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Tragic flaw sees man use voluntary assisted dying drugs prescribed for his wife

<p><strong><em>Warning: This article contains discussions of suicide and depression that some readers may find upsetting</em></strong></p> <p>A Queensland coroner has criticised the state's voluntary assisted dying laws, after an elderly man took his own life using drugs prescribed for his wife.</p> <p>The Coroner's Court in Brisbane held an inquest into the May 2023 death of a man in his 80s, referred to by the pseudonym ABC.</p> <p>The man's partner, who had a terminal illness, was found eligible for the voluntary assisted dying [VAD] program in March 2023. </p> <p>Under that law a person can self-administer a VAD substance in a private location but they must nominate a "contact person" who will be legally required to return any unused or leftover portion within 14 days.</p> <p>The self-administered drug was delivered to the couple's home a month later, and the man was the "contact person" responsible for the substance. </p> <p>On the same day the drug arrived, his wife was admitted to hospital with Covid, where they decided to take an intravenous VAD drug. She died in hospital on May 8, 2023.</p> <p>The man was told to return the drug within two days of his partner's death, but he failed to do so, using it to take his own life eight days later. </p> <p>He did not return the drug as he was unable to leave his home, and there was no arrangement made for a health professional to collect it. </p> <p>ABC’s adult daughter recalled the moment she found her lifeless father after returning from running errands. </p> <p>“I thought he was asleep in the chair. I put my arms around him. He was cold,” she told the inquest. </p> <p>The woman became emotional and said that she found an empty box in the kitchen and “knew immediately it was the VAD”.</p> <p>In his findings, coroner David O’Connell said he was not judging the merits of VAD, but it had led to a "tragedy" only 107 days after it was legalised. </p> <p>“Persons should not be placed in a position where they can be led into unwise decisions,” the coroner said in his findings handed down on Wednesday.</p> <p>O'Connell said that the laws had failed to find a balance between a patient's autonomy and lethal medication safety. </p> <p>“The VAD law has (the substance) provided to persons with no medical training, no regulatory oversight, and in a period of great personal and emotional turmoil,” he said.</p> <p>The inquest heard ABC had previously been diagnosed with, and received medication for depression, which should've been considered before approving someone as a contact person. </p> <p>"The fact that ABC had been medically diagnosed with depression and took medication was not something the VAD authorities considered, or even enquired on, when approving them to be a Contact Person. Indeed, there are simply no checks or enquiries of the Contact Person's suitability," he said. </p> <p>He added that while there was no breach of protocol or legislative processes by QVAD personnel, it was "not a well-considered law".</p> <p>O'Connell recommended the Queensland government implement an earlier draft of VAD laws that required oversight by a medical professional at all times.</p> <p>Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said the government would consider the coroner’s recommendations. </p> <p>“Following that case, we are working on a review of that legislation coming up to three years that will start next year, and that will obviously be one of the things that we look at,” she said.</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Caring

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Aussies expose massive flaw with new passports

