Following reviewing proposals from two eligible spacesuit vendors, NASA tapped Axiom Space to provide a moonwalking system for the Artemis III mission. The mission will enable Americans to set foot on the Moon’s surface for the first time in more than 50 years.
Additionally, the mission will land the first woman and first person of colour on the Moon.
The award is for a task order to create a next-generation Artemis spacesuit and supporting systems and to demonstrate their use on the lunar surface during Artemis III.
With this award, NASA has added yet another pillar to its plan to send astronauts back to the Moon as part of the Artemis mission to support ongoing scientific advancements that will benefit people on Earth.
“NASA is proud to partner with commercial industry on this historic mission that will kickstart the United States building a lasting presence on the surface of the Moon. What we learn on Artemis III and future missions on and around the Moon will pave the way for missions to Mars. Spacesuits enable us to literally take that next step,” NASA’s Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility program manager Lara Kearney said.
NASA established the technical and safety specifications for the following generation of spacesuits using over 50 years of spacesuit experience. The spacesuit and support equipment for Artemis III will be designed, developed, qualified, certified, and produced by Axiom Space in accordance with these important agency requirements.
Experts from NASA will continue to be in charge of mission planning, astronaut training, and service system approval. Before Artemis III, Axiom Space will be required to test the suits in a spacelike environment.
Under the Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services contract, which has an indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity, qualified industry partners compete for task orders that will offer a comprehensive set of capabilities for NASA’s spacewalking and moonwalking requirements during the performance period through 2034.
Apple stated that the iPhone 14 Pro introduces a new class of pro camera system with the first-ever 48MP Main camera on an iPhone featuring a quad-pixel sensor and Photonic Engine. This improved image pipeline significantly enhances low-light photos and is powered by A16 Bionic, which Apple claims is the fastest smartphone chip ever.
With features like Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection, Apple said iPhone has become even more indispensable for routine tasks, creative endeavours, and emergencies.
“Our customers count on their iPhone every day, and with iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, we’re delivering more advancements than any other iPhone,” Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak stated.
The new iPhone 14 lineup features surgical-grade stainless steel and textured matte glass design in four colours. Available in 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch sizes, both feature a new Super retina XDR display with ProMotion, which, for the first time on iPhone, includes the Always-On display enabled by a new 1Hz refresh rate and multiple power-saving technologies.
With a front cover made of Ceramic Shield, which is tougher than any smartphone glass and offers water and dust resistance, Apple said the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max continue to provide features that set the industry standard for durability.
The Dynamic Island introduces new ways to interact with the iPhone, with a design that blurs the distinction between hardware and software, adapting in real-time to display important alerts, notifications, and activities.
Since the Dynamic Island was introduced, the TrueDepth camera has been modified to occupy less screen space. The Dynamic Island keeps the screen in an active state without interfering with content, so users can access controls with just a tap and hold.
For the first time, the Pro lineup includes a brand-new 48MP Main camera with a quad-pixel sensor and second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilisation. ProRAW workflows benefit from the quad-pixel sensor’s optimisation for detail. Additionally, iPhone now shoots ProRAW at 48MP with unprecedented detail thanks to a new machine learning model created especially for the quad-pixel sensor, opening up new creative workflows for professional users.
Apple said the entire iPhone 14 lineup debuts ground-breaking safety features that can deliver assistance in an emergency.
Crash Detection on iPhone can now detect a severe car crash and automatically dial emergency services when a user is unconscious or unable to reach their iPhone, thanks to a new dual-core accelerometer that detects G-force measurements of up to 256Gs and a new high dynamic range gyroscope.
These expand on existing components such as the barometer that detects changes in cabin pressure, the GPS for speed changes, and the microphone4, which can recognise loud noises characteristic of severe car accidents. Even better accuracy is provided by advanced Apple-designed motion algorithms trained on over a million hours of real-world driving and crash record data.
When used with Apple Watch, Crash Detection seamlessly takes advantage of each device’s strength to get users help efficiently.
The iPhone 14 lineup also features Emergency SOS via satellite which combines specialised parts tightly integrated with software to enable antennas to connect directly to a satellite, enabling messaging with emergency services when cellular or Wi-Fi coverage is unavailable.
