Tech News: 5 Things to Know in Australia Today

Tech News: 5 Things to Know in Australia Today

Good morning, there’s a lot to catch up on.

 

1. Facebook glitches, users take advantage

In what can only be described as a bizarre glitch, Aussie Facebook users last night had their feeds showing random fan messages to celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. Users obviously took advantage of this glitch and caused further chaos by spamming celebrities with memes and even QR codes to their PayPal accounts. Well played. A Meta spokesperson told Gizmodo Australia that yesterday, a “configuration change caused some people to have trouble with their Facebook Feed” and that it “resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted”. It also apologised for the inconvenience caused.

2. Plex suffers data breach

If you use popular personal media server Plex, you’re going to want to reset your password. The streaming media service admitted it had fallen victim to a data breach overnight that saw the hacker access a “limited” subset of data that includes emails, usernames and encrypted passwords. According to Plex, no credit card or payment info is stored on its servers and is therefore not believed to be at risk.

3. Apple confirms 3am event, and Far Out

Apple has finally announced iPhone 14 event time. Sure, we had a tease about the purported launch event, but an invite hitting our inboxes means that Apple’s confirmed the event is happening. We’re expecting the iPhone 14 to be announced at the in-person “Far Out” event at the Steve Jobs Theatre at Apple’s Cupertino headquarters, though the event will be live-streamed for those who want to watch along at home. The kicker? It’s at 3am AEST Thursday, September 8.

4. Could ads on YouTube block misinformation?

Researchers from the University of Cambridge, University of Bristol, the University of Western Australia and Google’s Jigsaw published a study that says “pre-bunking” is the best method yet developed to stop people from believing nonsense and lies they read or see on the internet. Could the new strategy help keep people from falling for misinformation on platforms such as YouTube? Pre-bunking’s supporters say it’s the most effective, scalable method currently available to fight misinformation.

5. Free Telstra Wi-Fi for everyone

From August 25, Wi-Fi will be free from around 3,000 payphones across Australia, with the goal to upgrade the entire payphone network to provide Free Telstra Wi-Fi in the coming year. The telco has also revisited one of its ad campaigns, bringing back its “star” 17 years later. 

BONUS ITEM: F1 fan favourite Daniel Ricciardo has announced his departure from McLaren.

Have a great day.


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