Undercover cop’s splurge on Aussie identities
An AFP officer spent six months undercover snapping up Aussie ids on the Dark Web where drivers’ licences sell for as little as $2.
An undercover cop using a fake identity and bitcoin currency bought hundreds of passports, drivers’ licences and a raft of other personal identity documents of unsuspecting Australians.
Cyber CRC backs ‘extraordinary’ AFP hacking powers
The government-funded cybersecurityresearch centre has thrown its support behind the proposed “extraordinary” new hacking powers for the Australian Federal Police, its position that is at odds with human rights, civil liberties and digital rights groups, as well as a group of Senators who have all raised significant concerns about the new laws.
In a submission to government, the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC) said the Identify and Disrupt Bill, which hands sweeping new powers to the AFP and the Australian Crime and Intelligence Commission (ACIC) to hack into the devices and networks of suspected criminals, is proportionate, appropriate and safe.
Cybercrime groups are selling their hacking skills. Some countries are buying
Nation-state hacking groups don't need to do the work themselves anymore: they can hire criminal gangs to breach targets for them - with the added bonus that it's harder to trace the attack back to them, say researchers.
Denham Sadler Senior Reporter
The federal government will pay consulting giant Deloitte more than $1.5 million for its off-the-shelf online forum platform and social media management tools for use by the tax office.
A contract posted publicly last week revealed the global consultancy will be paid $1.543 million for “online community and social media platform services” for the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), with the work running for a year from February.
Expats unwittingly recruited as drug mules for organised crime
28.02.2021
U.S. Tax Court's Diversity & Inclusion Series, Tax Trailblazers: Mentoring the Next Generation:
Please join the United States Tax Court in honoring Black History Month and kicking off the first in a series of monthly programs celebrating diversity and inclusion in tax law. Moderated by Chief Judge Maurice B. Foley, February’s webinar will focus on Loretta Collins Argrett and her path to—and success in—the field of tax law. Today at 7:00-8:15 PM EST (register here).
The importance of technology competence when communicating electronically
Sui Generis – Nicole Black: “I’m sure that by now you’ve already seen the now infamous cat filter court hearing video. If not, Google it and watch it. I’ll wait. Now that you’re back, let’s talk about how you can avoid replicating that unfortunate predicament. The short answer? By maintaining technology competence when using electronic methods to communicate with clients and colleagues.
It’s always been important to ensure that you understand how to use the technologies that you use regularly in your practice. But now that many of us are working – and appearing in court – remotely, it’s imperative that lawyers are technologically competent when communicating electronically. If you’re not sure what your obligations are when it comes to electronic communications or aren’t sure where to start, you’re in luck. The Florida Bar issued an updated guide last year that’s right on point: “Best Practices for Professional Electronic Communication.” This 25-page ebook offers a comprehensive overview of the ins and outs of different types of electronic communication and the issues lawyers need to understand when using said technologies.
The types of electronic communications covered include texting, email, social media, telephones and cellphones, laptops, and court appearances via videoconference. I recommend that you read the guide in its entirety since it contains at ton of useful information about securely and ethically communicating electronically. In the meantime, here are some highlights to get you started…”
Speculative crypto art market takes off Axios: “Move over, GameStop. The newest speculative game in town is NFTs — digital files that can be owned and traded on a plethora of new online platforms. Why it matters: Most NFTs include some kind of still or moving image, which makes them similar to many physical art objects. Some of them, including a gif of Nyan Cat flying through the sky with a pop-tart body and rainbow trail, can be worth more than your house. How it works: Most crypto assets are like dollars, or stocks: They’re fungible, which means that one bitcoin, or share of IBM, is worth exactly the same as any other bitcoin, or share of IBM. NFTs, by contrast, are non-fungible tokens: They’re unique objects that live on a blockchain and are valued as collectors’ items.
- By the numbers: Nyan Cat sold for 300 ETH (the Ethereum cryptocurrency), or about $580,000 at the time the bid was entered on Feb. 19. An artist going by the moniker “Beeple” sold 20 artworks for $3.5 million in December, and has consigned a major digital work to auction house Christie’s in an online auction that will end on March 11.
- One fake Banksy, by an artist calling themselves Pest Supply, sold for more than 60 ETH, or about $100,000. The artwork featured a stencil saying “I can’t believe you morons actually buy this NFT…” It’s not clear where or how the buyer could resell the work, given that the Opensea platform has now disabled all future sales by that artist.
- A short clip of a LeBron James dunk from 2019 sold for $208,000, on a daywhen more than 20,000 buyers spent more than $45 million in total buying NBA TopShot clips…”
Washington’s Most Influential People - Washingtonian – “The 250 experts and advocates—outside the government—who’ll be shaping the policy debates of the years to come. Contents:
- Antitrust
- Banking and Finance
- Business and Labor
- Civil Rights and Criminal Justice
- Climate/Environment
- Economic Policy
- Education
- Energy
- Foreign Affairs
- Good Government
- Healthcare
- Immigration
- Infrastructure and Transportation
- Legal Intelligentsia
- National Security and Defense
- Tech and Telecom