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Man's DIY speed camera sign sparks debate

Over the years Aussies have come up with various ways to warn fellow drivers of nearby speed cameras, and one man took matters into his own hands by alerting motorists with a handwritten sign. Dressed in a neon orange singlet, a man was spotted at a busy intersection on the Princes Highway in Melbourne over the weekend waving to passing cars while holding up a "Beware Camera" sign. The photo was shared to local news service Wyndham TV's Instagram, and many were quick to praise the "local hero", who one identified as Daryl. “Absolute bloody Aussie legend right there,” one person commented. "A good citizen," another wrote. A few others commented that he was doing "God's work" and deserved to be bought "a beer or 10". However, not everyone was pleased with this act, with many questioning why he was interfering with road safety measures. “Motorists need to take responsibility for not speeding,” one person argued, before others defended the move, saying it would reduce speeding and crashes. Others asked why he didn't have more important things to do with his time. There is no specific law that prohibits warning other drivers about the presence of a speed camera, so the man's actions were legal. This is not the first time Aussies have done this, with many sharing videos exposing the "sneaky" way mobile speed cameras catch drivers in NSW on social media . One person shared a video to TikTok showing a mobile speed camera car parked next to another road sign. “This is their tactics, parking next to other signs so they blend in,” he said in the viral video. Image: Instagram/@wyndhamtv

Travel Trouble

Millions warned over huge change to speed cameras

For years, drivers in New South Wales have relied on the point-to-point speed camera rule, which only captures the speed of heavy vehicles, but that rule is set to change as part of a new trial as the state attempts to lower their death toll. The point-to-point, also known as average speed cameras are set to be turned on for all vehicles in two regional locations during the trial. The first location will be 15-kilometre stretch on the Pacific highway between Kew and Lake Innes in Port Macquarie, and the second location will be on the Hume Highway between Coolac and Gundagai, with 16km between the two cameras. “NSW is the only jurisdiction in the world to use average speed cameras but restrict their use to heavy vehicles only,” Roads Minister John Graham said. “In the context of a rising road toll, now is the time to trial these cameras for light vehicles and understand if we can keep more people safe on the road more of the time.” He added that all other states in Australia, as well as the UK and Norway have found the average speed cameras to be effective. “All other mainland Australian states and countries like the UK, Norway, Italy and the Netherlands have found average speed cameras to be effective and we aim to be as rigorous as possible to be sure they will also reduce road trauma in NSW.” “Rather than test your speed at a particular point in time, like a mobile speed camera, these test the speed you’re driving over 15 or 16 kilometres,” he said. “That means it’s a truer reflection of how quickly people are driving.” He added that the trial is focused on regional NSW as it has suffered a disproportionate amount of road fatalities, with six road deaths and 33 serious injuries between 2018 and 2022. “Although only a third of people live in regional New South Wales, that’s where two thirds of the deaths from road crashes happen," he said. Speeding contributed to 44 per cent of NSW road fatalities last year, three-quarters of which were in the regional parts of the state. The trial will run for six months, and for those caught speeding, they will be given a 60-day warning letter period, before financial and licence penalties kick in. Images: news.com.au

Legal

Roadside cameras set to target more infringements

Millions of Aussie drivers are being warned as authorities expand the number of infringements being targeted by roadside cameras. The technology, initially used to detect mobile phone use, will now target new road rules. "The laws were brought in and this technology was brought in as a preventative measure ... to stop people getting behind the wheel and taking risks that jeopardise the safety of others," NRMA head of media told Yahoo News. "The road toll is terrible nationally in Australia ... So we need to do everything we can to reduce risks on our roads." In NSW authorities are expanding the capabilities of their roadside mobile-detection cameras. From July 1 the cameras will be able to catch drivers wearing their seatbelt incorrectly. This comes after Queensland reportedly became the first jurisdiction in the world to roll out seatbelt-spotting detection along with mobile-detection. Last year, Victoria also rolled out dual mobile phone and seatbelt detection cameras last year after a two year trial. No grace period will be granted when they issue the seatbelt fines. "The expansion of mobile phone detection cameras to also apply to seatbelt offences reinforces the NSW Government’s commitment to enforcing the 50-year-old seatbelt law, actively contributing to improving road safety and reducing fatalities on NSW roads," a statement read on their official website. The department told Yahoo that all images captured by roadside cameras are automatically reviewed by software. Those that do not contain evidence of an offence will have their images deleted within an hour. Drivers in the ACT will need to make sure they have proper insurance and registration. From August, the roadside cameras alongside speed cameras and red light cameras will be used to send hefty fines to those driving without proper registration or insurance. Those caught by the cameras will have their paperwork manually checked by transport staff. An infringement for driving an unregistered vehicle in the ACT is $700 while the fine for driving an uninsured car is $973. The mobile detection cameras could also soon be programmed to detect speeding in the ACT. In South Australia, authorities began testing overhead mobile detection cameras at four busy locations in April, fines are currently not being issued, but the grace period is due to finish on June 19. Drivers caught using their phones in Adelaide will be fined $540 and three demerit points. Image: Stepan Skorobogadko / Shutterstock.com

Travel Trouble

The secret sauce of Coles’ and Woolworths’ profits: high-tech surveillance and control

