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We are excited to introduce Kyle Zrinski, our new PHP Developer. Working with the tech team, he will be a vital contributor to our new IAA Member Portal.  

Before joining IAA, Kyle worked as a Desktop IT Support Technician and is currently completing a degree in Information Technology at ECU. 

Kyle brings a real passion for software development which is heavily integrated with the Internet, and is excited to move into the Internet industry, seeing it as an exceptional opportunity to learn and grow professionally.  

In his spare time, Kyle enjoys tinkering with hobby electronics and 3D printers, designing projects such as smart plant pots and logic puzzles – you may even find him tearing up the racetrack or working on cars!   

During the month of June, we released two independent reports that assess IAA’s contribution and importance to Australia’s Internet. In this report, “The Importance of IXPs in Australia”, Professor Matthew Roughan from the University of Adelaide provides an analysis of the value and importance of IXPs. Using technical and scientific literature, he substantiates the benefits of IXPs, including improving performance, reliability and security. It is an excellent report, as it contains a substantial technical background, a review of the scientific literature on IXPs, and clearly articulates their benefits. We highly recommend adding it to your weekend reading list! Read the full report. 

Back in 1995, a group of Internet enthusiasts rallied together to advocate for the interests of the Internet community in Western Australia. Two years on, they made one of the most unlikely moves for competitors to make and collaborated on a project that would not only help each others’ businesses, but helped everyone’s customers and improved Australia’s Internet – they formed WA-IX. It was described as a laudable show of cooperation as iiNet, Wantree, and Omen first connected on the exchange: built from donated hardware and put together by the hands of volunteers. At the time, the cost of domestic traffic sent and received was $1.46 PER MEGABYTE and definitely far too costly to be sustainable for many businesses.  

Not only did WA-IX make connectivity more affordable, but it also helped to fund the good works of the Association. WAIA was formed to be a representative voice of the Internet community and was run by volunteers; however, it did incur ongoing operational costs. With the combination of genuine care for the Internet community, users, and its members, WAIA (now known as IAA) has continued to grow and provides the longest-running peering network in Australia.  

Part of the ongoing success of WA-IX can be attributed to the fact that it stood alone and no longer ran on the goodwill of volunteers. As the first employee of WA-IX, Peering Engineer Gavin Tweedie recounted that before he was employed, to get access to the POP in QV1, you had to rely on your fellow competitor at another company to show up with the key! An exchange was also conducive to competition by lowering operational costs, which kept the cost of connectivity down for end users.   

Our association was built and continues to operate on goodwill as we continue to work for the Internet community and Australia’s Internet more broadly. Although peering is not as widely adopted in Australia as it is in other parts of the globe, it is definitely integral to its success. Cheers to 25 years of good connectivity, and may there be many more years of it to come! 

The UK Government’s response to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was released earlier this month following consultation regarding the UK’s response to the EU GDPR. Carrying hefty fines, GDPR regulates the data processing activities of businesses in an effort to protect the data and privacy of consumers and apply to all Europeans whether they reside in the EU or not. 

Here in Australia, the Attorney-General’s review of the Privacy Act 1988 is still ongoing, tackling issues of privacy and data protection. The discussion paper framing consultation for the review heavily referred to the UK Information Commissioner’s guidance and it is likely that the AG Office will be following the development of the UK Data Reform Bill and whether it passes through Parliament. 

IAA responded to the Privacy Act review, emphasising the need for a balanced privacy regime that protects the privacy of individuals in a reasonable, and legitimate manner while not disproportionately burdening industry. Read our full response.  

Work continues on the new portal! Over the past four weeks, we’ve implemented a number of features and updated the theme to make sure the new portal not only works well but looks great, too. Spoiler alert, we’ve added in a ‘tool’ menu so you can have fast access to the tools you need to keep up to date with things happening on your network.  

Remember our announcement in March about our network cracking over 800Gbps? Well, two months on, and with many thanks to our newest content provider and the gaming community in Australia, our network hit a new record of 901Gbps on Wednesday, 11 May. From the moment the caches were live, the traffic started coming in fast, and it was only a matter of time before we reached the 900Gbps club. Watch out, members; 1Tbps is on the horizon and when it’s here, we’re going to celebrate!! 

Earlier this month, we welcomed Steam to the network, and from day one, the peak kept growing, pushing our network to reach a new traffic record of 901Gbps on Wednesday 11 May. The latest addition of Steam caches means that with 440Gbps of caching capacity between Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, our gamers can enjoy increased speeds when downloading new games or updating an old favourite.  

Steam caches are opt-in by default, and if you would like to opt-out of these caches, you may do so by using the following communities:  

  • 10084:2508 WA STM Opt Out  
  • 10084:2518 VIC STM Opt Out  
  • 10084:2528 QLD STM Opt Out 

If you require any assistance to opt-out, please do not hesitate to contact one of our friendly team members at peering@ix.asn.au

National Data Security Action Plan | Department of Home Affairs | 10 June 2022
The Department of Home Affairs is calling for submissions for the development of the National Data Security Action Plan. They seek to explore with industry and state and territory governments how Government and industry can meet data security expectations, how responsibilities can be best assigned to keep Australians’ data safe, and how Government, businesses and individuals can share responsibility for data security in the future to get the best outcome for everyone.

NBN Co. SAU Variation | ACCC | 8 July 2022
The ACCC is seeking submissions to its report on NBN Co.’s SAU Variation. The proposed variation from NBN Co includes product and pricing commitments, changing the framework for NBN Co’s cost recovery, and incorporating fibre-to-the-node and other copper-based technologies to create a single regulatory framework for all technologies.

Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) is an annual event to promote and raise awareness of the importance of protecting personal information led by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in partnership with state and territory privacy regulators and Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities.  This year, the event is highlighting privacy as the foundation of trust and will focus on simple foundations we can put in place to protect our personal information.  

We will be promoting the material through our social media accounts and will provide tips for individuals to build a solid foundation of privacy and set a challenge for you to see how well your privacy practices stack up. For more information on PAW2022, please visit their website for more detail https://education.oaic.gov.au/paw2022/  

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