Re: [LINK] Free cloud services
On 30/12/2020 12:56 pm, Karl Auer wrote: > On Mon, 2020-12-21 at 10:39 +1100, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >> I'd like to run a Windows compute intensive app in something a lot >> more powerful than my laptop. The .exe is under 200kb but it needs >> about 5-10Gbytes of memory to run in. It produces output files of up >> to 100MBytes. >> >> Does anyone have any experience of Amazon and/or Microsoft (or >> anything else) and what the risks might be? Especially if the thing >> runs wild and chews up resources unexpectedly? > Can't speak for Azure but my day job is designing and building AWS- > hosted infrastructure. Thanks to all those who responded, on and off list. I'm not ready yet for industrial strength runs, but if and when I am, I'll probably need a bit of help. Thanks again. Bernard -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Free cloud services
Amazon and Microsoft advertise that you can get access to free cloud services. I'd like to run a Windows compute intensive app in something a lot more powerful than my laptop. The .exe is under 200kb but it needs about 5-10Gbytes of memory to run in. It produces output files of up to 100MBytes. Does anyone have any experience of Amazon and/or Microsoft (or anything else) and what the risks might be? Especially if the thing runs wild and chews up resources unexpectedly? Advice/comments would be appreciated. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Low-code and no-code development .. but .. security?
On 19/11/2020 1:01 am, Stephen Loosley quoted: > Low-code and no-code development is changing how software is built - and who > builds it > > Low-code and no-code platforms are multiplying, and the first to reap the > technologies' benefits will be entrepreneurs with a good idea. > > By Daphne Leprince-Ringuet | November 18, 2020 -- 10:16 GMT (21:16 AEDT) | > Topic: Developer > https://www.zdnet.com/article/low-code-and-no-code-development-is-changing-how-software-is-built-and-who-builds-it/ What goes round comes around and what goes round is often a hype cycle. For those youngsters who may have missed earlier cycles, have a read of these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-aided_software_engineering https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_programming -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] QR codes become the simpler alternative for coronavirus management as COVIDSafe takes a backseat
he planned goal due to a number of concerns over privacy and technical issues with the app - something the relatively antiquated QR code system hasn't had to deal with. QR codes might not be able to provide the granular detail COVIDSafe does when it works but it offers a fail-safe when patrons aren't actively using the app. Checking in is an entry requirement for many venues, for example, whereas COVIDSafe is not. In Victoria, where the largest COVID-19 outbreak has occurred, the app's usage has been limited, despite the state's health department encouraging Victorians to download and use it. Of the state's more than 20,000 confirmed cases, just 1842 reported they had downloaded and were using the app. The department did not discover any additional cases from those users. The federal government has instead pointed to NSW as the success story the app desperately needed. Health authorities in NSW, where more than 4300 cases have been detected, confirmed with The Canberra Times the app had been accessed 83 times by early October. It found 14 close contacts that hadn't been uncovered by manual contact tracers but none tested positive. The app also uncovered a previously unknown venue a positive case had visited, which resulted in more than 500 extra people being identified. Two of that group later tested positive. In late April, when the app was first launched, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told the nation it was the sunscreen needed to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. Six months later, its relevance has diminished after being dropped from much of the federal government's key messaging, leaving the low tech QR codes to fill the gap. COVIDSafe had a little over 7.1 million registrations by early October but the Department of Health would not confirm how many of those were active users. It also confirmed the app would not be introducing a QR code check-in feature any time soon. "At this time, the department is not pursuing QR codes as an option for inclusion within the COVIDSafe App," a health department spokesperson said. "However, it is important to note both the ACT and NSW governments have recently introduced QR based applications to help protect the community through the provision of these digital systems." The app has since introduced a breakdown of daily COVID-19 statistics to encourage users to use the app. As QR codes continue to dominate the venue check-in process thanks to their relative ease and reliability, COVIDSafe's usage and relevance will be relegated to the sidelines. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] COVIDsafe app update requires location on
Have a look at Issue 23 here: https://github.com/vteague/contactTracing#readme Jim Mussared and Vanessa Teague probably know more about this app than most people. brd On 11/08/2020 10:36 am, kheit...@kheitman.com wrote: > Yeah nah Scott. > Anyone else with actual experience of this app? > --- > -- > kheit...@kheitman.com.www.kheitman.com > -- > On 10/08/2020 10:59 pm, Scott Howard wrote: > >> This isn't new. >> Android devices have always required applications that do any form of >> Bluetooth scanning to have the "Location" permission. This doesn't >> mean that they are collecting your location using GPS (although with >> this permission they could), but is done because Bluetooth scanning >> can be used to determine your location, such as through proximity to >> a fixed bluetooth beacon. In effect, this is pretty much what >> Covidsafe is designed to do - track your "location", however in terms >> of other users rather than using fixed points for reference. >> (I believe iOS devices are the same, but I'm not certain on that) >> _> The first was a few weeks ago, when I manually updated the app >> (there is no "update" function) _ >> Updates are done using your devices App management system (eg, Google >> Play Store on Android) which absolutely supports automatic updates. >> Presumably you have them turned off. >> _> I hadn't read anything about this change, nor whether Minister >> Stuart Robert had reconsidered his position that using Google or >> Apple location services was a dangerous betrayal of our national >> sovereignty._ >> That's probably because the "change" you're referring to never >> happened, nor did the "dangerous betrayal of our national sovereignty". >> Scott >> On Mon, Aug 10, 2020 at 4:50 AM wrote: >>> Hi all, >>> As one of the users of the Australian Government's COVIDsafe app from >>> the outset, I've noticed two major updates since first download. >>> The first was a few weeks ago, when I manually updated the app >>> (there is >>> no "update" function) - on download it now had more information screens >>> and apparently continued to renew the latest information state by >>> state. >>> >>> Last weekend I noticed it was not working - on opening it I was >>> informed >>> that the app "requires" location to be set on in order to run. I don't >>> routinely permit location broadcasting, so it's now a matter of letting >>> Google's location function run amok or the COVIDsafe app won't work at >>> all. >>> I hadn't read anything about this change, nor whether Minister Stuart >>> Robert had reconsidered his position that using Google or Apple >>> location >>> services was a dangerous betrayal of our national sovereignty. >>> Have other LINKers observed this new feature? >>> Regards, >>> Kim >>> >>> -- >>> -- >>> kheit...@kheitman.com.........www.kheitman.com [1] >>> -- >>> ___ >>> Link mailing list >>> Link@mailman.anu.edu.au >>> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > > Links: > -- > [1] http://www.kheitman.com > ___ > Link mailing list > Link@mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Victoria stopped using COVIDSafe during outbreak
[ also, Shaun Micallef in last night's "Mad as Hell" [ https://iview.abc.net.au/show/shaun-micallef-s-mad-as-hell <https://iview.abc.net.au/show/shaun-micallef-s-mad-as-hell> [ starting at 15:30 Victoria stopped using COVIDSafe during outbreak https://www.innovationaus.com/victoria-stopped-using-covidsafe-during-outbreak Denham Sadler 4 August 2020 Victorian authorities stoppedusing the federal government’s COVIDSafe contact tracing app during the recent COVID-19 outbreak because they hadn’t seen any value in it, former chief medical officer Brendan Murphy has told a public hearing. Dr Murphy, who is now the Secretary of the Department of Health, told the Senate Select Committee <https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/COVID-19> on COVID-19 on Tuesday morning that the Victorian government had decided to stop using the digital contact tracing app during its second wave outbreak of coronavirus due to the immense pressure its health authorities were under and the lack of early success staff had using the service. “In Victoria they, for a period of time, were feeling so pressured that they decided not to use the app. They tried initially in the outbreak and the community that were involved had a low download rate and most of the early transmissions were in family gatherings where they identified contacts anyway,” Dr Murphy told the Senators. “Because they were so pressured, they kept going without using the app. The public health unit felt that for a period of time, because they hadn’t found value in it in those early cases, they did stop using it, we believe.” The question of just how long COVIDSafe wasn’t being used by Victorian health authorities was taken on notice by Dr Murphy. It’s been well publicised that the much-touted app is yet to pick up any new close contact cases in Victoria, despite a huge uptick in COVID-19 cases in the last month, but this is the first time it has been revealed that it was not even checked during some period of time. COVIDSafe is now again being used in Victoria, Dr Murphy said. “They have now started using the app again and we hope to see some of the success we’ve seen in New South Wales recently. They have been very clear that they have committed to using it now,” he said. In New South Wales, health authorities have now accessed data from the app 33 times, with 14 new close contacts identified through this process that weren’t previously identified by the manual contact tracers. The NSW health department said that all of these close contacts have been directed to self-isolate, and none have tested positive for COVID-19. The model chosen for COVIDSafe means that state contact tracers are still closely involved with the process and must access and analyse data from the app detailing the close contacts of a confirmed virus case. Under the different model offered by Google and Apple, these manual contact tracers are taken out of the process, with users receiving a notification directly through the app that they may have been in contact with someone later diagnosed with COVID-19. This would relieve some of the pressure from the health authorities, but also relies on individuals following the directions of the app to self-isolate or get tested. Labor has slammed the government over COVIDSafe’s issues, saying it has “failed” Victoria. “It’s the ‘mystery cases’ – COVID-19 infections without an identifiable source – that are now the biggest cause of concern in Melbourne and the COVIDSafe app has simply not been able to perform the role that it was designed to do,” shadow assistant minister for cybersecurity Tim Watts said on Monday. “Scott Morrison’s COVIDSafe app has failed Victoria, but it’s not too late for him to fix the app so that it can be of use in New South Wales and Queensland.” Shadow health minister Chris Bowen also called on the federal government to admit that the contact tracing app isn’t working, and then work to fix it. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] How does COVIDSafe compare to Europe's contact tracing apps?
gauge distance <https://down.dsg.cs.tcd.ie/tact/> — and so, to accurately identify close contacts. "It suffers that same challenges with Bluetooth proximity detection in terms of making it reliable in all sorts of contexts," he said. "Handsets in all different positions, in pockets, in handbags … walking, cycling." Dr Farrell suggested it will ultimately be difficult to definitively measure the impact of this technology. We need to know how many people who would have been missed by manual contract tracing are caught by the app, he suggested. And of those people, how many are false positives or true positives. "I suspect mostly likely we won't ever know," Dr Farrell said. *Privacy concerns remain* As well as privacy bugs found after the launch of COVIDSafe, its centralised method of data collection has been an ongoing focus for security researchers. But there is also concern in Europe <https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/technology/google-covid-tracker-app.html> that exposure notification apps built using the Google-Apple API could be used to track location, especially on Android. The implementation of Bluetooth on Android has long (and wrongly, in her view) been "inextricably linked" to location permissions Dr Teague said, as some non-contact tracing apps use the technology to work out a user's location. For example Bluetooth beacons in a shopping centre, she said, could be used to serve users with hyper-specific advertising. "The implication is, if you're not going to let Google track your location, then you're not using Bluetooth scanning." The COVIDSafe version of Android as well as apps made using the Google-Apple API ask for location permission when the app is downloaded — although all insist location is not recorded as part of the contact tracing process. "In keeping with our privacy commitments for the Exposure Notification API, Google does not receive information about the end user, location data, or information about any other devices the user has been in proximity of," a Google spokesperson said. Professor Alexandra Dmitrienko, head of Secure Software Systems Research Group at the University of Würzburg, is troubled that location services must be turned on when using the exposure notification API on Android. While many people may choose to use products like Google Maps and have location services operating, she suggested those that do not are forced into a choice: allow location permissions when downloading the German app or give up the ability to use your country's public health app. As more countries accept the Apple-Google solution, she is also concerned about the control being ceded to the two technology giants. "As an expert in security and privacy, I see … that we give too much power to two American companies," she said. *Could Australia move to the Google-Apple API?* As it stands, Australia's COVIDSafe would have to fundamentally change its approach to use the Google-Apple API. The companies' API rules stipulate that a government can only request and not require users to share personal information such as a phone number. COVIDSafe requires these details upon sign up. Ireland's COVID Tracker app on the other hand asks only for opt-in metrics. Minister for Government Services Stuart Robert said the Government is open "to improving [the] technology" if it maintains a key role for health officials in the process. "The current structure of the Google-Apple API does not do that," he said. "We will continue to work with Google and Apple, particularly to see if they can remove their barriers in allowing a sovereign tracing app — that has health professionals at its core — access to improved Bluetooth functionality". Ultimately, it may still be too early to say whether any piece of technology can be the pandemic silver bullet so many countries are after. Professor Dmitrienko thinks it's too early to know how effective these apps are. "[The] general opinion is that this technique cannot really replace the manual contact tracing, but it can be complementary," she said. "How effective it is? I think no one can tell at the moment." But then, there's the price tag. By some estimates, COVIDSafe has reportedly cost around $2.75 million <https://www.innovationaus.com/bcg-gets-another-covidsafe-contract/> in contractors fees. The Irish app cost €850,000 ($1.4 million). -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] COVIDSafe app yet to trace useful number of unique cases despite second wave
20 with comments from Government Services Minister Stuart Robert explaining the government's concerns about sovereignty issues with the Apple/Google framework suggested by experts to improve its COVIDSafe app. And the advertising budget for the app was not $60 million as has been reported elsewhere that money was spent on advertising the entire COVIDSafe strategy, including washing hands, and physical distancing. The government would not confirm how much was spent advertising the app itself. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Can digital contact tracing make up for lost time? (The Lancet)
Can digital contact tracing make up for lost time? Louise C Ivers Daniel J Weitzner Published:July 16, 2020 The Lancet https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30160-2/fulltext (Conclusion) "As contact tracing remains a crucial component of the COVID-19 response, mobile apps offer promise, especially when considering the speed and scale required for tracing to be effective—as highlighted in Kretzschmar and colleagues' study. However, understanding the potential impact of apps as part of a comprehensive integrated approach requires more evaluation of their use in real life and multidisciplinary engagement of technologists, epidemiologists, public health experts, and the public." It's that phrase again "offer promise". In other words, it sounds like a good, simple idea. The second sentence says it all - "more evaluation" is needed. Rushing an app out the door and then trying to make it work and justify its effectiveness is bound to put a dent in the public's perception of it. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] BCG gets another COVIDSafe contract
BCG gets another COVIDSafe contract https://www.innovationaus.com/bcg-gets-another-covidsafe-contract/ InnovationAus Denham Sadler, Senior Reporter 21 July 2020 Boston Consulting Group has now been paid more than $1 million for its work on the COVIDSafe app after receiving another contract extension, with the contact tracing app still yet to identify any new close contacts. COVIDSafe was developed by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) after initial work was completed by the Department of Home Affairs. It is based on open source software built by the Singapore Government. Boston Consulting Group was brought in by Home Affairs to work on the early-stages of the development of the Bluetooth-based app, and was awarded a $220,000 contract. It then landed a $484,000 contract with the DTA when it took over responsibility for the development of the app. This contract was originally signed to run for one month from April, but the global consultancy was granted an extension in late June worth a further $181,500. It has now been given another extension, this one worth $143,880, and will work on the COVIDSafe project until at least 28 August. The DTA’s contract with Boston Consulting Group for COVIDSafe is now worth $809,380 over four months. Along with the Home Affairs contract, Boston Consulting Group has now been paid $1,029,380 for its work on the contract tracing app. DTA chief executive Randall Brugeaud is a former Boston Consulting Group executive, working at the firm from 2008 to 2010, while ex-DTA chief strategy officer Anthony Vlasic left the agency to join Boston Consulting Group in February. The development of COVIDSafe has now cost nearly $2.75 million in contractor fees alone. Substantially more has been spent on advertising of the app, and the government’s internal costs. Other contractors on the app included Amazon Web Services, Shine Solutions and Ionize. The federal government and private contractors opted to utilise the code from Singapore’s contact tracing app to develop COVIDSafe, which is based on a centralised model where close contact information is sent to a national database and then to state and territory tracers if a user is diagnosed with COVID-19. Google and Apple have since offered their own model for digital contact tracing, with a decentralised architecture where no close contact data will leave a user’s device. This model is favoured by privacy advocates, while it would also likely improve the performance of the app on Apple devices. While about 300 Australians diagnosed with the virus have had COVIDSafe downloaded on their smartphones, no new cases have been identified through the app who weren’t already identified to contact tracers by the individual. Government Services Minister Stuart Robert recently said the lack of new contacts being identified by the app “simply means that Australian memories are actually working quite well”. This led shadow government services minister Bill Shorten to go on the attack, slamming Mr Robert over his “twisted logic”. “The $2 million app has been beset by problems particularly on locked iPhones and older phones, and there is not an IT expert in the country who says this app is doing its job,” Mr Shorten said last week. “Let’s be clear: a virus tracing app is a good idea and we encourage the public to engage with the concept – but it must work and it must make a difference.” “I’m glad Mr Robert agrees with me that pen and paper is currently our best tracing app. But that is not something, after much hype and spending $2 million of taxpayers’ money, the minister should be celebrating,” he said. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Is COVIDSafe distracting our patients from evidence-based solutions?
