NIHR Funding for Kidney Care App Study at Portsmouth NHS Trust
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust has received almost £100,000 (≈ $128,000) from the NIHR to evaluate the MyRenalCare app’s ability to make kidney care more inclusive. The INCLUDE‑CKD study will compare about 1,000 app users with a similar number receiving standard care over the next year. Researchers will interview patients and staff to gauge real‑world experiences and assess whether digital kidney care reduces or worsens health inequalities. Findings are intended to shape future NHS rollout of equitable digital kidney services.
Einride to Develop Swedish Dual-Use Tracked AV
Einride is co‑leading a three‑year initiative with Sweden’s National Road and Transport Research Institute and about 40 partners to build an autonomous tracked all‑terrain vehicle. The platform, powered by Einride Driver software, will move standard EU pallets of food and...
Defra Creates New Service Manual with AI
Defra has unveiled an AI‑powered service manual that centralises guidance for digital practitioners across the department. The manual was built using an agentic design approach, where an autonomous AI agent generated code and structure from high‑level user needs. Human experts...
US Army Wagon Tracking and Monitoring Contract Awarded
The U.S. Army Transportation Command has awarded AssetLink Global a Rail Car In‑Transit Visibility contract to equip Department of War wagons with real‑time tracking and remote monitoring. The solution incorporates load, impact, temperature and door‑entry sensors, delivering granular condition data...
APWA Snow Conference Brings Industry Together in Cleveland
The American Public Works Association’s North American Snow Conference 2026 convened public‑works professionals, contractors, and industry leaders in Cleveland from April 26‑29. Over four days, attendees accessed expert‑led education sessions, certification tracks in winter maintenance and fleet management, and a bustling...
Bank of Italy Pushes EU to Assess Tokenized Euro Payments
JUST IN: Bank of Italy urges EU to evaluate a tokenized version of Europe’s euro payments system.
Kids Are Using Fake Mustaches, VPNs, and Their Parents' Accounts to Get Around Age Verification
A recent UK‑focused survey of 1,270 children aged 9‑16 and their parents found that roughly 32% bypass age‑verification checks, most often by entering a fake birthdate. Other tactics include using an adult’s device or login, VPNs, and even fake mustaches...
DOGE Affiliate Is Now in Charge of the US Government’s ID Platform
Greg Hogan, a former Comma.ai executive and DOGE affiliate, has been named acting assistant commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS). In this role he will direct Login.gov, the federal government’s secure identity platform, with a mandate...
Trump Executive Order Launches TrumpIRA.gov and $1,000 Saver’s Match for Workers
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 30 that creates TrumpIRA.gov, a federal online marketplace for low‑cost IRAs, and adds a $1,000 Saver’s Match credit for low‑income workers. The move aims to reach the 41‑56 million Americans lacking employer‑provided retirement...
CISA and Allies Publish First‑Ever Agentic AI Security Guidance for Critical Infrastructure
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, together with the Australian Cyber Security Centre and other allies, issued a new guidance document on Friday outlining concrete security controls for the deployment of agentic AI in critical infrastructure. The guidance warns...
USACE Introduces System for Assessing Pre-Construction Notifications
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has added a self‑verification module to its Regulatory Request System, allowing users to determine instantly whether a pre‑construction notification is required for activities covered by nationwide permits. The step‑by‑step questionnaire provides immediate correspondence when...
Tanzania Nears Launch of Swahili LLM to Power Government Services
Minister Angellah Kairuki said Tanzania is close to releasing a Swahili large‑language model that will enable AI‑driven public services in fluent Kiswahili. The rollout is part of a broader push for digital inclusion, cybersecurity and data‑driven growth in the communications...
Widows Targeted by Fraudulent Life‑Insurance Calls; Data Brokers Urged to Tighten Opt‑Outs
Consumer advocates are pressing data‑broker firms to improve opt‑out mechanisms after a wave of life‑insurance scams preyed on grieving widows. Research shows 52.5% of crimes reported by Americans over 60 in 2023 were enabled by personal data online, highlighting a...
Why Public Sector AI Uptake Keeps Stalling
Australian government agencies are eager to experiment with AI, launching numerous pilots across predictive analytics and natural‑language tools. However, few projects move beyond proof‑of‑concept to production, reflecting a global pattern amplified by Australia’s fiscal pressures, complex procurement and data‑sovereignty expectations....
Pentagon Signs Contracts with Seven AI Firms to Bring Tools Onto Classified Networks
The Pentagon finalized agreements with seven artificial‑intelligence companies, allowing their products to run on secret and top‑secret networks. The move expands the AI supplier pool, excludes Anthropic amid a supply‑chain dispute, and speeds approvals from 18 months to under three...
OroraTech Launches Greece’s First National Wildfire‑Monitoring Satellite Constellation
OroraTech placed four dedicated wildfire‑monitoring satellites into a 590‑km sun‑synchronous orbit on May 3, 2026, creating Greece’s first sovereign constellation for real‑time fire intelligence. The system, built for the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance and the Hellenic Space Center with...
