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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 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.

  1. 18h ago

    #164 Key to your data - Chandni Gupta on dark patterns in rent tech

    Finding a home to rent is hard enough. But before you’ve even stepped through the door for an inspection, rent tech platforms may have nudged you into a paid rewards program, charged you for ID verification, and pressured you into paying to store your own data. In this episode, Arj speaks with Chandni Gupta (Deputy CEO and Digital Policy Director at the CPRC) about the findings of their new report, Key to Your Data: Behind the Rent Tech Interface.  Chandni and her team investigated the application process, platform experience and privacy policies across several rent tech platforms, and uncovered a swathe of dark patterns at play.We also look at the legal landscape, including the impact of Victoria’s March 2026 rental law reforms, the proposed federal unfair trading prohibition, and whether the Privacy Act's tranche two reforms will make a difference. Chandni Gupta bio:Chandni Gupta is the Deputy CEO and Digital Policy Director of Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) – Australia’s only dedicated consumer policy research organisation. She leads CPRC’s research and policy program, while also leading CPRC’s digital research stream. Her work includes exploring the consumer shift from the analogue towards the digital economy, the impact of deceptive and manipulative online design, and the key gaps that exist in consumer protections. She is also a Churchill Fellow following her research and policy work on dark patterns.Chandni’s research has been widely featured across Australian media and has been used by the Australian Government and regulators. Prior to CPRC, Chandni has worked in state and federal agencies, including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and has worked internationally both at the United Nations and the OECD.   Links Key to Your Data — Behind the Rent Tech Interface (CPRC report, September 2026) https://cprc.org.au/key-to-your-dataConsumer Policy Research Centre https://cprc.org.auplain.txt Episode 156 on the OAIC's determination against Australia's largest rental technology platform 2Apply https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/this-week-in-digital-trust/id1616386683 CreditsEditing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) www.eastcoaststudio.com.au

    #164 Key to your data - Chandni Gupta on dark patterns in rent tech

  2. Oct 19

    #163 Untangling AI risk - a simple breakdown of what we should worry about

    The public conversation about AI risk has collapsed into a single story about rogue and super-intelligent AI posing an existential threat to humanity. This is not only anxiety-producing, but is crowding out a much more productive conversation about harms that are real and happening right now.In this episode, we untangle three distinct categories of AI risk that keep getting bundled together: autonomous AI as a threat, malicious use of AI by bad actors, and the broader externalities of AI on domains like labour, privacy, copyright, mental health and the information environment. We explore how each category represents a distinct set of concerns, but also how each requires a different policy response, and the vested interests that benefit from keeping the public debate focused on one category over another.   Links Article about Jacob Coxon viral post (Time) https://time.com/article/2026/09/15/ai-anthropic-researcher-quits-coxon-slowdown/Jacob Coxon and the existential AI risk crescendo (Foreign Policy) https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/16/ai-risk-jacob-coxon-openai-anthropic-dario-amodei-sam-altman-t…Dario Amodei essay on pacing the frontier https://darioamodei.com/post/we-must-pace-the-frontierArticle about OpenAI hacking Australian Medicare portal (ABC News) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-24/ai-agent-accessed-australian-government-site-pm-says/1071890…Article about Bill Gates on AI doom (Gizmodo) https://gizmodo.com/bill-gatess-new-message-about-ai-doom-isnt-what-you-might-think-it-is-2000819208Article about OpenAI at Australian parliamentary inquiry (Information Age) https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2026/openai-grilled-over-rogue-agents-by-australian-inquiry.html   CreditsEditing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) www.eastcoaststudio.com.au

