This week we explore growing tension between the importance of safeguarding user privacy online, and the public and social value that comes from researchers having access to growing volumes of data on social media platforms. In recent years, researchers have used platform data to shed useful light on a range of issues including mental health, social and cultural dynamics, the evolution of democracy online ... but also, importantly, how the platforms themselves are managing domains like user priv...
Jul 01, 2025•25 min•Ep. 135
This week we discuss the increasing prevalence of AI generated content online (aka 'AI slop'), on social media and even in books, journalism and academic journals. We explore how AI tools are enabling the generation of slop at scale, unleashing a flood of low quality content that is degrading our information ecosystem, making it harder to access high quality, verified information, and even getting in the way of our ability to connect with other humans online. Links: Max AI slop feature article (...
Jun 17, 2025•31 min•Ep. 134
This week we discuss the observable global shift in mood away from AI regulation and safety towards acceleration and innovation. It's a trend we observed several episodes ago, but appears to be gathering further speed with announcements by global political and business leaders of the urgency of re-doubling efforts to enhance AI capability. With Trump setting the tone at a federal level in the US, lawmakers have even gone as far as proposing a 10-year moratorium on ant state-based AI laws. We exp...
Jun 03, 2025•26 min•Ep. 133
This week we reflect on one of the most visible and annoying features of the recently concluded federal election campaign - the incessant spam from political parties. We break down the various exemptions and carve-outs that make it legal for political parties to collect information about voters and spam us without consent. While the premise of the exemptions is to preserve the freedom of political communication in the name of democracy, we explore how the practice might be subverting our democra...
May 21, 2025•22 min•Ep. 132
This week we're in conversation with Rys Farthing, who is Research Director at Reset.Tech Australia, a Not-for-profit that aims to develop evidence around digital issues so that policy makers can be more informed. We explore some of the challenges for effective digital policy making in Australia and around the world, and discuss our hopes and expectations for the Children's Online Privacy Code. If you're a regular listener, you'll know that Reset's work comes up somewhat regularly (both episode ...
May 06, 2025•35 min
This week we discuss how recent turbulence in geopolitics is translating into impacts on the digital environment. We explore how the Trump tariffs and general shift towards increased trade protectionism might impact a swathe of tech policy initiatives around the world. We also look at the increasingly cavalier attitudes to security, privacy, and risk management from the US Government, primarily through the actions of the Department of Government Efficiency, and the extent to which such attitudes...
Apr 22, 2025•30 min
This week we discuss increased the scrutiny on how charities and not-for-profits manage the data they collect. Several breaches in recent years have led the Australian privacy regulator to issue specific guidance on privacy obligations to the NFP sector, particularly warning them against the practice of retaining donor data longer than necessary. We explore the challenges charities face in getting privacy and cyber security right, including limited knowledge and resourcing, and pressures to make...
Apr 07, 2025•20 min•Ep. 129
This week Jordan is joined by fellow Victorian elevenM-er and OVIC alumnus Piotr Debowski to explore some of the challenges, trends and quirks of privacy complaints in Victoria and to introduce a new, free, elevenM resource: The Victorian Privacy Case Notes Database. Piotr led the development of the database, which provides case notes and commentary on Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Victorian Supreme Court decisions involving the interpretation and application of the Information...
Mar 24, 2025•25 min
This week we explore the how the Australian privacy regulator is transforming itself in an attempt to have a stronger impact - in the face ongoing funding pressures and a reform agenda that hasn't quite met the expectations of privacy advocates. A year into the tenure of Carly Kind as Australian Privacy Commissioner, we are seeing a more public and vocal regulator, a series of targeted enforcement actions and the issuing of more frequent communications and guidance. It's all part of a self-descr...
Mar 11, 2025•28 min•Ep. 127
This week we analyse what appears to be a global shift in sentiment away from AI safety.Our discussion is triggered by the AI Action Summit in Paris, where world leaders overtly sought to minimise focus on AI risks and regulation in favour of an acceleration agenda. Links: AI Action Summit (Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_Action_Summit Report on AI Action Summit (Politico) https://www.politico.eu/article/ai-action-summit-france-paris-macron-vance-modi-artificial-intelligence-technolo...
