The RMIT Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation celebrated Safer Internet Day 2024 by launching their new freemium short course - Security by Design - which was jointly created with RMIT Digital3 and the eSafety Commissioner. The 'Safety by Design' course will help online startups, tech companies and students of tech to prevent their platforms and services from being unintentionally weaponised to carry out abuse. Director of the RMIT University Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation, Professor Matthew Warren, said the course was designed for a global audience of engineers, computer scientists, lawyers, ethicists, developers, designers and educators working or studying in the technology space. Throughout this course, learners will come to understand user safety as a fundamental design consideration for the online world. They’ll also learn that building safety in, as opposed to adding it on later, is not only better for people, but also better for business. By launching this course, RMIT hope to facilitate more conversations about the importance of online safety, instil these principles within the marketplace, and pave the way for a more inclusive, diverse and vibrant online world. “Safer online environments are important for everyone in Australia, as well as overseas, and this course will support a range of technical designers, educators and professionals to develop products and services that are safer.” Professor Matthew Warren Making online spaces safer eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the course would enable small or emerging tech players and students to apply Safety by Design across the service and product lifecycle, helping them to meet the expectations of an increasingly discerning and critical user base. “People everywhere are clamouring for the tech industry to proactively safeguard their products and services from being exploited or weaponised. In Australia, for example, 82 per cent of adults have told us that tech companies have a responsibility for their online safety,” Grant said. “In collaboration with RMIT University, we’re supporting the current and next wave of online innovators and start-ups to sharpen their competitive edge by helping them to give customers what they want: safer, more positive online experiences.” Safety by Design - Future Learn Safety by Design is a Massive Online Open Course developed by RMIT University’s Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation, RMIT’s Digital3 and Australia’s eSafety Commissioner. It is moderated by an RMIT academic with in-depth cyber safety and cyber security experience. The 12-hour course is freely available on the RMIT FutureLearn platform. For learners who complete the course, a certificate of achievement is available. FutureLearn courses are created by experts from leading universities and organisations. Every course is broken into steps, allowing learners to fit it easily around their schedule - learning can happen anytime, anywhere. Courses are also built around social learning pedagogy: the belief that we learn better together. The result is truly collaborative online social learning where employees don’t just learn from experts, they can learn from each other. Tuesday 6th February 2024 marks Safer Internet Day. This worldwide initiative brings together communities, families, schools and organisations to help create safer online spaces. Safer Internet Day is a global initiative to raise awareness of online safety issues. The eSafety Commissioner leads the initiative in Australia. They educate people about online safety risks, like online abuse, how to be safe online and where to go for help. This Safer Internet Day we're encouraging everyone to take three simple actions when approaching online safety: Connect. Reflect. Protect. Connect safely by keeping apps and devices secure and reviewing your privacy settings regularly. Reflect on how your actions online may affect others or your safety. Protect yourself and others by visiting eSafety.gov.au to find out how to stay safe online and report online abuse. By doing these things and sharing the Connect. Reflect. Protect message, we can work towards making every day a Safer Internet Day. 2024 Safer Internet Day - Safety by Design @ RMIT [Image Webinar for Safer Internet Day presented by RMIT CCSRI - 6 February 2024] Matt Warren - Director of the RMIT University Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation (CCSRI) and a Professor of Cyber Security at RMIT University (Top left) Nicola Henry - Professor and Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the Social and Global Studies Centre at the RMIT University. (Top right) Arathi Arakala - Lecturer of Cybersecurity with the Discipline of Mathematics, RMIT University (Bottom left) Andrew Hine - Founder, CEO and CTO Reputationaire (Bottom right) We have seen technology evolve dramatically over the past 3 years and the benefits have been huge. These digital developments have also exposed us to many risks with real-world impacts, making online safety awareness even more important. The RMIT Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation (RMIT CCSRI) is excited to share the ways in which they are contributing to a safer online environment. In 2024, their focus is on individuals online. The expert panel speaks about privacy, online reputation, the ways in which individuals can experience harm online, and the ways in which we can all contribute to a safer internet. The RMIT Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation (CCSRI) gathers researchers from across RMIT to bring a truly multi-disciplinary approach to the organisational, human and technology aspects of Cyber Security, including its research themes and industry partnerships. CCSRI is one of RMIT’s Digital3 research hubs that capture a new type of business philosophy for a new type of economy. Digital3 creates the digital economy by bringing together innovative organisations that are seeking a competitive advantage through collaborative and holistic research solutions in disruptive technology. Now is the time to research, rethink and regenerate how we work.
