PODCAST · business
plain.txt
by ctrl:cyber
Making sense of the stories shaping cybersecurity, privacy, AI, and everything in between. plain.txt unpacks what matters as we navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape – for individuals, organisations, and society alike – cutting through noise to focus on what’s actually happening, and what it means in practice. Hosted by Arjun Ramachandran and Jordan Wilson-Otto, bringing a practitioner-led perspective from their work at ctrl:cyber, an Australian cybersecurity firm helping organisations manage cyber risk across the full security lifecycle.
Episodes
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#162 Pixelated privacy - the state of online tracking and advertising with Emma Blackmore
As the government finalises its tranche 2 reforms to the Privacy Act, the Privacy Commissioner is forging ahead with a crack-down on privacy-invasive online tracking and advertising. In this episode, Jordan sits down with Emma Blackmore to decode the OAIC's regulatory focus on 'pixels', what the...
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#161 'Pub test for privacy' a step closer - breaking down Australia's new draft privacy laws
The Australian Government has announced plans for the next stage of reforms to Australia's Privacy Act. In this episode, we explain what changes are proposed in the exposure draft Privacy Amendment (Personal Data Protection) Bill 2026, and what it means for organisations. In sum, the reforms...
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#160 Much harm, but no foul? Breaking down the privacy regulator's Qantas data breach ruling
Typically, when we're discussing the lessons to be learned about a cyber or privacy incident, we’re working backwards from a negative ruling. In this episode, we discuss the OAIC's favourable ruling about Qantas' mid-2025 cyber-related data breach that affected millions of customers. While the...
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#159 Cyber breakout - What frontier AI means for cyber risk (part two)
*** This is part two of our two-part series on how frontier AI is reshaping cyber risk. See part one here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/158-cyber-breakout-what-frontier-ai-means-for-cyber/id1616386… *** Over recent weeks a wave of disclosures have lit up the technology industry about the...
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#158 Cyber breakout - What frontier AI means for cyber risk (part one)
*** This is the first part of a two-part series on how frontier AI is reshaping cyber risk. *** In recent months the cyber security industry has been grappling with a key question: how do highly capable frontier AI models change the threat environment? In this episode we break this question down…
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#157 AI pendulum - How Pope Leo, Trump and the Australian public have swung sentiment
This week we check in on what we've previously called the "AI pendulum" - the swing between a pro-safety, pro-regulation instinct that marked AI conversations a couple of years ago to the hands-off, innovation-first mindset dominating the last 12 months. Recent events indicate the pendulum may be...
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#156 False choice, real harm - how power asymmetries and dark patterns erode privacy
In this episode we break down the OAIC's determination against Australia's largest rental technology platform ("RentTech") 2Apply. After a year-long investigation, Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind found that 2Apply collected personal information far beyond what was reasonably necessary, and via...
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#155 Australia's AI moment - Lee Hickin, National AI Centre
Australia is one of the world's top per capita users of AI, but outside of large enterprises many businesses aren't using it. In this episode, we speak with Lee Hickin, Executive Director of the National AI Centre (bio below) about what it will take to close the gap between awareness of AI and…
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#154 Shattered shield - Product liability rulings crack social media's legal armour
This week we explore a shift in how social media platforms are perceived, which could open the door to them taking greater accountability for potential harms experienced by users. The trigger is two recent landmark verdicts in the US. In California, a jury found Meta and Google negligent for the...
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#153 Labour pains - How AI is reshaping the workforce
Is AI going to take all our jobs? This week we dig into this question, starting with a report from Anthropic released this year that cuts against the prevailing panic. We identify some deeper and more nuanced impacts of AI on the labour force beyond the possibility of jobs disappearing…
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#152 Cute widget or security time bomb? The story behind website chatbots
This week we take a closer look at the rapid spread of customer‑facing chatbots on websites and explore the growing risks that come with them. While they often look like a simple website widget, chatbots are increasingly deeply integrated AI agents with access to sensitive systems, personal data...
