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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

Saudi Aramco Q1 Profit Jumps 25% as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Reshapes Oil Exports

Saudi Aramco posted a strong 25% increase in first-quarter net profit for 2026, highlighting the companys resilience amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and major disruptions to global energy shipping routes. The Saudi...

Dollar Struggles to Rally Despite Strong US Data as Fed Hike Expectations Remain Limited

The U.S. dollar has continued to underperform even as economic data points to improving fundamentals, and BofA Securities believes the markets hesitation is tied to expectations surrounding future Federal Reserve rate...

Malaysia Unveils Energy Security Plan Amid Iran Conflict and Rising Oil Costs

Malaysia is preparing to introduce a comprehensive strategy to protect its oil supply as tensions surrounding the Iran conflict continue to disrupt global energy markets. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is expected to...

Russian LNG Shadow Fleet Expands Amid Arctic LNG 2 Sanctions

Russia is intensifying efforts to bypass Western energy sanctions after a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker operating under a newly adopted Russian flag was spotted loading fuel linked to the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2...

S&P 500, Nasdaq Hit Record Highs as AI Stocks Rally and Strong Jobs Data Boost Confidence

The SP 500 and Nasdaq closed at fresh record highs on Friday as investors poured into AI-related stocks and welcomed stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs data, reinforcing confidence in the resilience of the American economy....

Politics

Qatar Condemns Drone Strike as Iran Conflict Threatens Gulf Shipping and Global Markets

Qatar has strongly condemned a drone strike on a cargo vessel in its territorial waters, calling the incident a serious violation of international law and a dangerous escalation in the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict. The...

Iran Military Readiness Intensifies After Meeting With Mojtaba Khamenei

Irans military leadership has reinforced its warning against the United States and Israel following a high-level meeting between senior armed forces officials and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to a report...

Qatar LNG Tanker Crosses Strait of Hormuz Amid Iran War Tensions

A QatarEnergy-operated liquefied natural gas tanker successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday for the first time since the Iran war began on February 28, signaling a possible easing of tensions in one of the...

Germany Rejects Putin’s Proposal for Schroeder to Mediate Ukraine Peace Talks

Germany has dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putins suggestion that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder could act as a mediator between Russia and the European Union in possible Ukraine peace negotiations....

Russia Accuses Ukraine of Ceasefire Violations Amid Drone and Artillery Attacks

Russias Defence Ministry claimed on Sunday that Ukraine breached a temporary ceasefire by carrying out drone and artillery attacks against Russian forces, according to reports from Interfax news agency. Moscow stated that...

Science

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...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

Technology

AI-Driven Inflation Raises U.S. Consumer Prices, Goldman Sachs Says

Artificial intelligence is starting to increase U.S. consumer prices through rising costs in electronics, software, and electricity, according to a new Goldman Sachs report. The investment bank said AI-related inflation...

Judge Delays SEC Settlement With Elon Musk Over Twitter Stock Disclosure Case

A federal judge has declined to immediately approve a proposed $1.5 million settlement between Elon Musk and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) tied to Musks 2022 Twitter stock purchase disclosures. The...

Broadcom Eyes $35 Billion AI Chip Financing Deal With Apollo and Blackstone

Broadcom Inc. is reportedly in discussions with Apollo Global Management and Blackstone Inc. to secure around $35 billion in financing for its expanding artificial intelligence chip business, according to a Bloomberg...

Dell Stock Hits Record High After Trump Endorsement, AI Server Demand Fuels Rally

Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE: DELL) surged to an all-time high on Friday after receiving a public endorsement from President Donald Trump during a White House event. The president encouraged Americans to go out and buy...

TikTok Nears $400 Million Settlement With Trump Administration Over Child Privacy Lawsuit

TikTok and the Trump administration are reportedly close to reaching a $400 million settlement tied to allegations that the popular video-sharing platform violated U.S. child privacy laws. According to ABC News, the...