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-kate-kelly-1262424">Lauren Kate Kelly</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> Coles and Woolworths, the supermarket chains that together control <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-20/woolworths-coles-supermarket-tactics-grocery-four-corners/103405054">almost two-thirds</a> of the Australian grocery market, are facing unprecedented scrutiny. One recent inquiry, commissioned by the Australian Council of Trade Unions and led by former Australian Consumer and Competition Commission chair Allan Fels, found the pair engaged in unfair pricing practices; an ongoing <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Supermarket_Prices/SupermarketPrices">Senate inquiry into food prices</a> is looking at how these practices are linked to inflation; and the ACCC has just begun <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/inquiries-and-consultations/supermarkets-inquiry-2024-25">a government-directed inquiry</a> into potentially anti-competitive behaviour in Australia’s supermarkets. Earlier this week, the two companies also came under the gaze of the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-19/super-power-the-cost-of-living-with-coles-and-woolworths/103486508">ABC current affairs program Four Corners</a>. Their respective chief executives each gave somewhat prickly interviews, and Woolworths chief Brad Banducci <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-21/woolworths-ceo-brad-banducci-retirement-four-corners/103493418">announced his retirement</a> two days after the program aired. A focus on the power of the supermarket duopoly is long overdue. However, one aspect of how Coles and Woolworths exercise their power has received relatively little attention: a growing high-tech infrastructure of surveillance and control that pervades retail stores, warehouses, delivery systems and beyond. <h2>Every customer a potential thief</h2> As the largest private-sector employers and providers of essential household goods, the supermarkets play an outsized role in public life. Indeed, they are such familiar places that technological developments there may fly under the radar of public attention. Coles and Woolworths are both implementing technologies that treat the supermarket as a “problem space” in which workers are controlled, customers are tracked and profits boosted. For example, in response to a purported spike in shoplifting, a raft of customer surveillance measures have been introduced that treat every customer as a potential thief. This includes <a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/eat/coles-introducing-new-technology-which-will-track-shoppers-every-move/news-story/86ea8d330f76df87f2235eeda4d1136e">ceiling cameras</a> which assign a digital ID to individuals and track them through the store, and <a href="https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/finance/consumer/2023/08/16/smart-gate-technology">“smart” exit gates</a> that remain closed until a purchase is made. Some customers have reported being “<a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/coles-supermarketshoppers-dramatic-checkout-experience-goes-viral-i-was-trapped-c-12977760">trapped</a>” by the gate despite paying for their items, causing significant embarrassment. At least one Woolworths store has <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/woolies-in-wetherill-park-fitted-with-500-tiny-cameras-to-monitor-stock-levels/news-story/585de8c741ae9f520adcc4005f2a736a">installed 500 mini cameras</a> on product shelves. The cameras monitor real-time stock levels, and Woolworths says customers captured in photos will be silhouetted for privacy. A Woolworths spokesperson <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/up-to-70-cameras-watch-you-buy-groceries-what-happens-to-that-footage-20230819-p5dxtp.html">explained</a> the shelf cameras were part of “a number of initiatives, both covert and overt, to minimise instances of retail crime”. It is unclear whether the cameras are for inventory management, surveillance, or both. Workers themselves are being fitted with body-worn cameras and wearable alarms. Such measures may protect against customer aggression, which is a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-22/retail-union-staff-abuse-cost-of-living-christmas/103117014">serious problem facing workers</a>. Biometric data collected this way could also be used to discipline staff in what scholars Karen Levy and Solon Barocas refer to as “<a href="https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/7041">refractive surveillance</a>” – a process whereby surveillance measures intended for one group can also impact another. <h2>Predicting crime</h2> At the same time as the supermarkets ramp up the amount of data they collect on staff and shoppers, they are also investing in data-driven “crime intelligence” software. Both supermarkets have <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/industries/information-technology/grocery-chains-surveillance-tech-auror/">partnered with New Zealand start-up Auror</a>, which shares a name with the magic police from the Harry Potter books and claims it can predict crime before it happens. Coles also recently began a partnership with Palantir, a global data-driven surveillance company that takes its name from magical crystal balls in The Lord of the Rings. These heavy-handed measures seek to make self-service checkouts more secure without increasing staff numbers. This leads to something of a vicious cycle, as under-staffing, self-checkouts, and high prices are often <a href="https://www.aap.com.au/news/retail-workers-facing-increased-violence-and-abuse/">causes of customer aggression</a> to begin with. Many staff are similarly frustrated by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/05/coles-woolworths-court-accused-of-underpaying-workers">historical wage theft by the supermarkets</a> that totals hundreds of millions of dollars. <h2>From community employment to gig work</h2> Both supermarkets have brought the gig economy squarely <a href="https://theconversation.com/coles-uber-eats-deal-brings-the-gig-economy-inside-the-traditional-workplace-204353">inside the traditional workplace</a>. Uber and Doordash drivers are now part of the infrastructure of home delivery, in an attempt to push last-mile delivery costs onto gig workers. The precarious working conditions of the gig economy are well known. Customers may not be aware, however, that Coles recently increased Uber Eats and Doordash prices by at least 10%, and will <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/shoppers-slam-coles-over-major-change-to-half-price-buys-that-will-affect-millions-c-12860556">no longer match in-store promotions</a>. Drivers have been instructed to dispose of the shopping receipt and should no longer place it in the customer’s bag at drop-off. In addition to higher prices, customers also pay service and delivery fees for the convenience of on-demand delivery. Despite the price increases to customers, drivers I have interviewed in my ongoing research report they are earning less and less through the apps, often well below Australia’s minimum wage. Viewed as a whole, Coles’ and Woolworths’ high-tech measures paint a picture of surveillance and control that exerts pressures on both customers and workers. While issues of market competition, price gouging, and power asymmetries with suppliers must be scrutinised, issues of worker and customer surveillance are the other side of the same coin – and they too must be reckoned with.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224076/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-kate-kelly-1262424">Lauren Kate Kelly</a>, PhD Candidate, ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-secret-sauce-of-coles-and-woolworths-profits-high-tech-surveillance-and-control-224076">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

"Stuff youse": Pensioner who's never owned a phone fights mobile detection camera fine

A pensioner from New South Wales has disputed a fine he was issued for using his phone while driving, despite never owning a phone. Frank Singh, 77, was captured on a mobile phone detection camera while driving on the Pacific Motorway last September, and was issued a fine for $362. Mr Singh has refused to pay the fine, claiming that he was holding his wallet when the image was captured. He also claims to have never owned a mobile phone or a computer in his life, wondering how the camera made such a mistake. The senior man decided to appeal and take Revenue NSW to court, despite the risk of paying thousands in legal fees if he lost the case. "Looks like I'm guilty on it, but I'm not," he told A Current Affair. "I thought, what the bloody hell is this all about, I don't own a mobile phone. I've never used a mobile phone. What a load of s***." When questioned what the item could be, he said, "I think it could be my wallet." While Mr Singh admitted he can't specifically remember what he was doing at the time, he believes he was possibly placing his wallet on the passenger seat after paying for fuel. Unfortunately, the review of the fine was rejected and Frank was ordered to pay the $362, but he has not given up. "Then I thought stuff youse, I'm not guilty, I don't own a bloody phone," he said. While preparing to appeal the fine once more, Revenue NSW revoked the fine after issuing a letter to Mr Singh saying he would not be required in court following an investigation by the government body. "We have decided to cancel the fine," the letter read. "You little bloody beauty, how good's that," Mr Singh said on hearing the news, before planning to celebrate the win with a beer at his local pub. Image credits: A Current Affair

Legal

Aussie mum's outrage over neighbour's "creepy" act

An Aussie mum has slammed her neighbour for being a "creep" after spotting a surveillance camera which she claims is pointed directly into her bathroom window. A photo taken of the set-up showed the camera poking out from underneath the blinds behind a window on the property next door. "It was facing the car park, and now it's facing my window [and it has] been there for the last four days," she wrote in the Facebook post, adding that she lives on private property and is not sure what to do. "It's facing my bathroom window. Disgusting. I have two young kids here." The post blew up, with hundreds of locals urging the mum-of-two to speak to her neighbour, put privacy screens, or tint her windows, to which the mum responded: "I shouldn't have to tint my windows to feel safe enough to have a shower." "I live on private property, he comes off as a creep." Despite revealing that she had issues with the neighbour in the past over her dog, the woman went and talked to the neighbour. "[I] went and spoke with them," she wrote. "Apparently it's not facing my backyard, only theirs, but clearly it is, so I will be taking it further. "It isn't for a backyard, it's for a car park that never gets used, only during the weekdays, but it's not even pointing anywhere near that direction anymore. It's legit right into my windows." Property lawyer Monica Rouvella told Yahoo News that there are several things the woman could do if this continues. "One of them is to contact the local police and they can come out and actually request to view that person's footage to see exactly what's been looked at," she said. "And then the police can actually, I believe, request that the camera be taken down or repositioned." She also said the Hunter Valley mum could try going through local councils, but they might refer back to the police. "The other takeaway is, you know, these days everybody has a camera on their house," she told the publication. "So you know, if you don't like that then don't do things you shouldn't be doing. But yeah, if it is directed at a person's house or window then that's a violation of that person's privacy." Images: Facebook

