Plus: a man’s attempt to use an AI-generated lawyer in court does not go well ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

April 10, 2025 | Read online
# Microsoft turns 50, Trump's cybersecurity choices and TikTok GST fraudster caught Plus: a man’s attempt to use an AI-generated lawyer in court does not go well
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Issue 2310 - Thursday 10 April 2025
# The News
### Microsoft turns 50, and what a weird 50 years it’s been!
Microsoft is 50 years old! The company threw a big do (ITNews) which — outside of a few workers protesting their work supporting the Israeli military (ABC) — was mostly a love-fest about artificial intelligence. The Verge put out a cool list of the 50 best things that Microsoft has ever made, including the game SkiFree which I wasted a lot of time on as a kid (The Verge). Relatedly, the company’s Windows 95 reboot sound is being added to the US National Recording Registry alongside Elton John and Mary J Blige (Library of Congress). Microsoft is a complicated company. It’s gone from this near monopoly position where it used its might to lock-out competitors, to being in the wilderness, to transforming into a company that puts its products everywhere. Now, it’s made a fascinating decision to pull back from developing AI and letting OpenAI, which it was a big investor in, and other companies do the hard and expensive work of creating models (The Register). I am very curious to see where it is in 10-15 years. Anyway, here’s Steve Ballmer recreating his famous “developers, developers, developers” moment for good luck (TikTok).
Watch now on TikTok
@jakekrol
Developers, developers, developers!! Steve Balmer is celebrating #Microsoft50! #stevebalmer #developers #microsoft
### Cybersecurity in the Trump era is uhh not dull!
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order specifically persecuting the government’s former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency head Chris Krebs for his role in protecting the 2020 presidential election (White House). His admin is revoking the security clearance of everyone at his company, too (Mastodon). It might to include some American random public servant being attacked in the Sizzle but Krebs a world-respected cybersecurity expert who is being attacked with the full might of the US government for daring to make sure elections didn’t get hacked (CRN). Last week, Trump also fired the head of “two government organizations that play integral roles for U.S. cybersecurity” (Cyber Security Dive). CISA leadership was cleared out as Trump came in (Meritalk). Various cybersecurity agencies have also stopped efforts to combat Russian cyberattacks and disinformation (Reuters). All this adds up to the US government not taking cyber threats seriously and being unable to respond to them, even if they wanted to. I had someone cancel their subscription last week because they thought I was being too political in the Sizzle. I get it. this is a tech newsletter. It just so happens that what’s happening in Washington and Mar-a-Lago remains the biggest tech story in the world right now.
| Chris Krebs @C_C_Krebs |
👇
Chris Krebs @C_C_Krebs Honored to serve. We did it right. Defend Today, Secure Tomrorow. #Protect2020
2:18 AM • Apr 10, 2025
3.5K Likes 571 Retweets
200 Replies
### Chinese minority-targeted spyware and TikTok GST fraudsters caught
On the topic of cybers, Uighur, Tibetan and Taiwanese communities are being targeted with spyware that’s collecting data on them, says an alert from cybersecurity agencies from Australia, US and a number of other countries (Cyber). The spyware, called MOONSHINE and BADBAZAAR, can access real time data from users and has been found in apps targeting Chinese minority groups in Google and Apple app stores. The agencies don’t name who’s responsible but they did say the data is “of use to China”, so pretty easy to figure that one out (TechRadar). In other crime news, remember that 2021 GST “hack” promising free cash that spread on TikTok (SMH, $)? Well, apparently the ATO has taken action against 57,000 people who used it (ATO). There have been 104 arrests including one bloke who just got jailed for claiming $30 million worth of purchases to get $2.4m in GST.
#### Leftovers
Australia's broadband baseline tipped to move from 25Mbps to 100Mbps (ITNews) Australia's R&D 'risk aversion' must change, experts say (Information Age) Gov scopes architecture for public health surveillance platform (ITNews) The 2025 election is our most opaque yet because big tech doesn’t want to be held responsible (Crikey, $) New Apple Watch ad reveals how the Emergency SOS feature saved a man in Australia (Apple Insider) What we learned from tracking AI use in global elections (Rest of World) Google Maps is launching tools to help cities analyze infrastructure and traffic (The Verge) Canada OKs construction of first licensed teeny atomic reactor (The Register) Google announces ‘Workspace Flows’ automation with Gems, audio in Docs, and more Gemini (9to5Google) OpenAI helps spammers plaster 80,000 sites with messages that bypassed filters (Ars Technica) OpenAI countersues Elon Musk, claims harassment (Reuters) Europe unveils plan to become ‘AI continent’ with simpler rules, more infrastructure (CNBC) Take It Down Act nears passage; critics warn Trump could use it against enemies (Ars Technica) Illegal charging stations are powering Delhi’s e-rickshaw revolution (Rest of World)
# Oh, Also
### A man’s attempt to use an AI-generated lawyer in court does not go well
As someone who has been closely following the use of AI in Australian courts (Crikey, $) I was not surprised to see what happened when a man tried to use an AI avatar in a US court. There’s a full write-up here (The Register) but it’s worth watching the video.
Man Shows Up in Court with AI Lawyer — Judges Not Having It @NYCourtsA2J
# Bargains
Electrical & Electronics
SanDisk Ultra CZ48 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive - $18 at Centre Com Zyron Powastone 2C1A 65W Gan 3 Charger + 2m 100W Cable + Travel Case - $30 at Zyron Tech Philips Hue Garnea White Ambience Downlight 90mm - $39 at JB Hi-Fi Srhythm NC25 Hybrid Noise Cancelling Headphones Over Ear - $42.49 at Amazon AU Kodak Pixpro WPZ2 Digital Waterproof Camera - $269 at Tvsn Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 (RRP $379) (Telstra ID Required) - $289 at Telstra Dyson Products at Sephora Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer for $395 Dyson Corrale for $447 Nikon Z50II with NIKKOR Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR - $1943 at Amazon AU TCL 85" C855 4K QD Mini-LED Google TV (2024) - $2995 at JB Hi-Fi
Computing
TP-Link Deco XE75 AXE5400 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6E Router System (3-Pack) - $449 at Bing Lee TP-Link Deco BE65 BE11000 Wi-Fi 7 Tri-Band Mesh Router System (2-Pack) - $551 at Centre Com
Mobile
Vodafone Prepaid Plus Starter 35GB + 70GB Bonus Data on First 3 Recharges - $15 at Vodafone Online Telstra $49 Pre-Paid SIM Starter Kit with 80GB Data if activated by 7 July 2025 - $17 at Telstra 40GB 28-Day Optus Prepaid SIM plus $30 cash back - $30 at Cashrewards Google Pixel 8 Pro 5G 128GB - $837 at JB Hi-Fi
# The End
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