Thanks for tuning in to the Chris Smith Show and the tech segment that is usually on each Wednesday in the last half hour, with the show regularly on each weekday from 2pm to 4pm AEST on the TNTRadio.Live site (just press the play button on your phone, tablet or computer), or tune in via YouTube, Alexa, Google Assistant, most apps that play local and global radio stations and more!
We covered a lot today, and I will put this into separate articles, but for now, it is all here – just scroll down for extra information on each topic we spoke about, In the podcast below, the second hour of today’s program, you’ll heard the excellent Prue MacSween speaking with Chris, and then at the 28 minute and 9 second mark, I join Chris for our weekly chat on the world of tech, and all the topics you’ll see more information about below!
1. Telstra made big announcements in 4G, 5G and satellites today, with 85% of the population covered as at June 30, 2023 – last week, with Telstra on track to hit 90% coverage during 2025.
38% of Telstra’s traffic is now carried over its 5G network, with 80% by FY 2025 – more traffic on the 5G network means a better experience for all. Telstra is also on track to close its 3G network in 2024, and is also on track to have 4G coverage everywhere 3G was, and of course 5G in as many places as possible, too.
Telstra has also introduced another first – among dozens of firsts since the 3G network came online – with this one being known as Cloud RAN. This is the phone network’s “radio software” operating in the cloud, with the first call on the commercial network last December, and now being actually deployed, with 7 sites in Queensland fully integrated.
Telstra will also resell Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service for select rural and regional areas that need voice services over satellite, or both voice and data, with pricing and more to come towards the end of the year, but with Telstra handling the installation of the equipment and making sure everything is set up properly.
Read about Telstra’s Starlink deal here at Telstra Exchange (or click the image above).
A great augmented reality demo was shown of how end-users could look at their phone or tablet screens, and see graphics overlaid onto reality showing you which things to plug into the back of a Telstra broadband router, in what is a great demonstration of intelligent help that could even be connected to a live support person so they can see what you’re doing and help you finish an installation. I’ve got a video of this proof-of-concept idea that Telstra hopes to commercialise in the hopefully not-too-distant future.
There’s plenty more news and stats we don’t have time to cover now, but I’ll be posting the video of the launch event from earlier today and an article summarising more of the announcements in an article later today, and will link from it here, too.
2. The American Accountability Foundation, a conservative nonprofit government watchdog group, has, according to US news source The Blaze, released a new report over the weekend detailing how the Biden administration plans to ensure that leftist ideas are implanted into AI.
Given the Australian Federal Government’s push to regulate what is says is misinformation and disinformation, is similar government AI regulation in Australia also due to arrive sometime soon?
There needs to be an AI system that is guaranteed free from left-wing ideology, and like journalists are supposed to be, neutral in their presentation of the facts, and only explaining various ideologies when specifically asked.
The Blaze reports on the Biden Administration’s moves here, and here’s the Tweet they reference:
3. Buy now, eat later: Almost 3 million Aussies prioritise BNPL over other expenses
Well known and popular comparison site Finder has reported:
- 32% of Australians with a BNPL account have missed a bill to meet their repayment
- 1 in 10 users say they have skipped a meal to pay for BNPL
- How to get the most out of buy now, pay later
Here is what they shared, read on or scroll down for No.4:
Millions of Australians are increasingly placing buy now pay later (BNPL) payments before their monthly obligations, according to new research by Finder, Australia’s most visited comparison site.
A Finder survey of 1,090 respondents revealed 2 in 5 (43%) Australians have used a BNPL account in the last 6 months.
Of those who do have an account, 1 in 3 (32%) – equivalent to 2.8 million people – have skipped another bill in order to meet their BNPL repayments.
Sarah Megginson, money expert at Finder, said many are too reliant on paying in instalments.
“The BNPL system has seen millions of people fear the thought of having to pay for things in one single transaction.
“Many are going into huge debt thinking they can afford to buy lavish items and pay it off later and get trapped in the cycle of spending money.”
A shocking 14% have missed paying their energy bill to cover what they bought on BNPL.
(The image below links to these Finder BNPL stats).
The research shows 1 in 10 (9%) have disregarded paying for their personal loan to finance their shopping habit. The same amount (9%) have missed a mortgage repayment.
Some have gone as far as skipping a meal (11%) in order to meet their BNPL repayment on time.