Legal

Mum fined for pumping breast milk in the car

A mum from Queensland has received a hefty fine for something she has done many times before. Meagan Schmock and her husband Benjamin were travelling home from their honeymoon on the Gold Coast when Meagan, who is a breastfeeding mum, started to feel unwell. "I was getting quite engorged and it was getting incredibly uncomfortable for me. It's throbbing, it's hot," Mrs Schmock told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/queensland-mum-fined-after-pumping-breast-milk-in-passenger-seat/e2a4be4a-7201-43df-896c-ddbff34acee8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Current Affair</a>. Meagan was in the passenger seat while her husband drove, so Meagan was able to pump breast milk for her 10-month-old son Billy. "To have to sit in the car for an hour-and-a-half, maybe two hours, waiting to get home to feed my little one, It just wasn't going to happen," Mrs Schmock said. While pumping, traffic cameras snapped a picture of the mum adjusting herself for a split second, resulting in a fine. "They have captured me taking my seatbelt off, putting it underneath my arm so I can unhook my breast pump," she said. Mrs Schmock said her seatbelt remained fastened the whole time and only slipped under her armpit for a split second. However, the manoeuver has now landed her husband a hefty infringement notice for driving with a passenger who failed to wear their seatbelt correctly. "It was $1161 and four demerit points. I was gob-smacked. I was shocked," Mrs Schmock said. "I saw the money fine first and I was just like, 'what's happened'? And then as I've unfolded the letter, I've seen this photo and then looked closer and been like, 'that's me pumping'." Mrs Schmock said she had no idea you could be fined for readjusting your seat belt, and shared the story of the fine on social media. Other mums chimed in on the incident, saying they were grateful for Meagan’s story. "I felt a lot of support from that - realising that a lot more (mums) didn't know," Mrs Schmock said. Another Queensland mum also learned the same lesson the hard way. The same seatbelt camera also captured her in the passenger seat pumping breast milk and she was fined $413 and three demerit points. "As a breastfeeding mum - and I'm sure any other mums who have breastfeed or who have pumped before know that - you can't just really wait," Mrs Schmock said. Meagan and Benjamin Schmock are now disputing the fine with the Department of Transport and Main Roads, and they are considering exploring the potential for a seat belt exemption due to a medical condition. Image credits: A Current Affair

Legal

American influencer shocked to discover speed cameras are real

An American influencer currently living in Sydney has learned an expensive lesson in obeying the rules of the road, particularly while in full view of speed cameras. TikToker Sophia Kim was caught racing through Sydney’s Cross City Tunnel at 21 km/h over the speed limit - 101 km/h in an 80 km/h zone - and took to social media to share her surprise at receiving a ticket for her actions. In a video posted to her TikTok account, Sophia broke the news to her followers, running through what had transpired - her ‘reasons’ for speeding, and sharing images of her car between lanes in the tunnel, along with the caption “this is BS and I was only going 60 mph”. “I got a speeding fine because I was going 100km in the Cross City Tunnel when it was 80km,” she explained in the now-viral post, “and apparently there are cameras in the tunnel. “As an American, I got a licence here without taking any test, without learning about the Australian [driving] laws here, and I didn’t realise that you guys have cameras for speeding in the tunnels. “And apparently there are signs everywhere.” Sophia went on to describe how she’d been “so focussed on driving” and “stressed out” trying to navigate while “driving for the first time in a different country on the other side of the road”. According to the TikToker, at home in America there might be cameras involved when it came to running red lights, but that speeding offences fell to police officers and their scanners. At this stage, Sophia was talking over an image of her car with an 80 km/h sign clear on the ceiling of the tunnel. “The fine is $295,” she announced, before revealing that she’d been having a great day, on her way to Fashion Week events, and “was rushing to get there. “I thought I was saving money by driving and not Ubering but no, it’s actually more when you get a fine.” It turns out that Sophia had borrowed the car from a friend, who informed her that he couldn’t afford “to lose 3 points over this”, and had to transfer the fine into her name. And despite claiming that she would pay the fine and have the points deducted from her licence, she then asked her followers if she “should fight this”. <div><iframe title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7237487133483814187&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40sophiainsydney%2Fvideo%2F7237487133483814187&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2Ff969d5dac251496aa62d08dfdb8a417f_1685108800%3Fx-expires%3D1685433600%26x-signature%3D%252FwZf1iguRsEhBEcz37LOvMtuELI%253D&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> Her post attracted more than 9,000 comments, and while some took Sophia’s side, most were of the opinion that fighting the fine would be a waste of time, and had many thoughts to share about the whole situation. “There’s no fighting this one,” one told her, “if there’s a speed sign that says 80 right in front of you they’re not gonna be forgivable”. “That's a fair bit over the limit. Maybe just don't speed hey!” one suggested. “If only there were large LED displays hung above the road every 1 km to tell you the maximum speed you can do,” another mused. And as a like-minded soul put it, “[it’s] almost like speed signs exist for a reason and not decoration”. “Because the signs with the speed limit and the fact they tell you every 100m there’s a speed camera don’t help,” someone else added. Meanwhile, one was of the opinion that it could have been worse, sharing that “in QLD that would be a $646 fine for 21km over the limit. NSW is cheap”. “Lesson learned I guess,” one more supposed, before noting that at least “now you know." Images: TikTok

