# In This Issue

- ASD reckons Chinese spies got access to ALP, Nats & Libs internal networks before election

- US govt probe into "Big Tech” demands loads of CEO emails by Oct 14th

- Richard Stallman tries to defend Jeff Epstein’s child sex trafficking ring

- Bjork’s got a new VR album experience up on Steam

- Cheap Nvidia Shield, Microsoft Surface ergo keyboard, Hisense 75" TV, Telstra 12m pre-paid, $500 off iPhone 11 Pro

# News

#### ASD reckons Chinese spies got access to ALP, Nats & Libs internal networks before election

Reuters is reporting that the Australian Signals Directorate is confident that China's Ministry of State Security was "responsible for a cyber-attack on its national parliament and three largest political parties before the general election in May". The MSD got into the networks of the ALP, Nats and Libs and "gave the perpetrators access to policy papers on topics such as tax and foreign policy, and private email correspondence between lawmakers, their staff and other citizens". This info comes from "five people with direct knowledge of the findings of the investigation", Reuters hasn't seen the report and nobody is saying anything on the record (of course) like how it happened or precisely what info was accessed - but as if China wasn’t sniffing around during an election.

#### US govt probe into "Big Tech” demands loads of CEO emails by Oct 14th

A U.S. House of Representatives panel conducting a "Big Tech" antitrust probe has kicked things up a notch over the weekend, demanding "internal emails over the last decade from Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet CEO Larry Page, among others, about acquisitions" by October 14th, on topics "including acquisitions like Amazon’s purchase of AbeBooks, PillPack, Eero, Ring, Zappos and Whole Foods; and Google’s acquisition of AdMob, YouTube, Android and DoubleClick". I can't wait for everyone's backroom bullshit to go on the public record so dozens of journalists can pour over it and add further evidence that the big tech companies are absolute mongrels that don't play fair at all.

#### Richard Stallman tries to defend Jeff Epstein’s child sex trafficking ring

Richard Stallman is as the kids put it, about to be cancelled, due to some emails he sent to an MIT mailing list trying to defend Jeffrey Epstein's (yeah, that Epstein) actions. From Vice, "Early in the thread, Stallman insists that the "most plausible scenario" is that Epstein’s underage victims were "entirely willing" while being trafficked. Stallman goes on to argue about the definition of "sexual assault," "rape," and whether they apply to Minsky and Giuffre’s deposition statement that she was forced to have sex with him". The thread he chose to drop these nuggets of wisdom in happened to be about organising a protest against MIT's involvement with Epstein. Mate, read the fucken room.

# Not News

#### Bjork’s got a new VR album experience up on Steam

Bjork's released a compilation of all the VR experiments she's done over the years, based on her 2015 album Vulnicura. It's on the Steam store for $45 and needs a fancy headset and shit, but I mostly wanted to mention it so I could repeat her wonderful take on technology in an interview about Vulnicura VR: "I know that 99% of people think VR is just for nerds with no hearts, that it's self-delusional wanking and has no soul. But I've been answering questions like that since 1993, when my first album with drum machines came out. 'Drum machines have no soul! Why'd you make an album with no soul?' It's like, ugh. It's a boring question. Can there be soul in technology? Yes! If you put soul in it, there will be. That's the same with anything. Electric guitar, bongo drum, whatever". She’s so cool.

# Bargains

- Nvidia Shield Android TV unit with remote - $228 from Futu Online eBay

- Microsoft Surface ergonomic keyboard - $151 at The Good Guys

- Hisense 75R6 75" 4K TV - $1464 + delivery from Appliance Central eBay

- Telstra $150 pre-paid kit for $110 at Cellmate

- Reckoner has compiled all the telco iPhone 11 offers in the one spot for easy comparing

- The Good Guys are offering $500 off an iPhone 11 Pro if you pre-order from them and sign up for a $65/m Telstra plan

🎶 Just What I Needed - The Cars

😁 The Sizzle is curated by Anthony "@decryption" Agius and emailed every weekday afternoon. Join us on Slack and chat with other Sizzle subscribers.

The Sizzle is created on Wathaurong land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.​