BONUS: Tailwinds and Tensions of Technology for OSINT (presented at Australian OSINT Symposium)   In this bonus episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey presents to the Australian OSINT Symposium. Called Tailwinds and Tensions of Technology for OSINT, this presentation identified three major shifts and explored their impacts. The first is how the digital landscape and emerging tech are transforming intelligence. The second is a decline in information...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Connor Leahy, CEO of Conjecture. This episode unpacks the transformative potential of AI and AGI and need for responsible, global governance, drawing parallels to historical successes in treaties for ethical science practices, such as the moratorium on human cloning. It covers the current and potential impacts of AI monopolisation and centralisation of power and what AGI could mean, if achieved....

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Australian National Cyber Security Coordinator, Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness. We talk all things cyber for Cyber Security Awareness Month. This episode explores cyber security threats, incidents and response coordination mechanisms as well as the National Cyber Intelligence Partnership and Executive Cyber Council. We also touch on Five Eyes, alliances and the intelligence implications...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind. In this episode, we start by imagining a future privacy landscape where individual privacy is protected, and users have real agency and choice and look at the steps we need to take to get there. We explore the significant impact of advertising and extractive data economies on our daily technological interactions and emphasize the critical...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by investigative journalist and author Byron Tau. They discuss the intricate and often opaque world of data brokers and global surveillance. Tau, known for his deep dives into complex subjects, shares insights from his book Means of Control, highlighting the potential misuse of large data sets and the delicate balance between data collection for security and the risk of social control. The...

In this episode of Technology and Security, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey speaks with Meredith Whittaker, president of Signal. The interview explores key contemporary issues in technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI). They discuss the impact of AI in elections and democracies, including the need for stronger local media ecosystems and improved focus on the ‘mediating’ role of social media platforms and the information ecosystem. They discuss the concentration of AI power and reliance of the...

In this episode, Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Elisabeth Braw. This discussion explores the decline in globalisation and an increasingly divided world with the West on one side and China and Russia on another. It highlights the impacts of geopolitical rifts on technology, innovation, business, supply chain vulnerabilities and complexities, subsea cables and infrastructure as well as consumer prices and job market changes. They also discuss the tech sector, the role of technology in...

In this episode of Technology and Security, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey speaks with Sir David Omand. The interview is an exploration of the evolving landscape of intelligence, technology and security from the Cold War to the near real time intelligence in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They discuss adaptation in intelligence from high frequency radio to generative AI and from state threats to myriad threat actors. They explore the interpretative nature of data and the necessity for analytical skill...

In this episode of Technology and Security, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey speaks with Nina Jankowicz, world leading disinformation expert and author. They discuss the necessity of an alliance among democratic nations to address technological challenges, and shape policies that have real impact. They discuss the security threats of disinformation campaigns, highlighting their real-world impact on human behaviour and the role of data in targeted manipulation. Russian disinformation tactics were...

In this episode of Technology and Security, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey speaks with Brendan Dowling, Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology. They discuss the Australian government's cybersecurity outlook for 2024, focusing on the anticipated pace and scale of responses from advisories to law enforcement actions and sanctions. Additionally, it covers the use of cyber autonomous sanctions, examining the case of Ermakov, as well as potential future uses and the process involved,...

Special Episode: Big Data, Emerging Technology & National Security Decision-Making Lecture   *Unfortunately, the episode we had planned to release today is still in production. Our guest was recalled to deal with a major cyber incident on the day of recording. This episode will hopefully be released soon.*     Instead, by popular request, we are bringing you a special episode. This is an edited lecture I gave at ANU which covers big data and emerging technologies, their impacts on...