Legal

Bindi Irwin breaks down on camera about health condition

Bindi Irwin has shown her vulnerable side in an emotional new video shared with fans about a personal ordeal. The 24-year-old spoke candidly to the camera for 15 minutes with guest appearances from husband Chandler Powell and their daughter Grace Warrior. In the video, Irwin recalled the “insurmountable” pain she experienced due to endometriosis before finally <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/how-did-you-live-with-this-much-pain-bindi-irwin-hospitalised" target="_blank" rel="noopener">undergoing surgery</a>. The wildlife warrior announced her diagnosis in March 2023, but the new video explains her symptoms - which started when she was just 14 - that left her with “extreme fatigue, nausea and pain”. “I had pain every single day of my life. No matter where we went, where we were going, I would be falling asleep. I felt like I constantly had the flu,” she said. The conservationist confessed she tried everything to solve the issue, undergoing CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds. “I was always in pain. We tried for a year, and finally a doctor told me it was just part of being a woman.” Irwin said it was that comment from a doctor that led her to suffer in silence. However, after giving birth to her daughter in 2021, the pain “magnified” to a point where it was “out of this world”. “I remember countless times of Grace needing me, and me crawling to her cot at night,” she revealed, becoming emotional. “I can remember being with Grace and lying on the floor in agony. I had a stabbing pain in my side, I couldn’t get up or I would throw up, and I was scared I would pass out. “I was so scared because I was worried if I was alone with Grace, something would happen to me, and she would be on her own.” Irwin dubbed the pain “insurmountable” and something that “would knock me over”. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cr31hQDANTp/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cr31hQDANTp/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin)</a> </div> </blockquote> She said that after returning to new doctors, she was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and chronic fatigue. It was not until she spoke to a friend, Leslie Mosier, who recently had endometriosis surgery that she realised they shared similar symptoms. “Leslie said the only way to diagnose for sure is through exploratory surgery.” Irwin said she decided to undergo surgery in the US as her daughter would have Powell’s parents, who live in Florida, nearby for support while she recovered. At this point in her video, Grace woke up and joined her mum on camera. “Mama went for surgery and they found 37 lesions and a chocolate cyst on my ovary,” she said in a child-like tone for the sake of her daughter. “Ovary!” Grace chirped. “After surgery mama feels a lot better hey? I had to recover for quite a while, and mama feels so much better, and she can run around with you!” Irwin went on to share what she has learned being a part of the endometriosis community. She revealed that excision surgery is considered the “gold standard” for the disease, where lesions and cysts are removed. “Everyone says we need to educate the public, but there also needs to be a shift in health care. Doctors need more information because endometriosis has myriad symptoms. Doctors need the right tools to diagnose.” She explained that her own endometriosis has been classified as severe, which means she may have to undergo more surgeries in the future to keep symptoms at bay. “I feel like. I got a second chance at life... I feel like a new woman.” In a final message of encouragement, Irwin said, “If you’re in pain, it’s so hard to get up every day and forge ahead. “Keep searching for those answers and never give up on you.” Image credit: Instagram

Body

Do you know this Grinch? Christmas thief caught on camera

A Perth family has been left disappointed and upset after a Grinch stole their Christmas presents. Sophie Lush-Newman got a notification that the security camera at her Aveley home, in Perth’s northern suburbs, had been triggered. Upon taking a look, she saw a thief covering parts of his face with a jumper as he rode off with $300 worth of Christmas gifts on his bike. The mother was triggered by the unfortunate events which has left her family terrified. “My daughter couldn’t sleep that night or the night after it. We had to have all the doors open so she could hear us,” the mum told 7News. Families have been warned to keep an eye on their deliveries as the festive season approaches. Another warning for families is to be wary of texts informing them that their packages have been delivered as links could be a scam. To see the entire footage of the brazen incident, head <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/crime/perth-grinch-caught-on-camera-stealing-christmas-presents-from-aveley-family-c-9138278" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Image: 7News

Legal

Aussie octopuses caught on camera slinging mud

Australia’s <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/social-sciences/when-octopuses-dont-want-any-trouble/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">‘Gloomy Octopuses’</a> have been caught throwing things. Sometimes at each other. Underwater footage, from Jervis Bay in New South Wales, shows Gloomy Octopuses (Octopus tetricus) throwing debris. Occasionally the material – mainly silt, shells and algae – was aimed at other octopuses, and even the camera recording them. Throwing is an uncommon behaviour in animals, an activity only observed in a handful, including elephants and chimpanzees. <iframe src="https://players.brightcove.net/5483960636001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6315259579112" width="960" height="540" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> A throw by a female octopus that hits a male attempting to mate with her / Credit: Godfrey-Smith et al, 2022, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0 Twenty-four hours of footage gathered during 2015 and 2016 captures around 100 octopus throws among a group of roughly ten of the animals. Ninety throws were by females, and eleven by males. On 17 occasions, octopuses threw material which actually hit another octopus, often with ‘high vigour.’ In two cases, the throw hit a fish. Twelve meanwhile were directed at the camera. <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p222798-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form init mailchimp-ext-0.5.62" action="/nature/octopuses-caught-slinging-mud/#wpcf7-f6-p222798-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="init"> <input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/" data-value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/" aria-invalid="false" /> </form> </div> </div> One female octopus was recorded throwing 17 times in the space of an hour, with nine throws hits on other octopuses (who sometimes ducked or raised their arms in the direction of the thrower). The gloomy octopus is common in Australian and New Zealand waters. Having gathered their ammunition, octopuses hurled their material by using a jet of water from their siphon (a tube-shaped structure that can eject water at speed) to propel it between their arms. Throwing under water requires greater force than throwing through air, and the octopuses often managed to throw their material several body lengths away. Given the octopuses had to move their siphon into an unusual position to perform the throws, the researchers believe the behavior was deliberate. The study by Australian and US researchers is the first-time throwing behaviour has been reported in octopuses. The research is <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0276482" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> in PLOS One. <iframe src="https://players.brightcove.net/5483960636001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6315258284112" width="960" height="540" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> A throw by a female octopus, hitting a male. The male ducks just before the material is released / Credit: Godfrey-Smith et al, 2022, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=222798&title=Aussie+octopuses+caught+on+camera+slinging+mud" width="1" height="1" />  <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/octopuses-caught-slinging-mud/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on Cosmos Magazine and was written by Petra Stock. Image: Getty Images </div>

