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Articles by Tom Sear
Bushfires are 'Australia's war' and that means we need a battle plan
By Tom Sear Posted February 07, 2020 05:00:58 As a blaze tore through from the Orroral Valley, troops were ready to evacuate my 88-year-old father from his nursing home. It was the first place that would be hit if Canberra's suburbs were overrun. Flames were visible from the windows of the nursing home and as darkness fell, Mt Tennent's menacing glow loomed overhead. As the fire front bore down, army personnel were poised with military vehicles to extract scores of the frightened, immobile elderly.
On the Battle of Seattle's 20th anniversary, let's remember the Aussie coders who created live sharing
By Tom Sear, Industry Fellow, UNSW Canberra Cyber, Australian Defence Force Academy, UNSW Twenty years ago, a group of Australian activists invented open source online publishing, by creating a website that went on to be pivotal in the Battle of Seattle protests. The violent clash, which took place on November 30, 1999, between anti-globalisation activists and Seattle police, caught the world’s attention.
On the Battle of Seattle's 20th anniversary, let's remember the Aussie coders who created live sharing
Twenty years ago, a group of Australian activists invented open source online publishing, by creating a website that went on to be pivotal in the Battle of Seattle protests. The violent clash, which took place on November 30, 1999, between anti-globalisation activists and Seattle police, caught the world’s attention. It was also the first large-scale use of technology that allowed anyone to upload stories, photos, and video in a live feed to a website.
Danger close? The battle over the meaning of Long Tan
Danger Close is a new Australian film depicting one of the most significant battles of the Vietnam war: The Battle of Long Tan. “Danger Close” is a military phrase used in battle when forward and directing fire onto an enemy. Danger Close might also be an apt way to describe what is one of the most controversial Australia military battles of the 20th century, but also the perils of producing films about events that are still in living memory.
Fake news is warping democracy, says ADFA’s Tom Sear
Camera IconFacebook has been slammed for its inadequate responses to the problem of fake news.Picture: AFP, Lionel Bonavenutre/AFP As we head into a federal election, Australian democracy is not ready to defend itself against the cyber manipulation of our political process. The threats are coming from within and beyond our borders. There’s been a lot of talk about foreign influence in the 2016 US election.
Federal election 2019: fake news warping democracy, says ADFA’s Tom Sear
As we head into a federal election, Australian democracy is not ready to defend itself against the cyber manipulation of our political process. The threats are coming from within and beyond our borders. There’s been a lot of talk about foreign influence in the 2016 US election. There, the Russian Internet Research Agency’s (IRA) aim was to exploit cultural divisions like race and religion to create conflict and undermine trust in institutions and the political process.
The internet is now the world's battlezone, and we're all caught up in it
@tomsear There is a vast infrastructure of digital tools that can be used to strategically manipulate behaviour for tactical gain. Source: Shutterstock MOST people think the internet operates as a kind of global public square. In reality, it’s become a divided arena where conflict between nation states plays out. Nation states run covert operations on the same platforms we use to post cat videos and exchange gossip.
The internet is now an arena for conflict, we’re all caught up in it
There is a vast infrastructure of digital tools that can be used to strategically manipulate behaviour for tactical gain. Photo: Shutterstock Form here By:Tom Sear, UNSW This article is part of our occasional long read series Zoom Out, where authors explore key ideas in science and technology in the broader context of society and humanity. Most people think the internet operates as a kind of global public square.
The internet is now an arena for conflict, and we're all caught up in it
By Tom Sear, Industry Fellow, UNSW Canberra Cyber, Australian Defence Force Academy, UNSW There is a vast infrastructure of digital tools that can be used to strategically manipulate behaviour for tactical gain. Shutterstock This article is part of our occasional long read series Zoom Out, where authors explore key ideas in science and technology in the broader context of society and humanity. Most people think the internet operates as a kind of global public square.
The internet is now an arena for conflict, and we're all caught up in it
This article is part of our occasional long read series Zoom Out, where authors explore key ideas in science and technology in the broader context of society and humanity. Most people think the internet operates as a kind of global public square. In reality, it’s become a divided arena where conflict between nation states plays out. Nation states run covert operations on the same platforms we use to post cat videos and exchange gossip.
