Bower, a fellow at the UTS Human Technology Institute, currently on sabbatical from CHOICE as Consumer Data Advocate.  

 

The panel discuss:  

- highlights and gaps in the Government’s response 

- the definition of ‘personal information’ 

- the future of the small business and political exemptions  

- legitimate business interests, fair and reasonable use tests, and best interest duties 

- interoperability with international privacy frameworks 

- privacy and artificial intelligence  

- the urgency of reform  

- what happens next 

 

Relevant Links: 
 

Salinger Privacy blog, including Anna Johnston’s 2015 article about the need to reform the definition of personal information https://www.salingerprivacy.com.au/2015/04/19/bradley-coopers-taxi-ride-a-lesson-in-privacy-risk/ 

 

Arvind Narayanan’s “No Silver Bullet “ paper about de-identification http://randomwalker.info/publications/no-silver-bullet-de-identification.pdf 

 

Arvind Narayanan’s AI Snake Oil Substack https://www.aisnakeoil.com 

 

This Week in Digital Trust podcast, latest episode featuring an interview with Johanna https://elevenm.com.au/podcast/episode/86-johanna-weaver-the-future-of-tech-policy/ 

 

The Future of Privacy Forum https://fpf.org/ 

 

UTS Human Technology Institute’s State of AI Governance report  https://www.uts.edu.au/human-technology-institute/news/report-launch-state-ai-governance-australia 

 

DP-REG joint submission to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) consultation on the ‘Safe and responsible AI in Australia’ Discussion Paper https://www.accc.gov.au/about-us/media/media-updates/digital-platform-regulators-make-joint-submission-on-ai

 

US Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence | The White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/10/30/executive-order-on-the-safe-secure-and-trustworthy-development-and-use-of-artificial-intelligence/ 

 

UK’s consultation on a Pro-Innovation Approach to AI - A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation - amended (web-ready PDF) (publishing.service.gov.uk) 

 

The Bletchley Declaration by Countries Attending the AI Safety Summit (November 2023) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-safety-summit-2023-the-bletchley-declaration/the-bletchley-declaration-by-countries-attending-the-ai-safety-summit-1-2-november-2023 

 

China Global AI Governance Initiative: http://gd.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/zxhd_1/202310/t20231024_11167412.htm 

Beyond the Pause: Australia’s AI Opportunity – Part 2

Ever wish you could sit down with a real-deal AI technologist and ask them what’s on earth is going on? In this double-episode of Tech Mirror, Johanna chats with Bill Simpson Young and Tiberio Cataneo, CEO and Chief Scientist at Gradient Institute. This independent, non-profit research institute works to build safety, ethics, accountability and transparency into AI systems.

 

In Part One of this wide-ranging conversation, the trio:

-          define key terms like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Large Language Models, Frontier vs Foundation AI, Narrow vs General AI

-          chat about Bill’s biggest bugbear

-          talk about why Bill and Tiberio both signed the Pause Letter and

-          discuss if it is even possible to regulate Artificial intelligence (spoiler alert: it is)

-          and consider how liability could be used to incentivise improved AI safety.

 

In Part Two, they discuss:

-          the benefits and perils of open-source AI models

-          the possibility of securing an international agreement on AI safety, US and China dynamics and the opportunity for Australian leadership 

-          the practical work that Gradient is doing to facilitate the technical implementation of ethical AI frameworks to address AI harms today.

 

Links

-          Gradient Institute: https://www.gradientinstitute.org/

-          Australian Government Paper and call for submission on Responsible Artificial Intelligence: https://consult.industry.gov.au/supporting-responsible-ai

-          Gradient’s Submission on Responsible AI: https://www.gradientinstitute.org/posts/disr-safe-responsible-ai-submission/

-          The Pause Letter: https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/

-          UK AI Safety Summit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-safety-summit-introduction

-          The Future of Life Institute’s recommendations for the UK AI Safety Summit: https://futureoflife.org/project/uk-ai-safety-summit/

-          Gradient and National AI Centre: Implementing Australia’s AI Ethics Principles: https://www.gradientinstitute.org/posts/csiro-gradient-new-report/

-          The Coming Wave: Technology, Power and the Twenty-first Century’s greatest dilemma: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/90590134

Beyond the Pause: Australia’s AI Opportunity – Part 1

Ever wish you could sit down with a real-deal AI technologist and ask them what’s on earth is going on? In this double-episode of Tech Mirror, Johanna chats with Bill Simpson Young and Tiberio Cataneo, CEO and Chief Scientist at Gradient Institute. This independent, non-profit research institute works to build safety, ethics, accountability and transparency into AI systems.

 

In Part One of this wide-ranging conversation, the trio:

-          define key terms like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Large Language Models, Frontier vs Foundation AI, Narrow vs General AI

-          chat about Bill’s biggest bugbear

-          talk about why Bill and Tiberio both signed the Pause Letter and

-          discuss if it is even possible to regulate Artificial intelligence (spoiler alert: it is)

-          and consider how liability could be used to incentivise improved AI safety.