In this episode of Technology and Security, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey speaks with Professor Nita Farahany about the increasing emergence of neurotechnology and what it means for national security as well as consumers, policy makers, military forces and nation states. They discuss the importance of ensuring the privacy of brain data as the ‘final piece in the jigsaw puzzle’ of data collection by large technology companies. They also discuss the possibility of identifying, verifying and targeting...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Professor Johanna Weaver, founding Director of the Tech Policy Design Centre, to discuss the recent 2023–2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy, including its funding, implementation and challenges, the relationship between hacktivism and international humanitarian law and the different ways of thinking about AI risk and harms. They also discuss their highlights for 2023, Australia’s important position in driving change in multilateral forums, myGov and...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by The Hon. Dr Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury and the Assistant Minister for Employment, to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of competition, the initial months of the Australian Centre for Evaluation and coordinating with overseas regulators on the complexities of AI. They also discuss Australia’s technology workforce challenges, charting a uniquely Australian approach to building industrial capacity,...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Dr Kobi Leins (GAICD), Honorary Senior Fellow at King’s College, London and international law expert, to discuss her work on nanomaterials and their implications for existing international law governing chemical and biological weapons. They also discuss why international standards are so important, AI’s potential for evil and the need for improved understandings of data ethics – from the classroom to the boardroom – as well as why we should be wary about...

Kara Hinesley, Canva’s global Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs, joins Dr Miah Hammond-Errey to discuss her experience during the creation of The Christchurch Call after the livestreamed 2019 terrorist attack in New Zealand while at Twitter, the complex relationship between AI, art and artists, AI and IP, AI regulation and the technology workforce shortages, as well as building robust civic discourse and debate on digital platforms. They also discuss, what differentiates Australian...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by the Hon Victor Dominello, former NSW Minister for Community Services and Digital Government. They discuss the potential and complexities of digital identification, what it means for democracies, and how to lead risk-averse organisations like government in a manner that promotes innovation and productivity and empowers decision-making. They also discuss AI regulation, building trust in technology between government, corporations and individuals, and what can...

In a special episode, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Michael Green, CEO of the United States Studies Centre, to consider the conversations and developments around technology decoupling between the United States and China across the past six months. Drawing on insights from previous guests on the podcast, Miah and Mike cover topics from international standards, subsea cables and individual user trust in technology to the role of Japan and Australia. They also discuss the role of alliances,...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Jason Matheny, CEO of RAND Corporation and founder of CSET to delve into the complexities of regulating emerging technologies — from AI to biotechnology, what the United States can learn from Australia, the opportunity a current bottleneck in compute capacity offers democracies, and his work at IARPA — ‘the DARPA of the intelligence world’ — using innovative methods to solve the hard problems of policy and national security. They also discuss the role of...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey sits down with Hamish Hansford, Deputy Secretary of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Group at the Department of Home Affairs, to discuss the evolution of the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act (SOCI), including Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Programs (CIRMPs), refining the critical asset class definitions and the importance of board accountability. They also cover the International Counter Ransomware Taskforce, working with other countries in cyber...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey interviews Susan Gordon, former US Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, discussing the potential of public disclosures of intelligence to build trust, the nuanced differences between American and Australian cultures that impact technology policy and innovation, especially in areas like AI regulation, and what is needed to make AUKUS Pillar II a success. They also cover the increasing role of private-sector firms in national security — from supply chain...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey talks with Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, about AI’s rapid rise, online harms, where banking has led the way in technology regulation, and much more. In this episode they discuss eSafety’s world-leading regulation work, why we can’t just regulate algorithms and how eSafety collaborates with industry to drive change. They also cover the TikTok bans and some of the wild technologies coming down the pipeline.  As Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie...

In this episode Alex Lynch, from Google Australia’s Public Policy team, joins Dr Miah Hammond-Errey to discuss emerging technologies, quantum, Australia’s role and much more. They cover Google’s recent quantum announcement on error correction and Australia’s significant role in quantum research, data localisation, ethics in AI — including Google’s approach — and strategic decoupling. They also talk about the complexity and security of Google’s global infrastructure, data breaches and what it...

In this episode, Jessica Hunter from the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) joins Dr Miah Hammond-Errey to talk about emerging technologies and signals intelligence. They cover ASD’s role in Australian intelligence, REDSPICE, offensive and defensive operations and the Russia–Ukraine conflict, technology as statecraft and cybercrime. They also discuss alliances, the security of everyday technology, the Optus and Medibank hacks, international standards, and the value of creativity and...