Insight Point: Over the weekend, several tech-related news stories emerged in Australia, including a fine issued to a social media platform for failing to respond to reports of child sexual exploitation, Microsoft’s completion of its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, reports of new iPads being unveiled this week, the introduction of a data breach reporting scheme in Queensland, and a legal battle between News Corp and Google over the ban of an Australian startup.

1. Australia fines social media platform X for non-compliance with child sexual exploitation reports: Elon Musk’s X (formerly known as Twitter) has been issued an infringement notice of $610,500 for failing to respond to reports of child sexual exploitation. The eSafety Commissioner also issued legal notices to Google, TikTok, Twitch, and Discord under Australia’s Online Safety Act. Google escaped a fine but received a formal warning.

2. Microsoft completes acquisition of Activision Blizzard: Microsoft finalized its purchase of gaming company Activision Blizzard for $US69 billion. This acquisition marks the end of a two-year fight with regulators who attempted to block the deal.

3. Apple set to unveil upgraded iPads: Apple is expected to announce refreshed versions of the iPad Air, iPad mini, and the base model iPad this week. The updates are likely to include smaller spec bump updates rather than significant design changes. The announcements will be made on Apple’s website and YouTube channel.

4. Queensland introduces mandatory data breach reporting scheme: Queensland has introduced a Bill to set up a data breach notification scheme. This scheme requires Queensland government agencies to take containment steps if a breach is suspected and allows up to 30 days to assess the incident.

5. Legal battle between News Corp and Google: News Corp chairman Lachlan Murdoch made a plea to Google boss Sundar Pichai to remove a ban on an Australian startup he backed. Google refused and declared it would take its chances in court. The startup, Unlockd, is undertaking legal action to show that Google acted in an anti-competitive manner by banning its app from Google’s platforms.