Hewlett-Packard Australia (HP) has been ordered to pay $3 million for misleading customers and retailers regarding consumer guarantee rights. [ + ]

While whichever party wins the next Australian Federal election is expected to pass some form of data breach notification law, a change of guard could prompt changes to the current proposed bill - including its axing. [ + ]

An Australian technology product recycling program has set a Guinness World Record for the most e-waste collected for recycling in one week. [ + ]

Do we only need to guard against the bad guys trying to hack our infrastructure? Or do we need to defend ourselves from the bad habits of the good guys who manage that infrastructure? [ + ]

With more than two years in the CIO’s chair at The Treasury of the federal government, Peter Alexander is one of the most high-profile and influential IT executives in Australia. We spoke to him about some of the hot topics on his radar. [ + ]

At next week’s Startup Weekend Adelaide, entrepreneurs will meet up to discuss and develop apps that could form the basis of a credible start-up. [ + ]

Victoria’s Technology Minister has launched the eServices Register, the state’s new cloud-based portal for ICT companies to bid for state government software and services contracts. [ + ]

Tech website The Register is attempting to fund independent research into both Labor’s and the Coalition’s competing National Broadband Network (NBN) plans, by asking readers to open their wallets and make a contribution. [ + ]

CIOs have a unique perspective across the entire organisation and an opportunity, if not a mandate, to play a leading role in supporting executive team decision-making. To be effective, however, CIOs must understand that each executive views business slightly differently based on his or her current role and past experiences. [ + ]

Legislation for mandatory data breach reporting in Australia has failed to make it through the Senate and, unless the upcoming federal election date is changed, will not be enacted into law until after the next election. [ + ]

Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has taken the mantle of Communications Minister, after Stephen Conroy stepped down in last week’s Labor leadership spill. Analysts say there will be no big changes between now and the election. [ + ]

German computer scientist Volker Roth is working on a system to allow whistleblowers to disclose confidential information without being observed or traced. [ + ]

The stereotype of the geeky male nerd is turning many women off from joining the computer science field, but challenging this preconception is relatively simple, a new report says. [ + ]

If you believe the hype, a ‘password pill’ could save you from remembering passwords. But don’t hold your breath for this technology - better alternatives are already available. [ + ]

Business intelligence systems and analytics have leapt forward in recent years. Gone are the days of retrospective reporting and data warehouses that were updated each day. We are now in the era of using data to make real-time decisions with live data from many sources. [ + ]