Family & Pets

14 mind-blowing facts about selfies

They’re a window into your personality It turns out that your favourite selfie pose can say a lot about your personality. In a study published in Computers in Human Behaviour, researchers connected self-portrait styles to specific character traits. For example, conscientious people tend to hide the location of their selfies, showing that they’re concerned with maintaining privacy. Those who appear positive and look directly into the camera tend to be more agreeable. Incidentally, those who have a go-to “duck face” pose are more likely to be emotionally unstable. They can be a red flag Psychologists believe that taking selfies can become a dangerous addiction. More often than not, those addicted to taking and posting selfies are suffering from body dysmorphic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, or depression, all of which can significantly interfere with your daily functioning. British psychologist Dr David Veal, says selfie-addiction is a “mental health issue with an extremely high suicide rate.” Seek help if you feel yourself needing to snap selfies compulsively. They date back to the 16th century You might think selfies started with smartphones, but they have a much longer history. The first-ever selfie was painted in 1524 using oil on wood. In “Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror,” 21-year-old artist Parmigianino depicted his own reflection. This young artist had no idea he was 500 years ahead of a booming trend! They weren’t always easy to take Parmigianino’s oil painting self-portrait aside, the first photographic selfie as we know it today was taken by Robert Cornelius in 1839. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy as tapping his thumb on an iPhone’s front-facing lens. Cornelius had to set up the camera on a stand, remove the lens cap, run into the frame, sit for five minutes, then sprint back and replace the cap. In this exhausting process, he took what is believed to be the first photographic self-portrait. Some cities take more selfies than others Though selfies are a global phenomenon, it turns out that some cities produce more than others. Time investigated the geography of selfie-snapping by building a database of more than 400,000 digital self-portraits with the caption, “#selfie.” They then mapped out the photos’ geographic coordinates and managed to rank 459 cities based on the number of selfies they generated. The study concluded that Makati City in the Philippines is the ‘Selfie Capital of the World,’ followed closely by Manhattan and Miami in the US. They’re not only taken here on Earth Everyone loves an exotic selfie, including NASA’s astronauts. Believe it or not, multiple selfies have been taken in outer space. Buzz Aldrin proudly took the first space selfie during the Gemini 12 mission in 1966. That’s one small step for man, one giant step for self-portraits. Women take more than men In every city analysed, women take more cities than men – but the differences greatly vary by area. In Bangkok, women take 55.2 per cent of all selfies, which isn’t that much more than men. In New York, however, women take 61.6 per cent of selfie snaps, which is considerable. Moscow, by contrast, has the greatest disparity, with women taking a whopping 82 per cent of all selfies! It seems Russian men simply aren’t that interested in documenting their own reflection. They can make great book material If you’ve been suffering with writer’s block, perhaps you should follow Kim Kardashian’s example and just fill your novel with selfies. In May of 2015, Kardashian published a book called Selfish, which is 448 pages long and comprised entirely of her favourite selfies. Sound absurd? Apparently not. Selfish quickly became a New York Times bestseller. It’s a young person’s sport As one might expect, selfies are especially favoured by millennials. The average age of selfie-takers is 23.6. However, this average may soon take a dip, as preteens are gaining momentum, snapping more digital self-portraits every year. They’re all about the hashtag As selfies have grown in popularity over the last few years, the corresponding hashtag has remained their official label and link. According to Instagram, the first ever photo captioned with “#selfie” was uploaded by a Jennifer Lee on January 16, 2011. Since then, Instagram has had over 227 million self-portraits posted with the same hashtag – and that number grows by the minute. It’s been the word of the year In 2013, “selfie” was named The Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year. Most years, there will be some disagreement or debate over which word should receive the honour, but in 2013, ‘selfie’ was chosen almost unanimously and expected from the start. And how could they not choose it? Selfie’s usage in the English language had increased by 17,000 per cent that year alone. They aren’t always welcome There has been a growing ban on selfie-taking, specifically when using selfie-sticks as tools. Disneyland’s Paris, Hong Kong, and American theme parks have forbidden the use of selfie sticks on their premises. The Palace Museum in Beijing and the Sistine Chapel in Italy have done the same. Even festivals like Lollapalooza in Chicago and Coachella in California have called for a halt. It looks like visitors will have to document their fun the old fashioned way: by extending their arms. They aren’t always what they seem The purpose of a self-portrait is to reflect your true self in a moment worth capturing. Sadly, it seems online selfies, more often than not, don’t actually portray reality. According to a recent survey, 68 per cent of selfie-takers admitted to editing their photos before sharing online. This number is up from 48 per cent of people who admitted to doctoring their selfies in 2014, suggesting that the pressure to appear perfect has only increased. They’re not the majority Although selfies may seem to be every other picture you encounter online, they fortunately aren’t the majority of all photos taken. In fact, people take selfies far less than we assume. Only 4 per cent of all images are actually selfies (depending on the city). The other 96 per cent of photos feature monuments, food, pets, shoes, friends, family, and more. Written by Aubrey Almanza. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/culture/14-mind-blowing-facts-about-selfies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> Image: Getty Images

Technology

“A mockery of my tipuna”: Traditional tattoo camera filter sparks outcry

The emergence of social media filters that allow users to project traditional Māori tattoos onto their faces has caused controversy, with concerns raised about the protection of Māori identity and intellectual property. The filters, given names like “Māori Mask” and “Māori Face Tattoo” and projecting mataora, moko kauae, tatua and other traditional tattoos, have appeared on social media platforms such as Snapchat, using open-source Lookery software to enable real-time modification of people’s faces in photos. Anyone can create filters, which are shared openly across the platform, with Instagram offering a similar feature. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/maori-tattoos1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Filters available on Snapchat that allow users to project traditional Māori tattoos onto their faces have sparked controversy. While two filters (left, centre) have been removed, one (right) is still available Images: RNZ, Author While some see these filters as helping make Māori culture more accessible and revitalise mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge), others say it is damaging - particularly if they’re created from a non-Māori perspective. "When people wear a fake Prada or Gucci bag, people are quick to call it out. However, when tauiwi (non-Māori people) create Māori art for profit, everyone thinks it's great,” Māori activist Karu Martin said. "There are people who need to take responsibility when they are using Māori culture in an international space or platform to understand that they have consequences and ramifications." In Māori cultures, moko and tatua are unique expressions of a person’s whakapapa (genealogy) and identity, with traditional Māori tattoo artist Julie Paama Pengally adding that the tattoos represent more than what the creators of these filters could fathom. “Those elements are strongly connected to our whakapapa, our atua (ancestors), and our being,” Paama Pengally told the <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018857427/growing-anger-over-use-of-moko-mataora-in-image-filters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RNZ</a>. "As soon as you take something from a culture without permission and you misrepresent it, and you displace that culture from doing what they want to do with those things themselves, then you're appropriating. "That's a mockery of my tīpuna that you're wearing on your face, just so you can have your two seconds of fun. "For me, it's a long-lasting reminder that if I were to have that on my face, people would look at me sideways." But social media platforms are the only culprits when it comes to the commercialisation and appropriation of moko, with the sequel to Avatar and video games Borderlands 2077 and Grand Theft Auto drawing criticism for depictions of moko. Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds, a Māori musician for the metal band Alien Weaponry who got his mataora last year, said he is weary of the commercialisation of moko. "It's being made by some stranger on the other side of the world to be provided to the masses that don't belong to our culture,” he said. "These ones in the games are blatant rip-offs - they follow the same patterns and all of that. "Places that take inspiration have taken the concepts, and then designed something completely different." Since RNZ approached Snapchat for a comment, the platform has removed the filters. Meta, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook, didn’t respond to questions. Image: RNZ

Body

Even if TikTok and other apps are collecting your data, what are the actual consequences?

