Newsletter Archives

This common action is putting you at risk of being deepfaked

As we move further into the Computer Age, fake news, digital deceit and widespread use of social media are having a profound impact on every element of society, from swaying elections and manipulating science-proven facts, to encouraging racial bias and exploiting women. Once a topic only discussed in computer research labs, deepfakes were catapulted into...

Spotlight on Women in Tech

A Q&A with Lucy Cameron from the Data61 Insights team on her career journey and why she decided to get involved with Hopper Down Under, taking place in Brisbane on 29-31 July. #WeAreHere WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE A CAREER IN SCIENCE AND TECH? My Dad was a maths and economics teacher, and at home...

Online match-making tool promoting a circular economy goes national

We create more than 2 billion tonnes of waste annually, with that number expected to grow to 3.4 billion by 2050. According to the World Bank, the majority (33%) of worldwide waste is disposed in an open dump, while 25.2% is discarded in unspecified (opposed to sanitary or controlled) landfill. Australia generates 67 million of...

Why we’re vaccinating algorithms against adversarial attacks

Is the image on the left that of a temple, or of a large bird native to Africa? According to a machine learning model that’s been duped by an adversarial attack, it’s an ostrich. As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning across our society and economy is increasing, so too is the...

Machine Learning made more meaningful through Graph Analytics

In this information age, data is the greatest asset. A successful digital transformation rests on the ability to master data to the fullest extent, despite its ever-expanding volume and complexity. Our world is deeply connected, but connections within data are often not obvious, with this information often siloed and occasionally representing only a partial picture...

Over 2,000 fake Android apps discovered

The apps you regularly use to log your steps, edit your photos and monitor your finances may be hiding malicious software that could be tracking and even stealing your personal information. As part of a two-year cyber security project, researchers from CSIRO’s Data61 and the Faculty of Engineering’s School of Computer Science at the University...

The $3 trillion economic opportunity for spaceship Earth

In his latest op-ed in the Australian Financial Review, CSIRO’s Data61 CEO Adrian Turner argues that oceans are one of the most vital additions to the world’s economy, but with plastic rubbish set to outweigh fish within decades, this valuable resource is at risk. Nothing captures our imagination like the prospect of space travel. For those...

Newly discovered computer attack can steal data from memory chips

Security researchers have developed a new cyber-attack called RAMBleed, a variant of Rowhammer that can steal data from memory chips even if the system has been updated to prevent these kinds of ambushes. Developed by an international team, (Yuval Yarom from the University of Adelaide and Data61, Andrew Kwong and Daniel Genkin of the University...

Where are Australia’s PhD students?

“A PhD is an endeavour in itself and curious minds embarking on the journey of getting one have certainly gone through a truly transformational experience,” says Dr Anastasia Volkova, CEO & Co-Founder of Flurosat who also has a PhD in Aeronautical Engineering. The Australian PhD space has suffered from a persistent lack of data on...

Data economy means more change to Australia than the internet

In his latest op-ed in the Australian Financial Review, CSIRO’s Data61 CEO Adrian Turner looks at the 15-year rise of platform companies going unchecked, and why it’s time for Australia to take the lead in setting an ethical framework for data collection. Data economy means more change to Australia than the internet It seems we’re...