ng, but I don’t understand how it can be meaningfully used.” Dr Parker suggested that for the same amount of money, the government could have employed more people to do manual contact tracing, which has been proven a success in previous outbreaks. But the government maintains that the COVIDSafe is here to stay, despite other countries now abandoning their own tracing apps <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/18/uk-poised-to-abandon-coronavirus-app-in-favour-of-apple-and-google-models> for a software solution already operating on most smart phones thanks to technology giants Apple and Google – or “Gapple”. Social distancing – evidence Hand washing – evidence Masks – use being determined by evidence hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir – evidence vaccine research – evidence drinking bleach – evidence magic lamps – evidence App – just install it! It’s shiny tech! — Dr Tim says please stay at home (@timsenior) July 17, 2020 <https://twitter.com/timsenior/status/1283940926742646789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw> -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Tik Tok influencers paid to promote COVIDSafe app falsely claim it 'traces everyone who tests positive'
The harm the government is doing it to its own foot, which is either in its mouth or been shot through Tik Tok influencers paid to promote COVIDSafe app falsely claim it 'traces everyone who tests positive' https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/tik-tok-influencers-fals-claims-covid-app/12459176 Ange McCormack and Avani Dias Wednesday 15 July 2020 5:18pm Advertisements and sponsored content for the COVIDSafe app being shared on Tik Tok are making false claims about the app's abilities to "trace everyone who has tested positive for COVID". The videos frame the COVIDSafe app as the ticket for Australians to dodge a "second wave" of COVID-19 and get out of lockdown sooner. The campaign, called Let Us Play, is being pushed by a coalition <https://www.letusplay.com.au/> of sport and business leaders including Nathan Buckley, Caitlin Bassett, BUPA, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Mitchelton wines, among others. The ads and sponsored content on social media are not approved or paid for by the federal government. One *sponsored video* <https://www.tiktok.com/@jheuston/video/6845380315179945222> for #letusplay on Tik Tok says, "I've figured out how to stop COVID: download the COVIDSafe app." Another *piece of sponsored content* <https://www.tiktok.com/@roryeliza/video/6846313900464475398> encourages young people to download the app so they can safely leave the house. The video also says the app "is absolutely amazing and it traces everyone who has tested positive for COVID." The COVIDSafe app, which has been slammed by Labor this week as an expensive "dud", does not 'trace' positive cases of COVID-19 in Australia. The app is a tool to help health authorities conduct contact tracing, but is only of use if someone who has tested positive for coronavirus has downloaded the app. Despite being downloaded over 6 million times, the app hasn't helped authorities find a single contact they hadn't already traced through manual methods. 18-year-old *Nikita Kostoglou* <https://www.tiktok.com/@kosti.sistas>, an influencer from Queensland who has more than 200,000 followers on Tik Tok, was paid $600 to make a video encouraging Australians to download the COVIDSafe app. Nikita, like a number of other influencers who spoke with /Hack/, wasn't aware that the campaign wasn't sponsored by the government, and didn't know which company was funding the campaign. "They [our agent] just asked us to promote the app so there isn't a second wave and to get our generation of people to download the app," Nikita told /Hack/. Representatives from Let Us Play have not responded to Hack's request for comment. Paul Haskell-Dowland, Associate Dean of Computing and Security at Edith Cowan University, said it was unfortunate the app's abilities were being falsely spruiked to young people on social media. "What's unfortunate in this case is that we're not getting the full picture [in these ads]. It's clear that the app isn't delivering in the scale of uptake or in the effectiveness of the app. "Using influencers is one way to get to the younger market, but I think there has to be more clarity and honesty about the functionality of the app and ultimately how effective it's going to be." -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] COVIDSafe app slammed as a “$2 million failure”
se, hope is still being pinned on COVIDSafe to help stem the new spread. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] COVIDfail – the Australian coronavirus tracing app that can’t find anyone
What we don't know is how many of the 200 were detected by other means. Then there's this report: JUST IN: The COVIDSafe App has identified that there was a coronavirus outbreak on The Ruby Princess in March The Shovel https://www.theshovel.com.au/2020/07/14/covidsafe-app-identified-coronavirus-outbreak-on-the-ruby-princess/ The Government’s high-tech coronavirus tracing app, COVIDSafe, has alerted officials to a potential viral outbreak on a cruise ship called ‘The Ruby Princess’ four months ago. If proven correct, it will be the first case identified by the $2 million app. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the discovery will help authorities track down those potentially infected, stemming the spread of the virus across the country in April and May. “This is a very sophisticated piece of technology. And one of the benefits that we’ve talked about from day one is that it dramatically speeds up what would otherwise be a very manual process,” Mr Morrison said. “The app will now allow authorities to immediately get in touch with the friends and families of passengers who were infected. Unless they have an iPhone, in which case it won’t”. New data from the app has also suggested that there might be an outbreak in a housing commission tower in Melbourne, although it is too early to say with certainty whether that is true or not. “We’ll find out more about that in the coming months,” Mr Morrison said. Experts say Mr Morrison’s comparison of the COVIDSafe app with sunscreen was correct. “Neither of them will stop you getting COVID-19”. On 15/07/2020 8:26 am, Andy Farkas wrote: > On 9/7/20 6:04 pm, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >> >>> COVIDfail – the Australian coronavirus tracing app that can’t find >>> anyone ... >> > > Minister for Health Greg Hunt said on ABC News Breakfast this morning > > that the app has found 200 people affected. > > > How true a politician's words are is up to you to believe. > > > -andyf > > > ___ > Link mailing list > Link@mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] COVIDfail – the Australian coronavirus tracing app that can’t find anyone
On 14/07/2020 9:00 am, Tom Worthington wrote: > On 9/7/20 6:04 pm, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: > >> COVIDfail – the Australian coronavirus tracing app that can’t find >> anyone ... > > Compared to other government COVID-19 initiatives, the App was cheap > and at least has done no harm so far. The government has set false expectations. Looking at the comments on the app stores, many people believe they are now protected from the virus because they have the app on their phone. They now take more risks than they should. They are the same naive people who think that because they have been registered for a My Health Record, the government is creating and maintaining a record of all their health care data. In both cases they are dangerously wrong. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] COVIDSafe issues found by the tech community
This is from GitHub, the contacts are Jim Mussared and Vanessa Teague. "This is the latest in a series of blog posts on automated contact tracing, especially (but not only) Australia's COVIDSafe app." COVIDSafe issues found by the tech community (7 July) https://github.com/vteague/contactTracing/blob/master/blog/2020-07-07IssueSummary.md Introduction COVIDSafe was launched on April 27th, 2020. Several volunteers from the Australian tech community have spent considerable amounts of time analysing the code of the Android and iOS apps in order to help improve their contact tracing functionality and privacy. Many issues have been found as well as recommendations for how to fix them, and some of these fixes have dramatically improved the effectiveness of the COVIDSafe app. In addition, several of these issues have been found and reported in contact tracing apps used in other countries. Most, but not all, of these issues have been fixed. However, due to a quirk in the way that COVIDSafe works, it is not clear that users are actually receiving automatic updates to the app. If you haven't checked you are running the most recent version, you should check manually and update now. Followup and reuse Comments, edits, suggestions and pull requests are welcome. You are welcome to quote or reprint this article as long as you acknowledge the original source. Permanent link: https://github.com/vteague/contactTracing/blob/master/blog/2020-07-07IssueSummary.md. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Victoria Accessed COVIDSafe Data 21 Times But Couldn’t Identify Any New Contacts
d the DHHS’s clarification on an earlier unidentified contact." -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] What is hyper-automation?