<p>Aussies who have received their new passport have called out a major flaw with the travel documents, that now cost $398.</p> <p>As of July 1st, Australian travellers will have to fork out the hefty fee to renew their passports, with the cost jumping from $346. </p> <p>Some Aussies have received their new passports, with many slamming the quality of the new R series passports, which have been issued since September 2022.</p> <p>Many have taken to social media to share their fears that the new documents may not last the intended 10 years because the covers appear to bend before they have even been used. </p> <p>Aussie woman Greta was one of many who shared her thoughts on TikTok, which has attracted more than 145,000 views. </p> <p>She initially said she liked the "epic" new design which features images of iconic landmarks, but was later disappointed by how flimsy the document was.</p> <p>"I recently got the new Australian passport. I was very excited but then, I had a few people tell me I had to put a paperweight on it because it bends," she said.</p> <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: currentcolor !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px; max-width: 100%; outline: currentcolor !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7391654333999320321&amp;display_name=tiktok&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40the_gretaway%2Fvideo%2F7391654333999320321&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign-sg.tiktokcdn.com%2Ftos-alisg-p-0037%2F8ec5048b25b44feaad62942a9ab7932a_1721003662%7Etplv-dmt-logom%3Atos-alisg-i-0068%2FoEyzmMdFAAA8AIVEwEiMSbOBEfSsdojiACBCUI.image%3Flk3s%3Db59d6b55%26nonce%3D29172%26refresh_token%3D52b34ece20849688562e0cdd271d06f2%26x-expires%3D1721354400%26x-signature%3DVdRtUv8AHtWwirQkxbPH3zMl2EA%253D%26shp%3Db59d6b55%26shcp%3D-&amp;key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> <p>She showed her new "curving" passport in comparison to her old heavily used one side by side.</p> <p>"You're not wrong... This passport is brand new. It has not seen a different country," she explained. </p> <p>"Considering this is one of the world's most expensive passports, what happened?"</p> <p>Many of Greta's TikTok viewers agreed, as travellers were concerned that the new passport's curvy nature could be problematic or stop them from travelling. </p> <p>"Get a passport cover... utterly ridiculous that they do that,' a viewer commented."  </p> <p>Another added, "My new one is so bent Heathrow almost didn't accept it."</p> <p>Despite the online comments, the Australian Passport Office assures travellers that general "normal wear and tear should not be a problem."</p> <p>"You may notice a slight curling on the cover of your R Series passport. This occasionally occurs due to changes in humidity," the website states.  </p> <p>"It's not a manufacturing defect and doesn't affect the validity of your passport. Keeping your passport tightly secured will help prevent this curling."</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font" style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; min-height: 0px;"><em>Image credits: TikTok / Shutterstock </em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Nat Barr quizzes Jim Chalmers over one major budget flaw

<p>Nat Barr has quizzed treasurer Jim Chalmers over one major flaw in the federal budget. </p> <p>On Tuesday night, Chalmers <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/biggest-winners-and-losers-of-the-2024-25-federal-budget" target="_blank" rel="noopener">handed down</a> his third federal budget that prioritised cost-of-living relief, with one major initiative saving Aussies big on their next energy bills. </p> <p>All Australian families will get $300 off their annual electricity bill, while small businesses will also get a $325 rebate for their bills.</p> <p>Chalmers joined Nat Barr on <em>Sunrise</em> on Wednesday morning to discuss the initiative further, as the host pointed out one major flaw in the government's plan. </p> <p>“If you’re earning a million dollars, why do you need a $300 power rebate?” Barr asked.</p> <p>But Chalmers said wealthier Australians weren’t the focus of the rebate, as everyday Aussies struggling with the rising cost of living were sure to benefit. </p> <p>“It is primarily for people doing it tough — you know, millions and millions of Australians are under cost-of-living pressure,” he said.</p> <p>“We’re trying to help. So more help is on the way for millions of people under the pump. Whether it is a tax cut for every taxpayer or energy bill relief for every household.”</p> <p>Barr asked Chalmers if people earning $1 million were “under pressure”, but the treasurer said offering specifically targeted assistance was logistically impossible.</p> <p>“Once you go beyond (pensioners), you have to design a whole new system because the energy retailers that we use to provide this help, they don’t have income information for people,” he said.</p> <p>“We deliver this relief via energy bills, via the retailers. There’s not a system that allows you to slice and dice that beyond providing it either to people on pensions and payments.”</p> <p>Barr's comments were echoed online, with many slamming the logistics of the rebate on social media. </p> <p>"I'm sure Gina Rinehart is stoked she's getting $300 back on her energy bills," one person commented. </p> <p>Another added, "If this stupid government gives me $300 off my energy bills it goes straight to charity. Join me if you can afford it."</p> <p>A third wrote, "Feel like there should be an exemption in the $300 energy rebate for anyone who has ever slept under a doona with the aircon on."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Sunrise </em></p>

Money & Banking

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The $500 million ATO fraud highlights flaws in the myGov ID system. Here’s how to keep your data safe

