Papers Please! MPs Back Mass Online Digital ID Checkpoints
British MPs have incorporated new powers into the Children and Schools Wellbeing Bill that would enable mass online digital ID checkpoints for age verification. The Open Rights Group warns that expanding age‑identification across platforms could force millions to surrender personal data to access everyday services, exposing users to privacy, security and fraud vulnerabilities. The group cites evidence from Australia that blanket bans are ineffective and cautions that small community sites may be pushed offline by compliance burdens. It calls for targeted regulation of the age‑assurance industry rather than sweeping restrictions.
US Government Has "Misspent" $3 Trillion. Auditors Want a Dedicated Unit to Tackle the Problem
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates the U.S. government has misspent nearly $3 trillion since 2003, with improper payments hitting $185.8 billion in fiscal year 2025 – a $24 billion rise from the prior year. Overpayments, which represent 82% of the misspending, are...
Singapore and Latvia Punch Above Their Weight in NATO Cyber Battle
NATO’s annual Locked Shields cyber‑defense exercise this year centered on protecting national IT and OT infrastructure. Singapore, a non‑NATO member, again topped the competition, marking its second straight victory. The contest routinely invites external partners, allowing smaller nations like Singapore...
Nokia, Blaize, and Datacomm Diangraha Unite to Deliver Hybrid AI Inference Across Indonesia and Southeast Asia
Blaize, Nokia and Indonesia’s PT Datacomm Diangraha announced a three‑way strategic partnership to deliver hybrid AI inference infrastructure across Indonesia and the broader APAC region. The collaboration combines Nokia’s networking and telco‑grade GPU capabilities with Blaize’s programmable, energy‑efficient edge AI compute, and...
Anthropic Boosts Claude for Midterms with Bias Safeguards
Missed this on Friday. Anthropic dropped an update on Claude's midterm preparedness including work on political bias evaluations, policy enforcement mechanisms, and influence operation resistance testing. https://www.anthropic.com/news/election-safeguards-update
Boldyn Bigs up Its Role in UK's Troubled ESN Rollout
Boldyn, formerly BAI Communications, is confirming that its 4G neutral‑host network across the London Underground will also serve the UK Emergency Services Network (ESN). The rollout, covering 137 Tube, DLR and Overground stations, is slated for completion by the end...
AI Job Losses in Ireland Likely to Hit Women and ‘Younger Workers’ Hardest, Says Report
Ireland’s cabinet approved a National Economic Social Council report outlining a coordinated response to the rapid rollout of artificial intelligence. The report warns that 63% of Irish jobs are in highly AI‑exposed occupations, with women and younger workers at greatest...
JT/DL: Justice AI Regs; FBI Gets Encrypted Texts
The latest JT/DL newsletter highlights a surge in AI oversight for criminal justice, with Brookings urging state regulation and Florida launching a criminal probe into OpenAI after its chatbot was linked to a campus shooting. A new Colorado bill targets...
The DEEP, OVHcloud and Clever Cloud Consortium Is Selected for the Sovereign Cloud for European Institutions
The European Commission has chosen a consortium of DEEP (POST Luxembourg), OVHcloud and Clever Cloud to deliver sovereign cloud services to EU institutions. The six‑year contract is capped at €180 million (approximately $196 million). The partnership combines OVHcloud’s high‑capacity OPCP infrastructure, Clever...
USTelecom Wants Feds to Align on Permitting Reforms
USTelecom is urging the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to adopt the White House’s new CEQ guidance that expands categorical exclusions under NEPA for broadband projects on federal lands. The telecom CEO highlighted specific exclusions from the NTIA and...
From Detection to Suppression: Drones Join Fleet of Wildfire Fighting Aircraft
Wildfire activity in the western United States has already scorched over 1.8 million acres this year, prompting agencies to adopt advanced drone solutions. Companies such as EDM International and CAL FIRE use aerial imagery, GIS, and long‑endurance drones to monitor utility infrastructure...
Digital Inclusion Delivery Framework for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB Outlines Priority Themes and Roadmap to 2030
The Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board released a Digital Inclusion Delivery Framework that sets out a unified vision to close digital gaps by 2030. It focuses on five priority themes—connectivity, accessibility, workforce skills, partnerships, and expertise—and mandates digital inclusion...
UK Data Watchdog Accused of Dragging Feet on eVisa Investigation
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has been reviewing a joint letter from the Open Rights Group and 18 civil‑society organisations urging a formal probe into the Home Office’s eVisa system. Although the ICO opened a case in December 2025,...
HMRC Picks Capgemini as Lead Supplier for £600m Contact Centre Deal
HM Revenue & Customs has awarded Capgemini the lead role on a £600 million (≈$770 million) contact‑centre‑as‑a‑service contract. The ten‑year deal, effective 15 May 2025, will replace HMRC’s legacy helpline with a platform that supports up to 200,000 agents, 20,000 inbound calls, 400...
