Stories by Phil Pennington
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Man fears being target of identity theft after personal details stolen in cyber attack
Mon, 7th Oct 2024
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ransomware
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martech
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physical security
An Auckland man fears identity theft after personal details were stolen from Bloom Hearing Specialists, who kept his data for over six years.
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National disaster coordination system still on ice
Tue, 30th Jul 2024
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civil defence
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nz government
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covid-19
Despite 20 years of attempts, New Zealand still lacks an effective disaster coordination system. Locals fear they remain unprepared for the next Cyclone Gabrielle.
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Government births, deaths and marriages IT project halted
Fri, 22nd Dec 2023
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open source
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microsoft
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government
RNZ understands multiple deadlines have been missed after officials tried to buy an off-the-shelf system and customise it.
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What Amazon wanted from New Zealand's prime minister
Thu, 29th Dec 2022
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hyperscale
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public cloud
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dc
Mega-company Amazon asked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for help over billion-dollar data centres it is building here, and to have input on policy.
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Outdoor advertisers using smart technology to reach more customers
Tue, 13th Dec 2022
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surveillance
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smart home
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advertising
Technology that lets outdoor advertisers track people in the street is spreading, though the marketing industry says it is at pains not to invade privacy.
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Datacentres in NZ: PM's office rejects OIA request on briefings over plans
Tue, 13th Dec 2022
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hyperscale
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dc
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power / energy
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern refuses to disclose her discussions with major tech companies regarding data centres in New Zealand.
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Identity Check online system pilot launched despite gaps over privacy, rights
Tue, 22nd Nov 2022
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surveillance
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data privacy
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ministry of social development
Government's online identity check system raises concerns over human rights, ethics, and Māori engagement. Nationwide pilot underway.
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Google says privacy key as NZ Identity Check system planned
Mon, 7th Nov 2022
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private cloud
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data analytics
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data privacy
Google supports efforts to fix legal stability in data flow and privacy. New Zealand uses Google Analytics in online ID system.
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Security fears raised about home devices and apps
Fri, 28th Oct 2022
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uc
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iot
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ai security
Smart devices from various non-Chinese companies are found to have hidden loyalty pledges to the Chinese state in their terms and conditions.