New research shows almost half of media-hungry Australians continue to pirate some form of content, but only one in five would pay attention to a letter sent from their ISP warning them to stop. The Online Copyright Infringement Research Paper [PDF], commissioned by the Department of Communications and prepared by research company TNS, surveyed 2,630 …

Image by Dennis Skley, CC BY-ND 2.0 Britain’s Data Retention and Investigative Powers Act has been ruled unlawful by the UK’s High Court of Justice, after the digital surveillance scheme was deemed “inconsistent with European Union Law.” Pushed through Parliament in 4 days and passed into law in July 2014, DRIPA allows the UK’s Home Secretary, a senior government minister, …

Attendees at the 2015 Broadband for the Bush forum. Broadband for the Bush Alliance. A forum of indigenous leaders, communications groups and regional community advocates has called for greater digital inclusion across Australia, saying parts of the country are being left behind as Australia carves out its broadband future. The comments came at the fourth annual Broadband for the Bush …

Telstra’s Pre-Paid 4GX Car Wi-Fi. Telstra Telstra has announced a new dongle for your dash offering mobile data to road trippers, with the launch of the Pre-Paid 4GX Car Wi-Fi. The mobile hotspot plugs directly into a car’s USB slot or 12 volt power outlet (the outlet where the cigarette lighter used to be), allowing up to five Wi-Fi enabled …

The new look CommBank app for Tablets. Commonwealth Bank Commonwealth Bank has announced the launch of a new graphics-heavy tablet app that it hopes will engage customers with their finances and bring some excitement to the dry world of internet banking. Rather than the lines of numbers, the tablet app has a much stronger focus on visualisations and animations that …

Rdio’s desktop platform. Rdio As the battle between online music streaming services picks up tempo, Rdio has announced it will be partnering with “tastemakers” and “influencers” to launch a raft of new curated Internet radio stations on its music streaming service. The news comes a week after Apple launched its eagerly-awaited Beats 1 Internet radio station to listeners around the …

Qantas will bring HBO content, including “Game of Thrones” to flights this month. HBO Qantas has added a big drawcard to its in-flight entertainment line-up, announcing it will now offer a dedicated HBO channel to bring series such as “Game of Thrones” and “True Detective” to travellers. The airline launches the new channel this month, complete with 120 hours of …

Telstra Telstra has its eyes set on a future when a GP consultation won’t require a trip to the doctor’s surgery, with the launch of its ReadyCare eHealth service. Designed for Australians in remote areas, and for times when visiting a surgery is more difficult, such as at night, on weekends or when patients are travelling, ReadyCare will allow Australians …

Reddit users are facing online walls after a number of subreddits were made private. Screenshot by Claire Reilly/CNET Entire sections of Reddit are going dark as key subreddits are being made private in protest of the alleged firing of Victoria Taylor, one of the social news site’s highest profile administrators. Reddit users are reporting Taylor, the site’s director of talent …

The TPP includes 12 countries around the Pacific Rim. Electronic Frontier Foundation As a trade deal between the United States, Canada, Australia and their allies edges closer towards completion, an Australian Parliamentary report has slammed the deal-making process saying it lacks adequate “oversight and scrutiny.” The comments come from a joint Australian Parliamentary report on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is …