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#151 Trust is built here - Privacy Awareness Week with Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind
To celebrate Privacy Awareness Week, Jordan sits down with Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind to reflect on the PAW theme, her time in the office so far, and what the future holds. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s (OAIC) chosen theme for Privacy Awareness Week is Trust is…
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#150 Have your say - The Children's Online Privacy Code with Dr Kate Bower
This week Jordan is joined by Dr Kate Bower from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) to discuss the biggest shake-up to online privacy for Australian kids in 25 years, and how you can have your say.The Children’s Online Privacy Code will set out new rules for the handling...
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#149 AI in the kill chain: Breaking down Anthropic v Pentagon
This week we unpack the dispute between Anthropic and the US Department of Defense and it what it says about AI governance more broadly. What began as a contractual disagreement rapidly turned into a political and legal stoush that culminated in the designation of Anthropic as a US national...
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#148 OAIC v Bunnings - Green light for a facial recognition free for all?
In this episode we explore the implications of an Administrative Review Tribunal ruling that Australian retailer Bunnings was reasonably entitled to use facial recognition technology (FRT) to combat crime and staff abuse in its stores. The ruling comes after a protracted dispute, with Bunnings...
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#147 2026 preview - Looking back to look ahead
In our first episode for the year we revisit the big themes of 2025, and explore how they're shaping in 2026. We discuss changing sentiments around AI, its impact on the online information ecosystem, the social media ban and ongoing focus on children's privacy, and how cyber threats are evolving…
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#146 Australia's grand plan for AI
In this episode we break down the National AI Plan released by the Government in December.The plan broadly sets out how Australia will capture the opportunities of AI, how the benefits will be spread across the economy and how it guide the safe and responsible adoption of AI. We debate whether…
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#145 Intimacy on display - why your chatbot conversations aren't so private
AI chatbots are becoming increasingly intimate spaces, with people using them for companionship, therapy and as a helpful personal assistant. While our interactions with chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot get more personal, we're also seeing logs and transcripts of these interactions increasingly...
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#144 The era of enforcement begins - breaking down privacy's first ever civil penalty
This week we analyse the implications of the first ever civil penalties ordered under the Privacy Act. In October, the Federal Court ordered that Australian Clinical Labs pay $5.8 million in civil penalties in relation to a data breach by its Medlab Pathology business in February 2022 that led...
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#143 A debate about facial recognition
This week Arj is joined by elevenM colleague Brett Watson to breakdown the issues surrounding the rollout of facial recognition technology (FRT) across retail settings, stadiums and other venues in Australia. The Privacy Commissioner recently ruled that the use of FRT by Australian retailers...
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#142 Sovereign AI explained
This week we unpack the concept of sovereign AI, which is increasingly shaping both Australian and global conversations about national AI approaches. We explore what sovereign AI means, the problem it seeks to solve, and the variety of options being proposed. We also debate how feasible it is for...
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#141 The boss is watching - on the rise of workplace surveillance
This week we discuss the growing use of workplace surveillance technologies, triggered by a legal case involving an Australian compliance training company. The case highlights the use of monitoring software that records an employee's screen activity and even their conversations detected by laptop...
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#140 The dark side of AI companions
**CONTENT WARNING** This episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health themes. Please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. This week we discuss the rise of AI companions. In the midst of a continued AI acceleration push in Australia, we discuss the emergence of...
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#139 AI or bust - Has Australia's Productivity Commission bought into the hype?
This week we unpack the national conversation about AI's role in solving Australia's productivity challenges. The Productivity Commission recently published a report arguing for a cautious approach to AI regulation, on the basis that it could prevent Australia from "unlocking a surge of...
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#138 Trust hackers - the MO of cybercrime groups like Scattered Spider
This week we take a deeper look at recent high-profile cyber attacks, which have breached organisations like Qantas and Marks & Spencer. For all the talk of technical sophistication, especially in the time of AI, hackers like Scattered Spider are relying less on fancy code and more on their…
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#137 Top spin - what good comms looks like after a data breach
This week we explore why so many organisations fall short in how they respond publicly to a cyber incident or data breach. Even for organisations that have a well-exercised "crisis communications" muscle, too often a data breach results in a response that infuriates and erodes trust in equal...
