Tag: New Zealand

Public Urged to Use Encryption for Mobile Phone Messaging and Calls

On December 4, 2024, four of the five members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group (the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand) law enforcement and cyber security agencies (Agencies) published a joint guide for network engineers, defenders of communications infrastructure and organizations with on-premises enterprise equipment (the Guide). The Agencies strongly encourage applying the Guide’s best practices to strengthen visibility and strengthen network devices against exploitation by reported hackers, including those hackers affiliated with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The fifth group member, the United Kingdom, released a statement supportive of the joint guide but stated it had alternate methods of mitigating cyber risks for its telecom providers.

In November 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a joint statement to update the public on its investigation into the previously reported PRC-affiliated hacks on multiple telecommunications companies’ networks. The FBI and CISA reported that these hacks appeared to focus on cell phone activity of individuals involved in political or government activity and copies of law enforcement informational requests subject to court orders. However, at the time of the update, these U.S. agencies and members of Congress have underscored the broad and significant nature of this breach. At least one elected official stated that the hacks potentially expose unencrypted cell phone conversations with someone in America to the hackers.

In particular, the Guide recommends adopting actions that quickly identify anomalous behavior, vulnerabilities, and threats and respond to a cyber incident. It also guides telecoms and businesses to reduce existing vulnerabilities, improve secure configuration habits, and limit potential entry points. One of the Guide’s recommended best practices attracting media attention is ensuring that mobile phone messaging and call traffic is fully end-to-end encrypted to the maximum extent possible. Without fully end-to-end encrypted messaging and calls, the content of calls and messages always has the potential to be intercepted. Android to Android messaging and iPhone to iPhone messaging is fully end-to-end encrypted but messaging from an Android to an iPhone is not currently end-to-end encrypted. Google and Apple recommend using a fully encrypted messaging app to better protect the content of messages from hackers.

The FBI and CISA are continuing to investigate the hacks and will update the public as the investigation permits. In the interim, telecom providers and companies are encouraged to adopt the Guide’s best practices and to report any suspicious activity to their local FBI field office or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Cyber incidents may also be reported to CISA.

Copyright © 2024 Robinson & Cole LLP. All rights reserved.
For more on Mobile Phones, visit the NLR Communications Media Internet section

Food Packaging: FSANZ Reports on Nanotechnology in Food Packaging Find No Health Risks

food packagingA review of scientific literature on exposure to nanoscale silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, and silver in food, including from sources of food packaging, did not find any significant health risks, according to the results of a study which was recently commissioned by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).  The results of the study were published in two reports: Nanotechnologies in Food Packaging: an Exploratory Appraisal of Safety and Regulation and Potential Health Risks Associated with Nanotechnologies in Existing Food Additives.

The report on nanotechnologies in food packaging noted that current applications of nanomaterials in food packaging include:

  • Enhancement of barrier properties through the incorporation of nano-fillers (e.g., nano-clay)

  • “Active” food packaging, with controlled release of active substances such as antimicrobials to improve the shelf-life of food (e.g., nanosilver)

  • Improvement of physical characteristics to make the packaging more tensile, durable, or thermally stable (e.g., nano-titanium dioxide, titanium nitride)

The food packaging report states that no evidence was found in the literature review to indicate that nano-clay is likely to cause adverse effects on health when used in food packaging.  Further, the majority of migration studies on nanosilver have shown levels of migration of ionic silver into foods and food simulants below thresholds set by well-established scientific and regulatory bodies, such as the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) specific migration limit (SML) of 0.05 mg Ag/kg food. Overall, the data reviewed for most of the studied nanomaterials in food packaging indicate that migration of intact nanoparticles from food packaging into food simulants is negligible, implying consumer exposure to these materials is likely to be low. The authors conclude that this suggests “there is low potential for safety issues related to the ‘nano-ness’ of the materials incorporated into food packaging.”

The report points out that the majority of the existing patents for nanomaterials originate in the United States.  No patents for nanomaterials in food packaging were identified in Australia and New Zealand, implying that domestically-sourced nanomaterials may not presently be used in food packaging applications in Australia or New Zealand; however, the report suggests that food and packaging materials incorporating imported nanomaterials may be used in Australia and New Zealand.

While neither report identified any health concerns from any of the nanotechnologies described, FSANZ did note that nanotechnology is a rapidly evolving field, and that the conclusions set forth in the reports may need to be revisited as the sophistication and application of nanotechnologies to food and food packaging continues to advance.

ARTICLE BY Packaging Law at Keller and Heckman

© 2016 Keller and Heckman LLP