There are presidential elections in Taiwan tomorrow. Enabling re-unification with China is one of the principal goals of the Chinese intelligence services (CSS). China is not strong enough to achieve this by military means, so influence operations are the main hope. Undermining the current president, Tsai Ing-wen, would be a …
A colleague has just returned from Australia where she came across an intriguing little mystery. She was told that this was a case of espionage. We have concluded that it was not, but it is interesting nonetheless. It shows the way that people believe that spies work – and how …
5 June: Following their raid on Annika Smethurst, Australian federal police raided another broadcaster, although on a completely different investigation. In July 2017, ABC, Australia’s national broadcaster, screened a documentary called “The Afghan Files”. The programme contained allegations by a lawyer, David McBride, that Australian special forces had been involved …
4 June: Australian federal police raided the home of Annika Smethurst, the political editor of Australia’s Sunday Telegraph. Her crime? Ironically it was reporting that the government was considering a plan to increase surveillance of its citizens. The Australian Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance described the raid as seeking “ …
The Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), Mike Burgess, claimed in a speech to the Lowy Institute in Sydney on 27 March that Australian cyber warfare capabilities were partly responsible for the recent defeat of Daesh forces in Syria. Burgess’ speech was part of a recruitment drive for the …