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Received β€” 21 October 2026 ⏭ The Guardian - Technology

Calls to strengthen workplace privacy in Australia as employers turn to AI to track staff

Monitoring tools common in a range of workplaces, including factories, office jobs, delivery work and in retail – often without employees being informed

Employers are increasingly using technology, from CCTV to keystroke monitoring, to track workers’ moves and it is being accelerated by the use of AI, the Human Technology Institute has warned.

Examples provided to Guardian Australia by the institute include a fast-food restaurant using surveillance cameras to stop workers using their phones, and AI tracking leading to a cashier warned over making a mistake once every 533 scans.

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Β© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Β© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Β© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Received β€” 11 September 2026 ⏭ The Guardian - Technology

Instagram boss says users will be β€˜overwhelmed’ with brand content in algorithm-free world

Adam Mosseri says platform’s algorithm β€˜feels like a black box’ but company trying to give users more control after Labor announces opt-out plan

Instagram’s chief executive has said users will have a worse experience in an algorithm-free world, seeing more brand-related content, and spend less time on the app.

The comments come as the Australian government plans to give users the option to opt out of algorithms, with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announcing plans on Tuesday to require social media platforms to prompt users to choose between a feed of algorithm-recommended content or a reverse chronological feed of the pages users follow. Labor also plans to introduce a range of measures designed to address online harm on the sites.

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Β© Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

Β© Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

Β© Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

Received β€” 9 August 2026 ⏭ The Guardian - Technology

This man was secretly snapped by someone with smartglasses. He’s not alone in calling that a violation of privacy

The backlash to what some dub β€˜pervert glasses’ is growing – but people living with disabilities point out the new tech can also be life-changing

One summer day earlier this year, Rhys left a cafe in Melbourne where he had been working remotely, when his phone pinged with a message on the dating app Grindr.

The message was a photo of him sitting at a table outside the cafe on his laptop, with his dog seated on the ground next to him. In the foreground, in a man’s hand was an iPhone unlocked.

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Β© Photograph: Supplied

Β© Photograph: Supplied

Β© Photograph: Supplied

Received β€” 2 August 2026 ⏭ The Guardian - Technology

When the AI bubble bursts, what will Australia do with the tools it built? One man thinks he has the answer

Journalist and author Cory Doctorow is coming to Australia to spread his message – humans will take their jobs back

When the AI bubble bursts, executives who enthusiastically replaced their staff with AI tools will learn that it takes a β€œreally long time” to replace those lost skills, says Cory Doctorow, a science fiction author and journalist.

But those in creative fields should also be warned not to put all their faith in copyright as the best way to safeguard their work, Doctorow warns, just one week after the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, promised to ramp up protection against AI companies who refuse to pay.

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Β© Photograph: Jessica Pons/The Guardian

Β© Photograph: Jessica Pons/The Guardian

Β© Photograph: Jessica Pons/The Guardian

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