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Online dating can be a bit of a minefield, but it’s not just bad dates that you need to be worried about. Are you aware your dating app data is reaching more than potential matches? Find out more from CSIRO here. Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) is engaging with the challenges of data privacy by supporting…
Read More Who’s looking at your dating app data?
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CHOICE is warning Australians to avoid ticketing fakes on platforms like Viagogo after Google let the exploitative ticket seller back onto its search advertising. “The Federal Government and Michael Sukkar have the power to make this the last summer of ticketing fakes,” says Julia Steward, Head of Policy at CHOICE. “We’re glad to see the…
Read More CHOICE calls for stronger ticket resale protections
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Australians are buying more and more gadgets and devices. Our homes and workplaces seem to be filled with smart phones, drones, Fitbits, internet- connected fridges, air-conditioners that turn off when people leave the room: anything that makes our lives more convenient. Behind the scenes, of course, is a growing pile of discarded, broken devices. The…
Read More US and EU laws show Australia’s Right to Repair moment is well overdue
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The recent ABC article titled How safe are GPS trackers for children – and what should I know before buying one? raises concerns about the ethics of technological surveillance and asks, ‘are we being sucked in by their convenience?’ When we digitise information or upload it to the internet, we run the risk of having that information…
Read More Who is protecting your information on the internet?
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Changes to the Australian Consumer Law will clarify prices for people shopping online. From 26 October 2019, businesses must include all charges in the advertised price of goods and services payable by a consumer. This includes charges for pre-selected options. Currently, a business can advertise a low price; during the buying process, they may add extra…
Read More Businesses to display all charges up front
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Mobile handsets continue to be the most common way consumers are accessing the internet while the largest volume of data is downloaded over fixed lines, as shown in a new ACCC data report on internet activity. The report, for the period ending 31 December 2018, also provides information on the number of retail services in operation…
Read More New report tracks internet activity on mobile and fixed lines
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The following is a press release from the Internet Society. A survey conducted in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, France and the United Kingdom by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Internet Society and Consumers International found that 65% of consumers are concerned with the way connected devices collect data. More than half (55%) do not trust…
Read More Concerns Over Privacy and Security Contribute to Consumer Distrust in Connected Devices
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most transformative forces of our time, and is bound to alter the fabric of society. Over the last decade, major advances were realised due to the availability of vast amounts of digital data, powerful computing architectures, and advances in AI techniques such as machine learning. To ensure that…
Read More Artificial Intelligence and ethics
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The consumer movement marks 15th March with World Consumer Rights Day every year, as a means of raising global awareness about consumer rights and needs. Celebrating the day is a chance to demand that the rights of all consumers are respected and protected, and to protest against market abuses and social injustices which undermine those rights.…
Read More World Consumer Rights Day 2019
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Safer Internet Day is an annual, worldwide event to help encourage a better internet, with this year’s theme ‘Together for a better internet’ encouraging individuals to create a better internet by developing four, critical skills – Respect, Responsibility, Reasoning and Resilience. The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is the official Committee for Safer Internet Day in Australia—responsible…
Read More Safer Internet Day: “Together for a better internet”
This week Consumers International launched a 90-second video that was created in partnership with the Internet Society. The video brings to life some of the security issues with smart devices in the home and is accompanied by five tips to help people connect SMART! Click below to watch the video. CONNECT SMART The number of products and objects connected…
Read More Consumers Society TV – The Buggle Baby Monitor
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The number of smart products and objects connected to the internet is rapidly expanding. Worryingly, some products are so insecure that someone with minimal hacking skills can access cameras and microphones, communicate directly with people in the house or access other devices in the home. Consumers International and the Internet Society have produced a video and some practical advice…
Read More Smart products – protect yourself and your family from risks
