Tech, AI, startups, and cyber security
A flaw in how contactless payment works on Myki's new tap-and-go gates is charging commuters who never intentionally tapped. Transport Victoria is advising passengers to disable a phone setting.
Victoria Crawford 
This week's major tech announcements from Nvidia, Tesla, and Meta reveal a pattern: ambitious promises crash against the messy facts of business, regulation, and consumer behaviour.
Nina Papadopoulos 
DoorDash is paying delivery workers to film themselves performing everyday tasks and recording multilingual speech samples to train AI models. The move raises questions about whether gig workers are being fairly paid for data that could lead to their own automation.
Andrew Marsh 
Google is testing a native Gemini app for macOS with screen-reading capabilities, aiming to close the gap with competitors who already offer dedicated desktop applications.
Mitchell Tan 
Google has detailed a new "advanced flow" for Android users who want to install unverified apps, combining developer verification requirements with security delays designed to thwart scam tactics.
Zara Mitchell 
US cybersecurity authorities have confirmed active exploitation of a critical Microsoft SharePoint remote code execution flaw, giving federal agencies just three days to patch before attackers gain deeper access to sensitive systems.
Rachel Thornbury 
Developer Pan Studio says external attackers compromised its game launcher on March 18, spreading an infostealer trojan to players. The company is offering free gacha pulls as compensation.
Jake Nguyen 
Meta is replacing human content moderators with AI systems while planning layoffs affecting up to 20% of its workforce. The shift raises questions about moderation quality, worker welfare, and the true cost of AI.
Andrew Marsh 
Google has given Android users a pathway to sideload unverified apps after months of community backlash against mandatory developer verification requirements launching in 2026.
Mitchell Tan 
Google has detailed its compromise on mandatory app verification for Android, allowing experienced users to sideload unverified apps after a 24-hour security lock and multiple steps designed to stop scammers.
Oliver Pemberton 
Scientists at Los Alamos are testing fibre-optic cables as a cheaper, simpler alternative to seismometers for detecting moonquakes and supporting future lunar missions.
Oliver Pemberton 
OpenClaw's unexpected viral success in early 2026 is forcing major AI labs to reconsider their browser agent strategies, with Google reshuffling its Project Mariner team amid a broader consolidation of agentic AI competition.
Darren Ong 
GNOME 50 removes X11 support entirely, cutting 27,540 lines of legacy code. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS will bring the change to millions of users in April.
Yuki Tamura 
Global memory chip shortages are reaching crisis point as artificial intelligence's insatiable hunger for specialised memory threatens to make computers, phones and gaming systems far more expensive for years to come.
Oliver Pemberton 
OpenAI's planned 'adult mode' for ChatGPT promises user freedom but raises serious questions about data collection, surveillance risks, and whether intimate conversations will feed corporate profit systems.
Daniel Kovac 
MoCA 2.5 technology allows homeowners to leverage old coaxial cables for high-speed networking, delivering up to 2.5 Gbps without the expense of installing new wiring or the limitations of wireless mesh systems.
Oliver Pemberton 
Nvidia unveiled the Groq 3 language processing unit at its annual GTC conference, the first tangible result of its $20 billion acquisition of Groq's intellectual property and engineering talent.
Tom Whitfield 
Authorities are urging organisations to strengthen access controls on Microsoft Intune following an attack that allowed Iran-linked hackers to remotely wipe tens of thousands of devices at medical device maker Stryker.
Marcus Ashbrook 
Waymo has updated its safety data showing its autonomous vehicles crash at dramatically lower rates than human drivers, raising fresh questions about adoption barriers.
Mitchell Tan 
Security researchers have uncovered DarkSword, a sophisticated hacking toolkit targeting iPhones running iOS 18. The exploit chain can fully compromise devices after users visit a malicious website.
Zara Mitchell