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ComCom prepares for end of copper network
It has served us for so long and (mostly) so well, but the days of the copper network are numbered. Overtaken by the faster fibre network being rolled out around the country, which was branded so succ…
Brislen on Tech
This week I thought I'd rejoin Facebook just so I could quit again in rage. Something really needs to be done to rein in a company that has combined the utter decimation of the media landscape with th…
Can I interest you in a firewall for your toaster?
In September, the California state legislature enacted two identical bills regulating Internet-connected devices sold in California, aimed at developing minimum security standards for devices that m…
Stats NZ seeks public input in legislation refresh
Generation X was making its first baby steps into the world, and Generations Y and Z had not even been thought of, when the Statistics Act 1975 came into being. But for 40 years the country's data has…
Brislen on Tech
A $10 Billion industry. That's not bad for a bunch of geeks sitting in the corner. The tech sector is worth $10 billion a year, with most of that coming from exports, and is growing at more than 7% ye…
Brislen on Tech
We remember when the future was cool. The Sky is falling ... for Sky. And Goods and Service Tax will be applied to every item you buy online - will this change the world of retail for ever?
Five Eyes reports on hackers' tools
The Five Eyes spy network (made up of New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Canada and the US) has issued a report which highlights the most commonly wielded hacking utilities available online.
Rather t…
Brislen on Tech
News that almost all of the sub-contractors employed by the contractors employed by Chorus to build the Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB) network are exploiting their workers in one form or another has tarni…
Blockchain more transformative than internet - researcher
New Zealand should look to become a blockchain and financial technology hub, argues a team of legal and financial experts in a report based on research funded by the New Zealand Law Foundation's Infor…
Netsafe shines spotlight on safety
Online safety is quickly coming to the forefront of conversations around digital services and products here in New Zealand and Netsafe is a key component in the battle to keep us all safe online.
…
90 million reasons to unsubscribe
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 …