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rob-nicholls-91073">Rob Nicholls</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a></em></p> <p>The Australian Tax Office (ATO) paid out more than half a billion dollars to cyber criminals between July 2021 and February 2023, according to an <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-26/ato-reveals-cost-of-mygov-tax-identity-crime-fraud/102632572">ABC report</a>.</p> <p>Most of the payments were for small amounts (less than A$5,000) and were not flagged by the ATO’s own monitoring systems.</p> <p>The fraudsters exploited a weakness in the identification system used by the myGov online portal to redirect other people’s tax refunds to their own bank accounts.</p> <p>The good news is there’s plenty the federal government can do to crack down on this kind of fraud – and that you can do to keep your own payments secure.</p> <h2>How these scams work</h2> <p>Setting up a myGov account or a myGov ID requires proof of identity in the form of “<a href="https://www.afp.gov.au/sites/default/files/PDF/NPC-100PointChecklist-18042019.pdf">100 points of ID</a>”. It usually means either a passport and a driver’s licence or a driver’s licence, a Medicare card, and a bank statement.</p> <p>Once a myGov account is created, linking it to your tax records requires two of the following: an ATO assessment, bank account details, a payslip, a Centrelink payment, or a super account.</p> <p>These documents were precisely the ones targeted in three large data breaches in the past year: at <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-the-optus-data-breach-mean-for-you-and-how-can-you-protect-yourself-a-step-by-step-guide-191332">Optus</a>, at <a href="https://theconversation.com/medibank-hackers-are-now-releasing-stolen-data-on-the-dark-web-if-youre-affected-heres-what-you-need-to-know-194340">Medibank</a>, and at <a href="https://asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/news-items/guidance-for-consumers-impacted-by-the-latitude-financial-services-data-breach/">Latitude Financial</a>.</p> <p>In this scam, the cyber criminal creates a fake myGov account using the stolen documents. If they can also get enough information to link to the ATO or your Tax File Number, they can then change bank account details to have your tax rebate paid to their account.</p> <p>It is a sadly simple scam.</p> <h2>How government can improve</h2> <p>One of the issues here is quite astounding. The ATO knows where salaries are paid, via the “<a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/business/single-touch-payroll/what-is-stp-/">single touch</a>” payroll system. This ensures salaries, tax and superannuation contributions are all paid at once.</p> <p>Most people who have received a tax refund will have provided bank account details where that payment can be made. Indeed, many people use precisely those bank account details to identify themselves to myGov.</p> <p>At present, those bank details can be changed within myGov without any further ado. If the ATO simply checked with the individual via another channel when bank account details are changed, this fraud could be prevented. It might be sensible to check with the individual’s employer as well.</p> <p>Part of the problem is the ATO has not been very transparent about the risks. If these risks were clearly set out, then calls for changes to ATO procedures would have been loud and clear from the cyber security community.</p> <p>The ATO is usually good at identifying when a cyber security incident may lead to fraud. For example, when the recruitment software company <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-06/australian-data-may-be-compromised-in-pageup-security-breach/9840048?itm_campaign=newsapp">PageUp was hacked in 2018</a>, the ATO required people who may have been affected to reconfirm their identities. This was done without public commentary and represents sound practice.</p> <p>Sadly, the millions of records stolen in the Optus, Medibank and Latitude Financial breaches have not led to a similar level of vigilance.</p> <p>Another action the ATO could take would be to check when a single set of bank account details is associated with more than one myGov account.</p> <p>A national digital identity would also help. However, this system has been in development for years, is not universally popular, and may well be <a href="https://www.themandarin.com.au/226280-gallagher-warns-community-support-for-digital-identity-not-ubiquitous/">delayed</a> until after the federal election due in 2024.</p> <h2>Protecting yourself</h2> <p>The most important thing to do is make sure the ATO does not use a bank account number other than yours. As long as the ATO only has your bank account number to transfer your tax rebate, this scam does not work.</p> <p>It also helps to protect your Tax File Number. There are only four groups that ever need this number.</p> <p>The first is the ATO itself. The second is your employer. However, remember you do not need to give your TFN to a prospective employer, and your employer only needs your TFN <em>after</em> you have started work.</p> <p>Your super fund and your bank may ask for your TFN. However, providing your TFN to your super fund or bank is optional – it just makes things easier, as otherwise they will withhold tax which you will need to claim back later.</p> <p>Of course, all the usual data safety issues still apply. Don’t share your driver’s licence details without good reason. Take similar care with your passport. Your Medicare card is for health services and does not need to be shared widely.</p> <p>Don’t open emails from people you do not know. Never click links in messages unless you are sure they are safe. Most importantly, know your bank will not send you emails containing links, nor will the ATO.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210459/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rob-nicholls-91073">Rob Nicholls</a>, Associate professor of regulation and governance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>Image </em><em>credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-500-million-ato-fraud-highlights-flaws-in-the-mygov-id-system-heres-how-to-keep-your-data-safe-210459">original article</a>.</em></p>

