UK Government Opens Consultation on Social Media Age Restriction, Curfews and Games Crackdown
The UK government has launched a consultation, running until May 26, 2026, to explore stricter controls on children’s access to social media, AI chatbots and online games. Proposals include minimum age thresholds, nighttime curfews, and bans on addictive design elements such as autoplay and infinite scrolling. Surveys are being offered to parents, carers, and young people to shape policy, while the consultation also highlights the growing prevalence of mobile and social media use among children as young as three. The move aligns the UK with broader global regulatory trends targeting digital safety for minors.
Can AI Close the Language Gap in Disaster Warnings? A Federal Watchdog Raises Concerns.
A GAO report says the National Weather Service (NWS) lacks clear objectives and a funding strategy for scaling AI‑driven multilingual weather alerts. The agency’s original $1 million contract for automatic translations was cut to $600,000, limiting its ability to update the...
British Organizations Urged to Be Alert to Threat of Iranian Cyberattacks
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued an advisory warning British organisations of a heightened indirect cyber threat from Iran following a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader. While the agency sees no immediate surge in...
UK Civil Aviation Authority Outlines Electronic Conspicuity Plans for Uncrewed and Crewed Aircraft
The UK Civil Aviation Authority released a Technical Concept of Operations detailing electronic conspicuity (EC) requirements for integrating BVLOS unmanned aircraft into shared airspace. Uncrewed systems must broadcast a 978 MHz ADS‑B signal and carry ADS‑B IN receivers, while crewed aircraft face...
Agencies Aim to Harness AI for Cyber Defense
The upcoming national cyber strategy will make artificial intelligence a cornerstone of federal network security, as emphasized by National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross. Agencies are urged to secure AI use cases while leveraging AI to strengthen information security across government....
Top ICT Tenders: Sentech Looks to IOT Opportunities
Senteic has issued a three‑year tender to build a comprehensive IoT ecosystem, inviting providers to deliver hardware, connectivity and platform solutions across nine categories, including smart metering, asset tracking, smart cities, e‑health, fleet management, smart grid, agriculture, and a generic...
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Quantum-Resistant Data Diode Secures Sensitive Data on Edge Devices, Critical Systems
Forward Edge‑AI unveiled Isidore Quantum, a palm‑sized data diode that enforces one‑way data flow while encrypting traffic with post‑quantum algorithms such as ML‑KEM and ML‑DSA. The device, co‑developed with the U.S. government and Microsoft, delivers sub‑0.5 ms latency and up to...
Duxbury Lands Exclusive Milesight Surveillance Distribution Deal in SA
Duxbury Networking has secured an exclusive distribution agreement for Milesight’s AI‑enabled surveillance solutions in South Africa. The partnership expands Duxbury’s video‑security portfolio with a platform that promises rapid deployment and open integration with existing IT and security systems. According to...
Is Anthropic Building Rwanda’s AI Future — or Its Dependence?
Anthropic signed a three‑year memorandum of understanding with Rwanda to deploy its Claude AI tools in health and education, offering developer access and training for public‑sector coders. Rwanda’s ICT minister touts the deal as a boost for national AI capacity,...
MoJ Signs £5m ‘Innovation Bench’ Deal to Support Digital Ambitions
The Ministry of Justice has signed a £5 million two‑year "innovation bench" contract with UBDS Digital to provide on‑demand agile teams for early‑stage digital projects. The agreement, extendable by six months to August 2028, supplements the department’s 1,700 internal digital staff and...
Hong Kong, Shanghai Authorities to Test Blockchain for Cargo Trade Data
Hong Kong’s Monetary Authority, Shanghai’s Data Bureau and the National Technology Innovation Center for Blockchain have signed an MoU to develop a blockchain‑based cross‑border platform for trade data, electronic bills of lading and financing. The effort will build on the...
CIAM Authentication Sessions at #IdentityWeekAmerica2026: Protecting Organisational and Customer Security
Identity Week America, taking place September 2‑3 in Washington D.C., will host a series of CIAM authentication sessions aimed at strengthening organizational and customer security. The agenda highlights next‑generation technologies such as password‑less login, multi‑factor authentication, and facial recognition, with...
Cyberattack Briefly Disrupts Russian Internet Regulator and Defense Ministry Websites
Russia’s internet regulator Roskomnadzor and the Defense Ministry suffered a large distributed denial‑of‑service (DDoS) attack that briefly took down several government websites. The agency described the assault as a complex multi‑vector operation originating from servers and botnets in Russia, the...
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Manish Srivastava proposes a minimal digital kernel that provides the essential shared capabilities for an unbundled state to function as a rule‑of‑law machine. The kernel focuses on legibility, reproducibility, and enforceability, allowing other applications, intermediaries, and fulfillment channels to remain...
Daily Mail – All Social Media Users Required to Verify Their Age if the Government Takes Strongest Measures to Ban...
The UK government is considering its most stringent option to ban under‑16s from social media, which would require every user to undergo age verification. Proposed methods include mandatory ID checks, biometric scans, or AI‑based behavioural profiling. Privacy watchdog Big Brother...
