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Brislen on Tech
Privacy. It's one of those things that you may not realise is important until you've lost it. Once it's gone, there's no getting it back. Once your mother's maiden name or your first pet's name is out there, you can't magically retract it.
That wasn't so important in a paper-based world, but today we're digital and I don't just mean PIN numbers and password words either. I use my thumbprint to unlock my phone. My phone unlocks my bank account pretty much automatically these days. The next phone I have won't do anything so old fashioned - it will probably just use my facial features to let me (or a very good picture of me) open my apps and noodle around in my private life, in my company records, in my clients' data.
[PLUS: Twitter remains oblivious to what its users actually want. The Web remains, but for how long?
DNA law under review
New Zealand was among the first countries to pass laws governing the collection and use of DNA in criminal investigations. But, like pretty much all new technology, its application has evolved in leaps and bounds and regulatory oversight has not kept up with innovation.
The Law Commission spent 18 months reviewing the current law and practices and released a 367-page issues paper late last year, for which submissions close this month. The paper details just how powerful DNA technology is.
Brislen on Tech
I made my eldest daughter cry this morning. I told her about the robot on Mars, Opportunity, and how it was finally out of juice.
Only I made the mistake of telling her as I heard it - via Jacob Margolis, a US-based science journalist who tweeted: "The last message they received was basically, 'My battery is low and it's getting dark.'" and that really was that. What an incredible story and an incredible piece of hardware.
[Plus: Fake news, privacy abuse and more]
When is a hack not a hack?
The South Canterbury Property Investors' Association collection of the private details of renters is one thing, sharing them with members is something else but exposing them to the internet for all th…
Australian parliament hack attack
Australian politicians are being forced to change their passwords following an attempt to hack the Australian federal parliament's IT system.
Termination for convenience in ICT contracts: It isn’t always that convenient
When ICT projects fail (and it has been reported in the past that two thirds of projects in New Zealand are failing) the customer's first reaction is often to look at terminating for breach. However…
Brislen on Tech
It's tough at the top, as Apple CEO Tim Cook is finding out. And another day, another Facebook travesty - this time, conning teenagers into install a VPN on their phones so they could scoop up all the…
Apple FaceTime security flaw exposed
Apple has temporarily disabled the group calling capability in its FaceTime application after discovering unscrupulous users could listen in on other users even if they didn't answer the call.
Govt calls for input on e-commerce rules
What exactly are the rules for selling online to a global customer base? If you've ever wondered, then you are not alone as the World Trade Organisation is itself grappling with the question of how to…
Google hit with record GDPR fine
GDPR is here and the first company to fall foul is Google with a fine of $NZ85 million for failing to provide clear processes for customers signing up to Android services. But Google isn't alone and q…
Huawei's year off to a rocky start
Huawei's year is off to a rocky start with more countries reviewing the role Huawei equipment plays in their networks.