A Roundup of US Federal Agencies and Their APIs
The API Evangelist has compiled a comprehensive catalog of public‑facing APIs, RSS feeds, and data surfaces for 211 U.S. federal agencies, now hosted in a dedicated GitHub repository. Each entry links to a machine‑readable APIs.yml file and, where available, OpenAPI...
Smart Traffic Lights: The Next Digital Upgrade
#WhatsNext? How about a digital upgrade to our good old traffic lights? Your thoughts? (GiGadgets) https://t.co/k7xCQrMb4m
White House Considers Vetting A.I. Models Before They Are Released
The White House is drafting an executive order to create an AI working group that would vet new artificial‑intelligence models before they reach the market. The proposal marks a sharp reversal for the Trump administration, which previously championed a hands‑off...
Google Signs Pentagon AI Deal with Weaker Guardrails than OpenAI, Faces Internal Backlash From 1,000 Employees
Google has inked a Pentagon contract that lets its Gemini AI models operate on classified military networks for any lawful purpose. Unlike OpenAI’s defense deal, the agreement omits strong safeguards and a clause barring mass domestic surveillance, allowing Google to...
White House Officials Discuss Assessing AI Models That Pose Security Risks
The White House is weighing a cybersecurity‑focused executive order that would create a formal review process for artificial‑intelligence tools deemed high‑risk. Officials plan to establish an oversight group to draft standards for powerful models such as Anthropic’s Mythos, which has...
FCC Mandates Stricter Vetting for All New Robocall Providers
The FCC is expanding our crackdown on illegal robocalls. We just voted on a proposal that would require enhanced vetting before any provider can onboard new callers. These enhaced “Know-Your-Customer” regulations are part of a broader FCC effort to combat illegal calls....
School District Partners With Vacaville Police for Drone Program
Kairos Public Schools in Vacaville has teamed up with the Vacaville Police Department to launch a Drone as a First Responder program, financed by a California state law‑enforcement grant. The initiative places FAA‑certified police pilots in charge of unmanned aerial...
Every Government Has an AI Strategy. Dubai Just Gave Its Private Sector a Deadline.
Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan has issued a two‑year mandate requiring the emirate’s entire private sector to adopt agentic AI, with training tracks, incubators, and dedicated investment funds run by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. The move builds on a...
How Access to Bank Records Could Transform Tax System
Kenya’s tax authority currently must obtain a court order before accessing bank records, slowing enforcement and allowing high‑income earners to under‑declare income. Countries such as South Africa, Namibia and several European states already permit regulated bank‑data requests, boosting compliance. A...
The State Department Looks to Build on the Success of Online Passport Renewal
The State Department launched a revamped online passport renewal platform in 2024, issuing over 7.3 million renewals and cutting processing time in half. User satisfaction is high, with 94% rating the service positively. The agency plans to extend digital services to...
Kids Say They Can Beat Age Checks by Drawing on a Fake Mustache
The UK’s Online Safety Act introduced stricter age‑verification rules, but research shows they are easily sidestepped. A survey of over 1,000 children and parents found 46% consider the checks simple to beat, with tactics ranging from fake birthdays to drawing...
Kids Say They Can Beat Age Checks by Drawing on a Fake Mustache
The UK’s Online Safety Act age‑verification measures are being easily circumvented, according to a survey by Internet Matters of over 1,000 children and parents. Nearly half of kids say checks are easy to bypass, with tricks ranging from fake birthdays...
Virginia AG Renews Bid To Enforce Time Limits For Social Media
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones is pressing the state to enforce SB 854, a law that would require social‑media platforms to verify users' ages and limit anyone under 16 to one hour of daily access without parental consent. In March, U.S....
Coalition Urges FCC to Reverse Ligado-AST SpaceMobile L‑Band Approval
A coalition of aerospace, aviation and weather groups sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging the FCC to rescind its 2020 approval of Ligado Networks' L‑band partnership with AST SpaceMobile. The letter cites Ligado's failure to meet a commercial‑service...
Bihar Launches Unified E‑Gov Portal for 19 Urban Services, Including Property Permits
The Bihar state cabinet cleared a single‑portal e‑government platform that will host 19 urban civic services, from property tax payments to building plan approvals. Officials say the system will replace fragmented local‑body processes, cut duplication and improve transparency for residents...
AI Tools Claude and GPT‑4.1 Power Massive Breach of Nine Mexican Government Agencies
A lone attacker used Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s GPT‑4.1 to infiltrate nine Mexican government ministries between Dec. 2025 and Feb. 2026, stealing hundreds of millions of citizen records. The operation combined AI‑generated commands with custom scripts, exploiting basic security lapses and underscoring...
Opinions on UK Online Safety Act Emphasize Importance of Enforcement
The UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) has introduced visible parental controls and age‑verification prompts, with 53% of children reporting recent checks on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. However, the Internet Matters report finds that harmful content still reaches minors...
Spire Global Loses $52.7M Canadian Wildfire Satellite Contract
Spire Global disclosed that the Canadian Public Works and Government Services ministry terminated a CAD 71.8 million ($52.7 million) contract to build a WildFireSat constellation. The loss equals about nine months of Spire's projected 2025 revenue, pushing back its path to profitability.