Technology

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"What am I going to do?”: Centrelink mother points out crucial flaw in new budget policy for parents

<p>An unemployed mother who relies on Centrelink benefits has broken down while noting a fatal flaw in Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ Federal Budget promises to parents.</p> <p>Jessica Blowers told ABC’s <em>Q&amp;A</em> program that she will be forced off the Single Parent Payment when her daughter turns eight in August, leaving her unable to afford the rent increases.</p> <p>Currently, single parents can claim the Parenting Payment of $949.30 a fortnight until their youngest child turns eight. By September 2023, the age limit for the pay rise to when the youngest child is 14, as part of Chalmers’ budget.</p> <p>Ms Blowers is one of many copping the brunt of it as her daughter’s 8th birthday is four weeks before the new rules begin.</p> <p>She will also see a rent increase during that period from $900 a fortnight to $960.</p> <p>“What am I going to do? What is my choice, other than I am doing my best to get a job so that I can keep a house over my daughter's head,” she stressed to the treasurer.</p> <p>“When I'm applying for the jobs, I am faced with being told that more than 100 other candidates have applied for the same jobs - I'm not sure how I am supposed to compete against 100 other people for one job.”</p> <p>Ms Blowers added she “would like to know what measures the government has in place to bridge the gap that I and other parents in similar situations will find ourselves in”.</p> <p>“I don't have anywhere to go because I am paying my entire pension in rent. Everywhere else in Sydney is comparable to that.”</p> <p>Although sympathetic to her situation, Chalmers said those suffering like Ms Blowers were “the reason why we are lifting the age from eight to 14”.</p> <p>“This is something we were really keen to do in the Budget because we recognise the pressure that you are under as a single mum,” he explained.</p> <p>However, Chalmers was adamant that the new system could not be introduced any earlier than September 20, 2023.</p> <p>“We've tried to do is bring that change in as soon as possible. We think September is the soonest that we can do it,” he said.</p> <p>“I understand that that means a few weeks for you going from the current payment onto JobSeeker and (then) back onto the single parenting payment.</p> <p>“I would love to avoid that if we could, but what we're trying to do is provide this extra assistance ... that you need and deserve. If we could avoid those couple of weeks, we would, but September is the best we can do.”</p> <p>In total, some 57,000 single parents, 90 per cent of whom are women, will benefit from the new scheme.</p> <p>Previously they would have been moved onto the lower JobSeeker rate when their youngest child turned eight.</p> <p>“By age 14, children have typically settled into high school and need less parental supervision, and single parents are in a much stronger position to take on paid work," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said when the policy was announced.</p> <p>Historically, the single parent payment was eligible for singles with children aged up to 16.</p> <p>But former prime minister John Howard, later supported by Julia Gillard, cut the age to eight in an attempt to encourage parents back into the workforce.</p> <p>Two advisory bodies have called for the government to extend the payment and the eligibility criteria.</p> <p>It is understood mutual obligation requirements will remain in order to continue encouraging parents to go back to work.</p> <p>Speaking to Nova radio in Perth, Mr Albanese explained he knew “firsthand what it's like to grow up with a single mum doing it tough”.</p> <p>“We want to look after single parents because we know that the role that they play in raising their children is such a priority for them and they’re deserving of more support,” he said.</p> <p><em>Image credit: ABC Q&amp;A</em></p>

Money & Banking

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App used by 1.5 billion has "crucial" flaw