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#136 Age check - how plans to verify ages of social media users are faring
This week we revisit the conversation around banning under 16s from social media, and the range of technologies being considered to verify the ages of would-be social media users. We examine the preliminary findings of a government-commissioned trial of age assurance technologies, as well as some...
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#135 Platform probe - Managing tensions around researcher access to data
This week we explore growing tension between the importance of safeguarding user privacy online, and the public and social value that comes from researchers having access to growing volumes of data on social media platforms. In recent years, researchers have used platform data to shed useful…
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#134 AI slop is taking over the internet
This week we discuss the increasing prevalence of AI generated content online (aka 'AI slop'), on social media and even in books, journalism and academic journals. We explore how AI tools are enabling the generation of slop at scale, unleashing a flood of low quality content that is degrading our...
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#133 AI mood drift - the swing away from regulation
This week we discuss the observable global shift in mood away from AI regulation and safety towards acceleration and innovation. It's a trend we observed several episodes ago, but appears to be gathering further speed with announcements by global political and business leaders of the urgency of...
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#132 No opt out - Why every election campaign is a spamfest
This week we reflect on one of the most visible and annoying features of the recently concluded federal election campaign - the incessant spam from political parties. We break down the various exemptions and carve-outs that make it legal for political parties to collect information about voters…
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#131 Dr Rys Farthing on evidence based digital policy and the Children's Online Privacy Code
This week we're in conversation with Rys Farthing, who is Research Director at Reset.Tech Australia, a Not-for-profit that aims to develop evidence around digital issues so that policy makers can be more informed. We explore some of the challenges for effective digital policy making in Australia...
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#130 Trump's trade war hits Aus tech policy
This week we discuss how recent turbulence in geopolitics is translating into impacts on the digital environment. We explore how the Trump tariffs and general shift towards increased trade protectionism might impact a swathe of tech policy initiatives around the world. We also look at the...
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#129 Rattling the can - Charities put on notice about privacy
This week we discuss increased the scrutiny on how charities and not-for-profits manage the data they collect. Several breaches in recent years have led the Australian privacy regulator to issue specific guidance on privacy obligations to the NFP sector, particularly warning them against the...
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#128 See you in court! Unpacking 20 years of Victorian privacy caselaw
This week Jordan is joined by fellow Victorian elevenM-er and OVIC alumnus Piotr Debowski to explore some of the challenges, trends and quirks of privacy complaints in Victoria and to introduce a new, free, elevenM resource: The Victorian Privacy Case Notes Database. Piotr led the development of...
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#127 New playbook - inside the privacy regulator's plan for sustained impact
This week we explore the how the Australian privacy regulator is transforming itself in an attempt to have a stronger impact - in the face ongoing funding pressures and a reform agenda that hasn't quite met the expectations of privacy advocates. A year into the tenure of Carly Kind as Australian...
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#126 Hard pivot - world leaders walk away from AI safety
This week we analyse what appears to be a global shift in sentiment away from AI safety.Our discussion is triggered by the AI Action Summit in Paris, where world leaders overtly sought to minimise focus on AI risks and regulation in favour of an acceleration agenda. Links: AI Action Summit...
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#125 DeepSeek - Chill out and stay vigilant
This week we dive into the hype and fear around DeepSeek, the Chinese AI start-up taking the tech world by storm. We break down the apparent concerns driving the collective freakout over the app, which include bans by various national governments. We also explore the broader takeaways for...
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#124 Unfriending the truth - Behind Meta's decision to end fact-checking
We're back in 2025. In this episode we break down Meta's decision to cease factchecking and permit dehumanising speech on its platforms. We explore the likely motivations and impacts of these changes, and the broader takeaways for Australia. Links: Article about Meta's factchecking changes...
