The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has just implemented a ruling that transactions completed in the digital crypto-currency Bitcoin are liable for the Goods and Services Tax (GST), however it's still not classified as 'real money'.

This ruling reads "a transfer of Bitcoin from one entity to another is a 'supply' for GST purposes" with further research into the release commenting that anything involving Bitcoin "will be treated as a barter transaction," still rendering it as not 'real' money. This follows previous reports of this Australian organization claiming Bitcoin to be used for 'barter' only and not classified as a legitimate currency.

Firthermore in the ATO's release, they stated that "Bitcoin is not a legally recognised universal means of exchange and form of payment by the laws of Australia or the laws of any other country. Therefore, it is not 'currency (whether of Australia or of any other country)' under paragraph (a) of the definition of 'money'."

Google wants to see its Android mobile operating system built directly into connected cars, hoping drivers and passengers are able to enjoy connectivity even before connecting their smartphones. If this occurs in 2015, it would be a major step beyond just the Google Android Auto software - and the first wave of vehicles should be available sometime in 2015.

Despite increased interest in connected vehicles, Google still has remained relatively quiet about its long-term Android plans in vehicles. However, Android M should have a major role in providing connected features to drivers. If everything goes according to Google's plan, Android will evolve into the major platform used to power infotainment and navigation for connected cars.

"It provides a much stronger foothold for Google to really be part of the vehicle rather than being an add-on," said Thilo Koslowski, VP and Automotive Practice Leader of Gartner, in a statement published by Reuters.

Signal System 7 (SS7) powers multiple phone carriers across the world including big names such as AT&T and Verizon - its global telecom network is used to route calls and text and in recent news, this technology has been reported to have some huge security issues associated inside. These issues come in the form of security holes that let hackers listen in to your calls and texts.

ACLU's Cheif Technologist has informed Gizmodo that this flaw is so serious that people should consider no longer using their mobile phone for calls until the problems are fixed.

SS7's outdated infrastructure is said to be the cause of this issue, with German research discovering this invasion of privacy, said to be publishing their full findings later this month at a conference in Hamburg (as according to the Washington Post).

Lian Li still make some of the most unique chassis' on the market, but the new O Series open-air, wall-mountable chassis really takes teh cake. There are four new models, the PC-O5, PC-O5S, PC-O6S and PC-O7S which are sure to impress.

The first two models, the PC-O5 and PC-O5S are mini-ITX variants, while the PC-O6S is a micro-ATX offering, with the PC-O7S being an ATX model. All four models feature Lian Li's impressive aluminum design, with all four cases featuring a very similar look. All four allow you to show off the hardware inside of your chassis, with the entire build visible through glass.

The video cards are installed parallel to the motherboard which will have some of your friends freaking out, but it will also look super awesome, too. This is achieved by Lian Li offering PCI riser cards and extensions with the new chassis models. Customizable storage options are also on offer, with hard drives capable of being mounted in the HDD cage, which is hidden by a nice shield. Water cooling support is also provided, with the "S" variants of the new O Series cases denoting which ones are capable of being water cooled.

Markus "Notch" Persson is spending some of those billions that Microsoft paid for Mojang, buying a $70 million mansion, which just so happened to be the most expensive house in Beverly Hills.

The John Aaroe Group announced the sale, a record $70 million, with the following press release: "Persson's purchase included everything in the house from luxury furnishings to exotic electronics such as the automated 54-foot curved glass door in the living room that opens onto an infinity pool with iPad-controlled fountains and spectacular views. Cases of Dom Perignon were part of the deal."

Notch's new digs are pretty damn nice, with the house taking up a massive 23,000 square feet. The $70 million mansion features "vodka and tequila bars, a candy room, an 18-seat tiered screening room, a state-of-the-art kitchen and an exquisite 18-foot onyx dining room table for 24 that includes place settings by Roberto Cavalli at a cost of $3,700 each. Three high-definition 90-inch television screens bring panoramic views of Los Angeles from the roof into the down stairs lounge - especially breathtaking at night, says De Los Reyes. Art pieces include a replica of James Dean's motorcycle and a chromed Ma Deuce machine gun. On a conventional note, the home has eight bedrooms and 15 bathrooms all equipped with Toto Neorest toilets at a price of $5,600 each."