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A surprising flaw in the popular app WhatsApp allows hackers to crash the app by sending a simple text message.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The flaw is so serious that the text can force users to reinstall WhatsApp to fix the issue and group chats impacted by the issue disappear forever.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cyber experts at security firm Check Point discovered the flaw, saying that one text can crash multiple phones in one go. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The impact of this vulnerability is potentially tremendous, since WhatsApp is the main communication service for many people,” Check Point researchers </span><a href="https://research.checkpoint.com/2019/breakingapp-whatsapp-crash-data-loss-bug/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">explained</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Thus, the bug compromises the availability of the app which is a crucial for our daily activities.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With as many as 65 billion messages being sent via WhatsApp every day, bugs in the system can impact massive numbers of people.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once you’ve received the message in a group chat, the app crashes for everyone in the chat and will require you to uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the app has been reinstalled, you will be unable to return to your group chat or access the chat history.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When a user sends a message inside a group chat, the app examines the data to discover who sent the message.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Check Point have since created a tool that accesses this data and edits it, replacing it with a message that causes the app to crash.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The bug will crash the app and it will continue to crash even after we reopen WhatsApp, resulting in a crash loop,” Check Point explained.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Moreover, the user will not be able to return to the group, and all the data that was written and shared in the group is now gone for good.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The group cannot be restored after the crash has happened and will have to be deleted in order to stop the crash.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Naturally, WhatsApp have already fixed the bug, but you’ll need to update the app to make sure you’re safe. If the app is updated to the latest version already, it’s impossible for your phone to be attacked by this bug.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4i4kG1FH5o/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4i4kG1FH5o/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Avoid being added to a group chat with people outside of your inner circle. 👯‍♀ Now you can have more control over who can add you to a group. To enable this setting, update to the latest version of #WhatsApp! https://blog.whatsapp.com/10000661/New-Privacy-Settings-for-Groups</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/whatsapp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> WhatsApp</a> (@whatsapp) on Nov 6, 2019 at 5:02pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“WhatsApp greatly values the work of the technology community to help us maintain strong security for our users globally,” said WhatsApp software engineer Ehren Kret in a statement sent to </span><a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/10569563/whatsapp-bug-crash-app-reinstall-text/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Sun</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Thanks to the responsible submission from Check Point to our bug bounty program, we quickly resolved this issue for all WhatsApp apps in mid-September.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We have also recently added new controls to prevent people from being added to unwanted groups to avoid communication with untrusted parties altogether.”</span></p>

Technology

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Why gossiping is not a character flaw