Megginson said while paying in instalments is quite enticing, late fees and account fees can make it more expensive than a credit card.
Research from Curtin University found the fees for missing BNPL payments could equate to a 276.12% effective interest rate based on a $30 purchase and the maximum potential fees.
A separate Finder survey found 1 in 3 (33%) could not survive without their BNPL account.
That’s 2.9 million users who admit they wouldn’t cope financially without the help of the new payment plan.
Gen Z (22%) was twice as likely as gen X (11%) to admit they could not survive without BNPL. This was followed by gen Y (19%).
Megginson said new government regulation will see the BNPL system considered a credit product for the first time ever, which is a step in the right direction.
“People are forgoing essential items in order to meet their repayments on time and the domino effect this can have is unimaginable.
“The regulation will see lower fees and charges for those who get caught out with multiple transactions draining their account.
“It’s important that people manage their BNPL spending without regulations.
“Having more than three purchases on the go at once can be stressful to keep up with, so aim for this as your limit.”
Megginson said Aussies should try a delayed gratification shopping strategy where they set aside a purchase for 24 hours.
“BNPL enables impulse buying, so if you can hold off on clicking ‘purchase’, you may find it is enough of a dopamine hit just to ‘add to cart’ without actually committing to buy,” Megginson said.
Could you survive without your Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) account? (e.g. Afterpay, Klarna)
- Yes 67%
- No 33%
Source: Finder survey of 470 respondents with BNPL, June 2023
Have you missed any of the following payments to pay your BNPL repayments?
- Energy bill 14%
- Skipped a meal 11%
- Personal loan 9%
- Mortgage 9%
- Car loan 8%
- Insurance 6%
- Kids school fees 3%
- No, I have never missed any payments to pay my BNPL repayments 68%
Source: Finder survey of 470 respondents with BNPL, June 2023. Respondents could select all that apply.
How to get the most out of buy now, pay later:
- Know your rights. Your rights as a customer are likely to vary depending on which BNPL provider you are using. Therefore, it’s a good idea to check the terms and conditions of your specific provider rigorously, prior to using its service.
- Try not to spend more than you need to. It can be easy when using a BNPL scheme to end up spending more than you were planning to. Try to avoid overspending by bearing in mind that while the cost of the payments may be spread out over a longer period, it is the same amount of money.
- Set up payment alerts. Most BNPL providers take direct debit payments automatically. Therefore, if you forget a payment and there isn’t enough money in your account, you could see your credit rating taking a dent. Avoid this by setting a reminder a few days before your repayment is due to leave your account.
- If you want to return an item, do so as soon as possible. To avoid paying for items you have changed your mind about, it’s a good idea to make your returns as soon as possible. Ideally, you want to send or take items back before your next payment date. While most BNPL providers will refund you in full for returned purchases, it may take a few days for your refund to be processed. This means more time with less money in your account.
4. Australian consumer advocate company, CHOICE, reports facial recognition is being used by major stadiums including Qudos Bank Arena and says “Stronger laws urgently needed to regulate controversial technology”
A new investigation from CHOICE has revealed facial recognition technology is being used at a number of major Australian stadiums, often without people’s knowledge or consent.
CHOICE analysed the privacy policies and conditions of entry statements of 10 stadiums and stadium operators, and found many allowed for facial recognition use without providing information on exactly where and how it is used.
“It is extremely concerning that facial recognition technology is being used at major concert and sporting venues across the country, without any kind of clear information for consumers about where, how and why it is being used,” says CHOICE consumer data advocate Kate Bower.
“We’re particularly worried about Qudos Bank Arena, owned by Ticketek’s parent company TEG. Qudos is not clear on how and why they collect and use facial recognition data, leaving the door open for harmful selling and sharing of sensitive biometric information,” says Bower.
“Qudos can hold up to 21,000 people and is set to host a number of big events this year alone, including Lizzo, Sam Smith and Disney on Ice. The amount of biometric data that potentially could be collected, stored and shared just in 2023 is massive,” says Bower.
Qudos has said they alert attendees to the use of facial recognition through digital signage and their conditions of entry. However, these signs are hard to find, difficult to read and would take an average reader over 12 minutes to get through. The signage doesn’t mention how the information is stored, shared or used.
CHOICE is urgently calling for stronger regulation of facial recognition to protect the community from harmful and invasive use of this technology.