    #163 Untangling AI risk - a simple breakdown of what we should worry about

  3. Oct 6

    #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 recent determinations against Monash IVF and Medmate mean for organisations and how they sit alongside the coming reform.    Tracking tech can be complicated, but the message is simple - targeted online advertising is subject to the Privacy Act, and organisations need to review their cookie and pixel tracking settings to make sure they comply.   Emma is a Principal at ctrl:cyber, and our in-house expert on privacy and digital marketing. Emma sits on the IAPP ANZ Advisory board and prior to joining ctrl, led the privacy program at Australia Post.   Links OAIC's 2024 guidance on pixels and privacy https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-guidance-for-organisations-and-government-agencies/organisations/tracking-pixels-and-privacy-obligations OAIC's report on the use of tracking pixels by 50 healthcare providers https://www.oaic.gov.au/news/blog/your-life,-pixelated-how-tracking-pixels-watch-your-every-click OAIC's determinations against Monash IVF and Medmate https://www.oaic.gov.au/news/media-centre/privacy-commissioner-finds-privacy-breaches-in-third-party-tracking-pixel-investigation Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey 2026 (OAIC) https://www.oaic.gov.au/engage-with-us/research-and-training-resources/research/australian-community-attitudes-to-privacy-survey/australian-community-attitudes-to-privacy-survey2026 'For Your Information', the 2008 Australian Law Reform Commission report https://www.alrc.gov.au/publication/for-your-information-australian-privacy-law-and-practice-alrc-report-108/ Our old episode on targeted advertising as the grand bargain or original sin of the internet (episode #75) https://open.spotify.com/episode/1H0wBEoktwukgt6u5NtKK1?si=1b4ba7f610314f9e   CreditsEditing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) www.eastcoaststudio.com.au

    #162 Pixelated privacy - the state of online tracking and advertising with Emma Blackmore

  4. Sep 21

    #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 represent a real philosophical shift. The centrepiece is a new fair and reasonable test, which we have previously called a "pub test for privacy".  We also talk about the implications of a broadened definition of personal information, stronger consent standards, restrictions on data trading, a right of erasure, new sensitive information categories, and uplifted data breach response expectations. LinksExposure draft https://consultations.ag.gov.au/rights-and-protections/privacy-reform/Mainstream news coverage (ABC News) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-31/attorney-general-says-no-ban-on-smart-glasses-draft-privacy-…Article on Privacy Act reforms (IAPP) https://iapp.org/news/a/australia-publishes-initial-proposals-for-second-wave-of-privacy-act-reformsArticle on marketing/media industry response (Mi3) https://www.mi-3.com.au/01-09-2026/most-significant-overhaul-australian-privacy-law-more-decade-fai…Analysis of fair and reasonable test (The Conversation) https://theconversation.com/australia-is-eyeing-a-world-first-fair-and-reasonable-test-for-data-col… CreditsEditing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) www.eastcoaststudio.com.au

    #161 'Pub test for privacy' a step closer - breaking down Australia's new draft privacy laws

  5. Sep 8

    #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 OAIC's investigation largely clears Qantas of wrongdoing, the report highlights plenty of lessons for organisations seeking to understand what the regulator expects when it comes to taking "reasonable steps" to protect personal information. LinksFull report into preliminary inquiries of Qantas (OAIC) https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-assessments-and-decisions/privacy-decisions/Investigation-i…OAIC media statement https://www.oaic.gov.au/news/media-centre/privacy-commissioner-completes-preliminary-inquiries-into…Media article at time of incident (ABC News) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-02/qantas-cyber-attack-significant-data-stolen/105484720Article about summary of OAIC findings (Mi3) https://www.mi-3.com.au/17-07-2026/qantas-cleared-privacy-law-breach-2025-data-incidentOAIC's Australian Clinical Labs ruling (OAIC) https://www.oaic.gov.au/news/media-centre/australian-clinical-labs-ordered-to-pay-penalties-in-rela… CreditsEditing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) www.eastcoaststudio.com.au

    #160 Much harm, but no foul? Breaking down the privacy regulator's Qantas data breach ruling