<p><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-small-town-takes-a-stand-it-banned-gossip-11556204479">According to a <em>Wall Street Journal</em> article</a>, some communities in the Philippines consider gossiping so odious that they’ve outright banned it.</p> <p>But aside from the difficulty of enforcing this sort of ordinance, should gossip really get such a bad rap?</p> <p>Yes, in its rawest form, gossip is a strategy used by individuals to further their own reputations and interests at the expense of others. <a href="http://faculty.knox.edu/fmcandre/JASP_227.pdf">Studies that I have conducted</a> confirm that gossip can be used in cruel ways for selfish purposes.</p> <p>At the same time, how many can walk away from a juicy story about one of their acquaintances and keep it to themselves? Surely, each of us has had firsthand experience with the difficulty of keeping spectacular news about someone else a secret.</p> <p>When disparaging gossip, we overlook the fact that it’s an essential part of what makes the social world tick; the nasty side of gossip overshadows the more benign ways in which it functions.</p> <p>In fact, gossip can actually be thought of not as a character flaw, but as a highly evolved social skill. Those who can’t do it well often have difficulty maintaining relationships, and can find themselves on the outside looking in.</p> <p><strong>As social creatures, we’re hardwired to gossip</strong></p> <p>Like it or not, we are the descendants of busybodies. Evolutionary psychologists <a href="http://faculty.knox.edu/fmcandre/SciAm_Gossip.pdf">believe</a> that our preoccupation with the lives of others is a byproduct of a prehistoric brain.</p> <p><a href="http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674363366">According to scientists</a>, because our prehistoric ancestors lived in relatively small groups, they knew one another intimately. In order to ward off enemies and survive in their harsh natural environment, our ancestors needed to cooperate with in-group members. But they also recognized that these same in-group members were their main competitors for mates and limited resources.</p> <p>Living under such conditions, our ancestors faced a number of adaptive social problems: who’s reliable and trustworthy? Who’s a cheater? Who would make the best mate? How can friendships, alliances and family obligations be balanced?</p> <p>In this sort of environment, an intense interest in the private dealings of other people would have certainly been handy – and strongly favored by natural selection. People who were the best at harnessing their social intelligence to interpret, predict – and influence – the behavior of others became more successful than those who were not.</p> <p>The genes of those individuals were passed along from one generation to the next.</p> <p><strong>Avoiding gossip: a one-way ticket to social isolation</strong></p> <p>Today, good gossipers are influential and popular members of their social groups.</p> <p>Sharing secrets is one way people bond, and sharing gossip with another person is a sign of deep trust: you’re signaling that you believe that the person will not use this sensitive information against you.</p> <p>Therefore, someone skillful at gossip will have a good rapport with a large network of people. At the same time, they’ll be discreetly knowledgeable about what’s going on throughout the group.</p> <p>On the other hand, someone who is <em>not</em> part of, say, the office gossip network is an outsider – someone neither trusted nor accepted by the group. Presenting yourself as a self-righteous soul who refuses to participate in gossip will ultimately end up being nothing more than a ticket to social isolation.</p> <p>In the workplace, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257986788_The_co-evolution_of_gossip_and_friendship_in_workplace_social_networks">studies have shown</a> that harmless gossiping with one’s colleagues can build group cohesiveness and boost morale.</p> <p>Gossip also helps to socialize newcomers into groups by resolving ambiguity about group norms and values. In other words, listening to the judgments that people make about the behavior of others helps the newbie figure out what’s acceptable and what isn’t.</p> <p><strong>Fear of whispers keeps us in check</strong></p> <p>On the flip side, the awareness that <em>others</em> are likely talking about us can keep us in line.</p> <p>Among a group of friends or coworkers, the threat of becoming the target of gossip can actually be a positive force: it can deter “free-riders” and cheaters who might be tempted slack off or take advantage of others.</p> <p>Biologist Robert Trivers <a href="http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/Trivers-EvolutionReciprocalAltruism.pdf">has discussed</a> the evolutionary importance of detecting <em>gross cheaters</em> (those who fail to reciprocate altruistic acts) and <em>subtle cheaters</em> (those who reciprocate but give much less than they get). Gossip can actually shame these free riders, reining them in.</p> <p>Studies of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Order-without-Law-Neighbors-Disputes/dp/0674641698">California cattle ranchers</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lobster-Gangs-Maine-James-Acheson/dp/0874514517">Maine lobster fishers</a> and <a href="http://evolution.binghamton.edu/evos/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Kniffin-2010-Workplace-Gossip.pdf">college rowing teams</a> confirm that gossip is used in a variety of settings to hold individuals accountable. In each of these groups, individuals who violated expectations about sharing resources or meeting responsibilities became targets of gossip and ostracism. This, in turn, pressured them to become better members of the group.</p> <p>For example, lobstermen who didn’t respect well-established group norms about when and how lobsters could be harvested were quickly exposed by their colleagues. Their fellow lobstermen temporarily shunned them and, for a while, refused to work with them.</p> <p>Celebrity gossip actually helps us in myriad ways</p> <p>Belgian psychologist Charlotte de Backer <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12110-007-9023-z#/page-1">makes a distinction</a> between <em>strategy learning gossip</em> and <em>reputation gossip</em>.</p> <p>When gossip is about a particular individual, we’re usually interested in it only if we know that person. However, some gossip is interesting no matter whom it’s about. This sort of gossip can involve stories about life-or-death situations or remarkable feats. We pay attention to them because we may be able to learn strategies that we can apply to our own lives.</p> <p>Indeed, de Backer discovered that our interest in celebrities may feed off of this thirst for learning life strategies. For better or for worse, we look to celebrities in the same way that our ancestors looked to role models within their tribes for guidance.</p> <p>At its core, our fixation on celebrities is reflective of an innate interest in the lives of other people.</p> <p>From an evolutionary standpoint, “celebrity” is a recent phenomenon, due primarily to the explosion of mass media in the 20th century. Our ancestors, on the other hand, found social importance in the intimate details of <em>everyone</em>‘s private life, since everyone in their small social world mattered.</p> <p>But anthropologist <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279236728_Beneath_new_culture_is_old_psychology_Gossip_and_social_stratification">Jerome Barkow has pointed out</a> that evolution did not prepare us to distinguish among those members of our community who have a genuine effect on us, and those who exist in the images, movies and songs that suffuse our daily lives.</p> <p>From <em>TMZ</em> to <em>US Weekly</em>, the media fuels gossip mills that mimic those of our workplaces and friend groups. In a way, our brains are tricked into feeling an intense familiarity with these famous people – which hoodwinks us into wanting to know even <em>more</em> about them. After all, anyone whom we see <em>that</em> often and know <em>that</em> much about <em>must</em> be socially important to us.</p> <p>Because of the familiarity we feel with celebrities, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/out-the-ooze/201503/why-caring-about-celebrities-can-be-good-you">they can serve an important social function</a>: they may be the only “friends” we have in common with new neighbors and coworkers. They’re shared cultural touchstones that facilitate the types of informal interactions that help people become comfortable in new surroundings. Keeping up with the lives of actors, politicians and athletes can make a person more socially adept during interactions with strangers and even offer inroads into new relationships.</p> <p>The bottom line is that we need to rethink the role of gossip in everyday life; there’s no need to shy away from it or to be ashamed of it.</p> <p>Successful gossiping entails being a good team player and sharing key information with others in ways that won’t be perceived as self-serving. It’s about knowing when it’s appropriate to talk, and when it’s probably best to keep your mouth shut.</p> <p><em>Written by <span>Frank T. McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, Knox College</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/gossip-is-a-social-skill-not-a-character-flaw-51629" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>.</em><!-- End of code. 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"Cold-hearted:" The hidden flaw in Jetstar's flight refund rule