Extension of Data-Sharing to NI ‘a Significant Step Towards a More Responsive, Integrated Public Service System’
The UK government has activated new commencement regulations that extend the Digital Economy Act 2017 data‑sharing powers to public bodies in Northern Ireland as of 11 February. The measures allow authorities to exchange information to improve services, reduce public debt...
The Dead Law Theory: The Perils of Simulated Interpretation
Zachary Catanzaro argues that judges consulting ChatGPT for statutory meaning face a fundamental flaw, not merely a reliability issue. Large language models predict token sequences without true semantic comprehension, making computational legal interpretation a category error. He links this flaw to...
AFCA Brings in Ex-Beyond Bank CIO
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) has appointed former Beyond Bank CIO Stevie‑Ann Dovico as its inaugural chief technology officer. AFCA is confronting record‑high complaint volumes and seeks to modernise its digital workflows, improve accessibility, and handle the sustained surge...
Vietnam Announces National Cybersecurity Firewall Plan Under New Digital Governance Law
Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security announced a national cybersecurity firewall plan, codified in the new Cybersecurity Law that takes effect on July 1, 2026. The law’s Article 10 explicitly directs authorities to study a national firewall, marking the first statutory...
DVSA Digitises Individual Vehicle Approval
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) launched the Manage Your Vehicle Testing platform, a fully digital replacement for the legacy Technical Application System. The rollout, completed by June 2025, eliminated PDF uploads, introduced online payment and reusable templates, and allowed...
Councils Partner to Improve Public Spaces Mobile Connectivity
Local authorities and the Small Cell Forum have launched the Local Authority Connectivity Group to tackle planning, street‑works and funding hurdles that impede small‑cell deployment in public spaces. The initiative will produce blueprints, templates and toolkits to streamline collaboration between...
Defra Holds Hackathon for Environmental Reporting Data Challenges
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) hosted a two‑day hackathon to accelerate digital solutions for environmental reporting. Teams built a Microsoft Power Automate workflow to ease data intake and an Azure‑based tool to streamline data transformation, both...
Left Ignoring Data Privacy as AI Surveillance Bills Loom
Yes but effectively NO ONE on the left is talking about data privacy & the House is abt to go into markup on a package of 19 “child safety” bills that would enact unprecedented levels of mass AI surveillance/fully remove...
Sri Lanka Digital ID Project in Final Stage: Digital Economy Deputy Minister
Sri Lanka is set to roll out a biometric national digital ID by the end of 2026, with the first cards expected in the third or fourth quarter. The government has earmarked 35.6 billion rupees (about US$120 million) in the 2026 budget...
DSIT Seeks £174k AI and Emerging Tech Leader
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is hiring a Director General to lead emerging technology and artificial intelligence, offering a salary of up to £174,000. The role will shape the UK’s strategy, investment and regulation across AI, quantum...
Singapore and Norway Activate EFTA Digital Economy Agreement
The European Free Trade Association‑Singapore Digital Economy Agreement (ESDEA) has entered into force for Singapore and Norway, following its signing in September 2025. The pact establishes binding rules for cross‑border data flows, electronic payments, and paperless trade, while prohibiting data‑localisation...
Vietnam: Digital Leap Set to Transform the Real Estate Market
Vietnam will assign a unique identification code to every land plot, apartment, house and land‑attached asset starting March 1, 2026, integrating them into a single national land database. The digital platform will consolidate rights, planning data, transaction history, mortgage status and tax...
The Philippines: PhilTower MIDC Aligns Digital Infrastructure, Workforce
PhilTower MIDC became the first independent tower company in the Philippines to join the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP). The move ties its aggressive rollout of built‑to‑suit towers to a formal workforce development framework, supporting the national “Build...
Australia: New Implementer Hub Advances Digital Health Integration
The Australian Digital Health Agency has launched the Digital Health Implementer Hub, replacing its Developer Portal to simplify how health services, software developers and system providers connect to national digital health infrastructure. The hub adds a personalized case‑management system, dynamic...
Indonesia: Regulation, Support Platforms Strengthen Child Online Safety
Indonesia is rolling out a two‑pronged strategy to protect minors online, beginning with the enforcement of Government Regulation No. 17 (PP Tunas) in March 2026. The law obliges digital platforms to implement age verification, content filtering and other safety controls. Complementing the regulation,...
Hong Kong: AI Partnership Targets Regional Digital Growth
Hong Kong and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create a structured AI partnership. The MoU outlines joint efforts in AI research, data infrastructure, governance standards, and talent development. Both jurisdictions aim to accelerate...
Councils Lack Mandatory AI Governance
The NSW Audit Office reports that only 40% of the state’s 128 councils have formal AI policies, and merely 11% possess a strategic AI adoption plan. While 90 councils have deployed 109 AI tools, most lack a central inventory, leaving...
The Data Sovereignty Fault Line Dividing Washington and Its Allies
The United States, via Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is urging diplomats to counter foreign data‑sovereignty measures, calling EU regulations overly burdensome and a threat to innovation. At the same time, France announced it will replace Microsoft Teams and Zoom with...