When there is no cellular or Wi-Fi connection, this technology also enables users to manually share their location with Find My over satellite, giving them peace of mind while hiking or camping off the grid.
Apple stated that the A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max unlocks unmatched experiences like the Dynamic Island, powers all-day battery life, and offers impressive computational photography capabilities. According to the company, the new 6-core CPU is up to 40 per cent faster than the competition and can easily handle demanding workloads.
A16 Bionic has a new 16-core Neural Engine that can perform nearly 17 trillion operations per second and an accelerated 5-core GPU with 50 per cent more memory bandwidth, making it ideal for graphics-intensive games and apps. The chip uses Apple’s best-in-class fusion architecture to combine efficiency and performance, delivering more performance with less power than the competition.
With expanded support for standalone networks, 5G support for the iPhone is now available from more than 250 carrier partners in more than 70 markets worldwide. A more secure alternative to a physical SIM card, eSIM enables users to connect to or transfer their existing plans digitally and supports multiple cellular plans on a single device.
iOS 16 is designed to take advantage of the new capabilities of the iPhone 14 Pro. It includes a reimagined Lock Screen and new communication, sharing, and intelligence features that change how users interact with their iPhones.
Apple claims that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are environmentally friendly, with 100 per cent recycled rare earth elements used in all magnets, including those used in MagSafe, and 100 per cent recycled tungsten in the Taptic Engine. According to Apple, both models use 100 per cent recycled tin in the solder of multiple printed circuit boards and 100 per cent recycled gold in the plating of numerous printed circuit boards and all camera wire. Fibre-based packaging eliminates the need for outer plastic wrap, bringing Apple closer to its goal of eliminating plastic from all packaging by 2025.
The Samsung Developer Conference 2022 (SDC22) will take place at Moscone North in San Francisco on October 12, according to a recent announcement from Samsung Electronics.
The yearly conference, which will take place physically and virtually, will highlight Samsung’s plans to advance the SmartThings platform and work with creators and developers to create the next generation of connected experiences for millions of people worldwide.
To enable a better, more interconnected world for all, Samsung is anticipated to share updates for its software, services, and platforms, including SmartThings, at SDC22. Samsung will present its vision for Calm Technology, in which gadgets seamlessly connect for a quicker and more intelligent consumer experience.
Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman, CEO, and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics, will deliver the opening keynote address. Other Samsung executives will join him and discuss the company’s plans for things like emerging technologies.
Other speakers include Samsung Research Head and President Sebastian Seung; Visual Display Business R&D Team Deputy Head Yongjae Kim; Samsung Electronics America SVP and Head of Product & Marketing Sang Kim; Mobile eXperience Business VP and Head of SmartThings Jaeyeon Jung; Mobile eXperience Business VP and Head of Framework R&D Group Hyesoon Jung; Head of SmartThings Mark Benson; and Samsung Research America Head of Bixby Lab Anil Yadav.
The SDC22 will also include breakout sessions accessible to live attendees and remote participants. Along with the chance to explore partner ecosystems, these breakout sessions offer opportunities for collaboration and learning more about Samsung’s most recent developer-focused platforms and tools, such as Bixby, One UI 5, SmartThings and Matter, Samsung Wallet, Tizen, and more.
The on-site event will offer interactive opportunities to experience new SmartThings scenarios and Samsung’s most recent innovations in Tech Square at Samsung. Additionally, the event will provide chances for networking and several on-site activities.
SDC22 will also host additional activations, such as the Code Lab, where programmers can collaborate and hone their coding abilities.
Following this week’s Jobs and Skills Summit, leaders from RMIT’s School of Computing Technologies discuss how to address the urgent need for digital professionals to fill growing tech workforce shortages in Australia.
According to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, companies across industries have digitised their daily operations and customer offerings as part of the well-established digital transformation. The university added that new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cloud Computing are already assisting some businesses in analysing crucial data and gaining insightful knowledge about what lies ahead.
However, RMIT said the current digital workforce in Australia lacks experts with the necessary work-ready skills to carry out this crucial digital transformation and implement new technologies in a scalable and secure manner across many organisations and industries.
According to the recent PwC survey, 60 per cent of business leaders cited digital transformation as their organisation’s top growth driver; their most significant risk for meeting growth objectives was not being able to “find enough people” in the smaller workforce.