By now, most of us are aware social media companies collect vast amounts of our information. By doing this, they can target us with ads and monetise our attention. The latest chapter in the data-privacy debate concerns one of the world’s most popular apps among young people – TikTok. Yet anecdotally it seems the potential risks aren’t really something young people care about. Some were <a href="https://twitter.com/theprojecttv/status/1548962230741487617">interviewed</a> by The Project this week regarding the risk of their TikTok data being accessed from China. They said it wouldn’t stop them using the app. “Everyone at the moment has access to everything,” one person said. Another said they didn’t “have much to hide from the Chinese government”. Are these fair assessments? Or should Australians actually be worried about yet another social media company taking their data? What’s happening with TikTok? In a 2020 Australian parliamentary hearing on foreign interference through social media, TikTok representatives <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=committees/commsen/1a5e6393-fec4-4222-945b-859e3f8ebd17/&sid=0002">stressed</a>: “TikTok Australia data is stored in the US and Singapore, and the security and privacy of this data are our highest priority.” But as Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) analyst Fergus Ryan has <a href="https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/its-time-tiktok-australia-came-clean/">observed</a>, it’s not about where the data are stored, but who has access. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> 'Where the data is stored is really immaterial if the data can be accessed from Beijing at any point, and that's what we have known for a couple of years' | <a href="https://twitter.com/ASPI_ICPC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ASPI_ICPC</a>'s <a href="https://twitter.com/fryan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fryan</a> spoke to <a href="https://twitter.com/abcnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@abcnews</a> about Tik Tok & data security 📺 Watch the interview: <a href="https://t.co/iKIXqj2Rt2">https://t.co/iKIXqj2Rt2</a> — ASPI (@ASPI_org) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASPI_org/status/1549185634837102592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2022</a></blockquote> On June 17, BuzzFeed published a <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilybakerwhite/tiktok-tapes-us-user-data-china-bytedance-access">report</a> based on 80 leaked internal TikTok meetings which seemed to confirm access to US TikTok data by Chinese actors. The report refers to multiple examples of data access by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, which is based in China. Then in July, TikTok Australia’s director of public policy, Brent Thomas, wrote to the shadow minister for cyber security, James Paterson, regarding China’s access to Australian user data. Thomas denied having been asked for data from China or having “given data to the Chinese government” – but he also noted access is “based on the need to access data”. So there’s good reason to believe Australian users’ data may be accessed from China. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> TikTok Australia has replied to my letter and admitted that Australian user data is also accessible in mainland China, putting it within reach of the Chinese government, despite their previous assurances it was safe because it was stored in the US and Singapore <a href="https://t.co/ITY1HNEo6v">pic.twitter.com/ITY1HNEo6v</a> — James Paterson (@SenPaterson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenPaterson/status/1546957121274621952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2022</a></blockquote> Is TikTok worse than other platforms? TikTok collects rich consumer information, including personal information and behavioural data from people’s activity on the app. In this respect, it’s not different from other social media companies. They all need oceans of user data to push ads onto us, and run data analytics behind a shiny facade of cute cats and trendy dances. However, TikTok’s corporate roots extend to authoritarian China – and not the US, where most of our other social media come from. This carries implications for TikTok users. Hypothetically, since TikTok moderates content according to Beijing’s foreign policy goals, it’s possible TikTok could apply censorship controls over Australian users. This means users’ feeds would be filtered to omit anything that doesn’t fit the Chinese government’s agenda, such as support for Taiwan’s sovereignty, as an example. In “shadowbanning”, a user’s posts appear to have been published to the user themselves, but are not visible to anyone else. It’s worth noting this censorship risk isn’t hypothetical. In 2019, information about Hong Kong protests was reported to have been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/sep/25/revealed-how-tiktok-censors-videos-that-do-not-please-beijing">censored</a> not only on Douyin, China’s domestic version of TikTok, but also on TikTok itself. Then in 2020, ASPI <a href="https://www.aspi.org.au/report/tiktok-wechat">found</a> hashtags related to LGBTQ+ are suppressed in at least eight languages on TikTok. In response to ASPI’s research, a TikTok spokesperson said the hashtags may be restricted as part of the company’s localisation strategy and due to local laws. In Thailand, keywords such as #acab, #gayArab and anti-monarchy hashtags were found to be shadowbanned. Within China, Douyin complies with strict national content regulation. This includes censoring information about the religious movement Falun Gong and the Tiananmen massacre, among other examples. The legal environment in China forces Chinese internet product and service providers to work with government authorities. If Chinese companies disagree, or are unaware of their obligations, they can be slapped with legal and/or financial penalties and be forcefully shut down. In 2012, another social media product run by the founder of ByteDance, Yiming Zhang, was forced to close. Zhang fell into political line in a <a href="https://chinamediaproject.org/2018/04/11/tech-shame-in-the-new-era/">public apology</a>. He acknowledged the platform deviated from “public opinion guidance” by not moderating content that goes against “socialist core values”. Individual TikTok users should seriously consider leaving the app until issues of global censorship are clearly addressed. But don’t forget, it’s not just TikTok Meta products, such as Facebook and Instagram, also measure our interests by the seconds we spend looking at certain posts. They aggregate those behavioural data with our personal information to try to keep us hooked – looking at ads for as long as possible. <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/holding-facebook-accountable-for-digital-redlining">Some real cases</a> of targeted advertising on social media have contributed to “digital redlining” – the use of technology to perpetuate social discrimination. In 2018, Facebook came under fire for showing some employment ads only to men. In 2019, it settled another digital redlining <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/mar/28/facebook-ads-housing-discrimination-charges-us-government-hud">case</a> over discriminatory practices in which housing ads were targeted to certain users on the basis of “race, colour, national origin and religion”. And in 2021, before the US Capitol breach, military and defence product ads <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/facebook-profits-military-gear-ads-capitol-riot">were running</a> alongside conversations about a coup. Then there are some worst-case scenarios. The 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-scandal-fallout.html">revealed</a> how Meta (then Facebook) exposed users’ data to the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica without their consent. Cambridge Analytica harvested up to 87 million users’ data from Facebook, derived psychological user profiles and used these to tailor pro-Trump messaging to them. This likely had an influence on the 2016 US presidential election. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475064/original/file-20220720-19-dzfe0b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475064/original/file-20220720-19-dzfe0b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475064/original/file-20220720-19-dzfe0b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475064/original/file-20220720-19-dzfe0b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475064/original/file-20220720-19-dzfe0b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475064/original/file-20220720-19-dzfe0b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475064/original/file-20220720-19-dzfe0b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475064/original/file-20220720-19-dzfe0b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A phone shows a TikTok video playing on the screen, with a person mid-dance." /></a><figcaption>To what extent are we willing to ignore potential risks with social platforms, in favour of addictive content? Shutterstock</figcaption></figure> With TikTok, the most immediate concern for the average Australian user is content censorship – not direct prosecution. But within China, there are recurring instances of Chinese nationals being <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3176605/crackdown-chinas-moderate-rights-voices-how-tweets-are-now">detained or even jailed</a> for using both Chinese and international social media. You can see how the consequences of mass data harvesting are not hypothetical. We need to demand more transparency from not just TikTok but all major social platforms regarding how data are used. Let’s continue the <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/tiktok-s-privacy-fundamentally-incompatible-with-australia-20220713-p5b18l">regulation debate</a> TikTok has accelerated. We should look to update privacy protections and embed transparency into Australia’s national regulatory guidelines – for whatever the next big social media app happens to be.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187277/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ausma-bernot-963292" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ausma Bernot</a>, PhD Candidate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Griffith University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/even-if-tiktok-and-other-apps-are-collecting-your-data-what-are-the-actual-consequences-187277" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Technology

