Author Archives: Mark Gregory

Top ten tech predictions for 2013

By Mark Gregory | Published: 08/01/2013
2012 was a massive year for technology – robots on Mars, exoskeletons offering signs that wheel chairs may one day become redundant, Windows 8, and 3D printing using recycled plastic. The biggest technology impact in 2012 was the flood of new exciting consumer products including 4G smartphones, cameras, GPS, game consoles and tablets. But now [...]
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Unlimited government and police control of the internet? There’s no filter for that

By Mark Gregory | Published: 28/11/2012
Good news. A decision made earlier this month by Australia’s Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy may have inadvertently opened the door for unlimited government and police control of the internet. On November 9, Senator Stephen Conroy said: Australia’s largest ISPs [internet service providers] have been issued with notices [by [...]
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Anonymous’ Operation Australia – can the federal police stop them?

By Mark Gregory | Published: 16/08/2012
About 10am this morning, Anonymous used Twitter to announce an attack on the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) website. Anonymous claimed the ASIO website would be unavailable for the rest of the day. The ASIO website was down for about 30 minutes after the attack and is now operating slowly or not at all. It [...]
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Are Australian international roaming charges the greatest rip-off in history?

By Mark Gregory | Published: 02/12/2011
What’s the greatest rip-off going? Maybe so many come to mind that you’re reaching for a pen. Your list might look something like this: bottled water sports drinks petrol price rises just before a long weekend or public holiday credit card interest rates and surcharges.
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Hackers hit Steam: is it time to open the Valve on e-commerce regulation?

By Mark Gregory | Published: 15/11/2011
One of the world’s largest online video gaming networks, Steam, has been hacked and its 35 million users may have had their accounts “compromised”. And yes, “compromised” means their (encrypted) credit card details may have been stolen. At the risk of asking the obvious, have we finally reached the moment for stricter regulation of e-commerce, [...]
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Anonymous, child porn and the wild, wild web

By Mark Gregory | Published: 09/11/2011
Is it right for hackers, regardless of public support, to take the law into their own hands? High-profile hacktivist group Anonymous has turned its attention to fighting child pornography. As a sign of what it pledges will become more widespread, the group this month launched an attack on a server by the name of Freedom Hosting. [...]
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The internet is insecure – let’s build a better one, fast

By Mark Gregory | Published: 31/10/2011
A few days ago, senior FBI official Shawn Henry called for the creation of a new and secure “alternative internet” to secure key infrastructure and financial systems. He assessed the process of connecting systems of national significance to the internet as a recipe for disaster, and he was right: the internet is insecure. And yet we [...]
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You’ve got mail – how to stop spam and reduce cyber crime

By Mark Gregory | Published: 11/07/2011
We’ve all received them: emails offering special prices on Viagra, offering fortunes we didn’t know we had, offering links to fantastic websites we simply must visit right away.   Annoying as! But the technology to stop spam and other undesirable emails not only exists, it’s been around for years. With cyber crime costing Australia more [...]
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