RMIT’s Executive Dean School of Computing Technologies Karin Verspoor said Australia must almost double its tech workforce before 2030 to drive economic growth and ensure the nation remains at the leading edge.
“It is estimated an additional 650,000 tech workers will be needed in Australia alone by the end of the decade, and this demand will continue to rapidly grow,” she stated.
She highlighted the need to focus on attracting school leavers to study IT/Computing and widen out the pool of people that see technology as an attractive and fulfilling career option.
“This includes reskilling more women to join the tech workforce and increasing the diversity of people that we welcome into the sector and that we train in our TAFEs and universities,” she added.
In August, RMIT and Apple entered into an expanded partnership to bring coding education to even more students across the country, preparing students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences for careers in the app economy.
Another effort taken by RMIT’s School of Computing Technologies in response to the urgent and growing demand for tech graduates who are prepared for the workplace is by working with businesses from various sectors and enlisting seasoned professionals from the industry to create real-world learning experiences.
Senior Industry Fellow in Data Science Tomas Turek joined RMIT this year from the financial services industry. He oversaw significant digital transformation initiatives and helped develop AI-powered digital products for numerous multinational corporations.
Turek is also the creator of Nablas AI, a company helping businesses implement AI and build scalable, sustainable economies.
According to him, digital transformation skills must be taught by real practitioners who are successfully applying new technologies across industries.
“Up-skilling the workforce is a difficult task for emerging technologies with strong hype cycles like deep learning and edge computing. This gives a false impression to the public that everyone is an expert, while only few practitioners have hands-on experience in building production-grade software with such technologies,” he said.
Meanwhile, Associate Dean of Data Science Professor Lawrence Cavedon stated that bringing experienced industry experts to the University is beneficial as it enhances university-industry capabilities and is an “uplifting experience” for students.
“RMIT is committed to supporting digital transformation of the industry and developing future-focused technology experiences. We saw a need to increase the capabilities of our Data Science students and offer them real-world skill-building experiences during their studies,” he added.
The degree programs at RMIT School of Computing Technologies include opportunities for students to work in the industry. The Work Integrated Learning (WIL) effort is being led by business professionals who mentor students and offer feedback on the work-ready curriculum.
In their endeavour to provide over 400 new students with opportunities for software developers, cloud engineers, and cyber specialists through a new Melbourne Tech Hub, RMIT has also teamed up with Commonwealth Bank.
The partnership will expand the chances for students to collaborate with businesses on cutting-edge technology during their studies, such as Web 3.0 and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT).
To increase opportunities for WIL and paid internships for all students, an industry year will be added to all undergraduate degrees starting in the following academic year. Students can also transform their digital products into transformative businesses within a university start-up program. For the benefit of students, alumni, staff, and industry partners, the RMIT Activator offers entrepreneurial experiences within the University.
In September 2022, RMIT Activator will also debut the RMIT Digital Transformation (DX) Hub. To help provide access to technology that will enable digitally transforming educational programs as well as the operations of business and government organisations with which Activator partners, DX Hub will bring together RMIT’s world-class resources and industry partners.
Turek thinks that RMIT’s dedication to cooperative university-industry partnerships will “shape the future of work” and “grow workforce capabilities.”
“This will prepare the future generations of graduates, making them work-ready, helping them secure their future careers while at the same time helping to fill the demand for work-ready tech professionals,” he said.
Though many of us may seek a quiet place in which to study, ‘noise’ may play a key role in helping some people improve their learning potential.
Edith Cowan University (ECU) has investigated the effects of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) in a variety of settings and found the technology could have many applications.
Despite its name, tRNS doesn’t utilize noise in the everyday, auditory sense of the word.
Rather, it sees electrodes attached to the head so a weak current can pass through specific parts of the brain.
Study lead Dr Onno van der Groen said the study showed tRNS has promise as a tool to assist people with compromised learning capabilities.
“The effect on learning is promising: it can speed up learning and help people with neurological conditions,” Dr van der Groen said.
“So, people with learning difficulties you can use it to enhance learning rate, for example.
“It’s also been trialled on people with visual deficits, such as after stroke and traumatic brain injury.
“When you add this type of stimulation during learning, you get better performance, faster learning and better attention afterwards as well.”