On 10/07/2020 10:03 am, Kim Holburn quoted: > In short, you can think of hyper-automation as automated automation. It > always functions at high speeds and often (though not always) at large scale. WCGW? Automation is hard enough (think robodebt), automated automation is likely to be either a failure or a disaster - or both FWIW, I have a MEng and PhD in automation and control engineering. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] COVIDfail – the Australian coronavirus tracing app that can’t find anyone
[Another commentator, less than impressed with our government's track record for IT projects COVIDfail – the Australian coronavirus tracing app that can’t find anyone https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2020/07/08/covidfail-app/ Laurie Patton Jul 8, 2020 You might think that if a government spent millions of dollars on an app designed to help identify people exposed to the coronavirus they’d make sure it actually worked. What has emerged is that our COVIDSafe tracing app was launched before it had been properly tested. Worse still, the people charged with building the app apparently knew it wasn’t compatible with an iPhone, which is the single most popular mobile device. It also became obvious that it doesn’t much like iPhones talking to Android devices, either. With at least one state seemingly on the verge of a second wave, borders being closed, the state capital sealed off, and the economy collapsing, it would be nice to have a tracing up that actually works. It could even save lives. We don’t know what the prime minister was told, but not only did Scott Morrison tell people to download the app, he initially indicated that if we didn’t, we’d face continuing restrictions in our daily lives. Long after they knew that COVIDSafe is a dud, the government was running television ads that clearly implied we’d be safer if we downloaded it – adding to the cost of this flawed IT project. So far, Boston Consulting Group is said to have been paid $885,000 and Amazon Web Services (Amazon) $710,000 for hosting the data collected. Add to that the staff time for bureaucrats in the health departments (federal and state) and the Digital Transformation Agency. So far, Victoria is the only state we know to have used the app. That is, the only state to have downloaded data from an infected person. However, they have not been able to identify anyone not found through manual tracing. In other words, the app has failed in its mission to maintain a record of casual contacts who were within a 1.5 metre radius for at least 15 minutes. An Oxford University report suggests around 60 percent of the population needs to be involved for a tracing app to be effective. The federal government initially said it wanted 40 percent take-up, but take-up has stalled at roughly 25 percent. According to a policy paper from the Auckland University of Technology, the University of Queensland, the University of Auckland and Massey University, COVIDSafe is unlikely to help prevent the spread of the virus. Boris Johnson’s UK government has dumped its tracing app, which had the same basic design faults as ours. A review of the COVIDSafe app by a Senate committee highlighted a failure to consult with the right technology experts to ensure the app was fit-for-purpose from day one. Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick says the government was dishonest when it launched the COVIDSafe app knowing it wasn’t working. Senator Patrick has an IT background and knows what he’s talking about. This exercise is yet another example of a recent tendency for ill-designed IT schemes to be foisted upon us. Remember the 2016 Census and the problematic introduction of My Health Record. People are wondering about the security of their personal and private information once it is downloaded and available for scrutiny by how many public servants. The attorney-general’s department declined to give the Senate hearing a guarantee that their legislation would override the US Cloud Act, which requires companies to hand over data if requested to do so by American security agencies. This is important given that our data is stored with Amazon, a US company. At the heart of the problem with COVIDSafe is peoples’ sense that they cannot trust their governments when it comes to technology. You can hardly wonder why. The COVIDSafe app is a dud and the government needs to fix it or flick it. Laurie Patton is a former CEO / Executive Director of Internet Australia, the NFP peak body representing the interests of Internet users. He is currently vice-president of the Telecommunications Society (TelSoc). However, the views expressed here are his own. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Security cameras can tell burglars when you're not home, study shows
[Oh dear. A reminder that a simple solution will (not might, but will) have unexpected and unintended consequences [See article for pictures Security cameras can tell burglars when you're not home, study shows https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/06/tech/home-security-cameras-risks-scli-intl-scn/ By Jack Guy, CNN Business July 6, 2020 (CNN Business) Some popular home security cameras could allow would-be burglars to work out when you've left the building, according to a study published Monday. Researchers found they could tell if someone was in, and even what they were doing in the home, just by looking at data uploaded by the camera and without monitoring the video footage itself. The international study was carried out by researchers from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and the Chinese Academy of Science, using data provided by a large Chinese manufacturer of Internet Protocol (IP) security cameras. Cameras like these allow users to monitor their homes remotely via a video feed on the internet, but the researchers say the traffic generated by the devices can reveal privacy-compromising information. Popular security cameras such as those manufactured by Nest (pictured here) present the same privacy risk. Study author Gareth Tyson from QMUL told CNN that data uploads of the unencrypted data increase when a camera is recording something moving, so an attacker could tell if the camera was uploading footage of someone in motion, and even different types of motion like running or sitting. The risk is that "someone who is specifically targeting an individual household rocks up outside with a device to try and start passively monitoring traffic," he said. Tyson told CNN that an attacker would require a decent level of technical knowledge to monitor the data themselves, but there is a chance that someone could develop a program that does so and sell it online. Noting that he hasn't seen any direct evidence of this kind of attack taking place, he said one potential use would be if someone wanted to burgle your house. "They monitor the camera traffic over an extended period of time, and by looking at the patterns that are generated by those cameras over maybe a week, they then start predicting the following week when you're most likely to be in the house," he said. In order to reduce the privacy risk, companies could randomly inject data into their systems to make it harder for attackers to spot a pattern, he said. Tyson said the team are trying to extend their research to work out how to maintain camera performance while reducing privacy risks. At present, cameras are "fairly stupid items" in order to keep manufacturing costs down, said Tyson, uploading data whenever motion is detected. "What we want to do is have a more intelligent system that allows the camera to understand what that motion is, assess the level of risk, and only upload it and alert the user in a case where the camera feels that it's worthy doing," he said. For example, someone who owns a cat probably doesn't want to be alerted every time the camera detects the animal walking around, but they would certainly want to know if a human intruder were spotted. Tyson said this is the first study to investigate the risks posed by video streaming traffic generated by the cameras. The global market for the devices is expected to be worth $1.3 billion by 2023, according to the press release. Popular brands include Xiaomi and Nest, which is owned by Google. While the study authors did not analyze data from those brands, they did find that their cameras present the same privacy risk. CNN has reached out to Nest and Xiaomi for comment on the research. The study was published at the IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications, which brings together researchers in networking and related fields. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Fwd: Updates on CovidSAFE App
lifted. > > "In all scenarios, a high app uptake (61% or 80%) noticeably flattens > the epidemic curve, giving time for the health system to respond and > social distancing measures to be promoted," they wrote. > > "The COVIDSafe app has the potential to moderate the size of the second > wave. The effect of the app increases as its uptake increases, to a > disproportionately greater extent than the increment in uptake." > > The researchers looked at a "high level" of app uptake: 61% of the > population. That's their estimate of the proportion of Australians with > a smartphone, in the age range likely to use the app (older than 14 > years), and with the technical literacy to download it. > > At this level, the number of second-wave COVID-19 cases was reduced by > between one-third and three-fifths when compared with zero app use, > depending on the scenario. > > At 80% app use, the reduction in cases was more than 70% in three of the > five scenarios -- although the researchers acknowledge that this is "an > aspirational level that would require an increase in smartphone ownership". > > At a low level of app uptake (27% of smartphone users aged 14 and over, > the uptake level as of May 20), the number of extra cases was only > reduced by between one-eighth and one-quarter. > > (covidsafe-modelling-table2.png Image: Sax Institute) > > As with all models, this research has its limits. It's based on an > "average disease profile" and on behaviours generalised to the whole > Australian population. > > Age-related effects on behaviours, transmission rates, and app use were > not included. > > "Also, the model does not account for events with low probability and > large effect, such as simultaneous arrival of a large number of infected > international travellers," the researchers wrote. > > They also acknowledge that there are instances where the app may not > work and that a "large proportion of the population" must be motivated > to download and use the app consistently. > > So far that's not happening. The number of COVIDSafe downloads flattened > earlier this month, and usage still sits well below 30%. > > "Although the app would have benefits in a second wave of COVID-19, the > current low incidence of COVID-19 in Australia may create a perception > that a second wave will not occur, and this may militate against > preparedness," they wrote, although that was before the latest spike in > cases in Victoria. > > 'THERE'S NO WAY WE'RE SHIFTING' TO THE GOOGLE-APPLE TRACING API > > As the Sax Institute researchers note, it still seems "likely" that > lingering privacy concerns will affect app uptake. COVIDSafe has also > been plagued by technical problems, mixed messaging, misinformation, and > a lack of transparency. > > Some of the technical and privacy problems could be addressed by > switching to the new contact tracing API developed jointly by Google and > Apple -- something that wasn't available when COVIDSafe was developed. > > But the Australian government has once more refused to take that path. > > "There's no way we're shifting to a platform that will take out the > contact tracers," said Nick Coatsworth, Australia's deputy Chief Medical > Officer, on Channel Ten's The Project on Sunday. > > "The Apple Google app, it fundamentally changes the locus of control," > he said -- although removing centralised control is actually the point. > > Internationally, the effectiveness of COVID-19 tracing apps has been > patchy at best. > > France also went its own way rather than using the Google-Apple tech, > but the resulting StopCovid app has been underwhelming. Less than 2% of > the French population has activated the app, and a quarter of them have > subsequently uninstalled it. > > The UK dumped its developed efforts after an initial trial. > > Meanwhile, Australia's COVIDSafe has yet to identify a new COVID-19 case > who hasn't already been found using traditional contact tracing methods. > -- > > > ___ > Link mailing list > Link@mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > ___ > Link mailing list > Link@mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] America Is Reopening. Coronavirus Tracing Apps Aren’t Ready.
by a Google representative to state employees that was obtained by the Journal through a public-records request. Twenty said it didn’t make that offer. Co-founder and chief strategy officer Jared Allgood said the matter hadn’t been decided. An Apple spokesman declined to comment on the Utah app specifically, but said no exceptions have been made for location-gathering apps. Google declined to comment. As a result of the Apple-Google restrictions, local officials in some states said they might need to deploy two separate apps. Brendan Babb, Anchorage, Alaska’s chief innovation officer, signed a letter of intent to work with the MIT team for its GPS app but is also looking into Covid Watch, the Bluetooth app that is being prepared for use in Arizona. It’s hard enough for people to download one app, let alone two, said Mr. Babb. “It’s a big ask for my residents,” he said. North Dakota is having Mr. Brookins, the developer of its Care19 app, build a second app based on Google and Apple’s Bluetooth protocol. Washington state’s digital tracking program, which is changing its name to CommonCircle, also plans to release two different apps. So does the MIT team. Some officials aren’t racing to adopt smartphone apps. New York is focusing on building a statewide force to do traditional person-to-person contact tracing first. After that it will examine which smartphone app might be right for the state, said Larry Schwartz, a former chief of staff to Gov. Andrew Cuomo who was recruited to help with the initiative. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] COVIDFail. The IT debacle that could cost lives
idsafe-apps-data-for-contact-tracing> that state health agencies were still having difficulty integrating COVIDSafe with their own IT systems and weren’t yet using the app. Clearly they should have been involved in the development process not just told to use it after it was launched. People are wondering about the security of their personal and private information. The attorney-general’s department declined to give a senate hearing a guarantee that their legislation would override the US Cloud Act, which requires companies to hand over data if request to do so by American security agencies. This is important given that our data is stored with Amazon, a US company. The attorney-general, Christian Porter, has assured us Australian law enforcement agencies will be banned <https://www.themandarin.com.au/131492-christian-porter-to-block-police-from-accessing-covid-19-app-metadata/> from accessing data from the app. However, the commonwealth ombud has revealed <https://www.zdnet.com/article/cops-are-getting-full-urls-under-australias-data-retention-scheme/> that notwithstanding all the assurances from then attorney-general George Brandis, police officers have used the Date Retention Act to gain access to people’s web-browsing history without the legally required search warrant. At the heart of the problem with COVIDSafe is peoples’ sense that they just cannot trust their governments when it comes to technology. Back in 2016, the prime minister’s special advisor on cyber security, Alastair MacGibbon, warned <https://www.computerworld.com/article/3470712/govt-cyber-advisor-sees-ongoing-impact-from-census-fiasco.html> of a lack of trust in government digital services. So my plea to the government and the opposition is simple. Let’s learn from this exercise and see if we can do two things. Firstly, let’s build a workable app that has the support of a broader group of IT experts and human rights lawyers. And secondly, let’s find a way to persuade the general public that, notwithstanding all the serious government-initiated technology stuff-ups in recent years, we can have confidence that the (updated) app is safe to use. In the 1980’s television series ‘Yes, Prime Minister’ James Hacker justifies squibbing on a hard decision by claiming “I am the leader of my people. I must follow their wishes”. There’s a lesson for the government in this, I reckon. It just hasn’t convinced enough of us that it is sufficiently in our interest to be loading up our phones with a mysterious app that some people say is dangerous – and nobody has proven will actually work. The government needs to fix it or flick it. /Laurie Patton is a former CEO/executive director of Internet Australia, the NFP peak body representing the interests of Internet users. He is currently Vice President of TelSoc, however the views expressed here are his own. This article, since updated, was first published in //The Lucky General/ <https://theluckygeneral.biz/about/>/./ -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] COVID-19 information sources
The two best sources I have come across are: The Coronavirus Tech Handbook https://coronavirustechhandbook.com/ and WikiProject COVID-19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_COVID-19 Of particular interest is this wikipage COVID-19 apps https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_apps Someone/some people have spent a lot of time collating information on apps around the world - there are over 220 references. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Europe rolls out contact tracing apps
itute, which has advised Britain, France, Germany and Italy on its tracing apps. "Epidemiological insight is the information we need right now," he said. "We need it to prevent infection, to be able to resume our lives with a degree of normality and to save lives." Other governments have determined the privacy intrusion is not worth the potential benefits. In Norway, officials this week halted the use of its app after the country's data-protection authority raised alarms. Pisano argued that Italy struck the best balance possible for a country that "is not South Korea, and we are also happy that it isn't." She added that if Italy only had to consider health concerns, and not citizens' privacy, "military GPS gives me precision to 3 millimetres." But she also attributed Italy's about-face to what she said was its failure to integrate a centralised model with the operating systems on Apple phones, which tightly safeguarded privacy. She said Italy's goal of "inclusivity," and thus effectiveness, motivated the decision. She said it had the benefit of addressing privacy concerns, and potentially making the app more integrated with those of other European nations. Germany, she said, had taken some of Italy's code and consulted with Italian technicians. "France has accepted to be less inclusive," she said. The French had different priorities, she said, including avoiding reliance on Silicon Valley: "For France it was more important to remain unattached to certain giants or to develop the app internally." In the meantime, she said Italy continued to negotiate with Apple to get as much data as possible for research, including about the quantity of infections in a given area. "They have to loosen up a little," she said. Navigating all these concerns has delayed the release of contact tracing applications across Europe. In Italy, myriad layers of Italian bureaucracy and regional opposition compounded delays, and as of this week, 2.7 million Italians — in a country with a population of 60 million — had downloaded Immuni. Pisano, reluctant to raise expectations, studiously avoided an official target number for downloads, though she said the government "had a calculation." She said that the real universe of potential users, when one subtracted those without access to the internet or those under the 14 years of age required to download the app, was about 30 million Italians. She said the government would begin a major advertising campaign this week to get the word out, knowing full well that Immuni's success depends on a critical mass of Italians downloading it. Fraser, who worked on earlier epidemics including SARS, said that even if slightly more than 10 per cent of a population used a tracing app, it could cut down on infections. He estimated that for every one to two users, one infection could be prevented. "We think that incremental benefit is really quite striking," he said. Luca Ferretti, an epidemiologist who also works at Oxford's Big Data Institute and advised the Italian government, raised a more fundamental concern: Italy and many other countries had not thought through how to manage a person who receives a notification through the app. He lamented that without widespread testing and a network of human tracers, the technology would be less effective. Some regions have not trained doctors how to use the app and respond to people who have received an alert. "Nobody factored in, once people have a notification, what should they do?" he said. Even if the app takes off, many experts consider it a poor substitute for contact-tracing boots on the ground. In Italy, mostly healthcare professionals, administrative staff and, if needed, people from veterinary public services can be employed in contact tracing. But Pisano spoke dismissively about the more old-fashioned, door-knocking approach, which proved critical in stopping past epidemics. "We believe in technology," she said. The New York Times -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Norway halts coronavirus app over privacy concerns
Norway halts coronavirus app over privacy concerns MIT Technology Review 15 June 2020 https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/06/15/1003562/norway-halts-coronavirus-app-over-privacy-concerns/ The news: Norway is halting its coronavirus contact tracing app, Smittestopp, after criticism from the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, which said that the country’s low rate of infections meant that the app’s privacy invasions were no longer justified. As a result, the app will cease collecting new data, all data collected so far is being deleted, and work on it is effectively paused indefinitely. The background: Norway’s infection rate is steady and among the lowest in Europe. However, officials at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) disagreed with the decision, according to local reports. “With this, we weaken an important part of our preparedness for increased spread of infection, because we lose time in developing and testing the app,” NIPH director Camilla Stoltenberg said in a statement on Monday. “At the same time, we have a reduced ability to fight the spread of infection that is ongoing. The pandemic is not over. We have no immunity in the population, no vaccine, and no effective treatment. Without the Smittestopp app, we will be less equipped to prevent new outbreaks that may occur locally or nationally.” The context: New contact tracing apps are seeing mixed success as the virus itself continues to ebb and flow around the world. Norway opted against using privacy-focused technology developed by Google and Apple, and its app failed on marks of data minimization and transparency in MIT Technology Review’s Covid Tracing Tracker. However, the situation is not the same all across Europe. Italy was the first country in on the continent to be badly hit, and Immuni, the contact tracing app backed by the government in Rome, was released recently to relatively positive reviews and quickly adopted by the Italian residents who are able to download it. Immuni does use the technology developed by Google and Apple. It received full marks on all criteria, including minimization and transparency, in the tracker database. The United Kingdom has had its own struggles, choosing to build its own centralized technology instead of using the Silicon Valley system. The government’s contact tracing app is expected to finally be launched nationwide by June or July, according to the BBC. A slow and often rocky development process has left many confused and critical of the final product. The reaction to these apps globally has led to profound skepticism about whether they will help fight the coronavirus in most countries. There are two sides to that question. Many wonder about the efficacy and accuracy of this brand-new technology. Perhaps just as important is the widespread public apprehension about digital medical surveillance, as well as uncertainty about whether the apps will gain mainstream acceptance and just how widespread adoption needs to be to save lives and stop the pandemic. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] COVIDSafe ‘extremely limited’: New research
advantages, it requires the right functionality – and enhanced manual tracing apps such as Australia’s COVIDSafe, which do not enable instantaneous notification, will not achieve the enhanced speed required for success. Digital Contact Tracing for COVID-19: A Primer for Policymakers was funded and developed by researchers and staff at the Centre for Social Data Analytics. <https://issr.uq.edu.au/files/14448/PolicyPrimer.pdf> It was written by academics from the four universities: Rhema Vaithianathan, Matthew Ryan, Nina Anchugina, Linda Selvey, Tim Dare and Anna Brown. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] It Was Supposed to Detect Fraud. It Wrongfully Accused Thousands Instead.
Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] NBNCo Breach results in a belting with a feather duster
On 3/06/2020 11:32 am, Roger Clarke wrote: > NBN Co must pay TPG, Canberra VDSL2 users for disconnection notice bungle > https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-must-pay-tpg-canberra-vdsl2-users-for-disconnection-notice-bungle-548857 I wonder how many people had to change their email addresses. And if they will be compensated. The radio reports seem to suggest the compensation will be for network changes only. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] There Has Been an Increase in Other Causes of Deaths, Not Just Coronavirus [in USA]
Lots of graphs https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/01/us/coronavirus-deaths-new-york-new-jersey.html?campaign_id=154=edit_cb_20200601_id=18998=coronavirus-briefing_id=120573848_id=29821 Covid-19 makes up more than 60 percent of excess deaths so far. But more deaths have also been caused by conditions that are common comorbidities with Covid-19 -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] COVIDSafe app downloads update
On 31/05/2020 1:49 pm, Karl Schaffarczyk wrote: > So, people have lost interest. But what of it? It's the duplicity of the government that annoys me. Sometimes the full force of the legal system crashes down on them (cf RoboDebt), but until the public service learns the lessons I believe we have to keep hammering away at them, pointing out (using their own data) their failings. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] COVIDSafe app downloads update
On 29 May, Scotty from marketing provided an update on the COVIDSafe app downloads. He said that there had been over 6.1 million downloads of the app. https://www.pm.gov.au/media/update-following-national-cabinet-meeting The previous update was on 24 May https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-24/coronavirus-australia-live-news-covid-19-latest/12280370 Assumptions: * He was referring to the total as of 28 May * It was a maximum of 6.19 million (otherwise he would have claimed over 6.2 million), * The previous claim on 23 May of over 6 million was a minimum of 6.0 million. Conclusion: Over 5 days, the app has been downloaded a maximum of 190,000 times i.e. 38,000/day. A more likely number is about 100,000 times i.e 20,000/day. My previous observation that the people have lost interest is still valid. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Perfect if Taiwan won the race
On 29/05/2020 4:29 pm, Stephen Loosley wrote: > TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A team of scientists at Taiwan's Chang Gung > University (CGU) has found a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that can > inhibit the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) by over 90 percent. Monoclonal antibodies are not a silver bullet: At best they are a temporary solution until a vaccine is found. https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/04/27/monoclonal-antibodies-for-the-coronavirus [...] a particularly interesting possibility is giving them to people who aren’t infected yet, as a preventative. If the antibodies are potent enough and long-lasting enough in circulation, they could provide sufficient protection for weeks or possibly up to several months (and this would take effect immediately upon injection, as opposed to the immunological time lag seen in vaccination). This will take some hard work and close observation to realize, and there could well be variability in the patient population that you’re dosing (i.e., some people might lose such protection faster than others). But until a reliable vaccine is deployed, it’s a very appealing idea – and if the various vaccine efforts underway run into trouble, it might be our only option for a while. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Cambridge University Using Online Lectures Until 2021
Some students, especially those doing an MBA, where networking is a vital part of the course are starting to demand re-reimbursement of course fees. e-learning is a two edged sword. On 22/05/2020 8:33 am, Tom Worthington wrote: > Face to face lectures at University of Cambridge have been suspended > until mid 2021. > https://www.cam.ac.uk/coronavirus/news/update-from-the-senior-pro-vice-chancellor-education-regarding-the-academic-year-2020-21 > > This is a prudent move, as lectures are high risk for COVID19, and > don't provide better educational outcomes that video. Like Cambridge I > expect Australian universities will start with small group teaching > and not have large scale lectures for at least a year (if ever). > > ps: I was invited to tell Cambridge University staff how to do > eLearning while on a visit in 2015. > http://www.tomw.net.au/technology/it/graduate_elearning/ > > Dr Danny Kingsley, then Head of the Office of Scholarly Communication > at Cambridge, took some notes. > https://unlockingresearch-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk/?p=208 > > -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] COVIDSafe may need privacy changes to use new Apple and Google tool
COVIDSafe may need privacy changes to use new Apple and Google tool https://www.smh.com.au/technology/covidsafe-may-need-privacy-changes-to-use-new-apple-and-google-tool-20200521-p54v36.html SMH By Tim Biggs 21/May/2020 The new "exposure notification" technology rolled out on Thursday by Apple and Google could help solve the technical troubles experienced by the federal government's COVIDSafe app, but may also require changes to the way the app collects personal data. The technology allows deeper access to the iOS and Android smartphone operating systems, which could reduce issues faced by COVIDSafe including the iPhone version's reduced operation when the device is locked. However, in order to utilise the tool, health authority apps must comply with conditions put in place by the two tech giants in order to protect user privacy. Namely, the apps must not collect location data, and user submission of personal contact details must be strictly voluntary. Currently the COVIDSafe app requires users to supply a phone number. A spokesperson for Apple and Google said that apps were allowed to ask for phone numbers and other contact details, and governments could use that volunteered data to contact individuals who were identified as at risk, but apps had to give users the option to not provide the information. Governments could explain in the app what the benefits of providing contact details were, but users should be making an informed choice, the spokesperson said. Apple and Google said public health agencies could define the parameters that constituted a contact risk, and could determine the content of notifications shown to at-risk users, for example suggesting next steps. So even if a user did not supply a phone number and could not be contacted by the government, the user could still get appropriate advice. A spokesperson for the government said it was exploring the possibility of integrating the new tool, but did not comment on potential changes to COVIDSafe's functionality. "The technology and uptake of Australia’s COVIDSafe app is leading the world and [Health Minister Greg Hunt] is today meeting with the VP of Apple to discuss its success and Australia’s roadmap out of the crisis," the spokesperson said. "The DTA [Digital Transformation Agency] and the Department of Health have been working with Apple and Google to understand and test the exposure notification framework since it was released, to see how it can be applied in Australia. That testing is ongoing." The DTA last week announced a new update to COVIDSafe that it says makes Bluetooth performance stronger. Apple and Google said the new technology is designed to supplement existing contact tracing efforts around the world, rather than replace them. It uses Bluetooth to keep track of which smartphones have been physically near each other, so if someone tests positive to COVID-19 a notification can be sent to everyone with the app who may have been exposed. The companies say this allows for a much quicker notification than traditional contact tracing (done by conducting interviews with those who test positive) in some situations. The COVIDSafe app works in a similar way, but without deeper access to Android and iOS it faces limitations when it comes to consistently passing Bluetooth information between phones. An Apple and Google spokesperson said this was one of the main benefits of their new tool, as phones could ensure Bluetooth beacons were sent and received regularly and reliably, but without interruption to the ordinary use of the phone. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Apple and Google launch contact tracing API for COVID-19 exposure
[Does anyone know if both smartphones need to have the new API? Apple and Google launch contact tracing API for COVID-19 exposure https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/apple-and-google-launch-covid-19-exposure-notification-api by Heather Landi May 20, 2020 1:47pm Apple and Google today rolled out their digital contact tracing technology that can be used by public health agencies to track COVID-19. In early April, the two tech giants announced they were collaborating to build Bluetooth-based technology to aid in the fight against the pandemic. Apple and Google's exposure notification application programming interface (API) will now be available to states, public health agencies and governments to build apps that will notify people via smartphone if they've come into contact with someone with the coronavirus. It marks an unprecedented step for the two tech giants to collaborate on a high-tech approach to track coronavirus cases. That API is available today through a new software update in the Android and iOS operating systems the companies pushed out Wednesday. "Over the last several weeks, our two companies have worked together, reaching out to public health officials, scientists, privacy groups and government leaders all over the world to get their input and guidance," Apple and Google said in a joint statement. The companies point out that the technology they've built is not an app. "Rather public health agencies will incorporate the API into their own apps that people install. Our technology is designed to make these apps work better," the companies said. According to Apple and Google, each user gets to decide whether to opt into exposure notifications, and the system does not collect or use location data from the device. If a person is diagnosed with COVID-19, it is up to them whether to report that in the public health app, the companies said. "User adoption is key to success and we believe that these strong privacy protections are also the best way to encourage use of these apps," they said. Technology can help health officials rapidly tell someone they may have been exposed to COVID-19. Today the Exposure Notification API we created with @Google is available to help public health agencies make their COVID-19 apps effective while protecting user privacy. — Tim Cook (@tim_cook) May 20, 2020 Apple and Google said some U.S. states and 22 countries would be using the software, but the companies declined to provide a list of all the government agencies using it, The Washington Post reported. “North Dakota is excited to be among the first states in the nation to utilize the exposure notification technology built by Apple and Google to help keep our citizens safe," Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota, said in a statement. The use of digital contact tracing technology has raised privacy concerns. According to a recent poll from The Washington Post and the University of Maryland, more than half of Americans would not use a contact tracing app or similar tools from Google and Apple over privacy concerns. A Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking poll in late April also found that about half of consumers said they were unwilling to download a contact tracing app. In a statement issued April 10 when the collaboration was announced, Jennifer Granick, American Civil Liberties Union surveillance and cybersecurity counsel, said people will only trust these systems "if they protect privacy, remain voluntary, and store data on an individual's device, not a centralized repository." "At the same time, we must be realistic that such contact tracing methods are likely to exclude many vulnerable members of society who lack access to technology and are already being disproportionately impacted by the pandemic," Granick said. To their credit, Apple and Google have announced an approach that appears to mitigate the worst privacy and centralization risks, but there is still room for improvement, Granick said. On Capitol Hill, members of Congress have introduced legislation aimed at protecting the data collected by digital contact tracing tools and other pandemic response efforts. Earlier this month, a group of Republican senators led by Roger Wicker of Mississippi introduced the COVID-19 Consumer Data Protection Act to hold businesses accountable to consumers if they use personal data to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, a group of Democrats led by Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal proposed a competing bill to set strong and enforceable privacy and data security rights for health information. "As we consider new technologies that collect vast amounts of sensitive personal data, we must not lose sight of the civil liberties that define who we are as a nation," Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-California, said in a statement. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au _
[LINK] COVIDSafe app stats update
According to the guardian more than 5.87 million COVIDSafe apps have been downloaded.since it went live a month ago. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/19/nsw-and-victoria-are-unable-to-use-covidsafe-apps-data-for-contact-tracing There was an update on 14 May, so anyone who has the app older than that has one with bugs in it. Assuming the 5.87 million number was yesterday's total., since 14 May the app has been downloaded at a rate of about 57,000 per day. The government may claim that the app has been downloaded 5.87 times, but the reality is that only about 195,000 copies of the updated app have been downloaded. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] About those COVIDSafe download numbers
On 18/05/2020 9:12 am, Hamish Moffatt wrote: > On 16/5/20 1:43 pm, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >> 1. Total number of downloads - i.e. pre-update plus since update >> >> 2. Downloads of updated version > > > The download number is irrelevant. The interesting number is how many > people have registered, or better, how many people are actively > running the application. The number of active instances can be counted > because the application has to check in with the server every 2 years > to fetch a new temporary ID (which is what it broadcasts on Bluetooth). 2 years? > > However this number will not look so good for the government because > of the problems with background applications on iOS, among other reasons. Which is why it is unlikely they will publish the number of downloads since the update became available. >From what I can tell it's way less than 100,000. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] About those COVIDSafe download numbers
It is reported that the COVIDSafe app had a bug and needs updating https://www.sbs.com.au/news/public-urged-to-download-covidsafe-app-update Has anyone seen any recent reports from the government about the number of downloads of the app? There are two ways the government could measure/report the downloads 1. Total number of downloads - i.e. pre-update plus since update 2. Downloads of updated version The first is an invalid measure but is a larger number than the more correct second. What's the betting the government goes for #1? If there is yet another update, the download number should reset again. To paraphrase an old saying: Release in haste, deal with the chaos at leisure. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] These charts track how coronavirus is spreading around the world
These charts track how coronavirus is spreading around the world ABC news https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-13/coronavirus-numbers-worldwide-data-tracking-charts/12107500 Well worth looking at. It's not modelling, just graphical representations of data, not all of which are consistent or accurate. The USA is leading the world in many categories, mostly the undesirable ones. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] COVIDSafe update closes denial of service bug and makes notifications optional
r that." The Defence Minister added that the lifting of restrictions was a complex process that has been addressed in a "very deliberate" way. "The app will provide that, but the number of downloads is not conditional, in terms of the lifting of restrictions," Payne said. "I think what the Prime Minister and other ministers have been very clear about is how important that is to the progress and process of moving out of the most extreme of the restrictions that we have had to deal with." Last week the Department of Health revealed it had no target for downloads of the app. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Keeping up with COVIDSafe