“Stadiums are places where many people, including children, gather to have fun and make memories. If facial recognition is being used in these venues, people should have the choice to opt in or out. Instead, any details regarding the use of this technology are usually buried deep in a privacy policy or conditions of entry,” says Bower.
“Clear guidelines are needed to ensure safe and responsible use of facial recognition technology, and to hold businesses to account when they are using this controversial technology inappropriately or dangerously,” says Bower.
5. Australian businesses must brace for a tripling of ad fraud this year: TrafficGuard
- Ad fraud second biggest global crime market after drugs worth $US100 billion annually
- Australian businesses have lost almost $US2 billion this year
- New TrafficGuard solutions for tracking and policing invalid traffic will boost marketers’ arsenals
Australian organisations need to start being serious about tackling ad fraud with the number and sophistication of attacks on track to triple this year, according to Mathew Ratty, CEO of Perth-based startup, TrafficGuard.
Fresh from its $6.5 million raise in February, TrafficGuard (trading as Adveritas ASX:AV1) is quickly gaining recognition as a world leader in software solutions to help organisations better measure, verify and protect where their ad dollars are going, as fraud stings increase in both number and sophistication.
Ratty cites research from UK-based analysts Juniper Research, which estimates that Australian businesses have lost $US1.97 billion to ad fraud this year, already surpassing the $US1.32 billion purloined in 2022. At current rates, this means we’re on track to see a tripling of 2022 numbers by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, over the same period, there has been a dramatic increase in cyber-attacks against Australian organisations, with telco Optus and health insurer Medibank suffering amongst the biggest breaches ever seen in the country.
Globally, ad fraud is now the second biggest crime business behind drugs, expected to hit $US100 billion this year according to Statista.
“Ad fraud has quickly become one of the most lucrative businesses for criminal organisations, made more appealing by the fact it’s relatively easy to execute while being extremely difficult to detect and prove,” said Ratty.
“It’s therefore incumbent upon any organisation operating in the digital world to limit their exposure with the best tools they can source”.
Australia’s Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) recently published its Digital Ad Fraud Handbook. Authored by industry experts, including TrafficGuard’s Ratty, it provides a comprehensive analysis of current ad fraud – or invalid traffic (IVT) types – and the best tools and techniques organisations should embrace to mitigate against them.
Google PPC, mobile app user acquisition campaigns, and affiliate scams are among the more common vehicles for ad fraud detected in 2023, with new pathways and techniques being developed all the time. Meanwhile, more and more sophisticated fraud is being detected on social media platforms.
Aside from the losses to fraud itself, businesses risk incurring major opportunity costs if their advertising budgets are being exhausted by criminals.
“TrafficGuard drives unrivalled advertising performance by verifying engagement in real-time, actively blocking IVT from marketing campaigns, ensuring that ad spend reaches more real users while protecting the integrity of data that brands, marketers, agencies, and publishers rely on to drive better performance,” Ratty added.
TrafficGuard is using the $6.5 million it raised in February to fund new product development, which it expects will help consolidate its leading position in the Australian and APAC markets, while supporting its push into the US and Europe, where ad fraud is arguably most prolific.
Since 2021, the company’s revenues have grown an impressive 173 per cent to $3.9 million driven by new customer contracts across its mobile, affiliate and pay-per-click (PPC) products. Key clients include Disney, online travel leader, Lux Escapes, mega-retailer MyDeal, as well as online betting companies William Hill, Tab Corp and Better Collective.
Soon to be released is TrafficGuard’s ‘self-serve’ product aimed at SMEs in addition to a ‘social product’, aimed at tackling the rampant ad fraud now compromising platforms Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The company is also expected to release an all-encompassing “Performance Max” solution aimed at full-funnel protection, in Q3 later this year.
“We now offer a comprehensive suite of products for full-funnel protection, making us the first company to truly offer an omnichannel digital marketing anti-fraud solution,” Ratty added.
6. Security company AVAST, now part of the same company that makes the Norton Internet Security software is warning of charity crowdfunding scams: Criminals Continue to Prey on People’s Generosity to Help Sick Children to Steal Donations, with AVAST’s researchers identifying a video campaign from an organization claiming to be collecting money for sick children which are actually scam sites
Researchers from Avast, a consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen, (the home of Norton 360 Internet Security), have identified a new social media scam that is preying on its victims by exploiting their desire to help those in need. The new scam is a video campaign created by a criminal organisation that crowdfunds under the guise of helping sick children – the result being tens of thousands of dollars scammed from generous givers.
