Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and 13 other telecom companies have asked for clarity on how much the government plans to contribute towards the costs of complying with the proposed new data retention law. [ + ]

Government policy-makers must be cautious while imposing regulations and laws that threaten the integrity of the internet, an expert involved in shaping the internet's evolution has warned. [ + ]

The global contraction in the PC market may be worse than expected in 2015 as device substitution and lower subsidies for Windows 8.1 devices constrict demand, according to IDC. [ + ]

TPG intends to buy rival fixed-line operator iiNet for $8.60 per share, becoming the second-largest fixed broadband operator in Australia by market share. [ + ]

In our new Tech Insights series, we quiz industry leaders to get their views of what the year ahead holds for the IT world. Today we speak with Grant Christian, Country Manager, Information Builders. [ + ]

Google researchers are developing a method for evaluating the trustworthiness of a web page based on the accuracy of facts presented and penalising sites with wrong information. [ + ]

In our new Tech Insights series, we quiz industry leaders to get their views of what the year ahead holds for the IT world. Today we speak with David Gibson, Vice President of Marketing, Varonis. [ + ]

The coming year will see business intelligence (BI) tools move out of the IT department and into the rest of the enterprise, while large BI vendors will incorporate data discovery features made popular by smaller vendors and smaller vendors look for new target markets. [ + ]

Enforcement efforts managed to reduce the threat posed by online bank trojans in 2014, but another threat may be returning to the fore, with a new Australian scam involving the CryptoLocker ransomare emerging. [ + ]

SAP will cut about 2250 jobs while adding a similar number elsewhere, Microsoft sues Kyocera over a mobile phone patent claim and researchers find a way to view crime scenes in virtual reality. [ + ]

Microsoft has launched a preview version of Office 2016 for Mac, incorporating tweaks including graphics customised for Retina screens. [ + ]

In our new Tech Insights series, we quiz industry leaders to get their views of what the year ahead holds for the IT world. Today we speak with Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman & Managing Director of Persistent Systems. [ + ]

In our new Tech Insights series, we quiz industry leaders to get their views of what the year ahead holds for the IT world. Today we speak with Francois Vazille, Vice President, IT Business, Schneider Electric. [ + ]

This week: Voters prepare to be hacked, awful Centrelink apps, a new way to track your phone, 'Spocking a five' and a tomato robot. [ + ]

The federal government's proposed data retention legislation is a threat to civil rights protections that just won't work, argues the Internet Society of Australia. [ + ]