Feb 24, 2025•23 min•Ep. 126
This week we dive into the hype and fear around DeepSeek, the Chinese AI start-up taking the tech world by storm. We break down the apparent concerns driving the collective freakout over the app, which include bans by various national governments. We also explore the broader takeaways for Australia's AI capability and ecosystem and the responsible AI movement. Links: DeepSeek FAQ (Stratechery) https://stratechery.com/2025/deepseek-faq/ Article about DeepSeek market impact (ABC News) https://www....
Feb 11, 2025•29 min•Ep. 125
We're back in 2025. In this episode we break down Meta's decision to cease factchecking and permit dehumanising speech on its platforms. We explore the likely motivations and impacts of these changes, and the broader takeaways for Australia. Links: Article about Meta's factchecking changes (Reuters) https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-ends-third-party-fact-checking-program-adopts-x-like-community-notes-model-2025-01-07/ Analysis of factchecking changes (Platformer) https://www.platformer.new...
Jan 28, 2025•28 min•Ep. 124
For our final episode of 2024, we take an optimistic look at the year that was (after a bit of a throat clearing on the things that bugged us), and what we're looking forward to in 2025. Our conversation covers developments in AI, privacy reform, social media and the growing digital rights community in Australia. We'll be taking a break over the summer holidays and will be back in late January. Links: Essay on revitalising the internet ecosystem (NOEMA) https://www.noemamag.com/we-need-to-rewild...
Dec 17, 2024•27 min•Ep. 123
This week we discuss the Australian Government's plan to make 16 the minimum age to access social media. The plan has broad political support and resonates with many concerned parents, but there's more to it than meets the eye. We discuss the specifics of how the ban will be implemented (with key elements not yet solved and potentially problematic), and interrogate the underlying philosophical approach of banning social media for kids rather than seeking to make the platforms less harmful for ev...
Nov 25, 2024•27 min•Ep. 122
Awareness is growing that the power of many AI tools derives from the fact that they are trained on our personal information. We discuss how regulators (like Australia's OAIC) are now stepping up their expectations that privacy obligations be adhered to by developers and deployers of AI. We also explore the case study of Australian start-up harrison.ai - whose AI tool was trained on hundreds of thousands of medical images - and which recently brought the issue of privacy and AI into the spotligh...
Nov 11, 2024•30 min•Ep. 121
This week on the podcast, our eyes are opened to a remarkable online advertising practice called "real-time bidding". RTB is where an auction involving the sensitive information of online users is initiated as they load up a web page, with advertisers bidding for the space on the page. Recent reports from Reset.Tech Australia and the Irish Council of Civil Liberties reveal the practice has led to the exposure of sensitive information about users - from purchasing habits through to real-time loca...
Oct 28, 2024•29 min
This week on the podcast, we're looking at a promising development in helping Australian organisations manage AI risks. The Australian Government has released its Voluntary AI Safety Standard, as part of its safe and responsible AI agenda. The Standard features 10 guardrails as a practical blueprint for how Australian organisations can safely and responsibly use and innovate with AI. We provide our take on the Standard and assessment of the challenges in seeing it adopted across the economy. Lin...
Oct 14, 2024•27 min
This week on the podcast, we discuss how the conversation about AI risks seems to be shifting away from the catastrophic, existential, wiping-out-of-humanity type of scenarios. While the X-risk proponents are still out there, media coverage, regulators and the public at large seem to be homing in on more immediate and tangible AI concerns like discrimination, privacy violations, and misinformation – to name a few. We explore the reasons for this shift, which includes the fact that many people no...
Oct 01, 2024•33 min
After five years of consultation on privacy reforms, the Federal Government has finally introduced legislation into the parliament. Its been billed by the Attorney General as the "first tranche" and a "first step", with promises of more reforms to come. In this episode, we share our reaction to the bill and break down what's in and what's been left for a later day. We also explore why comprehensive privacy reforms seem so hard to legislate, particularly as the Government seeks to introduce a sui...
Sep 18, 2024•32 min
This week Arj is joined by elevenM’s resident digital ID ‘aficionado’ Brett Watson to discuss all things digital identity. In Episode 85 Jordan and Brett unpacked what a digital ID is, what it can do, and the various services and components that make up a digital ID system. Since then, the Australian Government has passed enabling legislation for its digital identity system and is currently consulting on legislative rules. With the legislation passed, the government is now shifting its focus on ...
