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Rob Nicholls

Senior lecturer in Business Law, UNSW

Dr Rob Nicholls is a senior lecturer in business law at the UNSW Business School.
He was previously a research fellow at Swinburne University of Technology where he worked on spectrum policy matters and a research fellow at the Centre for International Finance and Regulation where he researched the intersection of competition law with financial services regulations. His research applies system and network analysis techniques, commonly used in networked industries, to examine error amplification. Rob is the Independent Telecommunications Adjudicator in a regime established to deal with wholesale disputes arising over both legacy services and migration to the NBN. He has had a thirty-year career concentrating on regulations and governance, particularly in networked industries. He has worked for Webb Henderson, the ACCC and Gilbert + Tobin.

Meta and Google just lost a landmark social media addiction case. A tech law expert explains the fallout

Mar 26, 2026 08:53 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Social media platforms Instagram and YouTube have a design defect which means they are addictive, a jury in the United States has ruled. The Los Angeles jury took nearly nine days to reach its verdict in the landmark case...

Google is worth more in Australia than major news outlets. Here’s how it could better fund journalism

Sep 19, 2024 01:24 am UTC| Technology

The Global Media Internet Concentration Project examines the concentration of the communications and media in countries around the world. The latest data for Australia have recently been released, and they show just how...

Do you trust AI to write the news? It already is – and not without issues

Nov 07, 2023 08:56 am UTC| Technology

Businesses are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate media content, including news, to engage their customers. Now, were even seeing AI used for the gamification of news that is, to create...

The power of tech giants has made them as influential as nations. Here's how they're sanctioning Russia

Mar 07, 2022 08:59 am UTC| Technology

The worlds five leading tech companies Google (now Alphabet), Apple, Facebook (now Meta), Amazon and Microsoft have taken steps to impose significant and (mainly) voluntary sanctions on Russia, in response to its...

If Facebook really pulls news from its Australian sites, we'll have a much less compelling product

Sep 02, 2020 14:08 pm UTC| Technology

Facebook will ban publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram if a proposal to force tech giants to pay for news becomes law, the tech giant has announced. The...

No more negotiating: new rules could finally force Google and Facebook to pay for news

Apr 22, 2020 12:49 pm UTC| Technology

Digital platforms such as Google and Facebook will be forced to compensate news media companies for using their content, under a new mandatory code to be drawn up by Australias competition watchdog. The announcement,...

Why you might be paying more for your airfare than the person seated next to you

Oct 09, 2018 12:52 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Price discrimination is legal in Australia where sellers will typically pick an opening price based on the likelihood that someone will pay it. We take a look at how you can get the best deal on airfares in the second part...

Economy

Asian Stocks Mixed Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting

Asian stock markets traded mixed on Wednesday as investors remained cautious ahead of a closely watched meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. U.S. stock futures were also largely...

Asian Currencies Muted as Dollar Firms Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

Most Asian currencies traded in narrow ranges on Wednesday as a firmer U.S. dollar and caution ahead of the Trump-Xi summit offset optimism stemming from falling oil prices. Regional trading volumes were subdued due to a...

Oil Prices Extend Losses as U.S.-Iran Talks Ease Supply Fears

Oil prices extended their decline for a sixth consecutive session on Wednesday as signs of diplomatic progress between the United States and Iran eased concerns over Middle East supply disruptions. Saudi Arabias efforts to...

Gold Prices Rise as Oil Slide Eases Fed Rate Hike Fears

Gold prices moved higher on Wednesday as a steep decline in oil prices eased inflation concerns and reduced expectations for additional interest rate increases from the U.S. Federal Reserve. Renewed signs of possible...

RBA Says ASX Still Falls Short on Governance and Risk Controls

The Reserve Bank of Australia said ASXs clearing and settlement facilities still fall short of regulatory expectations in several key areas, despite improvements made by the exchange operator over the past year. In its...

Politics

China Tightens Fentanyl Rules Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

China has introduced new guidelines for handling criminal cases involving fentanyl-related substances, strengthening its legal framework for combating synthetic opioid crimes ahead of a high-profile meeting between Chinese...

Taiwan Vows to Advance US Arms Sales Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting

Taiwan will maintain close communication with the United States to ensure planned arms sales move forward, a defence ministry official said Wednesday, as US President Donald Trump prepares to meet Chinese President Xi...

Macron Challenges Trump’s Gaza Peace Claims at UN

French President Emmanuel Macron challenged U.S. President Donald Trumps claims of achieving peace in Gaza on Tuesday, arguing that humanitarian access to the enclave had not improved despite the proclaimed agreement....

Russian Strikes Kill Eight Across Ukraine as Energy Sites Hit

Russian strikes across Ukraine killed eight people and damaged industrial and energy infrastructure on Tuesday as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General...

Marco Rubio to Meet Russia’s Lavrov in New York

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York City on Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. State Department, as diplomatic attention remains focused on the...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Scott Bessent Eyed as Trump’s New AI Czar

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is under consideration to become President Donald Trumps new artificial intelligence czar as Washington intensifies its focus on AI development, safety and national security. A source...

China Reviews Broadcom Switch Use in State Data Centres

China is reviewing the use of Broadcom switches in state-backed data centres as Beijing intensifies efforts to reduce dependence on foreign technology and promote domestic semiconductor and networking equipment suppliers,...

US Northeast Airports Resume Operations After Telecom Outage Disrupts Thousands of Flights

US airport operations across the Northeast began returning to normal on Monday after crews repaired telecommunications problems that had disrupted air traffic and contributed to thousands of flight delays and cancellations...

Burnham Eyes UK Leadership Role in AI Ahead of Trump Meeting

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will push for the UK to take a global leadership role in artificial intelligence on Tuesday as he makes his first major appearance on the international diplomatic stage at the United...

OpenAI Urges US-Led Global Standards for Frontier AI

OpenAI is calling for the United States to lead an international effort to establish technical standards for advanced artificial intelligence, as concerns grow over increasingly capable AI systems and the prospect of...