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#123 Good tech tidings - an optimistic recap of 2024
For our final episode of 2024, we take an optimistic look at the year that was (after a bit of a throat clearing on the things that bugged us), and what we're looking forward to in 2025. Our conversation covers developments in AI, privacy reform, social media and the growing digital rights...
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#122 Big ban theory - Why Australia’s social media ban for kids is raising eyebrows
This week we discuss the Australian Government's plan to make 16 the minimum age to access social media. The plan has broad political support and resonates with many concerned parents, but there's more to it than meets the eye. We discuss the specifics of how the ban will be implemented (with key...
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#121 Putting the "I" in AI - How your personal information powers artificial intelligence
Awareness is growing that the power of many AI tools derives from the fact that they are trained on our personal information. We discuss how regulators (like Australia's OAIC) are now stepping up their expectations that privacy obligations be adhered to by developers and deployers of AI. We also...
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#120 The auction of you - How your data is sold daily to the highest bidder
This week on the podcast, our eyes are opened to a remarkable online advertising practice called "real-time bidding". RTB is where an auction involving the sensitive information of online users is initiated as they load up a web page, with advertisers bidding for the space on the page. Recent...
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#119 Not just another AI safety standard
This week on the podcast, we're looking at a promising development in helping Australian organisations manage AI risks. The Australian Government has released its Voluntary AI Safety Standard, as part of its safe and responsible AI agenda. The Standard features 10 guardrails as a practical...
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#118 Still waiting for Terminator - how the debate on existential AI risk has shifted
This week on the podcast, we discuss how the conversation about AI risks seems to be shifting away from the catastrophic, existential, wiping-out-of-humanity type of scenarios. While the X-risk proponents are still out there, media coverage, regulators and the public at large seem to be homing in...
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#117 A reform story in two tranches - our reaction to new privacy laws
After five years of consultation on privacy reforms, the Federal Government has finally introduced legislation into the parliament. Its been billed by the Attorney General as the "first tranche" and a "first step", with promises of more reforms to come. In this episode, we share our reaction to…
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#116 Meet "Tex" - Australia's rootinest tootinest digital identity system
This week Arj is joined by elevenM’s resident digital ID ‘aficionado’ Brett Watson to discuss all things digital identity. In Episode 85 Jordan and Brett unpacked what a digital ID is, what it can do, and the various services and components that make up a digital ID system. Since then, the...
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#115 How the US election could shape privacy, AI and tech policy
This week, Arj is joined by elevenM colleague Jonathan Gadir to explore how the outcome of the upcoming US presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris might impact tech policy. Drawing on the candidate's statements and constituencies, and the existing commitments of their…
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#114 Adam Ford on the evolution of the modern privacy professional
This week we're in conversation with Adam Ford, who is Managing Director ANZ for the International Association of Privacy Professionals (full bio below). IAPP is the largest and most comprehensive privacy community around the globe. We have a wide-ranging conversation about the trends and…
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#113 The small business exemption - sensible carve-out or privacy blackspot?
This week, Arj is joined by elevenM colleague Jonathan Gadir to discuss the small business exemption to the Privacy Act. The exemption means that businesses with an annual turnover of $3 million or less are generally exempt from complying with the Act. We explore the pros and cons of the…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Making sense of the stories shaping cybersecurity, privacy, AI, and everything in between. plain.txt unpacks what matters as we navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape – for individuals, organisations, and society alike – cutting through noise to focus on what’s actually happening, and what it means in practice. Hosted by Arjun Ramachandran and Jordan Wilson-Otto, bringing a practitioner-led perspective from their work at ctrl:cyber, an Australian cybersecurity firm helping organisations manage cyber risk across the full security lifecycle.
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ctrl:cyber
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plain.txt currently has 164 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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Making sense of the stories shaping cybersecurity, privacy, AI, and everything in between. plain.txt unpacks what matters as we navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape – for individuals, organisations, and society alike – cutting through noise to focus on what’s actually happening, and...
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plain.txt publishes regularly with 164 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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