<p>A young woman has spoken out over Jetstar’s “cold-hearted” treatment after she and her terminally ill mother were forced to cancel flights due to a deteriorating illness.</p> <p>When 22-year-old Ashlee Brown booked a trip for her and her 57-year-old mother, Pauline, to the Gold Coast in May last year, they both understood it would be the last holiday they would have together.</p> <p>Pauline had been dealing with a rare form of liver cancer for the past year and after realising how quickly her health was declining, the mother-daughter duo both found solace in a girl’s getaway for some quality time together.</p> <p>Unfortunately, Pauline’s health deteriorated so much the girls were forced to cancel their flights.</p> <p>Ashlee said they notified the airline of the situation and provided a necessary doctor’s certificate to verify her mother’s condition with over 24 hours’ notice.</p> <p>The Browns were not offered a refund but instead were both given vouchers with a six-month expiry date, which disappointed the family, as Mrs Brown was likely to not fly again.</p> <p>“They are so strongly uncaring,” Ashlee said.</p> <p>Pauline sadly passed away in August, leaving the family distraught.</p> <p>The best friend of 22-year-old Ashlee, Jessica Carson, decided to hold the airline responsible for their “cold-hearted” treatment of the Brown family and left a scathing review on the Jetstar Official Facebook page.</p> <p>“I will NEVER fly with Jetstar again,” the post read. “My best friend and her mum booked a trip to the Gold Coast as her mum’s last holiday, as she was terminally ill with cancer.”</p> <p>After explaining the situation for the two women she scolded the airline for the hurt they caused to the family.</p> <p>“They wouldn’t refund any of the trip…They just ruthlessly give you the same answer, telling you their policies again and again… I heard the same thing 10 times from 10 different people,” Ms Carson wrote.</p> <p>“We are deeply hurt by the unfair and heartless treatment we have received by Jetstar. Let this be a warning to anyone using this company ever again.”</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FJetstarAustralia%2Fposts%2F2187189567991416&amp;width=500" width="500" height="273" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></p> <p>A Jetstar representative reignited anger amongst the social media comments by stating: “If you’ve purchased a Starter fare, you will be subject to change fees and fare difference to make any changes in your booking, under our fare rules,” part of the response read.</p> <p>“What a disgusting and insensitive reply Jetstar,” a user commented back.</p> <p>“Jetstar are rubbish.. what a horrible company no compassion whatsoever I'll never fly with them again let's start a petition,” another wrote.</p> <p> Do you think Jetstar’s refund rule is fair? Let us know in the comments below. </p>

Travel Trouble

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Security flaw in Wi-Fi leaves millions at risk

