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Fifty million Facebook users have, apparently, woken to the news that their profiles have been breached and they have to change their passwords.
Brislen on Tech
A few weeks ago we talked about the EU and its plan to introduce new copyright laws in the shape of Article 11 and Article 13. I suggested the EU would be stupid to do so because they don't understand…
Brislen on Tech
Privacy is usually treated as a fundamental human right, but in New Zealand at least it's not part of the Bill of Rights.
There isn't a single mention of the word "privacy" in the bill.
Yet most…
Trump threatens to regulate search results
Donald Trump has today lashed out at US tech giant Google for allegedly hiding the good news stories about his presidency and raised the spectre of regulating the search engine business, presumably to…
Brislen on Tech
Three news stories this week mean we must surely give pause for a moment and reflect on what is going on with the internet.
The three stories relate to Microsoft and Facebook policing the internet.…
Microsoft moves to shut down alleged Russian phishing sites
Microsoft says it has blocked an attempted attack on the US Senate and a conservative think tank ahead of mid-term elections in November.
Brislen on Tech
Advance Australia Fair. Not really. Sadly, the Lucky Country is in the middle of a monster drought which shows no signs of letting up any time soon. It's also apparently willing to elect a man who can…
Patently absurd
Patents are a source of much amusement and occasionally some horror, particularly in the tech world.
While some are truly innovative, and can lead to huge improvements in technology and the lives o…
Brislen on Tech
In which we discuss free speech, the need to protect it and what is and isn't considered 'free speech'; why online elections create such a ruckus; and a new government marketplace to replace the panel…
Facebook lambasted by UK parliamentary inquiry
The UK parliamentary committee looking into Facebook and Cambridge Analytica's manipulation of the news media around the world has released a damning report that says Facebook failed in its duty to …
Brislen on Tech
Pop quiz: You open up your laptop and discover all your files are encrypted and a mysterious message says you're not getting your data back unless you give someone $5000 via an anonymised service. You…
Brislen on Tech
Data centres. Big fat juicy data centres, serving up the world's content, from right here in New Zealand.
You need a few things to make that a reality. You need cheap and relatively green electrici…
Fallout from health IT projects continues
Both Australia and Singapore are reeling following privacy concerns raised in relation to online health records.
Brislen on Tech
Lots going on in the telco land this week. First off, the Commerce Commission has reasserted its rights to oversee roaming into the future.
Roaming - the ability to acquire regulated access on to a…
Dept of Homeland Security subpoenas Kiwi Twitter user
The US Department of Homeland Security has served Twitter with a subpoena demanding information about one of its users - a Kiwi who goes by the user name Flash Gordon.
Privacy bill submissions are in
Changes to the New Zealand Privacy Act are imminent with public submissions now closed and the select committee getting down to the business at hand.
Brislen on Tech
Some things just shouldn't happen. First, paying the ransom. Second, breaking the internet, and third, expecting telcos to get along.
But somehow, all three of these happened lately - or at least s…
Road Transport Forum pays ransomware, warns others
The Road Transport Forum, a national body set up in 1997 to "responsibly promote and advance the interests of the road transport industry and its member associations" has become the sobering cautionar…
Who will pay for the user voice in fibre regulation?
With new telco legislation wending its way through Parliament, the Commerce Commission is suggesting a new levy could fund a consumer panel, as well as its own work, when the Telecommunications (New R…
Software development - a cautionary tale
A sobering reminder this week about the need to protect source code ownership when setting up in business.