Forming new pathways
Dr van der Groen said tRNS works by allowing the brain to form new connections and pathways, a process known as neuroplasticity.
“If you learn something, there has to be neuroplastic changes in your brain, which allows you to learn this information,” he said.
“And this is a tool to enhance this neuroplasticity.”
Dr van der Groen said tRNS had two effects on the brain: the ‘acute’ effect, which allows a person to perform better while undergoing tRNS, and the modulating effect which saw lasting results.
“If you do 10 sessions of a visual perception task with the tRNS and then come back and do it again without it, you’ll find you perform better than the control group who hasn’t used it,” he said.
“Limitless” potential?
The idea of expanding one’s learning potential via tech such as tRNS raises many questions.
While it’s most pertinent to those with deficiencies and difficulties in learning, it also begs the question as to whether a neurotypical person can take their intelligence to new levels, similar to the concept in the movie ‘Limitless’.
Dr van der Groen says the potential is there, but there are also signs it won’t create a ‘new level’ of intelligence.
“The question is, if you’re neurotypical, are you already performing at your peak,” he said.
“There’s a case study where they tried to enhance the mathematical skills of a super mathematician; with him, it didn’t have much of an impact on his performance, presumably because he is already a top performer in that area.
“But it could be used if you’re learning something new.”
Where it’s headed
Though the technology is still in its infancy and people are only able to access tRNS by entering controlled trials, Dr van der Groen said its practicality and apparent safety meant there was a lot of potential for a range of applications.
“The concept is relatively simple,” he said.
“It’s like a battery: the current runs from plus to minus, but it goes through your head as well.
“We’re working on a study where we send the equipment to people, and they apply everything themselves remotely.
“So in that regards, it’s quite easy to use.”
Scientists worldwide are also investigating tRNS’ effects on perception, working memory, sensory processing and other aspects of behaviour, with the technology showing promise as a treatment for a range of clinical conditions.
“We’re still trying to find out how best we can use it,” Dr van der Groen said.
‘Using noise for the better :The effects of transcranial random noise stimulation on the brain and behaviour’ was published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.
ECU authors on this study were Dr Onno van der Groen and Professor Dylan Edwards.
The Georgia Institute of Technology has received a $65 million grant from the U.S Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA).
The grant aims to support a statewide initiative that combines artificial intelligence and manufacturing innovations with transformational workforce and outreach programs.
The award will also broaden employment and pay prospects for historically underrepresented and marginalised populations and rural and struggling communities.
The Georgia Artificial Intelligence Manufacturing Technology Corridor (GA-AIM) is among the 21 winning projects the White House has announced under the Biden administration’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge. The grant follows a $500,000 Phase 1 feasibility grant the project was given in 2021.
“Georgia Tech is honored to lead this vision of collaborative innovation and economic development across all regions of our state. This award underscores the Institute’s commitment to leverage our resources and expertise to address great challenges, serve our state and nation, and amplify our impact on the world,” Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera said.
The AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility will enable government and industry pilot trials, cybersecurity games, and workforce training for AI manufacturing technologies. The university said that the facility is just one component of Georgia Tech’s support for the project.
The GA-AIM project lead, Aaron Stebner, has described the ability to integrate the team’s discoveries and innovations at the AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility with novel workforce programs and transformative outreach experiences as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Through an equitable AI manufacturing innovation focus, the assembled coalition of partners and stakeholders across the state will build a more prosperous and resilient Georgia and set a nation-leading example.”
A centre for commercialisation of AI manufacturing technologies in local and regional companies will be established by two of Georgia Tech’s commercialisation programs, VentureLab and I-Corps South, through training based on the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps curriculum.
Through its Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) and Georgia MBDA Business Center programmes, the Enterprise Innovation Institute, Georgia Tech’s economic development arm, will provide targeted outreach and technical assistance to small and mid-sized manufacturers and minority business enterprises.
“The work that we will accomplish with our broad spectrum of partners in this new endeavour will leverage the latest technology in artificial intelligence to grow and strengthen our workforce, ensuring that the growing manufacturing sector in Georgia has the skilled workforce that it requires for today’s as well as tomorrow’s needs,” Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute Executive Director Thomas R. Kurfess said.