<p>The US government and security researchers worldwide have issued warnings of a newly discovered flaw in a widely used Wi-Fi encryption protocol.</p> <p>The US government’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) issued a warning saying the security flaw can open the door to hackers seeking to eavesdrop or hijack devices using wireless networks.</p> <p>“Exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to take control of an affected system," said CERT.</p> <p>The agency’s warning follows research by computer scientists at the Belgian university KU Leuven, who named the security flaw KRACK, for Key Reinstallation Attack.</p> <p>Ars Technica has reported that the discovery was a closely guarded secret for weeks in order to allow Wi-Fi systems to develop security measures.</p> <p>The Wi-Fi encryption protocol with the security flaw, WPA2, allows hackers “to read information that was previously assumed to be safely encrypted," said a blog post by KU Leuven researcher Mathy Vanhoef.</p> <p>“This can be abused to steal sensitive information such as credit card numbers, passwords, chat messages, emails, photos, and so on. The attack works against all modern protected Wi-Fi networks.”</p> <p>Mathy also said the flaw may allow an attacker “to inject ransomware or other malware into websites.”</p> <p>The Belgian researchers said in a research paper that devices on all operating systems may be vulnerable to KRACK, including 41 per cent of Android devices.</p> <p><strong>The risk</strong></p> <p>According to researchers, the flaw is dangerous due to the difficulty in patching millions of wireless systems.</p> <p>“Wow. Everyone needs to be afraid," said Rob Graham of Errata Security in a blog post.</p> <p>“It means in practice, attackers can decrypt a lot of Wi-Fi traffic, with varying levels of difficulty, depending on your precise network setup.”</p> <p>Researchers at Finland-based security firm F-Secure said the discovery of the flaw confirms longstanding concerns about Wi-Fi systems’ vulnerability.</p> <p>“The worst part of it is that it’s an issue with Wi-Fi protocols, which means it affects practically every single person in the world that uses Wi-Fi networks," F-Secure said in a statement.</p> <p>F-Secure researchers said Wi-Fi users can minimise the risks by using virtual private networks and by updating devices including routers.</p> <p>The Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry group who sets standards for wireless connections, said computer users should not panic.</p> <p>“There is no evidence that the vulnerability has been exploited maliciously, and Wi-Fi Alliance has taken immediate steps to ensure users can continue to count on Wi-Fi to deliver strong security protections,” the group said in a statement.</p> <p>“Wi-Fi Alliance now requires testing for this vulnerability within our global certification lab network and has provided a vulnerability detection tool for use by any Wi-Fi Alliance member."</p> <p>On October 10, Microsoft released a patch to protect users of Windows devices.</p> <p>“Customers who have Windows Update enabled and applied the security updates, are protected automatically," Microsoft said.</p> <p>A Google spokesman said, “We’re aware of the issue, and we will be patching any affected devices in the coming weeks.”</p>

Technology

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Huge security flaw discovered in millions of vehicles

<p>Owners of cars constructed by a popular automobile manufacturer have been warned of a huge security flaw present in millions of vehicles built between 1995 and 2015.</p> <p>A paper published by researchers at the University of Birmingham found a low-tech way hackers could gain access to cars made by VW group brands Volkswagen and Audi.</p> <p>The researchers used an audio frequency technique to ‘eavesdrop’ on the remote keyless access keys of the car, and in turn mimic the signal with ‘cheap technical devices’.</p> <p>It’s believed over 100 million vehicles worldwide could be vulnerable to an attack.</p> <p>The papers stated, “It is conceivable that all VW Group (except for some Audi) cars manufactured in the past and partially today rely on a 'constant-key' scheme and are thus vulnerable to the attacks.”</p> <p>Do you own a Volkswagen or an Audi? Do you think enough security measures are taken these days to protect our vehicles from these sort of threats?</p> <p>Let us know in the comments.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/08/beautiful-birthday-gift-brings-grandma-to-tears/"><strong>Beautiful birthday gift brings grandma to tears</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/08/car-salesman-rescues-elderly-woman-after-she-mistakenly-calls-him/"><strong>Car salesman rescues elderly woman after she mistakenly calls him</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/07/baby-fights-for-control-of-car-radio/"><strong>Adorable baby fights for control of his mum’s car radio</strong></a></em></span></p>

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