Workday Government Unveils Personnel Action Request (PAR) Agent to Modernize Federal HR and Strengthen Mission Readiness
Workday Government introduced a Personnel Action Request (PAR) Agent that automates federal HR transactions, cutting processing times by up to 60%. The AI‑driven tool integrates with Workday’s platform, validates data against OPM policies, and provides real‑time status updates for hires,...
Towards Transparency: Why Not a Court AI Register?
Canadian judges are increasingly using generative AI tools for research, drafting, and evidence summarization, yet most deployments remain undisclosed. The lack of transparency undermines public confidence and obscures potential biases embedded by private AI vendors. Drawing on the federal government’s...
FAA Contract Rohde & Schwarz to Modernise Air Traffic Voice Systems
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded Rohde & Schwarz USA a contract worth up to $4.9 billion to replace analog voice‑communication infrastructure across U.S. air‑traffic control facilities with its digital CERTIUM Voice Communication System. Production will occur at a new manufacturing...
Trump Administration Deploys Real-Time FAFSA Fraud Tool to Save Over $1 Billion
The U.S. Department of Education rolled out a real‑time fraud detection capability for FAFSA applications, flagging high‑risk users and requiring government ID. The tool, launched Monday, has already screened 50,000 applications and is projected to prevent more than $1 billion in...
IT Ministry Empanels CACTUS to Build AI Solutions for Government Projects
The National e‑Governance Division (NeGD) under India’s IT ministry has empanelled Cactus Technology Solutions Private Limited (CACTUS) to deliver AI and machine‑learning solutions for government‑led digital initiatives. CACTUS will design secure, scalable systems covering data science, model development, deployment, and...
How Europe's Biggest Blackout Helped Turn Role of Renewables on Its Head
A year after the April 28, 2025 Spain‑Portugal blackout that left 60 million people without power, Spain revised its grid rules to let wind and solar plants provide real‑time voltage control. The change enabled 74 renewable facilities—32 solar and 17 wind—representing 6.7 GW to...
Kenya’s Central Bank Is Hiring for Crypto Compliance Roles as Landmark Regulation Nears
Kenya’s Central Bank has posted four senior and managerial vacancies to manage licensing, product approval, and compliance for virtual asset service providers (VASPs). The roles, posted on its Digital Payment Services Division portal, close on May 18 and signal the...
Siemens Mobility Wins a CBTC Contract for the Fulton–Liberty Lines in New York
Siemens Mobility, partnered with L.K. Comstock, secured a $390 million contract from the MTA to install its Trainguard MT communications‑based train control (CBTC) system on New York’s Fulton–Liberty lines. The upgrade will modernize 23 stations and 65 km of track, replacing century‑old signaling...
Outdated Prison Infrastructure Presents Unique Opportunity for BEAD Non-Deployment Funds
NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth’s “Benefit of the Bargain” reforms stripped unnecessary conditions from the BEAD broadband grant program, generating roughly $22 billion in saved deployment costs. The statute allows unspent BEAD funds to be redirected toward related goals, and pending guidance...
Top ICT Tenders: Defence Dept to Upgrade Websites
South Africa’s Department of Defence (DOD) has issued a three‑year ICT tender to outsource the development, hosting and maintenance of eight defence‑related websites, including those for the Navy, Army and Air Force. None of the current sites use HTTPS, prompting...
Google Inks Deal Allowing Pentagon to Use AI Models for Classified Work
Alphabet’s Google has entered a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense that permits the Pentagon to deploy the company’s artificial‑intelligence models for classified missions. The deal, reported by The Information, allows the use of Google’s AI for any lawful...
You Can Now Save Your Aadhaar Card Directly on Google Wallet: Check Step-by-Step Guide
Google has teamed with India’s UIDAI to let users add their Aadhaar card as a verifiable credential in Google Wallet. The digital ID is stored encrypted on the phone and supports selective disclosure, so only required data—such as age—can be shared....
Digital Waste Tracking to Be Introduced by Defra
The UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) will roll out a Digital Waste Tracking Service in England, Northern Ireland and Wales starting October 2026, replacing the outdated paper‑based system. The platform will require around 12,000 permitted waste‑receiving sites...
NHS England Invests £100 Million in Digital Services Contracts
NHS England announced a £100 million (≈$125 million) investment in three digital services contracts to modernize its technology platform. The largest contract, up to £44.4 million (≈$55 million), will improve urgent and emergency care digital tools such as NHS Pathways and 111 online. A second...
Three-Quarters of Records Now Linked to New Pensions Dashboards
Three-quarters of UK pension scheme records are now linked to the Money and Pensions Service's new digital dashboard, moving the industry closer to the October 2026 launch deadline. The Pensions Regulator warns that merely connecting data is insufficient; schemes must...
Making AI Correct for Business and Trade
The UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is launching a programme to purge outdated GOV.UK pages that feed incorrect answers to generative AI tools. An audit uncovered 150 pages untouched for five years, prompting redirects, archives, or updated guidance—a...