Georgia Tech’s Supply Chain & Logistics Institute will research the effects of automation technologies, develop automation solutions specifically for rural manufacturers, and develop initiatives that will make it easier for those manufacturers to access the AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility.
Georgia Tech’s K-12 InVenture Prize and Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing will also establish supplemental lessons centred on AI and data science which will be a part of a K-12 InVenture Prize curriculum website.
“We are excited to be a part of this collaborative effort to catalyze research and innovation in AI and manufacturing across the state of Georgia. This project aligns with our goals to expand economic opportunity in our state’s underserved communities and to serve as a collaborative hub for interdisciplinary research that advances technology and improves people’s lives,” Georgia Tech Executive Vice President for Research Chaouki T. Abdallah said.
The Western Australian Government has granted $150,000 to Edith Cowan University (ECU) scientists to collaborate with top artificial intelligence (AI) firms to design technology that would train defence force robots to recognise hand gestures.
In a statement, ECU stated the team would comprise developers from Chironix, Augmented Reality provider, Agili8, Rugged Technology Manufacturer Motium, and researchers from the University of Western Australia, including a cognitive scientist and a cyber security expert.
“Optimising the present-day utility of robotics technology in the Australian Defence Force requires integrating robots into the human operating environment where they can be at least partially controlled by a human operator,” ECU’s Dr Syed Zulqarnain Gilani said.
The project aims to replace soldiers’ existing use of remote controls and switch to hand gestures to control unmanned machines.
A front-facing camera integrated into the operator’s AR glasses will recognise the hand motions and send them across long distances to the robot.
Agili8, a Perth-based company, developed the breakthrough XRAI Vision glasses, which transfer hand gestures from human to robot over great distances.
“This use of AI and AR in the battlefield will improve responsiveness and reduce the cognitive load on the soldier and is only the beginning of the applications of this technology,” Agili8 Chief Technology Officer Chris Markovic said.
Motium, a Perth-based firm with a solid record in producing tough hardware for the mining industry, is thrilled to transfer its expertise to security and defence domains.
“We are proud to be working with an innovative team on some really cutting-edge development for our frontline soldiers,” Motium Business Development Manager Dieter von Mollendorf stated.
According to Chironix Robotics’s Principal Research Fellow, Dr Owen Carter, there is a long pedigree of Australian soldiers using hand gestures to communicate with one another silently.
“The last thing your average diggers wants to do is stuff around with a robot remote control while getting shot at. Signalling to a robot with one hand while keeping your other hand firmly on your weapon is much preferred,” he said.
University of Western Australia’s cognitive scientist Dr Zachary Howard stated that the technology greatly enhances user experience quality when integrating robots into traditionally human teams and can lessen the cognitive demands associated with present control methods.
The project is anticipated to take a year and a half to develop before being presented to the Defence Science Centre.
Europe’s largest R&D organisation Fraunhofer Society is focusing on applied research of vital technologies ranging from AI to cybersecurity to medicine, NVIDIA announced.
In a statement, NVIDIA said the Fraunhofer Society’s Fraunhofer IML unit aims to push the limits of logistical and robotics. The German researchers, according to NVIDIA, are using NVIDIA Isaac Sim to develop advances in robot design through simulation.
Like companies such as BMW, Amazon, and Siemens, Fraunhofer IML relies on NVIDIA Omniverse, utilising it to advance applied research in logistics for fulfilment and manufacturing.
According to NVIDIA, Fraunhofer’s newest innovation, O3dyn, employs NVIDIA simulation and robotics technologies to create an indoor-outdoor autonomous mobile robot (AMR). Its purpose is to ease the transition from automated guided vehicles to fast-moving AMRs that aren’t yet on the market. This level of automation progress offers a significant increase in logistical acceleration.
“We are looking at how we can go as fast and as safely as possible in logistics scenarios,” Fraunhofer IML robotics and AI researcher Julian Eber said.
In 2013, Fraunhofer launched a groundbreaking robot known as STR, now widely used by BMW in its assembly plants and others. STR is a workhorse for industrial manufacturing employed to transport goods for production lines. According to NVIDIA, the STR and other improvements to the robotics platform, including the O3dyn, benefit from Fraunhofer IML’s AI work.
Fraunhofer IML’s goal is to develop AMRs representing a new state-of-the-art state. The O3dyn navigates using a variety of camera and sensor inputs from the NVIDIA Jetson edge AI and robotics platform.
