5 things to know in Australia today

Date:

Good morning, I hope you are well. We have some tech news if you’re interested.

1. NBN Co gets $2.4 billion

In the run-up to the federal elections, the current government promised to give NBN Co some cash to help roll out a renewed fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) network. Well, the government has fulfilled its commitment and the company that is implementing the National Broadband Network can make more of its transition from FTTP to FTTN. The new investment will allow an additional 1.5 million homes and businesses currently served by FTTN to upgrade to FTTP. It follows from Tuesday’s announcement that more homes were receiving improvements.

2. The Medibank data breach is bad, actually

Medibank revealed last week that it had suffered a ‘cyber incident’ but, as of yesterday, new information was released showing how serious the incident really was. Medibank said it received messages from a group that “wish to negotiate with the company about its alleged deletion of customer data.” Meanwhile, the hackers say they obtained data from the health insurance company and have threatened to release the private medical information of high-profile Australians if a ransom is not paid.

3. Uber to further monetize your trips

It seems that Uber is not content with allowing users to travel in peace and awkward silence during their point-to-point trips. The transportation company now plans to announce users at each point of a journey from the moment they open the app. These ads will potentially appear across multiple screens, bombarding consumers with new products with the same subtlety as a car-following clown on a kiddie trike trying to get their attention through the car window.

4. Apple workers are leaving

Workers at Apple stores in Australia have gone on strike for an hour and, according to Business Insider, are refusing to repair AirPods or handle deliveries in a dispute over wages and conditions. The Fast Food and Retail Workers Union announced that workers had walked out of work at two stores in Brisbane and one in Newcastle. The action follows the failure to agree on a wage deal that would have included a pay cut in real terms and the possibility of some staff working 60 hours a week without overtime pay.

5. A name change from BoM-med

The other day, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology stated that it no longer wanted to be called BoM and instead wanted to adopt the moniker used by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation: The Bureau. But his attempt to be taken more seriously turned out to be a bit more costly than we first thought. According to the ABC, the rebranding cost the weather agency more than $220,000. All of that, and they didn’t even resolve their social media handles before breaking the news.

BONUS ITEM: Real life snakes on a plane? A noodle failed to make its way onto a flight headed to Newark.

See you tomorrow. (sorry)

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