Canadian Election Databases Use "Canary Traps"—And They Work
Alberta’s elections authority used a classic canary trap to trace a leak of its voter list. The list, legally provided to the Republican Party of Alberta with injected bogus entries, appeared unchanged in a separatist group’s online database, confirming the...
UK Home Office Raises Estimate for Passport Contract to 12 Years, £576M
The UK Home Office has opened a third round of market engagement for a new passport manufacturing and personalization contract that will replace Thales' current deal. The contract is estimated at £480 million (≈$649 million) excluding VAT, or £576 million (≈$779 million) including VAT,...
FinCEN Eyes Contractors to Help Draft Its Own Regulations
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is evaluating the use of external contractors to draft regulatory guidance and rulemaking materials. The effort targets compliance with the 2020 Anti‑Money Laundering Act and the 2025 Genius Act governing U.S. stablecoins....
Smart as a City: The Politics of Test-Bed Urbanism
Burcu Baykurt’s new book examines Kansas City’s experiment with Google’s city‑wide gigabit broadband and a suite of municipal smart‑city pilots in transportation, public housing, and services. The ethnography follows civic entrepreneurs, residents, and officials as they try to match local...
NTSB Expands Accident Dashboard With Findings Data
The National Transportation Safety Board has upgraded its U.S. Civil Aviation Accident Dashboard to incorporate accident findings, giving users direct insight into the agency’s conclusions on causative factors. The new interface consolidates the former General Aviation Accident Dashboard, expanding coverage...
Workday Bets Big on Federal HR Overhaul
Workday is positioning itself to win the federal government's HR modernization effort, targeting the OMB’s ten‑year Federal HR 2.0 procurement slated for a November award. The company has expanded its government unit from seven staff to roughly 400, opening a Reston,...
Austria Launches Nationwide Digital Student ID Through eAusweise Smartphone App
Austria has launched a nationwide digital student ID through the eAusweise mobile app, integrating higher‑education credentials into the country’s ID Austria digital identity system. The solution, built by youniqx Identity AG, stores the encrypted credential locally on students’ smartphones, eliminating...
OpenID Foundation Opens Vote on Advanced Syntax for Claims Specification Relevant to Mobile Wallets
The OpenID Foundation has opened a member vote on the Implementer’s Draft of OpenID Connect Advanced Syntax for Claims (ASC) 1.0, running May 1‑15, 2026. Approval would move the spec to Implementer’s Draft status, enabling trial implementations and interoperability testing, especially for...
EFF Submission to UK Consultation on Digital ID
Britain's Labour government is moving forward with a national digital ID scheme, prompting the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to submit formal comments to a government consultation. The EFF’s submission outlines six core concerns—mission creep, privacy infringements, security vulnerabilities, reliance on...
Florida Monetized Test Scores
The Curve Weekly highlights four major shifts shaping K‑12 markets. Florida enacted HB 1279 and SB 1296, converting advanced‑course assessment results into teacher payroll incentives and tightening union‑dues rules. Houston ISD introduced a $500 per‑student academic‑need subsidy while centralizing budget control, signaling...
Federal Agencies Can Use AI Now for Human-AI Collaboration
Federal agencies can now deploy artificial intelligence for human‑AI collaboration, turning data into actionable insights. The article emphasizes AI as a force multiplier that augments, rather than replaces, the workforce across acquisition, compliance, knowledge retention, and asset management. By integrating...
Constructing a New Knowledge Infrastructure
The authors argue that effective community health and safety depend on timely, granular environmental data. They propose building an environmental knowledge commons—a shared data infrastructure that aggregates real‑time measurements, historical records, and analytical tools across neighboring towns such as Benicia,...
Zero Trust for Operations Podcast: Securing OT with Trout Access Gate
In this episode, Scoop Cyber hosts Steve Krupperman speak with Trout Software’s Mark Hoover and Florian about securing operational technology (OT) using Trout’s purpose‑built Zero Trust Access Gate. They explain how traditional IT‑focused Zero Trust models fall short for industrial...
Going to the U.K.? Beware of Electronic Travel Authorisation Scams
Starting in 2026, the United Kingdom requires all North American and European visitors to obtain an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) costing £20 (about $25). The digital permit is attached to the passport, lasts two years, and is usually approved within...
Brazil and OKFN Partner to Enable Citizens to ‘Talk’ to National Data
Today the Open Knowledge Foundation announced a collaboration with Brazil’s Office of the Comptroller General to pilot a natural‑language interface for public data. Using a Model Context Protocol, the system will connect large‑language models directly to CKAN‑based datasets, delivering AI‑generated...
Europe’s Laws ‘Ill-Equipped’ to Deal with Superhacking AI, Lawmakers Warn
European lawmakers warned that the EU’s current cybersecurity framework cannot cope with AI‑driven hacking tools such as Anthropic’s Mythos, which recently outperformed humans in finding vulnerabilities. In a letter signed by thirty MEPs, they called on Commission Vice‑President Henna Virkkunen...