 

In Part Two, they discuss:

-          the benefits and perils of open-source AI models

-          the possibility of securing an international agreement on AI safety, US and China dynamics and the opportunity for Australian leadership 

-          the practical work that Gradient is doing to facilitate the technical implementation of ethical AI frameworks to address AI harms today.

 

Links

-          Gradient Institute: https://www.gradientinstitute.org/

-          Australian Government Paper and call for submission on Responsible Artificial Intelligence: https://consult.industry.gov.au/supporting-responsible-ai

-          Gradient’s Submission on Responsible AI: https://www.gradientinstitute.org/posts/disr-safe-responsible-ai-submission/

-          The Pause Letter: https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/

-          UK AI Safety Summit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-safety-summit-introduction

-          The Future of Life Institute’s recommendations for the UK AI Safety Summit: https://futureoflife.org/project/uk-ai-safety-summit/

-          Gradient and National AI Centre: Implementing Australia’s AI Ethics Principles: https://www.gradientinstitute.org/posts/csiro-gradient-new-report/

-          The Coming Wave: Technology, Power and the Twenty-first Century’s greatest dilemma: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/90590134

Regulating Digital Empires

In this joint episode of Tech Mirror and the National Security Podcast, Anu Bradford and Johanna Weaver join Jennifer Jackett to discuss the global impact of technological advances, the challenges and opportunities they bring, and the evolving landscape of tech regulation.

 

Anu Bradford is a Henry L. Moses Professor of Law and International Organization at the Columbia Law School. She is also the author of ‘Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology’. 

 

Jennifer Jackett is a Sir Roland Wilson Scholar at the ANU National Security College.

 

Professor Johanna Weaver is host of Tech Mirror, the founding Director of the Tech Policy Design Centre (TPDC) at the Australian National University and a regular guest lecturer at the ANU National Security College.

 

Links:  

• ANU National Security College academic programs: find out more 
• National Security Podcast: find out more
• Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology by Anu Bradford 
• 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy: find out more 
• Quad Tech Network: an address by the Hon Clare O’Neil MP: watch the video 

Internet Governance is Sexy

Recorded on location in the margins of NetThing and the Asia Pacific Internet Governance Forum. Johanna, and guest co-host Tanvi Nair, canvass how the internet actually works, and what the internet of the future might look like, with a stella line up of guests, including:

• Jordan Carter, Head of Policy at au.DA
• Senator Jana Stewart, Senator for Victoria
• Brendan Dowling, Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology
• Alex Caples, Director of Cyber Tech and Security at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
• Jenna Fung and Luke Teoh, representatives of the Youth Internet Governance Forum
• Pablo from Asia Pacific Network Information Centre.

 

Relevant Links:

• NetThing: https://netthing.org.au/
• Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum: https://www.aprigf.au/
• AuDA Internet Governance Roadmap: https://www.auda.org.au/about-auda/internet-governance-and-public-policy/audas-internet-governance-roadmap-2023-2025

The Social and Moral Imperative to Act

Johanna speaks with Alice Dawkins, Executive Director of Reset.Tech Australia, an independent, non-partisan policy initiative wrestling with questions about online harms & safety, digital information markets, democracy and tech accountability. 

In a wide-ranging conversation, the pair discuss topics including:

• Alice’s experience in Myanmar working with public interest lawyers involved in that country’s pro-democracy movement
• Reset’s research on young people and privacy online in Australia 
• Social media platform monitoring during the Voice referendum campaign
• Truth in political advertising 
• The federal government’s plans to introduce new laws to provide the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) with powers to combat online misinformation and disinformation
• The limitation of co-regulatory approaches to tech policymaking 
• Tech exceptionalism and accountability 
• The importance of securing access to platform data for researchers and civil society experts

 

 

Relevant Links:

Reset.Tech Australia https://au.reset.tech/

Reset’s report on Young People and Online Privacy https://au.reset.tech/news/report-realising-young-people-s-rights-in-the-digital-environment/

 

Exposure draft of the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2023 https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/department/media/publications/communications-legislation-amendment-combatting-misinformation-and-disinformation-bill-2023 

John Naughton’s columns (professor of the public understanding of technology at the Open University and author of From Gutenberg to Zuckerberg: What You Really Need to Know About the Internet) https://www.theguardian.com/profile/johnnaughton 

 

Logic(s) magazine https://logicmag.io/ 

 

Follow:

Alice Dawkins Twitter https://twitter.com/adawko 

Alice Dawkins Linkedin https://au.linkedin.com/in/alicedawkins

Everything is Content Moderation

Johanna speaks with Evelyn Douek, assistant Professor at Stanford Law School (and former corporate lawyer in Australia), about the public and private regulation of speech online. The pair discusses:

• the private and public regulation of speech online

• why 'everything is content moderation' and what it might mean to take a systems thinking approach

• the importance of platform transparency

• the history, significance, and politics of Section 230

• institutional competence and the role of courts

• the state of trust and safety

• the value of a functioning parliament and the differences between Australia and the U.S. in making tech policy

At 21:11, Johanna refers to the Foreign Interference Committee. For clarification, this reference was made in relation to the Big Tech Inquiry of the Senate Economics References Committee, chaired by Senator Bragg (colloquially referred to as the social media foreign interference committee). This is not to be confused with the Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media, chaired by Senator Paterson.