Abhi and Smit in an online meeting with Mountoken Working with a startup has been an exciting experience for students taking part in SummerTech LIVE. "I’ve enjoyed putting my skills into practice working with this startup,” says Smit, one of more than 140 tech students and recent graduates who have taken part in the Victorian Government’s SummerTech LIVE program this year. ”I never realised how much I’d learn on the job, and how good it is to be introduced to so many new networks and connections in the industry.” Smit is completing his final year in a computer science degree at RMIT and was partnered to work on Mountoken, a social impact startup venture at RMIT activator, alongside Abhi, a recent RMIT Masters graduate in Cloud Computing. Abhi has enjoyed the collaborative approach to solving problems. At the time of writing, the team are in their final weeks of the project. “We’re collaborating closely on our work, which is right out at the forefront of tech,” says Abhi. "Working on a project for a startup like this is very special, as we get to work with cutting edge technologies, which are experimental.” Abhi and Smit (centre L-R) have enjoyed working on a new tech project with Sonia and Erin (outside L and R) from startup, Mountoken SummerTech LIVE is a paid 10–12-week studentship which matches students with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across Victoria to help solve their digital problems, taking place over the summer break. Delivered on behalf of the Victorian Government by the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SummerTech LIVE is designed to give students valuable industry experience and a chance to kickstart their career. It also helps small to medium businesses boost their competitiveness and solve problems with new and emerging technologies. According to Sonia Komaravalli from Mountoken, the support Smit and Abhi have provided to the Mountoken project has helped progress the IT development of their social impact platform in ways that would not have been possible otherwise. “I am thrilled to be working with Smit and Abhi. They’re helping us design a digital art platform that will enable emerging, under-represented, Indigenous and remote artists to embrace blockchain technology so they can protect their intellectual property and sell work internationally. “The coding knowledge and expertise Smit and Abhi have contributed is amazing and highly professional. Thanks to them we are all looking forward to launching a successful project very soon.” For more information visit SummerTech LIVE.
IMAGE: Redacted (2021) Noah Zhang, Nathan O’Donogue, Craig Anderson Explore a fresh selection of videogames from the next generation of creatives and makers. The ACMI + RMIT Audience Lab program allows players, developers and those who are just curious to help support emerging videogames professionals while having a great time. From 27 November, we will feature the newest creations from the final year students of RMIT's Bachelor of Design (Games). This year, explore exciting games including a: first-person sci-fi adventure gorgeous character-focused digital board game pop-culture inspired walking simulator and much more. Experience ACMI + RMIT Audience Lab onsite or online Visit the museum in person to playtest games and meet their creators onsite at 11am–5pm on Saturday 27 November, or download and test even more games from home for the entire week 27 November – 5 December. After playtesting, become part of the development process and help the makers refine their games by providing feedback via the Twitter hashtag #acmirmit. Feel free to comment, upload a video of you playing or share some screengrabs. You can also provide feedback to the makers directly via our Discord server (link available from 27 Nov 2021). Play at home Want to test out a range of amazing new games from the comfort of your own home? Games will be available to download below from 27 Nov – 5 Dec 2021. Play onsite Visit the Swinburne Studio, Level 1, ACMI, Fed Square. Plan your visit Read our COVIDSafe visitor guidelines, information on accessibility, amenities, transport, dining options and more. ACMI + RMIT Audience Lab Bringing together game developers, filmmakers, moving image artists, tech wizards and individual creators who want your feedback on their projects. From augmented and virtual reality to videogames and video art, each month there is something exciting for you to test out and discover at ACMI. RMIT became ACMI’s Major Research Partner joining forces to support next gen creatives. A cornerstone of the partnership is the new ACMI x RMIT Audience Lab, which will act as a testing ground for moving image creators. Keen to be involved? Participants will need to provide: A concept, build or prototype to "exhibit" for audience testing (ideally something to best-test, or otherwise some way to provide feedback on a concept) Any specialised hardware or software required for testing Any conceptual materials required for testing Adequate team to manage testing on the day Promotion of their involvement in the event to audiences and stakeholders. Selection process All applications are reviewed by selection committee comprised of ACMI and RMIT staff. The committee will be considering the following criteria when selecting successful applicants: Appropriateness and appeal to ACMI audiences Relevance and relationship to moving image and screen culture Team and product preparedness for testing Benefit of testing to team and product Fit within Audience Lab program as a whole, with a spread across ACMI’s core remit of film, television, videogames, art and digital culture. Completely Stretchy & Uncomfortably Sticky You’ve woken up up feeling Completely Stretchy and Uncomfortably Sticky. Explore the vibrant Grombi Isles using your new found floppy abilities such as your stretchy arm, sticky fingers, and more! Talk to the eccentric inhabitants and participate in their playful activities. You may even piece together the story of The Grombi Isles. Daniel Ferguson is a game developer and animator based in Melbourne who likes making eccentric games with a strong focus on characters and movement. Reach out via Twitter to @danfergusonn or visit Daniel's Itch.io page >> This game was part of the ACMI + RMIT Audience Lab in 2020. Next steps Explore study options through RMIT's Bachelor of Design (Games) and turn your passion into a career. Learn more >> Subscribe to the ACMI newsletter for when Expressions of Interest are open Originally published ACMIFed Square, Melbourne, Australia Museum opening hoursMon–Fri 12–5pmWeekends and public holidays 10am–6pm Exhibitions | Films & TV | On demand | Education | Shop