### Issue 1840 - Monday 8th May, 2023

## In Today's Issue

- A Medibank data breach class action is gearing up
- National Net Zero Authority to assist fossil-fuel workers & communities
- Victoria announces digital drivers licences, Ballarat trial to start in July
- AI will probably be another tool for capital to crush the worker and widen inequality
- Cheap Nokia G20 smartphone, Logitech MX Keys, DJI wireless mic kit, iPhones, Coles Mobile, Transcend SATA SSD, Telstra 24-month phone plan, Xiaomi powerbank, Google Nest Cams, Pluralsight subscription, iPads, NuraLoop/Nuraphone headphones & accessories, Reolink PoE video doorbell, Pixel 6 smartphone, Mubi subscription

## The News

### A Medibank data breach class action is gearing up

Slater and Gordon have kicked off a class action lawsuit against Medibank for its shitshow of a data breach back in October last year. In a statement, Slater and Gordon said that "Medibank and ahm failed to protect or take reasonable steps to protect customers’ personal information from unauthorised access or disclosure and that the organisation failed to destroy or de-identify former customers’ personal information", as well as failing to "comply with legal obligations in collecting, using, storing, and disclosing customer information". Slater and Gordon have an active class action against Optus going at the moment too. Seems inevitable they'll have one against Latitude Financial in the next few months. Hopefully this kinda thing spooks CEOs and CIOs into getting their data privacy sorted.

### National Net Zero Authority to assist fossil-fuel workers & communities

Australia finally has a National Net Zero Authority. This government agency is blessed with $400m and according to the press release, will "support workers in emissions-intensive sectors to access new employment, skills and support as the net zero transformation continues" - as well as other investments from private businesses to "engage with net zero transformation opportunities" and help communities "take advantage of new clean energy industries". I doubt it will be perfect and some people will be stubborn and scared of change (even if that change is good for everyone), but if you're gonna force "emissions intensive sectors" to stop being so emissions intensive, the least you can do is make sure the people impacted aren't left behind.

### Victoria announces digital drivers licences, Ballarat trial to start in July

Digital drivers licences are finally coming to the great state of Victoria. The licence will be stored in the Service Victoria app, as well as a "soon-to-be-launched" My VicRoads app. From the press release: "digital licences will automatically reveal if a licence has been revoked or suspended but will still be available for use to prove identity or age when it is not active. The licence has a highly secure, timed QR code that can be scanned by licence validators such as police, businesses and other authorities to verify authenticity and prevent fraudulent use". A trial will start in Ballarat as of July, with a statewide rollout by 2024. Now all we need is Myki to work on iOS thanks.

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### AI will probably be another tool for capital to crush the worker and widen inequality

Ted Chiang has an excellent think piece in the New Yorker about AI's role in society and the economy. Go read the entire thing, but this paragraph stood out to me as the crux of what Ted's argument is about: "Some might say that it's not the job of A.I. to oppose capitalism. That may be true, but it's not the job of A.I. to strengthen capitalism, either. Yet that is what it currently does. If we cannot come up with ways for A.I. to reduce the concentration of wealth, then I'd say it's hard to argue that A.I. is a neutral technology, let alone a beneficial one". If we aren't careful, AI is just gonna make the rich richer and the poor poorer, making inequality - a big reason why everything that sucks, sucks - even worse.

## Bargains

- Nokia G20 smartphone (locked to Telstra) - $79 at Coles
- Logitech MX Keys wireless illuminated keyboard with num pad - $129 from Amazon
- DJI Action 2 Wireless Microphone Kit - $439.20 from digiDirect's eBay store
- $200 off various iPhone 13 and 14 models at David Jones (good for an Officeworks price beat)
- Coles Mobile 365-day SIM, 120GB data, unlimited calls & SMS to 15 countries - $119 from Coles
- Transcend SSD230S 4TB 2.5” SATA SSD - $322.07 from Amazon Germany
- Get a $1200 JB Hi-Fi gift card if you go on a 24-month Telstra contract for $99/m with 300GB of data
- Xiaomi 20,000mAh 50W in/out battery pack - $58.98 from Xiaomi Global Direct's eBay store
- Google Nest Cam Battery 1-pack, 2-pack, 3-pack - $229/$434/$629 from Optus
- Pluralsight Standard Subscription - $22/m or $223/yr
- Apple M2 iPad Pro 12.9in (6th Gen) Wi-Fi 128GB - $1619.10 from Wireless1's eBay store
- 40% off NuraLoop and Nuraphone headphone products and accessories
- Refurb HP Z2 G4 SFF Workstation (Intel E-2136 Xeon, 32GB RAM, 512GBSSD, 2x 3.5" bays, 2x NVMe slots) - $393.86 from MetroCom's eBay store
- Reolink Video Doorbell PoE - $170.99 from Reolink Australia
- Google Pixel 6 5G (128GB/8GB) - $579 from Mobileciti's eBay store
- 4 month Mubi subscription (art house/curated movie streaming) for $4

## Image Of The Day

Unisonic Model 6700 ZX Telephone, circa 1989 (The Henry Ford)

## The End

📻 Public Witness Program - Fugazi

😎 The Sizzle is curated by Anthony "decryption" Agius and emailed every weekday afternoon.

💬 Checked out the paid subscriber only forum? It's a tidy little place to discuss tech with like minded Aussies.

👋 Forums not your thing? The Sizzle has a Slack group you can procrastinate in and chat with other nerds bored at work.

💳 Paid subscriber looking to manage your billing info, change email address or cancel your subscription? Visit the customer portal.

🎁 Make someone's day and buy them a 12 month gift subscription to The Sizzle.

📚 Browse The Sizzle Archive. A few issues are missing and it's not searchable, but it's better than nothing.

🫂 Friends of The Sizzle is a small group of businesses or organisations operated by Sizzle subscribers. Support your fellow Sizzler!

💔 Tired of my bullshit? Unsubscribe and I'll never speak to you again.

## Always Was, Always Will Be Aboriginal Land

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.