### Issue 1258 - Thursday 26th November, 2020

## In Today's Issue

- Telstra fined $50m for giving phone contracts to people who can't afford it
- Too many of NSW's IT systems have no disaster plan and even more haven't tested their plan
- ABC & SBS added to list of entities that'll get paid when Google & Facebook link to them
- Donate that tech crap you aren't using if you don't want to deal with eBay/Facebook/Gumtree
- Heaps of bargains, I can't be stuffed listing them all here, just scroll down

## The News

### Telstra fined $50m for giving phone contracts to people who can't afford it

Telstra has been fined $50m by the ACCC for selling people multiple phone contracts they clearly and obviously couldn't afford. The ACCC said that "sales staff at five licensed Telstra-branded stores signed up 108 Indigenous consumers to multiple post-paid mobile contracts which they did not understand and could not afford between January 2016 to August 2018", with ACCC boss Rod Sims saying "this is huge, this is right off the scale in terms of behaviour we have taken to court in relation to telecommunications". Telstra staff "manipulated credit assessments, so consumers who otherwise may have failed its credit assessment could enter into post-paid mobile contracts". I knew phone contract sales is full of crooks, but this is next level.

### Too many of NSW's IT systems have no disaster plan and even more haven't tested their plan

According to an annual review of NSW's IT systems, it was found that "there is no plan in place to recover some key IT systems and infrastructure that support critical agency functions" for 19% of all NSW government IT systems. Even worse is that 43% of NSW government agencies have "not developed and tested their disaster recovery plans". It probably doesn't help that NSW has no government direction to force agencies to have business continuity and disaster recovery plans. Probably not news to anyone working in IT, but it's still disturbing we rely on these systems for so much and it's just left hanging in the wind.

### ABC and SBS added to list of entities that'll get paid when Google or Facebook link to them

The ACCC's attempt to get Google and Facebook to pay Australian media companies for the privilege of linking to their content has been updated to include the ABC and SBS. They were left out initially because the government hates them, with the excuse they're tax-payer funded so don't deserve the money, but the government also wants the law to get passed in Parliament soon, so they gave in and added the ABC and SBS in with the hope it makes the law more palatable. This truly is one of those "Everyone Sucks Here" scenarios. Australian media companies are trash and Google and Facebook are well, Google and Facebook! Have you seen Google's sad attempts to get the public on their side? Fuck me dead, it is awful.

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Donate that tech crap you aren't using if you can't be bothered selling it

As someone who relentlessly upgrades a vast array of technological devices but is also a cheapskate, I begrudgingly deal with the weirdos on Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and eBay to cut my losses. It can be a huge time-sink and for those with more money than time, disposing of old, but still very nice tech gear is a pain in the fucking arse. Gadgets accumulate because it's too good for e-waste but also not worth the hassle of dealing with the proletariat. It would be good to donate this stuff but I haven't found a good list of reputable places that accept tech devices and give them to those who need it (not recycle or resell it). May I propose to you then, that donating this stuff is an option? I'd personally rather it go to a charity that will give it to someone who needs it, rather than simply re-selling it, but what you do with your stuff is up to you.

## Bargains

- Elgato Stream Deck XL - $320 from Amazon
- $800 off any iPhone at JB Hi-Fi if you go on a $99/m 150GB 12m Telstra contract
- Logitech MX Keys wireless keyboard - $178 from Harvey Norman
- iStat Menus 6 for Mac or Snowflake weather app for iOS - US$4.39/US$0.99 from Bjango/iOS App Store
- Topping MX3 USB DAC & amplifier with Bluetooth - $152 delivered from Shenzhen Audio
- 10% to 20% off CompTIA certification exams & materials (e.g: Linux+, Network+, etc)
- Samsung Q80T 85" 4K QLED TV - $4263.30 from The Good Guys eBay store
- EKO 75" 4K TV - $799 at Big W
- Synology DS920+ 4-bay NAS - $823.20 from Futu Online's eBay store
- Logitech C922 Pro webcam - $149 from Sydneytec's eBay store
- Big W joins Coles & Harvey Norman in selling iTunes gift cards at 15% off (could get them at 19.5% off if you get Officeworks to price match)
- 99c for four months of Tidal Premium $1.99 for Tidal Hi-Fi for four months
- Tile Mate (2020 version) bluetooth tracker - $19.95 each at JB Hi-Fi
- Sony Alpha A7C full-frame compact camera (body only) - $2249.15 from Camera House's eBay store
- Viofo A119 V2, A129 Duo, A129 Duo Plus dashcams - $97.70/$186.10/$219.98 from Shopping Square
- Tactiq, a service that transcribes Google Meet sessions into a document - 50% off, US$4.50/m
- Nintendo Switch console - $409 at Amazon
- Super Mario Odyssey for Switch - $58 from Amazon
- Death Stranding for PS4 - $20 from Amazon
- 15% off most stuff at digiDIRECT (cameras, lenses, AV gear etc)
- Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop (i7-10750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, RTX2060 6GB, 15.6" FHD matte 144Hz) - $2159 from Bing Lee

## The End

📻 A Drug Against War - KMFDM

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