How to tell if your AirBnb has a hidden camera

While there are a lot of things that come to mind when planning a holiday, worrying about safety in your accommodation is probably at the end of your list. However, with a rise of home-rental services and the easy accessibility to surveillance technology, it's an important thing to consider. More and more travellers have come forward in recent years about their horror stories of discovering a hidden camera in a short term rental, putting out the warning to others. In a now-viral video posted to TikTok by Marcus Hutchins, he outlines how to spot hidden cameras in hotels and Airbnbs. “Take this fire alarm for instance, it is placed right above the bed,” the British backpacker says in the video. “Now one way to see if the device is a camera is to shine a bright light at it. If you hit a camera lens it’s going to get a blue-ish reflection.” Marcus also details how alarm clocks can double as cameras, as he demonstrates in his video by shining his smart phone's flash on a mirrored clock face revealing a tiny camera lens behind the screen on one side of the digital counter. “If we shine a bright light at it, we can shine through the glass, and see there’s a camera there. Now, this technique can also work on two-way mirrors.” The video has racked up over 5 million views, and has served as another reminder to always be cautious when travelling. Image credits: Shutterstock

Travel Tips

Teenage "speed camera warrior" confronted by grouchy "Karen"

Teenage "speed camera warrior" Beau Jackson has been confronted by a disgruntled middle-aged woman as he warned motorists of an upcoming speed camera. The Central Coast local has dedicated his free time to <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-trouble/i-ve-been-saving-them-heaps-teen-speed-camera-crusader-hailed-a-hero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alerting drivers</a> to hidden speed cameras that can often result in <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/speed-camera-crusader-cops-highly-dubious-fine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hefty fines</a>. While parked on the side of the road with a sign bringing attention to the sneaky cameras, thankful motorists often show their appreciation to Beau by honking their horn. Despite his noble cause, the 17-year-old had his first unpleasant experience with a local, and shared the confrontation on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@scamerasloveme/video/7088872965651172610?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social media</a>. Beau filmed the woman, who he dubbed 'Karen' walking away and said from behind the camera, "This lady tried getting me by complaining about the honks - tried getting a photo of my number plate." "It's the first Karen interaction," he laughed, as another passer-by honked their horn. "She tried to take a photo of my number plate - I'm legally parked, there's nothing she can do about it." When speaking to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10753241/Beau-Jackson-teenage-speed-camera-warrior-confronted-grouchy-Karen.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail Australia</a>, Beau explained the woman lived close to where he was parked, and got sick and tired of the honking noise. "She asked me to move because she was sick of the honking," he said. "I told her I was only parked there because the speed camera van was parked a few metres in front of me." The woman was unfazed about his mission to save locals from spending hundreds of dollars in speeding tickets and continued demanding that he move. When he continually refused, she started taking photos of Mr Jackson and his bike. "So I started taking photos of her," he recalled. "She backed right off when I did that, and then she starting making phone calls." Beau was unsure of who the woman was calling, but explained that as soon as the mobile speed camera took off from the area, so did he. "When they left, I had no reason to be there anymore so I left," he added. As Beau's video of the encounter racked up thousands of views, many people left comments telling the teenager to ignore the haters and keep protecting the community. Image credits: A Current Affair

Travel Trouble

“Turn the cameras off!”: Trump storms out on Piers Morgan

Former US President Donald Trump has erupted at Piers Morgan before storming off the set of an interview that touched on the “stolen” US presidential election. After Morgan lay the blame for last year’s deadly riots at the Capitol squarely at Trump’s feet – largely for his refusal to concede that he had lost the 2020 presidential election – Trump had had enough, and began screaming that Morgan was “dishonest” and “a fool”, before demanding that the shocked TV crew “turn the cameras off!” Trump appears to have been deeply angered by a slew of barbs that Morgan has directed towards him during his time at the White House, despite being friends for at least 15 years. But in this instance, the pair appeared to clash heavily even before the interview had gotten underway – but while the cameras were rolling. Morgan detailed the behind-the-scenes incident to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/donald-trump-piers-morgan-interview-former-president-explodes-at-disloyal-fool/news-story/35a81812a4d93cb3751a60957fcaa424" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a>, saying that Trump stared at him with “undisguised fury” and was “almost foaming at the mouth”. At one point, the Trump hissed at Morgan: “What the f**k is this?” You’re not real. You’re a fake.” To which Piers replied: “No, I’m just brutally honest.” Morgan revealed further details from the encounter: “Normally, he’d greet me with a cheery smile and the words ‘How’s my champ?’ because I was his first Celebrity Apprentice on the series that made him a TV superstar. But this time, there were no such welcoming niceties. “He was staring at me across his desk with undisguised fury, clutching the document entitled ‘Piers Morgan Comments About President Trump’. “What the f**k IS this?” he snarled. Then he began slowly reading out some of the quotes. “Trump’s a supreme narcissist….” Pause. “His pathetic antics in the past few weeks since losing the election in November have been utterly contemptible.” Pause. “Trump’s now too dangerous, he’s morphed into a monster that I no longer recognise as someone I considered to be a friend and thought I knew.” “Each time he paused, he peered over the document at me, with mounting rage in his eyes. “I’d never seen him so livid or felt so uncomfortable in his presence as I did right now in his office. “He was almost foaming at the mouth and kept shaking his head slowly and menacingly at me, like Don Corleone when he felt he’d been disrespected.” Morgan then went on to detail the moment Trump truly took issue with his questions: “Things took a dramatic downward turn when I finally brought up his refusal to accept defeat in 2020 and the appalling scenes on January 6. “I told him I believe he lost the supposedly “rigged, stolen” election, I repeatedly pointed out his failure to produce any evidence of the widespread voter fraud he insists occurred to rob him of his presidency, and I blamed his refusal to admit defeat for the deadly riots at the Capitol. “Then you’re a fool!” he sneered. “And you haven’t studied!...” “Now abandoning any pretence at cordiality, Trump ranted that he was far more honest than me, and again sneered that I wasn’t ‘real’ before haranguing me for exceeding our 20 minutes which was particularly disingenuous given that during all our previous interviews, he’d invariably decided exactly how long he wanted to keep talking. “Incensed Trump tried to end things by declaring “That’s it!” before I reminded him that we hadn’t discussed his hole-in-one, which he then sat down again and did – briefly – before abruptly jumping to his feet, looking hateful, and barking at the shocked crew: “Turn the cameras off!” “Then he turned on his heels, and sloped angrily off through a side door, loudly muttering “So dishonest…” The world exclusive interview is due to air as the launch piece for Morgan’s new show Piers Uncensored on Sky News on Tuesday night at 9pm AEST. Image: Piers Uncensored