It can travel up to 30 miles per hour and has wheels that can move in any direction to operate in confined spaces, advancing speed and agility.
“The omnidirectional dynamics is very unique and there’s nothing like this that we know of in the market,” Fraunhofer IML AI and autonomous systems head Sören Kerner said.
NVIDIA stated that Fraunhofer IML’s latest study aims to build and validate these AMRs in simulation by closing the sim-to-real gap using Isaac Sim. By exercising the robot in photorealistic, physically correct 3D settings, the researchers rely on Isaac Sim for virtual development of its highly dynamic autonomous mobile robot.
This allows Fraunhofer to load its robot’s more than 5,400 parts from computer-aided design software into the virtual world. It can then use Omniverse PhysX to rig them to physically precise specifications.
As a result, NVIDIA said, the virtual robot version can move as quickly in simulation as the genuine robot can in real life. Using the virtual environment enables Fraunhofer to accelerate development, boost accuracy for real-world deployment, and scale up more quickly.
According to NVIDIA, Fraunhofer is releasing the AMR simulation model into open source so developers can enhance it to achieve results more quickly.
“This is important for the future of logistics. We want to have as many people as possible work on the localisation, navigation, and AI of these kinds of dynamic robots in simulation,” Kerner stated.
The University of NSW said people turn to private messaging apps offering end-to-end encryption to secure their conversations, whether for sharing confidential information or mundane discussions.
Apps such as WhatsApp offer privacy that even challenges Government agencies from accessing encrypted conversations.
However, given apps’ ever-changing security and privacy policies, UNSW questions whether messages remain secure from decryption.
In May 2021, many WhatsApp users switched to other private message apps such as Signal and Telegram following disapproval regarding the changes to the platform’s privacy policy for business entities.
UNSW School of Computer Science and Engineering and UNSW Institute for Cyber Security’s Dr Arash Shaghaghi likens encryption to having a secret conversation with someone.
“To keep our information away from prying eyes, we rely on cryptographic algorithms to encrypt our data. Encryption involves converting human-readable plaintext into an encoded format and the data can only be read after it’s been decrypted,” Dr Shaghaghi said.
He stated that encryption involves using a key to lock a message, while decryption is it to unlock a message.
He added that with end-to-end encryption protocols like Signal, attackers could not decrypt messages already sent, even if they steal the encryption keys and tap over the connection.
According to UNSW, modern encryption algorithms have undergone rigorous testing and have been found to have no known vulnerabilities. The university added that while this doesn’t mean the encryption will be impossible to crack, the process requires extensive processing power and could take a long time.
Attackers commonly target endpoints and their vulnerabilities, which the UNSW said is much easier than cryptanalysis, the process used to breach cryptographic security systems.
Last year, for example, attackers targeted a vulnerability in WhatsApp’s image filter functionality, which was prompted when a user opened an attachment containing a maliciously crafted image file.
Dr Shaghaghi said backed-up conversations are stored in the cloud, meaning those messages are stored on someone else’s computer.
“The service provider’s implementation of end-to-end encryption plays a significant role in the security and privacy of a messaging app against the provider and attackers. WhatsApp used to keep a backup of the messages in an unencrypted format over iCloud for Apple users and Google Drive for those who used WhatsApp in Android. Even though WhatsApp adopted an end-to-end encryption model in 2016, unencrypted backups were vulnerable to government requests, third-party hacking, and disclosure by Apple or Google employees,” Dr Shaghaghi stated.
In 2021, WhatsApp gave users an option to enable end-to-end encryption for their backups. While the move was welcomed, Dr Shaghaghi stated that it must be the default for all users and not just offered as an option.
“Users concerned about the security and privacy of their data must make sure to enable the end-to-end encryption backup for WhatsApp and other messaging platforms,” he added.
On the other hand, UNSW said Telegram has no default end-to-end encryption enabled and only applies its open-source and custom-developed protocol when the ‘secure chat’ function is enabled.
“As far as we know, Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp are secure in providing end-to-end encryption, if the option is enabled. However, Signal is built with privacy and security as the primary motivation. Signal’ endpoint source code is also available to the public — this allows anyone to inspect the code and identity vulnerabilities,” Dr Shaghaghi stated.