A state actor has targeted Australian political parties – but that shouldn't surprise us - The Adelaide Review
For many, the hacking of Australia’s major parties seems to have come out of the blue. But cyber measures targeting Australian government infrastructure are the ‘new normal’. The Australian political digital infrastructure is a target in an ongoing nation state cyber competition which falls just below the threshold of open conflict.
A state actor has targeted Australian political parties – but that shouldn’t surprise us - Which-50
The Australian political digital infrastructure is a target in an ongoing nation state cyber competition which falls just below the threshold of open conflict. Today Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a statement to parliament, saying: The Australian Cyber Security Centre recently identified a malicious intrusion into the Australian Parliament House computer network.
A state actor has targeted Australian political parties - but that shouldn't surprise us
By Tom Sear, PhD Candidate, UNSW Canberra Cyber, Australian Defence Force Academy, UNSW Prime Minister Morrison said there was no evidence of electoral interference linked to a hack of the Australian Parliament House computer network. from www.shutterstock.com The Australian political digital infrastructure is a target in an ongoing nation state cyber competition which falls just below the threshold of open conflict.
A state actor has targeted Australian political parties – but that shouldn't surprise us
The Australian political digital infrastructure is a target in an ongoing nation state cyber competition which falls just below the threshold of open conflict. Today Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a statement to parliament, saying: The Australian Cyber Security Centre recently identified a malicious intrusion into the Australian Parliament House computer network.
How digital media blur the border between Australia and China
WeChat is an all-in-one social media platform that combines services such as those offered by WhatsApp, Facebook, Uber and Apple Pay. Credit: Shutterstock In September, the ABC website was blocked from being accessed inside China. The reason given was the ABC's "aggressive" reporting on China. Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded by saying that: "China's a sovereign country.
How digital media blur the border between Australia and China
In September, the ABC website was blocked from being accessed inside China. The reason given was the ABC’s “aggressive” reporting on China. Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded by saying that: China’s a sovereign country. They make decisions about what happens there, we make decisions about what happens here. But things are a little more complex than that, particularly when it comes to news published on Chinese social media platforms.
How digital media blur the border between Australia and China
By Tom Sear, PhD Candidate, UNSW Canberra Cyber, Australian Defence Force Academy, UNSW WeChat is an all-in-one social media platform that combines services such as those offered by WhatsApp, Facebook, Uber and Apple Pay. Shutterstock In this series Hacking #auspol we explore whether covert foreign influence operates in Australia, and what we can do about it. In September, the ABC website was blocked from being accessed inside China. The reason given was the ABC’s “aggressive” reporting on China.
How digital media blur the border between Australia and China
In this series Hacking #auspol we explore whether covert foreign influence operates in Australia, and what we can do about it. In September, the ABC website was blocked from being accessed inside China. The reason given was the ABC’s “aggressive” reporting on China. Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded by saying that: China’s a sovereign country. They make decisions about what happens there, we make decisions about what happens here.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it: Australia should stay away from electronic voting
The civic experience of interacting with analogue voting interfaces is as Australian as the democracy sausage. Voters are confronted with tiny pencils, plus physical security measures that involve huddling in a cardboard booth and origami-scale folding. The use of paper ballots – and human counting of those ballots – creates one of the most secure electoral systems imaginable.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: Australia should stay away from electronic voting
The civic experience of interacting with analogue voting interfaces is as Australian as the democracy sausage. Voters are confronted with tiny pencils, plus physical security measures that involve huddling in a cardboard booth and origami-scale folding. The use of paper ballots – and human counting of those ballots – creates one of the most secure electoral systems imaginable.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it: Australia should stay away from electronic voting
Russia was behind an enormous effort to influence politics in the US and the UK, but was Australia targeted too? In this series, Hacking #auspol, we explore how covert foreign influence operates in Australia, and what we can do about it. The civic experience of interacting with analogue voting interfaces is as Australian as the democracy sausage. Voters are confronted with tiny pencils, plus physical security measures that involve huddling in a cardboard booth and origami-scale folding.