Someone (or maybe more than one) is doing a good job documenting the COVIDSafe saga on Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVIDSafe It has over 100 references The Conversation has an article that shows a graph of the number of downloads per day since it was released. It is dated 13 May but the graph only has data to 8 May https://theconversation.com/in-some-places-40-of-us-may-have-downloaded-covidsafe-heres-why-the-government-should-share-what-it-knows-138323 I've been keeping track and the latest data I can find is for 11 May (5.6 Million downloads. https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/dump-amazon-web-services-for-covidsafe-app-labor-mp-20200512-p54s8c The number fits the Conversation curve in that the current download rate is about 100,000/day although there may be an uptick to maybe 150,000/day because of the government's mass media campaign. In the case of the virus itself, the government has done a good job of flattening the curve. Re COVIDSafe, the curve is flattening in spite of the government's actions. As the Conversation article says: "Transparency The government’s appeal to download the app is built around trust. It has asked us to trust it by downloading the app. In return it should trust us with better information." With this government that rather goes against the grain. It's a matter of "do what we say, not what we do. " or "give us your data, but we won't give you any of our data" -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Our weird behavior during the pandemic is screwing with AI models
[AI likes things to stay the same or change only slowly. [After all, AI is really only curve fitting with a sexy name. [Beware of AI when things change suddenly Our weird behavior during the pandemic is screwing with AI models Machine-learning models trained on normal behavior are showing cracks —forcing humans to step in to set them straight. by Will Douglas Heaven May 11, 2020 MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/05/11/1001563/covid-pandemic-broken-ai-machine-learning-amazon-retail-fraud-humans-in-the-loop/ In the week of 12 to 18 April, the top ten search terms on Amazon.com were: toilet paper, face mask, hand sanitizer, paper towels, lysol spray, clorox wipes, mask, lysol, masks for germ protection, and n95 mask. People weren’t just searching, they were buying too—and in bulk. The majority of people looking for masks ended up buying the new Amazon #1 Best Seller, “Face Mask, Pack of 50”. When covid-19 hit, we started buying things we’d never bought before. The shift was sudden: the mainstays of Amazon’s top ten—phone cases, phone chargers, Lego—were knocked off the charts in just a few days. It took less than a week at the end of February for the top 10 Amazon search terms in multiple countries to fill up with products related to covid-19. You can track the spread of the pandemic by what we shopped for: the items peaked first in Italy, followed by Spain, France, Canada, and the US. The UK and Germany lag slightly behind. “It’s an incredible transition in the space of five days,” says Rael Cline, Nozzle’s CEO. The ripple effects have been seen across retail supply chains. But they have also affected artificial intelligence, causing hiccups for the algorithms that run behind the scenes in inventory management, fraud detection, marketing, and more. Machine-learning models trained on normal human behavior are now finding that normal has changed, and some are breaking as a result. etc -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Company Pays Up after Robot Breaches First Law
On 12/05/2020 11:52 am, Roger Clarke wrote: > [I've no idea what a 'robotic cell' is, nor why a worker was in it] https://blog.robotiq.com/what-is-robot-cell-deployment-and-what-it-isnt To call it a robot and invoke the mystical First Law of Robotics is the usual vendor exaggeration. It's automation. Essentially a robotic cell is a single machine that has pre-programmed actions. The pre-programming may be complex and responds logically and deterministicaly to input data from sensors. The failure is either in the safety sensors (assuming there are any) or in the logic in the software. Whatever the cause, it is a case of human error - someone did not account for all possibilities in the software or did not maintain the equipment so false data was input. Even then it could be argued that not enough redundancy was built in to avoid single points of failure. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] COVIDSafe a few observations
A few observations, following the press conference this afternoon: COVIDSafe was released on Sunday 26 April. It was downloaded 2million times in the first two days. By the end of today (Friday) the government says it will have reached 5 Million downloads in 12 days. That means, after the 2million in the first two days, in 10 days it has been downloaded 3million times - i.e. about 300k/day. And that includes a massive SMS and media campaign in the past week. Which probably explains the lack of attention to the app in the media statements and the "3 step framework for a COVID safe Australia". The only media mention I can see is this: (on the SMH site) "Professor Murphy has urged Australians to keep testing for coronavirus, continue downloading the COVIDSafe app and to not go into work when sick in order to ensure the loosening of social distancing restrictions does not cause a resurgence of the virus." In fact most of the scripted propaganda/adverts re COVIDSafe has come from Professor Murphy, not the politicians The health department's site, https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert#current-status as of 4:00pm Friday 8 May says: "The situation is changing rapidly. " but was last updated yesterday (7 May). The ADHA website https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/ was last updated 1 May. Services Australia https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/subjects/affected-coronavirus-covid-19 directs people to health.gov.au for information about cronavirus and the app. All in all the government doesn't seem to be pushing people very hard to download and use it or pinning its hopes on the thing. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] No modelling on 40% trace target: Health
that process,” she said. “That 40 per cent number is meaningful to many people. We’re not aiming for a particular number.” Mr Morrison has previously said that “you’d need that at least” in reference to the 40 per cent target, while Mr Hunt has also previously pointed to the target. At the senate inquiry hearing, Mr Brugeaud confirmed that the COVIDSafe source code will be publicly released by the end of this week or early next week, while the data management protocols and agreements with state and territory governments are also expected to be made public. Senators also questioned the role of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner in overseeing the contact tracing app and whether the agency could handle the added work. The department officials confirmed that the OAIC will not be receiving any additional funding to conduct this new work. Greens senator Nick McKim also criticised the power given to the health minister to choose when the app isn’t needed and when to have the datastore deleted, saying this should instead be linked with the end of the Biosecurity Emergency order. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] RFC: Does CovidSafe Actually Work?
On 29/04/2020 11:24 pm, David Lochrin wrote: >> I'm concerned about the effectiveness of solving the problem: finding >> everyone someone may have given the virus to. > I don't think it's intended to trace every contact. It's effectiveness > ultimately hangs on probabilities. Big question: Of those who get the virus, what's the probability that they are asymptomatic carriers? If you don't know you have it, you won't get yourself tested and won't be told to press the app's big button. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] CovidSafe?
On 28/04/2020 11:22 pm, Karl Auer wrote: > > I think the point is that they said one thing, but the app does > another. As anyone who knew anything about Bluetooth could > have told them (and I believe did in fact tell them). > Good point. I wonder how much/fast data the app accumulates and what the impact might be on the phone if it maxes out the storage space? Do we know what language this app is written in? What libraries it utilises / links, if any? -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] CovidSafe?
On 28/04/2020 6:23 pm, Kim Holburn wrote: > 1.5 metres for 15 minutes Nobody knows if this is appropriate. By recording all contacts, at least the government has the ability/option to look at other values. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] What if Covid-19 isn't our biggest threat?
Those who studied, and remember what they learned, might know about a phenomenon called stiction. From Wikipedia: "Stiction is the static friction that needs to be overcome to enable relative motion of stationary objects in contact. The term is a portmanteau of the term "static friction", perhaps also influenced by the verb "stick"." Politicians are prone to stiction. It takes a huge and undeniable event to make them do anything other than look after their own interests, even if their interests are altruistic and noble. Climate change has been deniable, COVID-19 isn't. The danger is that the biggest threat is our politicians trying to return us to some form of normality, when the reality is we need to invent a new normal. Which is when the politicians will probably revert to form and ignore informed advice by selecting the advisers who tell them what they want to hear. It could be argued that it would be better to not find a vaccine because it would require governments to deal with a clear and present danger - which is harder to deny. Getting them to deal with climate change will be harder - it happens more slowly and they will be distracted by the virus, although some consequences of the virus are having a beneficial impact on the environment. On 27/04/2020 9:31 am, Kim Holburn wrote: > https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/apr/26/what-if-covid-19-isnt-our-biggest-threat > >> Experts who assess global peril saw a pandemic coming, but they have > worse worries for humanity > -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] COVIDSafe stumbles
Oh dear, not a good look, especially when the government wants people to trust them. And notice some media are using "tracking" rather than "tracing" Coronavirus tracking app that holds the key to ending lockdown gets off to a flying start with over a million downloads - but some users are told they have been INFECTED with the deadly bug without even being tested https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8258387/Panic-Australians-told-coronavirus-new-government-app.html -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] reverse engineering the COVIDSafe app
If anyone is interested, this guy started to reverse engineer the COVIDSafe app last night https://twitter.com/xssfox/status/1254258634902499328 -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] CovidSafe available in Google Play. Register from 6:00pm
The government released a Coronavirus app a few weeks ago. It is called Coronavirus Australia and was a very simple app that only provided links to other sites and is available in the Google Play Store. The new app is called CovidSafe and details are available here https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covidsafe-app It can be downloaded from here: Registration is from 6:00pm https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.gov.health.covidsafe A search for CovidSafe or TraceTogether (a name that has been mentioned in the media) in Google Play both bring up the earlier Coronavirus Australia. There is no sign of CovidSafe (at least I can't find it) There is a possibility of confusion unless the government gets its act together real quick smart. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Roll up, roll up, get your app here......
Australian government's tracing app to be launched on Sunday https://www.9news.com.au/national/australian-governments-virus-tracing-app-to-be-launched-sunday/32699513-d3e2-4bd6-b12f-c4cc519eb1dd Coronavirus Australia: TraceTogether COVID-19 contact tracing app to be launched on Sunday https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/virus-tracing-app-to-be-launched-on-sunday-c-999525 If you are in two minds about the app, have a read of this: Israel stops using phone tracking to enforce COVID-19 quarantines https://www.engadget.com/israel-halts-phone-tracking-for-covid-19-quarantine-184622314.html -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Contract Tracing Apps - UK Reactions
their plans for the app <https://www.digitalhealth.net/2020/04/nhsx-must-be-upfront-about-contact-tracing-app-privacy-group-says/> and how it will be used. An NHSX spokesperson said: “Users’ privacy is crucial, which is why we are working with other countries, a range of experts, stakeholders and industry to ensure the app under development is led by the best scientific and clinical advice to reduce transmission of the virus whilst protecting user privacy.” *Key recommendations outlined in the letter:* * Contact tracing apps must only be used to support public health measures for the containment of Covid-19 * Any considered solution must be fully transparent. The protocols and their implementations, including any sub-components provided by companies, must be available for public analysis * When multiple possible options to implement a certain component or functionality of the app exist, then the most privacy-preserving option must be chosen * The use of contact tracing apps and the systems that support them must be voluntary, used with the explicit consent of the user and the systems must be designed to be able to be switched off, and all data deleted, when the current crisis is over -- Dr David G More MB, PhD, FAIDH Fixed Line +61-2-9438-2851 Fax +61-2-9169-3421 Mobile +61-416-160-320 (0416-160-320) Skype Username : davidgmore E-mail: davi...@optusnet.com.au HealthIT Blog - www.aushealthit.blogspot.com Twitter @davidmore <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Fwd: Facebook AI is stupid
ion procedure that seems to go on in government departments. This should give us a competitive advantage over other companies who rely on logic and common sense when responding to such tenders. Artificial Intelligence The final sub-goal is Artificial Intelligence itself. Unfortunately we have been unable to find many examples of true intelligence that we can model. Because of this, determining the test for Artificial Intelligence has been very difficult. Work is continuing in this area. Expert Systems There has also been heated debate on the topic of Expert Systems. We have been trying to determine into which of the four sub-goals this type of system might fit. Some felt that, while not exhibiting intelligence, they did go some way towards attaining the ultimate goal. Others thought that a special category should be created, along the lines of "I'm not letting that machine diagnose my illness. I bet it can't even spell schizophrenia". The conclusion was that Expert Systems themselves are examples of Artificial Stupidity but that the people who claim that these system are intelligent, fall into the "Who are they fooling?" class. Post Script. After a lot of deep thought, late nights and many bottles of wine, we have now decided to abandon the whole project. We have finally seen the light. We realised that the thought that we could actually duplicate intelligence is a demonstration of our naivety. Not only that, but naivety was not even included in our sub-goals, neither real or artificial. We also had the thought that, if it was possible to create an intelligent machine, what would become of we humans?. We would all probably be retrained as Chartered Accountants while the machines did the interesting jobs and had all the fun. We have decided to go back to creating incompetent computer systems, a demonstration of Real Stupidity. When we get to intelligence ourselves, we might try again. Then again we might not. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Bluetooth contact tracing needs bigger, better data
phone is in your pocket or purse, which tells you about potential blockages. Your accelerometers help; your compass and gyroscope can tell you how a device is oriented on multiple planes.” Jennifer Watson, a researcher at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, has led a project where team members in quarantine measured in their own homes how variables like location, phone orientation, other phones, indicators of outdoor versus indoor, and various materials can affect signals. “There is enormous variability in received signals,” she said at ImPACT. “What we wanted to do is get a handle on this very quickly in a simple way.” Understanding this variability and its sources is key to making sense of the signal madness. Instead of measuring the exact distance, Watson’s team is trying to simplify the problem and just understand whether two people are near or far from each other. The collection of measurements from a phone’s sensors helps gauge the likeliness of proximity and risk. The goal is to use a combination of different tools to build confidence about measurements in an arena with a whole lot of room for doubt. Neither Apple or Google responded to recent questions about the Bluetooth technology, but in the last week or so both have said they’re investigating the problems. Why this is so important Technologists and medical experts both know that getting this right—or as close to right as possible—is crucial. They also know that the technology will be a complement to the kind of manual contact tracing that epidemiologists have relied on for the last century: people talking to people and tracking disease through one-on-one conversations. For the high-tech approach, though, experts believe the key is to collect many independent measurements from multiple sources. “The more observations we have, the more robust performance we can get out of a detector,” Watson said. “A single observation is gonna incur a lot of false alarms. The more observations I have ... the more robust performance. It’s not a silver bullet, but this is an approach to getting confidence in automated contact tracing so we can augment the approaches the public health departments are really breaking their backs trying to do.” -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] How will the coronavirus app work?