He believes that Signal is a more secure and privacy-friendly messaging app than WhatsApp, Telegram, or Facebook Messenger.
With various messaging apps available, he said there are some simple measures to take to help safeguard a user’s privacy.
“Messaging platforms contain a lot of private information so it’s worth ensuring that the platform we use has a good reputation for ensuring the security and privacy of its users,” Dr Shaghaghi added.
According to UNSW, various government agencies have made strong calls for these messaging platforms to include backdoors allowing authorities to access data when necessary.
Recent US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) leaks showed even with a subpoena, messages sent on platforms with end-to-end encryption are difficult for powerful government entities to access.
“From a security engineering perspective, implementing a backdoor is never a good idea. There is no guarantee that malicious hackers do not find out about these backdoors too and exploit them. However, those in favour of a solution allowing access for law enforcement agencies argue that they need access given the increasing usage of these platforms by criminals,” Dr Shaghaghi said.
As a result, some tech firms and messaging providers have altered the platform’s functionality.
“To meet regulatory requirements, WhatsApp now allows users to flag a message to be reviewed by their moderators… Apple has promoted encrypted messaging across its ecosystem and have fought off law enforcement agencies looking for records,” Dr Shaghaghi stated.
“I think we can balance the need for moderating criminal content and security and privacy requirements by breaking down the problem into more specific use-cases and developing innovative solutions,” he added.
On 22 August, a joint statement was released by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones, and Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Andrew Leigh, announcing that the Treasury would prioritise ‘token mapping’ work to help identify how crypto assets and related services should be regulated.
“Australians are experiencing a digital revolution across all sectors of the economy, but regulation is struggling to keep pace and adapt with the crypto asset sector,” Treasurer Chalmers said.
Head of the School of Information Systems and Technology Management at UNSW Business School, Professor Barney Tan, said while it might seem unusual that Australia is the first country to take the move, it’s to be expected.
“Australia is typically an early mover in the regulation of new technology. We are one of the first countries to develop an AI ethics framework that provides guidelines on designing, developing, integrating or using AI systems, and the first in the world to exclude ‘high-risk vendors’ from 5G, as a response to security advice,” Professor Tan stated.
According to him, the recommendations of the Senate Select Committee on Australia as a Technology and Financial Centre released late last year aim to strike a balance between encouraging technological innovation and progress and safeguarding Australian consumers of those innovations.
While investors may be concerned about the impact of regulation on cryptocurrency, Professor Tan said there are several benefits to regulation, such as establishing a framework for equal taxation, preventing fraud, and providing more robust investor protection.
“It also could help when it comes to anti-money laundering, engaging in counter-terrorism financing, and preventing other financial crimes. This is about regulating the ‘Wild Wild West’ and protecting investors from themselves, even as they are joining what they see as the gold rush on the cryptocurrency exchanges,” he explained.
Professor Tan further explained that nothing has changed for the investors of established crypto assets as cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have been regulated and taxable for some time. He stated that the planned token mapping means that new and emerging forms of crypto assets can be identified, and the government can determine if the existing financial services laws are sufficient or if it needs a special cryptocurrency regulation.
According to Professor Tan, the recommendations set down by the Select Committee on Australia as a Technology and Financial Centre will also affect service providers, digital currency exchanges, issuers of crypto assets, and other businesses operating in the same space.
“The token mapping exercise is not meant to be one-off. It will be ongoing and co-evolving as new forms of crypto assets emerge. Technology could evolve ahead of regulation in the short term, but regulation will also co-evolve so that the objectives of the regulators are met,” he explained.
As mentioned, a regulatory regime has benefits. However, it’s not exactly in line with the principles of cryptocurrency enthusiasts. But Professor Tan said Australia is already much more lenient than other regimes, such as those found in Russia, India, China, and Turkey.
According to Professor Tan, whether other nations follow Australia’s move in regulating cryptocurrency will depend on their attitude toward crypto.
“As a world first, other countries will likely be looking closely at the outcome of this exercise. But in some, less crypto-friendly jurisdictions where crypto assets are banned outright, there is no need to token map as there is already a blanket ban in place. They have already decided that crypto assets offer no societal value, so there is no need for the balance that the Australian regulators are striving for,” he added.