  6. Aug 20

    #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 prospect of "rogue AI". OpenAI first revealed a frontier model had broken out of its sandbox during a test and hacked into Hugging Face's network. Shortly after, Anthropic surfaced three similar incidents from its own test logs. Meta and the UK AI Security Institute admitted similar observations, while a Melbourne man made the news after claiming his AI agent hacked his gym's booking system to move him up the waitlist by cancelling someone else's reservation. We discuss what this all means, including what the cyber security industry has made of these incidents and the lessons they are drawing about how to stay safe from autonomous AI.  We also deconstruct the language and framing being used to describe these events - with phrases like "cheating" and "going rogue" investing AI with a sense of agency. The episode closes with a view of how these incidents much shape the broader public policy debate about proprietary vs open-weight models .   LinksArticle about OpenAI / Hugging Face containment incident (TechCrunch) https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/10/openai-agent-escaped-sandbox-hacked-hugging-face/OpenAI disclosure https://openai.com/index/hugging-face-model-evaluation-security-incident/ OpenAI's technical recounting of the incident at Black Hat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87DyyMV0kCY Anthropic disclosure https://www.anthropic.com/research/containment-disclosureUK AI Security Institute disclosure https://www.aisi.gov.ukArticle about gym incident (ABC News) https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2026/andrew-ai-agent-gym-booking-hack/Marcus Hutchins on agentic AI attacks at Black Hat https://www.linkedin.com/posts/malwaretech_one-of-the-interesting-takeaways-from-black-share-749306…Open letter on open weight model access https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/open-weight-mod…plain.txt Episode 158 — Part 1: Frontier AI and the pressure on cyber fundamentals https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/this-week-in-digital-trust/id1616386683   CreditsEditing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) www.eastcoaststudio.com.au

    #159 Cyber breakout - What frontier AI means for cyber risk (part two)

  7. Aug 11

    #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 by looking at how AI has affected the cat and mouse game between attackers and defenders, and the operational reality facing most organisations. In turns out that, while the technologies behind this disruption are undoubtedly advanced, many of the lessons for businesses are pretty old school. In part two we'll explore the growing coverage of so-called "autonomous AI security incidents". Links Anthropic - Project Glasswing overview https://www.anthropic.com/glasswing UK AI Security Institute independent evaluation of frontier AI cyber capabilities https://www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/our-evaluation-of-claude-mythos-previews-cyber-capabilities Mozilla vulnerability findings using Mythos (Wired) https://www.wired.com/story/anthropic-claude-ai-model-mozilla-firefox-vulnerabilities/ Why AI has not yet meant more hacks (Risky Business podcast) https://risky.biz APRA letter to regulated entities on frontier AI and cyber risk https://www.apra.gov.au/news-and-publications/apra-letter-industry-artificial-intelligence-ai ASIC letter to licensees and directors about cyber risk https://download.asic.gov.au/media/xhrf1w0e/26-092mr-open-letter-to-afs-licensees-and-market-participants.pdf Trump executive order https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/02/trump-executive-order-ai.html Credits Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) www.eastcoaststudio.com.au

    #158 Cyber breakout - What frontier AI means for cyber risk (part one)

  8. Jul 30

    #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 swinging back towards a more cautious and considered view of AI. The most striking incursion came from the Vatican, with Pope Leo XIV issuing "Magnifica Humanitas" a 42,000-word encyclical on the moral challenges of AI. We also explore the Trump Administration's recent executive orders and other moves to bring more government scrutiny to frontier models, and new research from the Tech Policy Design Institute that shows strong support by Australians for AI regulation. LinksFull encyclical — Magnifica Humanitas https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.htmlArticle about AI encyclical (Time) https://time.com/article/2026/05/25/pope-leo-encyclical-ai-magnifica-humanitas/Analysis of AI encyclical (Brookings) https://www.brookings.edu/articles/understanding-pope-leos-ai-encyclical/Article about Trump executive order (CNBC) https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/02/trump-executive-order-ai.htmlTPDi report — Earning Trust: Unlocking AI Adoption for Australians https://techpolicy.au/news/earning-trustTPDi — AI Agency Tool and 2025 Australia AI Agency Assessment https://techpolicy.au CreditsEditing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) www.eastcoaststudio.com.au

    #157 AI pendulum - How Pope Leo, Trump and the Australian public have swung sentiment
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    ctrl:cyber
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    166
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © ctrl:cyber
  • Show Website
    plain.txt

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