trust in the government. And they've got to work on it. It's up to the more powerful partner in the relationship to give trust, it's not for them to demand it." What about the epidemiologist, though? "I wouldn't recommend anyone download the app," Professor McLaws says. "We need to have wider community consultation - and have it done rapidly - about how long the data is held for and who holds it, and then is it removed completely and not used for secondary purposes." "It would be reckless to roll something out." Soon, it'll be up to you to decide. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Digital distraction: New report raises concerns about online learning
On 18/04/2020 9:11 am, jw...@internode.on.net wrote: > > So, no, this isn't new > I would have thought that the real question is "is it effective and/or optimal with respective to other mechanisms, given the circumstances and constraints?" -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Effective Configurations of a Digital Contact Tracing App
This is a 29 page report that discusses the way a contract tracing app could be used, rather than the way it works. It has 6 scenarios. Effective Configurations of a Digital Contact Tracing App https://github.com/BDI-pathogens/covid-19_instant_tracing/blob/master/Report%20-%20Effective%20Configurations%20of%20a%20Digital%20Contact%20Tracing%20App.pdf "The overarching objective of this report is to present simulations that will support the deployment and optimisation of digital contact tracing within an established programme of epidemic mitigation and control, and specifically to explore the conditions for success as countries prepare for exit from lockdowns" -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Transparency key to controlling virus: Swan
The government prefers a mushroom management strategy – keep us in the dark and feed us bullshit. This goes for COVID-19 information, modelling and tracking apps. I don’t always agree with Dr Swan (especially when it comes to My Health Record) but in this case I think he’s right - "In Dr Swan’s opinion, the earlier a government decides to be transparent about those decisions, the more likely the public will be to follow the health advice". Transparency key to controlling virus: Swan 15 April 2020 http://medicalrepublic.com.au/transparency-key-to-controlling-virus-swan/27518 Science journalists who are interpreting and relaying COVID-19 information to the public are being criticised for breaking news about the pandemic before Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chief Medical Officer Dr Brendan Murphy. One of the front-runners of this scrutiny has been Dr Norman Swan, physician and broadcaster, who started a podcast dedicated to following pandemic developments in early March. Dr Swan told The Medical Republic that when he started Coronacast for the ABC, he didn’t quite appreciate he was walking into a vacuum and talking to millions of people who didn’t know anything at all about the virus. “What I was doing wasn’t necessarily appreciated by the federal government,” he said. Dr Swan was slammed by News Corp Australia for questioning the advice of public health officials and statements from various government committees on how to stop the spread of the virus. But Dr Swan says asking questions and holding the government to account remains a critical part of his job as a journalist. “As someone who has been a medical journalist for many years, I understand how to read scientific evidence and translate it for the public,” he said. “The feedback from the federal government, indirectly not directly, has been that I’ve been getting ahead of them, and they find that an uncomfortable place to be. “What the community really wants is somebody to tell them what is going on, to explain the statistics, explain this disease as much as we know, and tell them it’s strange – not treat them like idiots.” At the start of the pandemic, Dr Swan said the government was seen to be taking an overly cautious approach in an effort to avoid public panic. But when a government is telling everyone not to worry, it tends to create the opposite reaction. “Transparency is what’s needed, and I think they are much better now than they were,” Dr Swan said. It was only a few weeks ago that the government was still condoning gathering for large sporting matches, including the Melbourne Grand Prix. These events were only cancelled after significant pressure from health professionals who said it would not be wise for them to proceed. But one debate that is continuing is whether the public should be privy to all the scientific data which is informing government decisions during the pandemic. “I think is very unfair to the general community to just dump raw data without some interpretation and therefore I think that we should be transparent about the decisions we’re making, we should be transparent about the options, and why we’ve chosen which option, and allow debate,” Dr Swan said. The pandemic has not only been a difficult health crisis to control, but also one forcing political decisions that compromise how people live, work and socialise. In Dr Swan’s opinion, the earlier a government decides to be transparent about those decisions, the more likely the public will be to follow the health advice. “The experts in this area are saying that it is possible to lay out a path to the public and say ‘Look, we think by doing X, Y, and Z, and by you doing your job, that we can get down to single digit growth rates, and at that point, we think that we can control this epidemic pretty well,’” he said. It was vital for the public to understand the decision-making behind the public health guidelines for COVID-19 so that they continue to follow the guidelines of social distancing and understand the burden of their individual actions on the unfolding situation, Dr Swan said. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Coronavirus Australia: COVID-19 tracking app next step to stop outbreaks
On 15/04/2020 11:18 am, Antony Broughton Barry wrote: > https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/mobile-tracing-is-next-step-in-virus-battle-in-bid-to-stop-outbreaks-20200414-p54jsd.html > The devil is always in the detail: A system is far more than an app. People need to be told a lot more about how it works, what data is collected and where stored, what happens to the data, how effective it is, what the real benefits are and the potential risks so that they can make an informed decision/give consent. We will be trusting the government to do the right thing. When it comes to our data, their track record is dubious at best. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] The government's coronavirus modelling
On 11/04/2020 1:28 pm, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: > More data is needed. And, it seems, a lot more patience. A model on its own is just theory. It needs to be validated, hence the need for data. Here's an example of data being used to validate (or not) climate models. Australian forest study may challenge climate change optimism https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2020-04-11/forest-carbon-study-climate-change-optimism-sequestration-uws/12136118 -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] The government's coronavirus modelling
An engineering perspective from The Institute of Engineering and Technology (UK) Predicting the pandemic: mathematical modelling tackles Covid-19 https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2020/04/predicting-the-pandemic-mathematical-modelling-tackles-covid-19/ The last sentence is key: More data is needed. And, it seems, a lot more patience. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] The government's coronavirus modelling
Here's a much more useful description (in the current circumstances) of what's going on than any of Dr Jansson type models The one COVID-19 number to watch https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-10/coronavirus-data-australia-growth-factor-covid-19/12132478 -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] The government's coronavirus modelling
On 10/04/2020 8:57 am, Roger Clarke wrote: > So the first thing that's done is problem-analysis. Roger I agree with your missive, but would like add to the above comment. Before you can analyse a problem you have to make sure you are trying to solve the right problem. In the case of a government the problem is more than understanding how a virus might spread. The applied science (i.e. theory) of epidemics is only a very small part of understanding how a specific virus will spread in a specific country with a specific health system, specific rules and regulations governing behaviours and the impact on the economy and people. The models that Dr Jansson is comparing don't even include the capacity of a health system to deal with the case load of SARS-CV2, never mind all the other factors. The graphs produced by the models Dr Jansson compares could have been drawn on the back of an envelop. That's because they are theory. What is missing from the models is all the messy things that is needed in real-life models. Many such models are referenced here: https://coronavirustechhandbook.com/forecasting The reality is that governments are not free to make decisions about the spread of the virus alone. The government's problem is how to achieve multiple objectives given multiple constrains. To solve this problem needs multiple, interconnected models fed by real-life, current data. It also needs the government to realise that it has a control problem, not a medical/health problem or an economic problem, although both are involved. To control something you need to understand it. To understand it you need to describe it. A description is a model, whether it is a written description, a graph, a mathematical model, or statistics. The skill is in creating and using the right models Which means that when Roger says > At the end, Jansson write: > > > ... I would caution against relying too heavily on modelling ... > > Well said, that man! I'd say, models are critically important, the danger is relying on the wrong modelling. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] The government's coronavirus modelling
On 8/04/2020 8:43 pm, David Lochrin wrote: > I'd like to see some details of the alleged modelling. David, ICYMI, I sent an email last night that included this On 7/04/2020 11:10 pm, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: > Buried on the health.gov.au site is a link to the Doherty Institute report. > > https://www.doherty.edu.au/uploads/content_doc/McVernon_Modelling_COVID-19_07Apr1_with_appendix.pdf -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] The government's coronavirus modelling
On 7/04/2020 10:25 pm, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: > The UK, with 2.5 times our population have had over 100 times the case > load and yesterday alone had 10 times our total death count and their PM > is in a serious way. I got my numbers wrong. The UK has about 55,000 cases, which is almost 10 times our number (5910 as of yesterday) The total number of deaths in the UK is 6,159, which is 125 times ours (49) The BBC has good coverage of global statistics https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105 -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] The government's coronavirus modelling
Buried on the health.gov.au site is a link to the Doherty Institute report. https://www.doherty.edu.au/uploads/content_doc/McVernon_Modelling_COVID-19_07Apr1_with_appendix.pdf There's a lot more information in that report, but its value is debatable. That's probably why Scotty's presentation focused on "flattening the curve". Looking at the references, it would appear that a lot of the models and data are based upon the outbreak originating in Wuhan, China as well as modelling work done by others. At a first glance, there is nothing in this report that could not have been obtained by reading about the other modelling, especially the Imperial College work. There is nothing particularly Australian specific in it. The danger is that Australia's uniqueness (a country well isolated by geography, and a few, well separated large cities and huge expanses or rural and regional areas) will make our situation and experience somewhat different. The reality is that the government probably didn't actually need all this modelling. Most of the actions (quarantine, close down non-essential businesses and limit interpersonal contact, and implement major financial and economic support for business and individuals) are obvious and the evidence in other countries is that they work. We were a bit late in getting there but we were lucky. As I said in my earlier post, it's what happens next that matters and the Doherty Institute report doesn't try to answer that question. It's been hard so far, it's going to be much harder next, especially as what we do (and can do) depends on what other countries do. Maybe someone should do some global modelling. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] The government's coronavirus modelling
With a PhD and 50 years experience in computer modelling, I am in no way critical of modelling. What I am critical of is the spin this government is putting on their modelling. The modelling that has been done by many others, including researchers in Australia, is far more comprehensive and up front in its findings than our politicians have been. They have all been consistent with the known biology of the virus and its behaviour in the wild. Of Roger's "guesses" I don't think any of them apply, even (3). My gut feeling is that the modelling they have done is predominately economic, not pandemic, something they are embarrassed to admit to. Which makes it a political/ideological strategy they are following. They have been forced to implement a strategy that goes against the beliefs of many hard right politicians who are not in favour of big government. Ironically, taken as a whole and apart from some real stuff-ups like the Ruby Princess, our governments and medics have done a good job so far, helped in part by our geography. The UK, with 2.5 times our population have had over 100 times the case load and yesterday alone had 10 times our total death count and their PM is in a serious way. What matters is what happens next and the modelling did not cover that at all. What is the plan for easing up on "stay at home", taking the screws off businesses and opening the boarders? Scotty claims that our government is the only one thinking 6 months ahead. That may well be the case, but where's the thinking/modelling behind it? We need informed debate not content free mickey mouse modelling presentations. On 7/04/2020 8:39 pm, Roger Clarke wrote: > > On Tue, 2020-04-07 at 18:10 +1000, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: > >> I can't believe they have been making decisions on the modelling they > >> released today. They may be cunning but they are not stupid. > >> IMHO, the big questions are "What is ScoMo hiding and why?" > > On 7/4/20 6:59 pm, Karl Auer wrote: > > ... I think they are genuinely concerned that if they told people > how big this thing is and how bad it could get, they would have a > panic on their hands. > > Other people's guesses might be that: > > (1) there are multiple models, and they paint quite different pictures > > (2) the model(s) deliver very different pictures, depending on the > nature of the data they're fed with. That can reflect inadequate > models (e.g. missing variables), or inadequate data (e.g. things > not measured that - with 20-20 hindsight - needed to be measured, > data defined one way but data collected in another, data definitions > that changed over time resulting in incompatibilities, data that > no-one ever thought to define that means whatever the collecter > decided on an ad hoc basis it presumably was intended to mean, > data that was of low quality when it was collected, ...) > > (3) the model(s) deliver pictures that aren't consistent with what's > been portrayed to the public > > If the problem is (1) multiple models, that's normal science, > especially in a complex, even wicked problem-space. Try telling the > punters that. > > If the problem is (2) dubious-quality and/or inconsistent data, it's a > question of sensitivity of dependent variables to differences in the > independent variables. London to a brick, this one's in play. > > If the problem is (3) inconsistencies, it could indeed be that > 'humanity was facing extinction'. Or 'it wasn't so bad as to justify > the measures that were taken'. Given that it's been portrayed as > 'pretty grim', the second of those alternatives is entirely tenable. > > I don't want to sound unduly critical of the modellers, the data > collectors, the data analysts, the public health tsars, or even the > politicians. > > This is all really, really challenging. > > People confuse people-made models with real-world systems, and are > encouraged to do so. (Run a critical eye over weather forecasts). > > A model is a simplified representation of some part of the real world. > > When we find models that are pretty reliable, we justifiably celebrate. > > But it's far, far rarer than the marketers (of all descriptions) want > people to believe. > > > > > On 7/4/20 6:59 pm, Karl Auer wrote: >> >> Two things. First off, they ARE stupid. They have demonstrated the >> depths of their stupidity over and over and over again (CensusFail, >> water rights, climate change denial, electricity privatisation, phone >> privatisation, NBN, RoboDebt - the list is practically endless. >> >> In this case, I don't think malice is behind it. I think they are >> genuinely concerned that if they told people how big this thing is and
Re: [LINK] The government's coronavirus modelling