Sep 09, 2024•32 min
This week, Arj is joined by elevenM colleague Jonathan Gadir to explore how the outcome of the upcoming US presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris might impact tech policy. Drawing on the candidate's statements and constituencies, and the existing commitments of their parties, we explore the potential implications of the November election result on AI, privacy, cyber and tech regulation more broadly. Links: Biden executive order on AI https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room...
Aug 26, 2024•26 min
This week we're in conversation with Adam Ford, who is Managing Director ANZ for the International Association of Privacy Professionals (full bio below). IAPP is the largest and most comprehensive privacy community around the globe. We have a wide-ranging conversation about the trends and emerging demands on the privacy profession, the role privacy practitioners are playing in AI governance challenges, and how to grow the profession in the future. FULL BIO: Adam Ford leads the IAPP in the ANZ re...
Aug 12, 2024•30 min
This week, Arj is joined by elevenM colleague Jonathan Gadir to discuss the small business exemption to the Privacy Act. The exemption means that businesses with an annual turnover of $3 million or less are generally exempt from complying with the Act. We explore the pros and cons of the exemption, and whether the government is is likely to remove the exemption as part of current reforms to the Privacy Act (as has been proposed). Links: OAIC fact sheet https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-gui...
Jul 29, 2024•26 min
This week, Arj is joined by elevenM colleague Brett Watson to discuss regulators – who they are, what they do, and the influence they have on public policy. The conversation focuses on one regulator in particular – Australia’s privacy regulator, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. In a few recent public communications, most notably an opinion piece relating to TikTok’s information handling practices, the (relatively) new Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind appears to be taking a m...
Jul 18, 2024•31 min
This week we're in conversation with Chandni Gupta, Deputy CEO and Digital Policy Director of the Consumer Policy Research Centre (see below for her full bio). The CPRC is Australia’s only dedicated consumer policy think tank. Our conversation with Chandi explores how the concept of product safety applies to digital products, and the ways in which the constant push towards more frictionless online interactions is potentially undermining safe and fair consumer outcomes. And why "more consumer edu...
Jul 01, 2024•32 min
Is there anything about you on the internet you wish you could take down? This week Arj is joined by Jonathan Gadir to discuss the "right to be forgotten" or "right to erasure" - a provision in data protection regulations overseas that is being considered as part of the reforms to the Australian Privacy Act. Overseas, the right has enabled individuals to have newspaper articles about them de-indexed from search engines. We discuss the merits of the right, competing values like freedom of express...
Jun 17, 2024•25 min
Dr Katharine Kemp (bio below) is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney, and Deputy Director of the Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation. In this conversation, we explore how privacy and competition policy concerns are increasingly coming together, particularly in actions underway against tech giants like Meta and Apple. We also discuss Dr Kemp's recent research (with the CPRC) into the level of control and understanding consumers have about how their in...
Jun 03, 2024•28 min
This week, Jordan is joined by elevenM colleague Jonathan Gadir to break down the stoush between Elon Musk and Australia's eSafety Commissioner. In recent weeks, Musk and his platform X have resisted calls to globally remove content related to a stabbing event in Sydney in April. The standoff has opened up a conversation about the merits of regulating so-called harmful online content, and the extent to which doing so impinges on free speech. Jordan and Jonathan debate the merits of the eSafety C...
May 21, 2024•24 min
In this special episode for Privacy Awareness Week, Jordan sits down with Australia’s Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind. It's a great chat, covering the Commissioner's first impressions of the role, her professional background and how it shapes her approach, her regulatory priorities and what she hopes to achieve as Privacy Commissioner, and of course the PAW theme - what it's all about and how you can get involved. Links Privacy Awareness Week 2024 https://paw.gov.au/ Credits Editing and post-pro...
May 07, 2024•15 min
It feels a little like déjà vu, but this week we discuss the US's newest, best candidate for a federal privacy law - the American Privacy Rights Act. With bipartisan and bicameral support for the draft law the mood is cautiously optimistic, though there's a very long way to go. We'll discuss what Australia can learn from the more novel elements of the proposed new law, and we'll explore how the growing policy focus on managing online harms is driving recognition of the need for strong privacy re...
Apr 30, 2024•29 min
