The threat spectrum

 

Information operations

Australia has banned cybersecurity software Kaspersky from government use because of risks of espionage, foreign interference and sabotage. The Department of Home Affairs said use of Kaspersky products posed an unacceptable security risk to the Australian government, networks and data. Government agencies have until 1 April 2025 to remove the software from all systems and devices. The ban follows a February decision to ban Chinese-owned AI platform DeepSeek from all government systems and devices.

Among members of the Five Eyes intelligence partnership, Canada, Britain and the United States had already announced restrictions on use of Kapersky products. The US banned sales and licensing of Kaspersky products within the US or by US citizens last year over fears of Russian control and influence over the company. Kaspersky said the US decision arose from the current geopolitical climate rather than technical assessments of its products.

Follow the money

Talks in Canberra last week over the future of Darwin Port and its lease to Chinese infrastructure operator Landbridge Group ended in a fizzle. Northern Territory officials met with federal counterparts after federal Labor member of parliament Luke Gosling said the government was examining options for buying back the 99-year lease. The federal opposition supported that proposal, citing the strategic significance of the port for Australian and US defence posture in the country’s north.

But last week’s meeting ended with no clear pathway forward. Northern Territory Infrastructure Minister Bill Yan expressed dismay that the federal government, citing election timing, declined to make concrete commitments about the port.

The meeting followed recent uncertainty over Darwin Port’s finances. Last November the Port disclosed a $34 million net loss for the financial year 2023–24. The port company also said Landbridge had defaulted on corporate bonds worth $107 million and might sell some of its Chinese assets in coming months.

Terror byte

A new report from Australia’s eSafety Commissioner reveals that between April 2023 and February 2024 Google received 258 user reports of suspected deepfake terrorist content made using its own AI software, Gemini. Commissioner Julie Inman Grant characterised these and other gaps in Google’s content moderation as ‘deeply concerning’.

The commissioner issued transparency reporting notices to Google, Meta, WhatsApp, X, Telegram and Reddit in March 2024 requiring each company to report on its progress in tackling harmful content and conduct online. X challenged the notice in the Administrative Review Tribunal, and Telegram has been fined over $950,000 for its delayed response. The commissioner’s report, released last week, finds Big Tech’s progress on content moderation unsatisfactory, highlighting slow response times, flawed implementations of automated moderation, and the limited language coverage of human moderators.

The eSafety commissioner has repeated calls for platforms to implement stronger regulatory oversight and increase transparency on harm minimisation efforts. This follows the latest annual threat assessment from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, which stressed the importance of stricter content regulation in prevention against radicalization and highlighted the role that tech companies can play in this domain.

Democracy watch

The New South Wales state government introduced new hate-crime laws into parliament in response to rising antisemitic and Islamophobic violence, including a 580 percent increase in Islamophobic incidents and threats against places of worship. These laws, which the parliament passed, expanded offences of advocating or threatening violence, imposed mandatory minimum sentences and strengthened measures to prevent ideologically motivated attacks. While intended to safeguard public safety and national stability, they have sparked concerns regarding possible infringement of democratic principles, particularly freedom of expression.

While these laws aim to curb hate-fueled violence, critics argue that they may limit free expression. Others say they create loopholes. The legislation permits individuals to cite religious text in discussions, shielding certain forms of extremist rhetoric from prosecution. Additionally, the introduction of mandatory minimum sentences has been criticized for potentially undermining judicial discretion and disproportionately affecting marginalised groups.

Planet A

Tropical Cyclone Sean forced Rio Tinto to shut down Dampier port in Western Australia for five weeks in early 2025, costing 13 million metric tons in lost exports. In 2019, Cyclone Veronica closed Port Hedland, reducing Rio Tinto’s iron ore production for the year by an estimated 14 million metric tons. More recently, in February 2025, Cyclone Zelia closed Port Hedland and Dampier, disrupting iron ore shipments and halting operations at BHP, Rio Tinto, and Fortescue Metals.

An ASPI report released on the 50th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy recommended that disaster resilience must go beyond infrastructure reinforcement. To mitigate climate risks, the country also needs advanced predictive technologies, such as satellite monitoring, and early warning systems.