Film studios and other content creators should sue “mums and dads and students” who download pirated content, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull says. Although doing this will be unpopular, he said it would help curb piracy. Mr Turnbull's advice on how to tackle online piracy came a day after he said any costs to crack down on it would need to be paid for by the content industry, not internet providers.

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/sue-mum-and-dad-pirates-malcolm-turnbull-tells-film-studios-20140801-zzbnj.html

Assistive technology puts creativity within reach. If you’re a person with the full use of your arms and legs, and you’ve found video editing software a challenge, your ego is about to take a tumble. Christopher Hills, 18, is quadriplegic, born with athetoid cerebral palsy, which severely limits his ability to control muscle function and speech. Basically, his brain works fine but to use a computer he relies on his neck muscles to operate a switch control.

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/assistive-technology-puts-creativity-within-reach-20140730-zw926.html

A four year-old vulnerability in an open source component that is a critical part of Google’s Android mobile operating system could leave mobile devices that use it susceptible to attack, according to researchers at the firm Bluebox Security. FAKEID Logo A flaw in the way Google’s Android verifies mobile applications opens the door to widespread attacks, according to researchers from Bluebox Security. The vulnerability was disclosed on Tuesday. It affects devices running Android versions 2.1 to 4.4 (“KitKat”), according to a statement released by Bluebox. According to Bluebox, the vulnerability was introduced to Android by way of the open source Apache Harmony module.

https://securityledger.com/2014/07/old-apache-code-at-root-of-android-fakeid-mess/

Does Apple intentionally slow down older iPhones when new ones are released?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/upshot/hold-the-phone-a-big-data-conundrum.html?_r=1

Personal data including text messages, contact lists and photos can be extracted from iPhones through previously unpublicised techniques by Apple employees, the company has acknowledged. The same techniques to circumvent backup encryption could be used by law enforcement or others with access to the "trusted" computers to which the devices have been connected, according to the security expert who prompted Apple's admission.

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/consumer-security/apple-iphones-allow-extraction-of-deep-personal-data-researcher-finds-20140727-zxi8t.html

CAPITALISING on an anticipated boom in the unmanned-aircraft industry, several US universities and colleges are launching training programs for future drone pilots. The problem: the US Federal Aviation Administration says its rules barring commercial use of drones apply to teaching programs as well, effectively prohibiting students from hands-on instruction.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/drone-schools-spring-up-in-the-us/story-fnay3ubk-1227003960768?nk=2c356e4fca9f138eac74c94b78420310

AUSTRALIA’S robots are one up on their human counterparts, having trounced Germany to win the robot World Cup in Brazil overnight. The University of NSW’s robot football team called rUNSWift toppled Germany 5-1 to win the RoboCup 2014, the world’s largest robot competition.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/technology/australia-wins-robots-world-cup-in-brazil-trouncing-germany/story-e6frgakx-1227001473014