Plus: I added the Pope on Facebook ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

May 09, 2025 | Read online
# Wikipedia's UK fight, college ChatGPT cheats and science minister dumped Plus: I added the Pope on Facebook
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Issue 2328 - Friday 9 May 2025
# The News
### Wikipedia takes on the UK
Wikipedia is suing the UK government over its new ‘burdensome’ internet regulations that treat it like TikTok or Facebook (Wikimedia). The UK’s updated Online Safety Act requires Wikipedia to give users tools to block “all unverified users from fixing or removing any content they post” (Medium). Intended as an anti-online abuse mechanism, Wikipedia argues that this ironically would make the website much worse by people using this ability to stop the legion of anonymous editors from removing “vandalism, disinformation or abuse” unless they revealed their identity. It’s a pretty perilous time for Wikimedia, as the Trump administration threatens to take away its not-for-profit status for “propaganda” (Washington Post, $) and with its CEO set to leave later this year (Axios)
### Students use ChatGPT to cheat. So what?
New York Magazine dropped a big piece yesterday on how every US college student is using ChatGPT to cheat (Intelligencer). It’s not exactly a news flash that kids will cheat, but it’s a good read that captures how students are missing out on learning and developing their skills. I think bigger question is: how do universities (or businesses trying to hire people) test someone’s abilities in a post-generative AI world? One teaching assistant said they realised they were “grading people on their ability to use ChatGPT.” This is a bit trolly but — is that not something worth testing? In the same way that we also test people on their abilities to use calculators? I think kids should learn how to think, research and communicate, but I also think that universities are so vulnerable to this stuff because, as friend of the Sizzle @rhtebooks pointed out, their curricula are designed to turn “actual accomplishment into numbers in a spreadsheet” (Bluesky). Which makes it, as it turns out, easy to fake with a computer.
### Australia’s science minister dumped
Ed Husic has been dumped as the federal industry and science minister as part of a post-election factional reshuffle (The Guardian). Husic has been responsible for some big tech decisions like the government’s half a billion dollar investment in PsiQuantum (SmartCompany) and was stewarding a review of our R&D system. Asking around, Husic was generally liked by the tech industry even as it grew a bit frustrated by the lack of action on things like a national AI plan and the Future Made in Australia scheme’s focus on physical production and not digital production. Mooted successors include Dan Mulino, Jess Walsh and Andrew Charlton.
#### Leftovers
‘Censorship’: United States government slams Australia for ‘coercing’ tech companies (news.com.au) Apple ‘unresponsive’ to govt’s age assurance trial (InnovationAus, $) ‘PsiQuantum’s $1bn quantum computer project cracks ‘major milestone’ (The Australian, $) ASCA embarks on sovereign tech mission to counter drone threat (InnovationAus, $) New Tesla Model Y deliveries officially begin in Australia (The Driven) Tesla Cybertruck inventory skyrockets to record high (Electrek) Apple is planning smart glasses with and without AR (The Verge) DOGE software engineer’s computer infected by info-stealing malware (Ars Technica) Google hits back after Apple exec says AI is hurting search (Ars Technica) Huawei unveils first laptop running self-developed HarmonyOS as Windows licence expires (SCMP) Apple files emergency hold to challenge App Store payment injunction (Engadget) Apple Is Developing Specialized Chips for Glasses, New Macs and AI Servers (Bloomberg, $) Google Maps for iOS uses Gemini to pull places from screenshots (Apple Insider) Judge dismisses most charges against FTX’s celebrity boosters (The Verge) Meta blocks major Muslim Instagram page in India amid rising conflict (The Guardian) Exclusive: Meta in talks to deploy stablecoins three years after giving up on landmark crypto project (Fortune) Switch 2 camera owners may be concerned about Nintendo's privacy policy update (The Shortcut) Moana 2 helps Disney+ gain 1.4 million new subscribers, making Bob Iger ‘confident’ in next year’s live-action movie (TechRadar) Match to lay off 13% of staff (TechCrunch)
# Oh, Also
### I added the Pope on Facebook
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected to become the next pope. Taking the name “Pope Leo XIV”, he represents many firsts: the first pope to be born in the US and the first Boomer pope. But more important than any of these is that Pope Leo XIV appears to be the first pope with a personal Facebook account (Facebook). There’s not much on his account other than a picture of him on a donkey, which makes it the perfect Boomer Facebook account. Naturally, I have sent the account a friend request and will update you if I hear back from him. (Also, he might have the ignoble honour of being the first pope to have tweets “resurface” — specifically for criticising Trump).
Add me to your personal network, Pope!
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Electrical & Electronics
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Computing
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Mobile
$100 voucher off Galaxy AI Smartphones Unveiled at 13 May Samsung Unpacked Event - $20 at Samsung Google Pixel 8a 128GB with $30/28-Day contract - $499 at amaysim
# The End
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