Jan, Good idea. I'll work on it. Bernard On 7/04/2020 7:10 pm, jw...@internode.on.net wrote: > I haven't read the papers and may not. Have you considered asking that > question to Andrew Probyn so he can ask about it in those briefings? > Or Phil Coorey even? Or other journos, maybe Kathryn Murphy > > Minister, where is the modelling you've actually been paying for from > .. ? > > Jan > > > > - Original Message - > From: > "Bernard Robertson-Dunn" > > To: > "Link List" > Cc: > > Sent: > Tue, 7 Apr 2020 18:10:08 +1000 > Subject: > [LINK] The government's coronavirus modelling > > > What really annoys me is when the government tries to do a snow job on > us all > > Scotty from marketing today put on his salesman's hat and tried to > convince the country that his presentation on coronavirus > modelling was > all they had. > > This was the slide deck he used: > > > https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.scribblelive.com/2020/4/7/2928378_340853142bc011a4-b1b9-4fd2-9358-d26f2130b1a5.pdf > > A few little details. > > There is nothing in those slides that applies to Australia. > > He references the University of Melbourne (Doherty Institute) pandemic > modelling team but not Quantium Health. > > According to this: > > > https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/28/government-increases-spend-on-covid-19-data-analytics-as-it-declines-to-release-modelling > > "The health department upped its spend on a contract with Quantium > Health from $1.1m to $3.1m" > > Quantium Health is a Joint Venture between Discovery Ltd, and > Quantium Group > > Discovery Ltd is a South African Financial services company > > en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery > > and the Quantium group does data analytics. > > https://quantium.com/ > > Their web site says: "Translating raw data into actionable insight" > > It looks to me as though they have done a lot of economic > modelling but > a) don't want to own up to it and b) have done no pandemic modelling > beyond what others have done and released weeks ago. > > If you want to see what modelling has been going on around the world > look at this: > > https://coronavirustechhandbook.com/forecasting > > especially Imperial College work. > > > https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf > > Scotty said in his presentation that more realistic models and plans > will be developed and that the "Focus of future modelling is based on > real world Australian data" > > The government must have a lot of data already otherwise Quantium > Health > would have nothing to show for its millions. What modelling has the > government already done on that data but has not released? > > I can't believe they have been making decisions on the modelling they > released today. They may cunning but they are not stupid. > > IMHO, the big questions are "What is he hiding and why?" > > -- > > Regards > brd > > Bernard Robertson-Dunn > Canberra Australia > email: b...@iimetro.com.au > > ___ > Link mailing list > Link@mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > > <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email_source=link_campaign=sig-email_content=emailclient> > Virus-free. www.avg.com > <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email_source=link_campaign=sig-email_content=emailclient> > > > <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] The government's coronavirus modelling
What really annoys me is when the government tries to do a snow job on us all Scotty from marketing today put on his salesman's hat and tried to convince the country that his presentation on coronavirus modelling was all they had. This was the slide deck he used: https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.scribblelive.com/2020/4/7/2928378_340853142bc011a4-b1b9-4fd2-9358-d26f2130b1a5.pdf A few little details. There is nothing in those slides that applies to Australia. He references the University of Melbourne (Doherty Institute) pandemic modelling team but not Quantium Health. According to this: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/28/government-increases-spend-on-covid-19-data-analytics-as-it-declines-to-release-modelling "The health department upped its spend on a contract with Quantium Health from $1.1m to $3.1m" Quantium Health is a Joint Venture between Discovery Ltd, and Quantium Group Discovery Ltd is a South African Financial services company en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery and the Quantium group does data analytics. https://quantium.com/ Their web site says: "Translating raw data into actionable insight" It looks to me as though they have done a lot of economic modelling but a) don't want to own up to it and b) have done no pandemic modelling beyond what others have done and released weeks ago. If you want to see what modelling has been going on around the world look at this: https://coronavirustechhandbook.com/forecasting especially Imperial College work. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf Scotty said in his presentation that more realistic models and plans will be developed and that the "Focus of future modelling is based on real world Australian data" The government must have a lot of data already otherwise Quantium Health would have nothing to show for its millions. What modelling has the government already done on that data but has not released? I can't believe they have been making decisions on the modelling they released today. They may cunning but they are not stupid. IMHO, the big questions are "What is he hiding and why?" -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] OT: The Quality of Reporting on "COVID-19-Linked" Deaths
This is a stunning dynamic graphic. https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/1756015/?utm_source=showcase_campaign=visualisation/1756015 -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] OT: The Quality of Reporting on "COVID-19-Linked" Deaths
And then there are the claims that the right data is not being collected, at least not by the USA. Why Don’t We Know Who the Coronavirus Victims Are? https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/stop-looking-away-race-covid-19-victims/609250/ -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] OT: The Quality of Reporting on "COVID-19-Linked" Deaths
and 'You need both stories': WHO adviser calls for national coronavirus recovery tally https://www.smh.com.au/national/you-need-both-stories-who-adviser-calls-for-national-coronavirus-recovery-tally-20200402-p54ght.html -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] RFC: The Internationalized Deliberately Unreadable Network NOtation (I-DUNNO)
Is the date relevant?
\
On 2/04/2020 1:45 pm, Rick Welykochy wrote:
> https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8771
>
> Abstract
>
> Domain Names were designed for humans, IP addresses were not. But
> more than 30 years after the introduction of the DNS, a minority of
> mankind persists in invading the realm of machine-to-machine
> communication by reading, writing, misspelling, memorizing,
> permuting, and confusing IP addresses. This memo describes the
> Internationalized Deliberately Unreadable Network NOtation
> ("I-DUNNO"), a notation designed to replace current textual
> representations of IP addresses with something that is not only more
> concise but will also discourage this small, but obviously important,
> subset of human activity.
>
--
Regards
brd
Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Canberra Australia
email: b...@iimetro.com.au
___
Link mailing list
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[LINK] What Firefox send back to base about you
If you use Firefox and haven't disabled "Firefox Data Collection and Use" in Options | Privacy & Security type about:telemetry into your address bar. This tells you a bit more: https://www.zdnet.com/article/firefox-now-shows-what-telemetry-data-its-collecting-about-you/ -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Can Big Brother be stopped?
On 29/10/2019 4:59 pm, Andy Farkas wrote: > > I really think they're trying to take this a bit too far: > > > https://www.zdnet.com/article/home-affairs-pushes-its-face-matching-service-for-porn-age-verification/ > > > "Whilst they are primarily designed to prevent identity crime, Home > Affairs > would support the increased use of the Document and Face Verification > Services > across the Australian economy to strengthen age verification processes." I recently appeared before a Senate committee looking at Senator Hanson's proposal to put a photo on the Medicare Card. This is from my opening statement: "Simple ideas are not necessarily what they seem. The proposal to put a photo on the Medicare Card sounds simple, but as all the submissions have indicated, there are two issues that do not seem to have been fully examined and analysed: 1. Will it achieve its intended outcome and how? 2. What are the costs and risks and how are the risks mitigated? Too many times, government initiatives and proposals are almost exclusively about claimed benefits. For people to make an informed decision about the soundness of an initiative, it is necessary for the government to be open and transparent about how they will achieve the outcome and the associated costs and risks. In many cases, either the proposals have not been thought through or if they have, the full case has not been disclosed. Simplistic ideas such as including a photo on the Medicare Card, removing the need for full and explicit consent before registering people for a My Health Record, before Sharing and Releasing Data, the mandatory requirement to report certain events, the proposed Australian Institute for Health and Welfare Data Asset can and do have unintended consequences. The position of the Australian Privacy Foundation is that full disclosure of the thinking behind any proposal is essential. Full disclosure means the objectives and explanation of the mechanisms that will deliver the objectives, the value of achieving the objective, the development, implementation and ongoing costs and the risks of the proposal. We note that we are not alone in raising these issues, the other three submissions have similar concerns. The fact that none of these appear to have been developed for the proposed legislation means that we recommend that the amendment not be pursued. " Exactly the same could be said about the proposed face matching service. For the record, the committee recommended it not be pursed. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Open Letter re ACS and ADMA: Invitation to Sign
On 10/10/2019 8:57 am, Roger Clarke wrote: > This email is an invitation to all ACS members (and ex-members who > left because of dissatisfaction with the organisation) to consider the > situation, and, if they see fit, to add their signature to the Letter. FYI, I let my ACS membership lapse last year. Even as it was, the ACS was not much use to me. I've kept my Institute of Engineers, Australia membership current. And the IEEE and the IET (UK) Bernard -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Card Cancellation as a Condition of Statement-Entry Enquiry
I had my credit card cancelled because the company (ANZ) detected a transaction from a known overseas fraudulent source. They informed me by SMS. This could have been a bit awkward, as I was traveling and needed the card to pay for hotels etc. When I spoke to their call centre they agreed to re-instate the card but to bar any Card Not Present transactions. After some stupidity on their part (they sent the card to an old address) I got new cards. On 1/10/2019 7:15 pm, Roger Clarke wrote: > Has anyone encountered this before? On the odd occasions I've queried > a statement-entry (as often resulting in dispute-and-refund as not), > I've faced the prospect of a fee, but not card cancellation. > > > My WhichBank Visa account statement shows: > 01 Sep Telstra Melbourne $150 > > I've not used Telstra for anything for a couple of years now, could > (initially) find no documentation, and can find no email-traffic. And > it's my company card, so my 'paperwork' is pretty reliable. > > The IVR process was actually pretty good, and only c.10 mins. > (That's sufficiently unusual to be worth recording!). > > At first 'Michael' said he could see no other information. > > During the conversation, he accidentally mentioned that it was a 'card > not present' transaction. > > I could have pressured him more, but as far as I could tell that means > either phone or Internet (or he doesn't know either). > > The killer was 'I can put a dispute through. We'll cancel your card'. > > Probing didn't unlock any fallback position available to him. > > For example, the propositions that (a) the possibly valid, possibly > fraudulent transaction occurred precisely 1 month ago, and (b) every > fraudster knows to extract what they can before the boom lowers, > rather than sitting back for a month. I could have added (c) any > fraudster knows that it's less obvious if you use a little-known name > rather than a major brand as your cover-story. > > He offered to record the complaint. (He may have had to deal with > more astonished callers than just me). > > > Can anyone see anything other than security theatre (and consumer > hostility) in such a policy? > > > P.S. After due consideration, I remembered a telecomms-related > transaction. It was a Boost 4G Prepaid/Data-Rollover service. > Sure enough, in the Boost fineprint is "service provided by Telstra"). > > -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Petition - Declare a Climate Emergency
Linkers may be interested in this: Petition - Declare a Climate Emergency https://www.aph.gov.au/petition_list?id=EN1041 Petition Number EN1041 Petition Address To the Hon. Speaker of the House of Representatives and Members of the House of Representatives Petition Of Concerned citizens of Australia Petition Reason The overwhelming majority of climate scientists around the world have concluded that the climate is changing at unprecedented rates due to anthropogenic causes. The result of these changes will be catastrophic for future generations, and so we must act now to minimise both human and environmental destruction. Petition Request We therefore ask the House to immediately act and declare a climate emergency in Australia. And introduce legislation that will with immediacy and haste reduce the causes of anthropogenic climate change. The terms and conditions are not immediately obvious. This is the relevant part: Signing a petition You must be a resident or citizen of Australia to submit a petition. Members of parliament cannot submit a petition. When you sign a petition, we ask for your name and a verifiable email address. We will not publish your information online, but your name will be included in the final petition presented to the House of Representatives. Your email address will be used to verify your intent to sign a petition. We also use your email address to make sure you haven’t signed the petition already, and that you’re a real person (and not a bot). We will not use your email address for any other purpose, and will not disclose it without your consent. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Numbers limit how accurately digital computers model chaos
On 26/09/2019 12:18 am, antonybba...@gmail.com wrote: > > > Antony Barry > antonybbarry at me.com <http://me.com> > Mob +61 433 652 400 > > On 25 Sep 2019, at 6:51 pm, David <mailto:dloch...@key.net.au>> wrote: > >> We could have a long debate about this! > > Been done. > > The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences > - Wikipedia > https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unreasonable_Effectiveness_of_Mathematics_in_the_Natural_Sciences > Thanks Tony, good to see you again in this forum. ... "mathematical formulation of the physicist's often crude experience leads in an uncanny number of cases to an amazingly accurate description of a large class of phenomena". Mathematical models can be used in two domains - one to describe and explain in general, the other to predict behaviour in the specifc. In the first, non-linearity hardly matters. In the second it is critical. A classical example is the three body problem. A mathematical model can be constructed that explains, at a conceptual and logical level, the structure and relationships of three masses. The equations are not solvable, analytically. When a specific example is modeled numerically, the errors grow exponentially which make predictions useless, beyond a certain limit. Getting back to the original post, all this has been known for quite a long time. To quote from my first comment: > Numbers limit how accurately digital computers model chaos Gee, do these people not know how to research their subject. IMHO, the issue is not mathematics or chaos, it's the state of what passes for research today. Bernard -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Numbers limit how accurately digital computers model chaos
On 25/09/2019 3:11 pm, David wrote: >> All mathematics involves intellectual models / mind-stuff. >> Mathematics is not, and not of, the real world. > Now that's a very brave assertion IMO. It can also be argued the reason why > mathematics allows us to model the real-world so successfully is that it's a > generalisation derived from the world we see around us. That's why the > number "zero" was late to be recognised, for example. It may be brave, but IMO Roger's assertion is totally justifiable. As you state, mathematics is a language, a model, of the real world. It may exist on its own in the real world (you can get a degree in the subject), but like any other language, its use is as a representation or reality, validated by experiment. And when you put numbers (data) in a model, it can become more than a generalisation, it can become highly specific - Apollo 11 on its journey to the moon and back. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Numbers limit how accurately digital computers model chaos