Ten Years on, US Personnel Vetting Project Remains Unfinished
The Department of Defense’s National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) project, launched in 2016 to modernize personnel vetting after a series of cybersecurity breaches, still lacks a reliable delivery schedule, the Government Accountability Office reported to Congress. Designed to serve every...
States Push Data Center Pauses to Buy Time to Gauge Impacts
Several U.S. states are introducing legislation to pause data‑center expansions that support artificial‑intelligence workloads. The measures aim to give regulators time to assess water and power consumption, grid impacts, and potential electricity cost increases for local communities. These pauses follow...
Home Affairs Silence on US Data Access Talks Adds to Layer Cake of Mistrust
Australia’s Home Affairs department has remained silent on ongoing talks with the United States about expanded data access for the Visa Waiver Program. The discussions, which began under the Biden administration in 2022, aim to increase the flow of traveler...
VET Lift for Australia’s Digital and Care Workforce
Melbourne will host two new TAFE Centres of Excellence, funded with $50.6 million from state and federal sources. The campuses will be located at Frankston and Moorabbin, raising the nation’s total VET excellence sites to 16. Minister for Skills and Training...
Josh Kussman Joins Accelint as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategy
Accelint announced the appointment of Josh Kussman as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategy. Kussman, an entrepreneur, attorney, and former homeland security leader, joins after consulting stints and senior roles at Avantus Federal and Sentinel. His track record...
Escalating Cyber Attacks From Iran: Is Your Organization Prepared for State Sponsored Threat Groups?
Escalating geopolitical tensions have amplified Iran‑backed cyber activity, with state‑sponsored groups such as Charming Kitten, APT33, and MuddyWater intensifying spear‑phishing, zero‑day exploits, and custom malware campaigns. These actors target a broad spectrum of sectors, from US political institutions and critical...
Aspen Leads Nation with Firefighting Drone Technology
Colorado is leading with practical wildfire solutions. Aspen is first in the nation using new tech to get ahead of fires and protect lives, landscapes, and communities. From tackling pine beetles to statewide wildfire mitigation, we’re keeping Colorado’s forests and people...
EU Digital Euro Stalls Amid Offline‑only Push
Brussels proposed a digital form of cash that could be used both online and offline. Navarrete, by contrast, is pushing for an offline-only model. More delays. Can Europe break free of Visa and Mastercard? MEPs stall digital euro https://t.co/SLW3jTmnrB
The Strategic Consolidation of Patient Engagement: Assessing the Viability of the Third Party Portal Market Amidst the Expansion of the...
The NHS is consolidating patient engagement by expanding the NHS App as a national digital front door, aiming for 95% of appointment bookings by 2028 and targeting £11 million in annual savings from phasing out third‑party patient portals. The Wayfinder programme...
Government AI Shifts From Pilots to Full Operations
Government AI moves from pilots to ops State and local agencies embed AI for efficiency and trusted services. #AI #CES2026 #MWC26 #IoT https://t.co/BvQ83jDytY https://t.co/7vryqhaQfj
Technology and Power: Why Africa’s Tech Boom Must Prioritise Peace
Africa’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem is being hailed as a catalyst for growth, yet its future hinges on whether it can be harnessed for peace. Young, connected Africans are already building AI‑driven early‑warning tools and civic platforms that can defuse...
Purpose Drives Design: Functions of a Statewide Longitudinal Data System
Statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDS) can boost education and workforce outcomes, but designs vary based on intended functions—public reporting, research analytics, and individual support. The brief by Stefaan Verhulst explains how policymakers can align system architecture, governance, and legal frameworks...
Local Strategies for Engaging Youth with Data
Local organizations receiving grants from the Local Data for Equitable Communities program are training teenagers to collect, analyze, and present data on pressing neighborhood issues such as displacement, air pollution, extreme heat, and limited public spaces. The initiative, highlighted in...
Mont. Hospital System Brings 24/7 Ambulance Service to Rural County
Intermountain Health will begin providing 24/7 emergency medical services to eastern Yellowstone County, Montana, starting July 1. The partnership with Yellowstone County and the Worden and Shepherd fire districts includes purchasing two ambulances and hiring ten paramedics and EMTs. It addresses...
This Is the System That Intercepted Iran’s Missiles Over the UAE
Iran launched ballistic missiles at Gulf targets after joint Israeli‑U.S. strikes, and the United Arab Emirates’ air‑defense network successfully intercepted several projectiles using THAAD and Patriot systems. The missiles were destroyed before reaching their intended sites, but debris from one...
VIEWPOINT: New York State’s Newly Required Registration of Large Cooling Equipment
New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation has amended Part 494 to require commercial property owners to register and report leakage of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Large equipment (≥1,500 lb) must report annual leakage starting March 2026, medium‑size units (200‑1,499 lb) register by June 2026 with reporting...
Ilinois Hospital Breaks Ground on New EMS Transport Hub
Deaconess Illinois Medical Center in Marion has broken ground on a new EMS transport hub slated for completion in May. The 4‑ambulance facility will relocate EMS operations from Harrisburg to a centralized Marion campus, providing on‑site crew living space. Hospital...