Since the dawn of eSports, poor old Oceania has been heavily neglected in receiving invites, qualifiers or any chances to enter global gaming competitions. In a move to capture a new audience, HiRez Studios have just announced that players from this region will now have the ability to qualify for the Smite world championships, season 2.

This free, Multilayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) 3rd-person game has begun a massive push into the Australian market - after a positive showing at PAX Australia 2014 and the recent acquisition of well-known fighting games player and organizer Daniel Chlebowczyk, they're looking to give the locals something that they've been wanting for ages - international exposure.

Australian and New Zealand-based teams will qualify through an online tournament, conducted on CyberGamer - leading to an Oceanic finals and then eventually the global event.

It looks like the US government could respond to North Korea hacking Sony Pictures, with White House spokesman Josh Earnest telling reporters that the attack was an example of "destructive activity with malicious intent that was initiated by a sophisticated actor."

Earnest continued, saying that US national security leaders "would be mindful of the fact that we need a proportional response. They were also aware that people carrying out such attacks are "often seeking to provoke a response." He added that "They may believe that a response from us in one fashion or another would be advantageous to them" by helping their image on the world stage. The White House spokesman added that the US viewed North Korea hacking Sony as "a serious national security matter."

Sony has since cancelled the release of 'The Interview' from US theaters, after North Korea threatened an attack under the guise of the 'Guardians of Peace' or GOP.

There have been a few videos floating around the Internet comparing Techland's upcoming zombie survival shooter, with claims that Dying Light has been graphically downgraded. We've seen it before with Ubisoft's titles, such as Watch Dogs and The Division, but now the claims of Dying Light have PC gamers in a fit, and rightly so.

Techland's Paul Milewski spoke with GamingBolt, where he said "If you compare the 2103 footage to any of the material released lately, you can clearly see major improvements. Downgraded? Not a chance. Just look at the latest interactive footage released by us a couple of days ago." Milewski added "Also, consider that most of the recent media and YouTuber gameplay that's out there is all on PCs that we have no idea what's in them. And yet they all look better compared to the 2013 promo material which was recorded on a high-end PC at the time."

Dying Light hits the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC next month.

An undercover BBC investigation revealed ongoing poor working conditions of employees inside of factories manufacturing Apple products. At a Pegatron factory manufacturing iPhone 6 smartphones, there were routinely broken guidelines, with workers' hours, dormitories, work meetings, juvenile workers and ID cars being breached in day-to-day operations.

Not surprisingly, Apple "strongly disagreed" with conclusions from the investigations - despite video showing employees falling asleep during 12-hour shifts. One employee worked 18 consecutive days, despite previously asking for a day off. A different worker had to work a 16-hour shift and said that he or she wouldn't want to move, and just wanted to lie down and rest: "I was unable to sleep at night because of the stress."

Here is what Apple noted in a statement: "Worker safety and well-being are our top priorities. We set very high standards, conduct rigorous training for managers and workers, and have external auditors regularly visiting our facilities to find areas for improvement."

Alert Logic has recently informed the public of a "grinch" Linux vulnerability, but according to Red Hat - it's a perfectly normal thing.

The official reply noted that "this report incorrectly classifies expected behavior as a security issue," through a Red Hat Bulletin released on Wednesday just one day after the report being made public. This was in response to Alert Logic claiming that this Grinch issue may be as large as the previously seen Heartbleed bug, noting that they believe it is a serious design flaw in how Linux handles user permissions.

The flaw is said to enable hackers the ability to gain root access to machines, with Alert Logic further claiming that this Grinch can be exploited through third-party Linux software framework such as Policy Kit. This Red Hat self-made software is listed as an open-source program, and set in place to allow users to install software easily - something that requires root access. If the hackers can take this program over for their own use, that's where much if the problem lies. However Linux doesn't think this is an issue, claiming that root access is how these programs are designed to work.