"Speed camera crusader" cops highly dubious fine

Beau Jackson has been dubbed the "<a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-trouble/i-ve-been-saving-them-heaps-teen-speed-camera-crusader-hailed-a-hero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speed camera crusader</a>" of the NSW Central Coast by helping motorists to avoid an "unfair" fine at the hands of sneaky speed cameras. Beau spends his spare time on the side of main roads with a sign warning drivers of upcoming cameras, and is often thanked with a honk or wave of appreciation. The 17-year-old had never had a fine himself, because "I just do it for the community in these tough times". However, after A Current Affair spoke about Beau's selfless acts, he received his first fine the very next day. But the fine isn't for what you think. "They fined me $250 for littering. I couldn't believe it. I don't litter, all my friends and family know that," he said. "I rang them and they said my sign and some drink cans were on the side of the road." "But I pack up my sign and rubbish and take it home. I still have my sign, so I certainly didn't leave it on the side of the road." Upon investigation, Beau still has his old sign and decided to contest the fine. "I rang and asked for proof of the rubbish and they said there was no photo," he said. "Clearly someone is upset with what I am doing, because I'm costing them revenue." Police have previously told Beau they don't have a problem with what he is doing, as at the end of the day, he is not breaking any laws and is helping keep roads safer. "The only person other than me there would be the speed camera operators," Beau said. A Current Affair contacted Revenue NSW to explain the situation, as they responded that Beau is welcome to take the fine to court, which is exactly what he plans to do. Image credits: A Current Affair

Legal

"I've been saving them heaps": Teen speed camera crusader hailed a hero

A 17-year-old from the Central Coast has found a unique way to help out his community, by warning motorists about upcoming speed cameras. Beau Jackson has been hailed a national hero for spending his spare time on the road helping drivers to avoid unnecessary speed camera fines by alerting them to mobile speed cameras hidden out of sight. No matter the weather, Beau can be seen before and after work on most days across the Central Coast on the lookout for "unfair" cameras that are collecting revenue from unsuspecting drivers. He stands out on the side of the road next to his motorbike with a handwritten sign warning passing drivers. Motorists express their gratitude by beeping their horns and yelling out messages of support. "I want to look out for people as it's a pretty hard time right now," Beau told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/aussie-teens-speed-camera-crusade-helping-locals-avoid-fines/1ab8ed54-1a3c-4396-a2da-ff2c3aa5b422" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">A Current Affair</a>. "I don't want people getting a fine. I've been saving them heaps in the month I've been doing it." "People can cop a $170 fine for just going four kilometres over the limit and right now people are struggling so I just want to help them." Beau claims he has checked with local police to check that what he's doing isn't illegal. "They think I'm doing the community a service as I'm actually making people slow down," he added. Local motorists have declared Beau a national hero for the work he haas done. "He's great at it, saving all our licenses," one man said. Others have pulled over to offer Beau drinks and chocolate while a local tyre business showed their appreciation by giving him new tyres for his motorbike. Image credits: Nine

Travel Trouble

Dog poo dumper caught on camera

A Canadian woman has made a shocking discovery after dog poo started mysteriously appearing on her driveway. Sasha Poldmaa, who lives in New Zealand and owns three dogs of her own, had been coming home from work to find the poo scattered across her driveway for three days straight in mid-February. She told news.com.au and confirmed in a now-viral <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@sashapoldmaa/video/7063336925414853889?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok video</a> that she has never had issues with her pets or received complaints about them from her neighbours - making the discovery all the more baffling. “I thought it was strange for it to happen two days in a row - someone was definitely putting it there. Then when it happened a third time, I was like, ‘I am going to set up a camera and catch who’s doing it’.” After setting her iPad up directly in front of her dogs’ kennel, along with a second at the top of her driveway, Sasha reviewed the footage after work and uncovered the culprit: her neighbour. “The way she did it - she was just throwing them right where I get out of the car,” Sasha told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/nz-neighbour-caught-throwing-dog-poo-on-womans-driveway/news-story/e9a9b43d6c67a1eaea0d1619ceed4a25" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a>. “I don’t even walk [the dogs] past her house - I go the other way and there are other dogs in the neighbourhood.” <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRGbaDmr1zl/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRGbaDmr1zl/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Sasha Poldmaa (@sashapoldmaa)</a> </div> </blockquote> After making the discovery, she wrote a stern letter to her neighbour. “Dear Neighbour, I was shocked to find out after reviewing the video surveillance of my house, it was because of your arrogant and frightening assumptions on my negligent animal ownership that led to three consecutive days of driveway dog poo dumping,” her letter read. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/tiktok3.png" alt="" width="530" height="936" /> Sasha penned a letter to her neighbour after discovering they were behind the mysterious appearance of dog poo on her driveway. Image: @sashapoldmaa (TikTok) “Now firstly I took the opportunity to return the faeces to your property using my own doggie poo bags which you’d see me walking with IF I ever did actually walk down your direction in the street. “Because this is something that I refuse to ignore as a result of your repeated and deliberate acts of bitterness towards my family … you should expect a friendly visit from the local police in the coming days as you are not only chargeable under the nuisance laws but I am genuinely concerned for the safety of my pets because of your hatred towards them. “P.S. An apology would be welcomed in exchange for not demanding costs for damages,” she ended the letter. Several days after placing the letter in her neighbour’s letterbox, Sasha revealed in a follow-up video that the neighbour had knocked on her door to apologise. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/tiktok.png" alt="" width="530" height="933" /> Sasha’s neighbour came to apologise after she placed a letter in her letterbox. Image: @sashapoldmaa (TikTok) It seemed the neighbour had found the faeces on her lawn and assumed it came from Sasha’s dogs, to which Sasha said there are many other dogs in the area it could belong to. Sasha captured parts of the conversation she had with the neighbour, including their apology. “I am so sorry, I’d rather you had have come to me in the first place,” the neighbour said in the clip. “I must admit I’m very sorry but I’ve thrown the dog poo bags over the back corner. It was an assumption I guess. “I felt quite sick and horrible afterwards. I really do apologise. Ah well the laugh’s on me so let’s face it.” Sasha said the encounter ended well and praised her neighbour’s courage for coming over to apologise. “I told her next time you have an issue just come and talk to me about it,” Sasha said. Images: @sashapoldmaa (TikTok)

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