TOTT News

Controversial ‘driver assistance technology’, including black-box data recorders, which monitor everything from a vehicle’s speed to ‘driver condition’, could become mandatory for all new cars in Europe after an approval from the EU.

Experts have warned that international ‘standard approvals’ will force Australian companies to import most new model cars with the same surveillance technology installed.

Could Australia be incrementally setting up a similar system?

The world is changing at an unprecedented rate. Advancements in technological capabilities and systems have developed to a point where most of the modern world has become highly dependent on digital governing systems for sustainability and functions.

In the following membership piece, we take a look at the rise of a new age technological dystopia, including the history and development of biometrics and biometric technology, monitoring characteristics, the modern digital era in Australia and the rise of China’s ‘Social Credit System’.

Perth Airport has become Australia’s second international airport to begin installing new facial recognition smart gates, following an initial pilot trial introduced at Canberra Airport last year.

The Australian government has stated their intended goal is to automate 90% of air traveler processing by 2020, and is on track to replace passports with biometric capabilities after signing new contracts with technology vendors for a national rollout.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) is responsible for operating Australia’s largest gas and electricity systems, including the National Electricity Market (NEM) – the interconnected power system in Australia’s eastern and south-eastern seaboard.

Inside of a secret room at an undisclosed location in Sydney, half-a-dozen engineers are employed by the AEMO to operate a control room that regulates distribution of power generation to 80% of Australia.

New reports reveal the shift to a digital economy is accelerating.

The Australian government has passed anti-encryption legislation compelling companies to grant authorities access to encrypted information, in a move analysts say will have vast implications for digital privacy.

The new law, which passed the Senate 44-12 this week (final bill here), will force companies to reveal technical characteristics of digital systems that could help intelligence agencies exploit weaknesses that have not been patched.

From smart meters to smart phones, the world has seen increased development of new technologies over the last decade, allowing companies the ability to slowly become major actors in the world of law enforcement and national security.

As the world enters what technology experts are calling the “fourth industrial revolution”, we explore growing evidence suggesting that smart home technology was designed to be a surveillance intermediary for police and intelligence organisations.

Australia is helping to lead an increasing transition to the digital era, with some states already offering the option of holding a digital driver’s license, and programs like Digital iD, GovPass and facial recognition systems beginning to take shape on a national level.

As technology and policy towards biometric innovations continues to advance across the world, the inevitability is now clear: Digital identity and instant identification will soon become the new standard, and it is fast approaching.

Technology giants and human rights groups have formed an alliance to fight the Australian government’s new encryption bill.

Calling themselves the ‘Alliance for a Safe and Secure Internet’, the group consists of industry, consumer and human rights groups, who are criticising the government for attempting to pass legislation that threatens the digital security of Australians.