 

Relevant Links:

Evelyn Douek: https://www.evelyndouek.com/

Moderated Content podcast: https://law.stanford.edu/directory/evelyn-douek/moderated-content/

Content Moderation as Systems Thinking, by Evelyn Douek, Harvard Law Review: https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-136/content-moderation-as-systems-thinking/

Casey Newton’s Platformer newsletter: https://www.platformer.news/

The Washington Post’s technology newsletter: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-202-newsletters/the-technology-202/

Rest of World: https://restofworld.org/

 

Follow:

Evelyn Douek on Twitter: @evelyndouek 

Stanford Law School on Twitter: @StanfordLaw

Stanford Law School on LinkedIn: Stanford Law School (SLS)

Man-Made: How the bias of the past is being built into the future

In this episode Johanna speaks with author and journalist Tracey Spicer about her new book, Man-made: how the bias of the past is being built into the future. The book explores the history of discrimination in technology and the importance of diversity and inclusion in today's tech ecosystem. Spicer makes a case for a new social contract, one that would see people holding the power over machines.  

 

Relevant Links:

Tracey Spicer website: https://traceyspicer.com.au/ 

Tracey Spicer new book, Man-made: https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/Man-Made/Tracey-Spicer/9781761106378 

Dr. Joy Buolamwini: https://www.poetofcode.com/ 

Dr. Joy Buolamwini TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/joy_buolamwini_how_i_m_fighting_bias_in_algorithms 

Algorithmic Justice League: https://www.ajl.org/ 

Coded Bias, Netflix documentary: https://www.netflix.com/au/title/81328723 

Professor Yolande Strengers: https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/yolande-strengers 

 

Follow: 

Tracey Spicer on Twitter: @TraceySpicer 

Tracey Spicer on LinkedIn: Tracey Spicer AM GAICD

Dr. Joy Buolamwini on Twitter: @jovialjoy

Yolande Strengers  on Twitter: @YolandeStreng

Keeping Pace: The Case for Digital Regulation

In this episode of Tech Mirror, Johanna is in conversation with Gina Cass-Gottlieb, Chair of the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission), one of Australia’s lead regulators in the area of technology and digital platforms.  

In a wide-ranging conversation the pair discuss: the ACCC’s Digital Platform Services inquiry 2020 – 2025, how regulators can develop the tech knowledge and capacity required for making good policy, the relationship between innovation and market power, unfair trading practices, in a digital context, artificial intelligence, ex-ante approaches to regulation and; the importance of thinking about the tech ecosystem as a whole. 

 

Relevant Links:

The ACCC Digital platform services inquiry 2020 – 2025: https://www.accc.gov.au/inquiries-and-consultations/digital-platform-services-inquiry-2020-25 

Gina Cass-Gottlieb's National Press Club speech (12 April 2023) on the role of the ACCC and competition in a transitioning economy: https://www.accc.gov.au/about-us/media/speeches/the-role-of-the-accc-and-competition-in-a-transitioning-economy-address-to-the-national-press-club-2023

Pivot podcast with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway: https://podcasts.voxmedia.com/show/pivot 

Decoder podcast with Nilay Patel: https://www.theverge.com/decoder-podcast-with-nilay-patel 

The Platform Law blog: https://theplatformlaw.blog/ 

The Information: https://www.theinformation.com/ 

U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing on the Oversight of A.I.: Rules for Artificial Intelligence (16 May 2023): https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/oversight-of-ai-rules-for-artificial-intelligence 

Tech Policy Design Centre’s Tech Policy Atlas: https://techpolicydesign.au/tech-policy-atlas

 

Follow:

ACCC Twitter: @acccgovau

ACCC LinkedIn: @ACCC

Gina Cass-Gottlieb: @Gina Cass-Gottlieb

 

Shutdowns and spyware: Human Rights in the Digital Era

Johanna speaks with Brett Solomon, co-founder and Executive Director of Access Now, about the state of digital rights in 2023. The pair discuss critical issues including internet shutdowns, the growth of the surveillance industry, and Australia’s role in defending human rights in the digital era. The conversation took place in the lead-up to the 12th edition of Access Now’s annual RightsCon summit (5 – 8 June 2023). 

Relevant Links: 
 Rights Con, 5 – 8 June 2023, online and in person (Costa Rica) June: https://www.rightscon.org/ 

 Access Now Express weekly newsletter: https://act.accessnow.org/page/29451/subscribe/1 

Access Now report on internet shutdowns ‘Weapons of control, shields of impunity: internet shutdowns in 2022’: https://www.accessnow.org/internet-shutdowns-2022/ 

This Week in Cyberspace, Brett Solomon and Nell Schofield podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/1-24-australias-hacking-act/id1648274889?i=1000613301302

Follow: 

Brett Solomon on Twitter: @solomonbrett

Access Now on Twitter: @accessnow 

RightsCon on Twitter: @rightscon