The video ad spotted on YouTube and Instagram, shows an eight-year-old boy called Semion allegedly sick with cancer pleading in Russian for help with treatment. Semion says that his family can’t afford treatment for his cancer, and if he doesn’t receive this treatment within the next two weeks it will be too late to save him. ‘I appeal to your hearts,’ he begs. ‘I don’t want to lie in bed and choke.”
The videos, which come in different versions, are in Russian but have subtitles in English, French, Spanish and Ukrainian.
The organisers of the fundraising page claim to be from World Champions EU and be linked to an Israeli organisation called World Champions. When Avast researchers reached out to World Champions for comment, they did not hear back.
In 2022, Avast researchers found a similar campaign, very likely by the same group based in Israel, in which the videos were viewed millions of times and people donated over $650,000.
Donations to the new scam are currently at over $293,000 with numbers increasing daily. Avast researchers reported the channel to YouTube urging people not to donate and to be mindful when they are served ads for such crowdfunding campaigns on social media.
“As cybersecurity researchers, we constantly see how criminals exploit human nature to make money. One of the most heart wrenching examples, though, is when people prey on the human desire to help others, especially when it comes to exploiting sick children,” said Luis Corrons, security evangelist and researcher for Avast.
“It’s our job to not only monitor these scams and develop products and services to help protect people against them but also to educate people about what’s spreading online.
“When it comes to donating, it’s important to verify the authenticity of the organisation before you transfer money to ensure you’re helping who you think you are. To be safest, directly visit the official websites of trusted organisations to donate instead of responding to calls for donations via emails, videos, or social media ads,” Corrons concluded.
7. A new report says Apple’s next-generation AirPods Pro models will feature even more hearing aid capabilities, while also being able to more accurately measure your body’s temperature, be chargeable by USB-C instead of lightning, and will presumably offer even better levels of noise cancellation than was already available in the AirPods Pro 2, which was twice as good as the original AirPods Pro 1.
Note: these new AirPods Pro 3, the presumed name, are not released yet and are unlikely to arrive until September when the iPhone 15 models arrive, but it is the latest rumour. Also, Apple’s headphones cost in the low hundreds, while most dedicated hearing aids cost thousands, so this is a market ripe for disruption, which “boom boom”… isn’t unheard of.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has the details at his excellent article, which is also linked to in the embedded tweet below – there’s more we spoke about today below the tweet, so please scroll when ready and read on! 🙂
8. An e-bike company has added ChatGPT to its already impressive tech-laden bike, but is this the moment when the early AI hysteria in what is now the second half of 2023 has jumped the shark?
The name of this e-bike company is Urtopia – yes, that’s right, with the extra r, and its smart e-bikes have every bit of smart tech you could imagine – check out this video from Eurobike 2023 where Urto. Not only is there a fingerprint unlock for your e-bike, movement alarms, GPS tracking, GPS navigation, voice control, 4G SIM card and WI-Fi hotspot, a connected app with all the bells and whistles, music, lights, and for the Carbon model, a 15kg light weight.
It also now has ChatGPT built-in, so you can ask your e-bike questions and ChatGPT answers to you over the e-bike’s loudspeaker, as you can see in the second video below.
This seems a bit useless – why do you want everyone else hearing the answer to what you have asked about when the phone you carry is just as capable of accessing the ChatGPT or other AI website or app, and let you speak to the system by voice, have it read out to you what it said in your AirPods or other wireless earbuds or headphones?
While it is nice to have a seemingly human-class AI chatbot to speak with, just having it as an extra capability of your e-bike seems to be adding AI for the sake of adding AI and being able to say you’ve done it, there’s nothing stopping you from using your phone for the exact same thing, in what is generally a much more useful way.
Attach your phone to your e-bike with a bike mount and accompanying case, and with your Bluetooth helmet or earbuds on under your helmet, and off you go – no fancy extra payment to add ChatGPT to your e-bike needed. All the other technological enhancements are great though, and fantastic additions to any e-bike out there. Check out the two videos below!
Here’s the video showing a demonstration of the ChatGPT interface in action, which as you can see probably isn’t something you’d use when actually out and about, especially if you can’t output the audio to your headphones or through your phone.