On 25/09/2019 10:35 am, Roger Clarke wrote: > Models of real-world systems of large scale (many entities) and high > complexity (many inter-relationships among many entities) have > notoriously large error-factors, and have error-factors that vary > enormously depending on the circumstances and that defy attempts at > prediction. Non-linearity rears its ugly head when it comes to predictions. It is a characteristic of non-linear systems that any errors will grow exponentially, the only question is How Quickly? Your reference to moon and Mars landings is a little off target. Engineers did what engineers always do when faced with non-linearity - they wrap the prediction system in a negative feedback loop. By definition a negative feedback loop tries to minimise the error between target state and actual state. If the target state is a moving state, then it's called goal seeking. > > A new round of AI enthusiasm is prancing its nonsense around the > world. And this one has associated with it a wave of artefact-autonomy. > > Unless we use our language very carefully, we're inviting: > (a) simplistic scientists and engineers, and feeble-minded marketers, > to over-believe and over-sell, and deliver horrible outcomes > (of which Robodebt is merely a harbinger) My experience is that "simplistic scientists and engineers, and feeble-minded marketers", get into trouble when they make predictions outside their areas of expertise. Which is why Health IT has been less than successful. Technologists do not understand the problems of healthcare but they insist on implementing their solutions. > > (b) the media and the public will put up with the nonsense for a > period of time, but public backlash will in due course wash away > the hubris, and with it not just the badly-conceived and harmful > models and artefacts, but also some that are of value to humankind Sometimes. This was published today: Why the Myth of Period Syncing Won’t Go Away https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/09/period-syncing-almost-definitely-isnt-real/598714/ "For decades, researchers have been poking holes in the study that introduced the concept of “menstrual synchrony.” Many people believe in it anyway." ... "For a phenomenon that’s highly unlikely to be real, period syncing has enjoyed an impressively long life in the popular imagination. Every now and again, news stories and listicles pop up to inform the public that no, actually, period synchronization as a result of prolonged proximity is not a thing, but the fictional story lines and offhand jokes persist nonetheless." How does all this relate to non-linearity? Sometimes you only have to be a little bit wrong to totally stuff things up. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Numbers limit how accurately digital computers model chaos
On 25/09/2019 1:16 am, Jevan Pipitone wrote: > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect > > "In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial > conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear > system can result in large differences in a later state.[1]" Which is a bit of a simplification. When you use numerical methods to solve dynamic non-linear system equations, every iteration has initial conditions. This means that reducing the iteration time actually increases the potential for error. Scientists and engineers hate non-linearity. Unfortunately the world is essentially non-linear. > Jevan. > > > On Tue, 24 Sep 2019 07:10:16 + > Stephen Loosley wrote: > >> The study builds on the work of Edward Lorenz of MIT whose weather >> simulations using a simple computer model in the 1960s showed that tiny >> rounding errors in the numbers fed into his computer led to quite different >> forecasts, which is now known as the 'butterfly effect'. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] "Observer consciousness collapses the quantum wave function"
On 12/09/2019 2:40 pm, Stephen Loosley wrote: > one potential mechanism for mind-matter interaction Gee, I wonder if they've ever heard of Occam's razor - the simplest solution tends to be the right one. Rather than consider observer consciousness to be "mind-matter interaction" consider observer consciousness to be an emergent property, just like all the other emergent properties that complex non-linear systems display as they scale up. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] ISP-level site-blocking of 'dangerous material'
On 30/08/2019 3:29 pm, Scott Howard wrote: > On Mon, Aug 26, 2019 at 12:30 AM Bernard Robertson-Dunn > mailto:b...@iimetro.com.au>> wrote: > > AFAIK (and I can't check it) is that 8Chan.com was only accessible via > Tor. I believe it had a .oinion url. > > > This is not correct. > Scott, Thanks for the correction Bernard > They were front-ended by Cloudflare (who do not offer any Tor > services) until recently, when Cloudflare kicked them off. > > https://blog.cloudflare.com/terminating-service-for-8chan/ > > > ISPs are using DNS poisoning to implement the government's attempt to > discourage access to torrent indexing sites like the Pirate Bay. Once > you have a magnet link, a torrent downloader works fine without a > non-Australian DNS server or a VPN. > > > Unless the government decides that the trackers listed in the Magnet > link are also "dangerous" > > Scott -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Apple Asia's Time-Server is >2 minutes fast
On 29/08/2019 11:15 am, Roger Clarke wrote: > Very strange. > > By switching to the European server, I got proper time back. > > Not good if you're running anything that requires notary-level DTS. > If time is that important you should be using NTP/Stratum technology https://ntpserver.wordpress.com/2008/09/10/ntp-server-stratum-levels-explained/ -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] ISP-level site-blocking of 'dangerous material'
On 26/08/2019 12:26 pm, Kim Holburn wrote: > >> On 2019/Aug/26, at 10:16 am, Bernard Robertson-Dunn >> wrote: >> >> The Christchurch material was available only through 8Chan.com which was >> accessed via the Tor browser. > In this case we're talking about DNS poisoning? Tor not really needed. AFAIK (and I can't check it) is that 8Chan.com was only accessible via Tor. I believe it had a .oinion url. ISPs are using DNS poisoning to implement the government's attempt to discourage access to torrent indexing sites like the Pirate Bay. Once you have a magnet link, a torrent downloader works fine without a non-Australian DNS server or a VPN. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] ISP-level site-blocking of 'dangerous material'
On 26/08/2019 8:55 am, Roger Clarke wrote: > > Govt agrees to ISP-level site-blocking of 'dangerous material' > To create 24/7 centre to monitor 'online crisis events'. > > The government has agreed to formalise arrangements put in place > following the Christchurch terror attack that saw access to online > material associated with the incident blocked within Australia. The Christchurch material was available only through 8Chan.com which was accessed via the Tor browser. There is no way in this world that the government and/or ISPs can control such sites or access to them. Cloudfare, who hosted 8Chan.com have taken the site down, but there are reports that it will most likely turn up elsewhere. In the meantime it is said that the bad boys are using 4Chan.org, an image sharing site, which can be accessed via either Tor or your normal browser. In the trade it's called security theatre. If anyone is interested in such things, this month's Silicon Chip has an article: History of Cyber Espionage and Cyber Weapons, Part 1. "The spooks have been using some ingenious methods to spy on each other over the years. Here we look at just some of those methods and the equipment they used." Quite an eye-opener and it's only what is publicly known - you wonder what goes on that we don't know about. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] The prescience of H.L. Mencken
Chance was simpleminded, the present POTUS has been described as malignant narcissist. Moron covers a multitude of sins. On 8/08/2019 11:53 am, Roger Clarke wrote: > Yep. And it's the premise of 'Being There' (1979): > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Being_There > > > On 8/8/19 11:10 am, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >> A quote I just came across and just had to share it: >> >> "All the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and >> mediocre — the man who can most adeptly disperse the notion that his >> mind is a virtual vacuum. >> >> The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is >> perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul >> of the people. >> >> We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain >> folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White >> House will be adorned by a downright moron." >> >> H.L. Mencken >> Bayard vs. Lionheart, >> The Evening Sun, Baltimore (26 July 1920) >> https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/H._L._Mencken > > -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] The prescience of H.L. Mencken
A quote I just came across and just had to share it: "All the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum. The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." H.L. Mencken Bayard vs. Lionheart, The Evening Sun, Baltimore (26 July 1920) https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/H._L._Mencken -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Data Security
The ABC sent me a video file of the interview. It's available for downloading here: http://www.drbrd.com/docs/brd-abctv30-5-19.mp4 On 30/05/2019 5:18 pm, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: > On 30/05/2019 4:36 pm, Karl Auer wrote: >> On Thu, 2019-05-30 at 05:57 +, Stephen Loosley wrote: >>> Congratulations Bernard on your lengthy ABC News television broadcast >>> interview today regarding data security, and medical data security in >>> particular. >> More info please! Which program and when was it broadcast? Helps us >> find it online... > ABC News TV, 3:40pm today (30 May) > > I wouldn't call it lengthy - about 4 minutes. > > The producer who rang me said they wanted to talk about what patents can > do to protect the privacy of their health data and I said - nothing - > it's up to the hospital/medical centre. You just have to trust them. > They steered clear of that and mostly stuck to standard IT security risks. > > They didn't want to get into the My Health Record, which is a totally > different kettle of risk and intrusion - IMHO. > > I got the impression they would have preferred a shocked reaction, but I > prefer to present a more reasonable, rational opinion, which I hope and > think I did. > > This was the news item they were interested in: > > https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-30/victorian-hospitals-vulnerable-attack-auditor-general-hack-finds/11162352 > > -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Data Security
On 30/05/2019 4:36 pm, Karl Auer wrote: > On Thu, 2019-05-30 at 05:57 +, Stephen Loosley wrote: >> Congratulations Bernard on your lengthy ABC News television broadcast >> interview today regarding data security, and medical data security in >> particular. > More info please! Which program and when was it broadcast? Helps us > find it online... ABC News TV, 3:40pm today (30 May) I wouldn't call it lengthy - about 4 minutes. The producer who rang me said they wanted to talk about what patents can do to protect the privacy of their health data and I said - nothing - it's up to the hospital/medical centre. You just have to trust them. They steered clear of that and mostly stuck to standard IT security risks. They didn't want to get into the My Health Record, which is a totally different kettle of risk and intrusion - IMHO. I got the impression they would have preferred a shocked reaction, but I prefer to present a more reasonable, rational opinion, which I hope and think I did. This was the news item they were interested in: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-30/victorian-hospitals-vulnerable-attack-auditor-general-hack-finds/11162352 -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] itN: 'Third fatal Tesla Autopilot crash ...'
On 21/05/2019 10:58 am, Kim Holburn wrote: > I would think that only 3 fatal autopilot crashes is probably a very small > number. To figure out how it compares to human driving, you'd probably have > to work out how much it's being used and figure how many fatal crashes there > would have been without autopilot. > > It's pretty clear that Level 3 and 4 autodriving systems have the potential > to be dangerous and we have to jump to level 5: full self-driving cars. > There will still be crashes. Certainly as long as humans and computers share > the roads but probably after as well. In my experience as an automation engineer, when you automate something you have to be able to deal with all the exceptions that a human can manage instinctively. Humans can usually tell that something is unexpected and has a strategy to deal with it - stop, swerve etc. This is not 100% fail safe but it has a reasonable track record. Machines need to be proactively programmed. This is hard. Autodriving/full self-driving cars need to be tested against exceptions, not the norm. AFAIK that has never happened and may only happen over time in use, not the lab. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Firefox Add-ons Stuff-up
I tried it on Windows 10 and it worked for me. It was only necessary to toggle to false and then back to true. YMMV. I had to refresh a page to get the ads to disappear. On 5/05/2019 12:04 pm, Kate Lance wrote: > If you use Linux (Ubuntu at least) go to about:config, search for > xpinstall.signatures.required and toggle to 'false'. Add-ons worked again for > me after that, but I read other people still had issues. Once the problem is > fixed by Firefox, change the setting back to 'true'. > > Regards, > Kate > > > On Sun, May 05, 2019 at 11:06:51AM +1000, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >> If anyone else is having trouble with Firefox add-ons: >> >> https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2019/05/04/update-regarding-add-ons-in-firefox/ >> >> "Late on Friday May 3rd, we became aware of an issue with Firefox that >> prevented existing and new add-ons from running or being installed. We >> are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to people who use Firefox." >> >> -- >> >> Regards >> brd >> >> Bernard Robertson-Dunn >> Canberra Australia >> email: b...@iimetro.com.au >> >> ___ >> Link mailing list >> Link@mailman.anu.edu.au >> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > --- > This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. > https://www.avg.com > > -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
[LINK] Firefox Add-ons Stuff-up
If anyone else is having trouble with Firefox add-ons: https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2019/05/04/update-regarding-add-ons-in-firefox/ "Late on Friday May 3rd, we became aware of an issue with Firefox that prevented existing and new add-ons from running or being installed. We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to people who use Firefox." -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] The black hole image came thanks to student Katie Bouman, half a tonne of hard drives and a big coincidence - Science News - ABC News
On 12/04/2019 10:04 am, Roger Clarke wrote: > On 12/4/19 8:28 am, JLWhitaker wrote: >> Thank goodness they used planes and harddrives, otherwise they would >> have REALLY broken the Internet!! >> https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-04-11/black-hole-event-horizon-telescope-five-things-you-might-miss/10993112 > > > Am I the only one shaking my head at the naivete of the media in > relation to this beat-up? The data was from radio telescopes. To say it is a photograph is definitely a bit of a stretch. The data has been processed to buggery. It probably has some scientific value, however, most of which is publicity. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Mainframes
On 23/03/2019 10:23 am, JLWhitaker wrote: > > I'm also wondering about the software and languages. Are we talking > COBOL and others still? > It's not the programming language that counts it that the environment that guarantees transactions - In the case of IBM it's call CICS (Customer Information Control System) which supports on-line transaction processing. It makes sure that when you move money from one bank account to another it either complete of fails - there is no other outcome. This is very difficult to do in a distributed environment. COBOL was a transaction based system used for batch record processing. There is so much COBOL around that it is cheaper and better to keep it - it is fit for purpose, more so than any other language. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
Re: [LINK] Blockchain's time is nearly up
On 17/02/2019 12:14 pm, JLWhitaker wrote: > On 17/02/2019 10:20 AM, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >> Beware technology vendors selling solutions. Their solutions may well >> not solve your problem. > > Not only that. They may cause even more problems of worse impact than > anything dreamt of was wrong in the first place. > > Word of the day: nuance. ;) Totally agree, Jan. When someone comes up with a solution, but doesn't fully understand the problem and the consequences of their solution, all sorts of mayhem can ensue. My word of the day: hubris. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: b...@iimetro.com.au web: www.drbrd.com web: www.problemsfirst.com ___ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