Australia should stay away from electronic voting
Russia was behind an enormous effort to influence politics in the US and the UK, but was Australia targeted too? In this series, Hacking #auspol, we explore how covert foreign influence operates in Australia, and what we can do about it. The civic experience of interacting with analogue voting interfaces is as Australian as the democracy sausage. Voters are confronted with tiny pencils, plus physical security measures that involve huddling in a cardboard booth and origami-scale folding.
Government may need new powers to ensure election security in Australia
Russia was behind an enormous effort to influence politics in the US and the UK, but was Australia targeted too? In this series, Hacking #auspol, we explore how covert foreign influence operates in Australia, and what we can do about it. The civic experience of interacting with analogue voting interfaces is as Australian as the democracy sausage. Voters are confronted with tiny pencils, plus physical security measures that involve huddling in a cardboard booth and origami-scale folding.
Russian Twitter trolls have been targeting Australian politics during by-elections and budgets
Network map of accounts within #auspol tweets mentioning or linking to Russian propaganda outlets, Sputnik and RT, May 4 – July 30, 2018. Author provided Russia was behind an enormous effort to influence politics in the US and the UK, but was Australia targeted too? In this series Hacking #auspol we explore how covert foreign influence operates in Australia, and what we can do about it.
Russian trolls targeted Australian voters on Twitter via #auspol and #MH17
Russia was behind an enormous effort to influence politics in the US and the UK, but was Australia targeted too? In this series Hacking #auspol we explore how covert foreign influence operates in Australia, and what we can do about it. New evidence shows that the infamous Russian “troll factory”, the Internet Research Agency (IRA), targeted Australian politics on social media between 2015 and 2017 – and that other Russian outlets may continue to conduct influence operations.
Russian trolls targeted Australian voters on Twitter via #auspol and #MH17
Russia was behind an enormous effort to influence politics in the US and the UK, but was Australia targeted too? In this series Hacking #auspol we explore how covert foreign influence operates in Australia, and what we can do about it. New evidence shows that the infamous Russian “troll factory”, the Internet Research Agency (IRA), targeted Australian politics on social media between 2015 and 2017 – and that other Russian outlets may continue to conduct influence operations.
Cyber Attacks 10 Years On-From Disruption To Disinformation
Today is the tenth anniversary of the world's first major coordinated "cyber attack" on a nation's internet infrastructure. This little-known event set the scene for the onrush of cyber espionage, fake news and information wars we know today. In 2007, operators took advantage of political unrest to unleash a series of cyber measures on Estonia, as a possible form of retribution for symbolically rejecting a Soviet version of history.
Cyber attacks 10 years on: from disruption to disinformation
This article first appeared on The Conversation. April 27 is the tenth anniversary of the world’s first major coordinated “cyber attack” on a nation’s internet infrastructure. This little-known event set the scene for the onrush of cyber espionage, fake news and information wars we know today. In 2007, operators took advantage of political unrest to unleash a series of cyber measures on Estonia, as a possible form of retribution for symbolically rejecting a Soviet version of history.
Cyber attacks ten years on: from disruption to disinformation
Today is the tenth anniversary of the world’s first major coordinated “cyber attack” on a nation’s internet infrastructure. This little-known event set the scene for the onrush of cyber espionage, fake news and information wars we know today. In 2007, operators took advantage of political unrest to unleash a series of cyber measures on Estonia, as a possible form of retribution for symbolically rejecting a Soviet version of history.
Why China will be watching how we commemorate Anzac Day
When Australians commemorate Anzac Day this year, an unexpected spectator could be the Chinese government, which has recently adopted “western” war commemoration practices. National holidays, ritualised mobilisations, and collective gatherings to honour war veterans have become a familiar part of western societies since the end of the first world war. These events were not traditionally emphasised by the Chinese government.
This Remembrance Day, digital commemoration makes it impossible to forget
On November 11, 1919 the British Empire stopped to stand in silence on Remembrance Day for the first time. Two men usually share the credit for proposing the two minute’s silence: South African author and politician Sir Percy FitzPatrick and Australian soldier and journalist Edward Honey. In May 1919 Honey wrote a letter to the London Evening News pleading for “Five silent minutes, of national remembrance, in the home, in the street, anywhere indeed where men and women chance to be”.
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