Australia to Charge Big Tech Companies Two Percent Levy Unless They Strike Local News Deals
Australia announced a "News Bargaining Incentive" that would impose a 2.25% levy on the local Australian revenues of Meta, Google and TikTok unless they strike commercial agreements with domestic news publishers. The tax, slated to begin in the 2025‑26 financial...
ITS ISTANBUL: Triplesign Showcases Low Power VMS Solutions
Triplesign is demoing its low‑energy, prism‑based variable message sign (VMS) at the ITS European Congress in Istanbul. The signs operate independently of the electrical grid, a stark contrast to conventional LED VMS that rely on limited UPS backup. By highlighting...
Expanding Digital IDs in India and Around the World
Google Wallet now lets Indian users store Aadhaar Verifiable Credentials, turning the national ID into a secure digital token. The rollout includes early partners such as PVR INOX, BharatMatrimony, Atlys, Mygate and Snabbit, enabling age checks, verified profiles and streamlined visa...
Earthquake Alert Bot Forced to Pay, Signs Off
Wonder if this means @earthquakesSF, which provides automatic alerts about earthquakes in San Francisco area, will be charged to provide that public service
Chatbots Open the Door to State Government Access
State governments are accelerating AI‑driven citizen services, with Mississippi’s MISSI chatbot leading the way since 2017 and Indiana’s Ask Indiana now the default search tool on its portal. Less than a quarter of states have deployed AI chatbots at scale,...
Boston Considers Tapping Waterways for Clean Thermal Energy
Boston’s Green Ribbon Commission, backed by a $500,000 grant from the Mass Clean Energy Center and the city, is launching the Boston Thermal Energy Network (BosTEN) pilot. The project will assess using closed-loop thermal energy extraction from the Charles and...
How to Make AI Work for Britain: Consolidate Demand, Diversify Supply
The UK public sector is accelerating AI deployments but faces a “silent lock‑in” risk as fragmented procurement creates mismatched infrastructure and governance. Alan Brown’s new report, “Making AI work for Britain,” proposes a two‑pronged strategy—consolidate demand and diversify supply—to develop...
Electrosoft Appoints Former USPTO CIO Jamie Holcombe as COO to Expand Federal Cyber Portfolio
Electrosoft Services announced the hiring of Jamie Holcombe, former chief information officer of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as chief operating officer. Holcombe brings more than three decades of federal technology and cybersecurity experience to help scale Electrosoft's federal...
State Procurement Touts Digital Projects
Thailand’s finance minister announced that public procurement, which accounts for roughly 10% of the country’s GDP, will now prioritize digital innovation and green initiatives. The Comptroller General’s Department will upgrade the e‑GP platform to streamline lending to SME contractors and...
DCMS Offers £125k for CDIO to Helm Microsoft Switch
The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is recruiting a new chief digital and information officer (CDIO) with a salary of roughly £125,000 (about $155,000). The role will steer a major technology shift, moving DCMS services from Google...
MHRA Develops Adaptive AI Framework to Accelerate NHS Clinical Deployments
Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is drafting a new regulatory framework for adaptive artificial‑intelligence tools that evolve with real‑world data. The guidance, focused on lifecycle oversight, seeks to streamline NHS adoption while ensuring continuous safety, performance and...
Trinidad & Tobago Launches Digital Bus Tickets and E‑Pension Grants
Trinidad and Tobago's government unveiled a digital platform that will let commuters buy bus tickets online and deliver pension grants electronically. The initiative, led by the National Payment and Innovation Company (NPICTT) and the Public Transport Service Corporation, is billed...
Kilifi County Launches AI Training for 400,000 Learners in Remote Kenya
Kilifi County has begun rolling out the Experience AI training program, led by TechKids Africa, to equip teachers and learners—including those in remote villages—with artificial‑intelligence skills. The initiative targets 400,000 learners across Kenya, marking a major push for digital literacy...
Google Rolls Out Gemini Enterprise, Pentagon Adopts Gemini 3.1 Pro for GenAI.mil
Google announced Gemini Enterprise, a scalable multi‑agent AI suite designed for large organizations, and the U.S. Department of Defense added its newest Gemini 3.1 Pro model to the GenAI.mil platform. The launch comes as more than 100,000 AI agents have...
GSA Taps Greg Hogan as Head of Government’s Identity Proofing Service, Login.gov
The General Services Administration has named Greg Hogan, former OPM chief information officer, as the new director of Login.gov, the federal identity‑proofing platform. Login.gov, which enables a single verified account for dozens of government services, already supports more than 150 million...
Oregon Boosts EV Road Trips with 24 New Fast-Charging Sites
Oregon’s Department of Transportation approved a second round of NEVI funding, allocating $16.7 million to install 24 new fast‑charging stations along Interstate 84 and several US highways. The sites will provide roughly 126 DC fast‑charging ports, each co‑located with rest‑area amenities to...
IonQ and Florida LambdaRail Launch U.S. Statewide Quantum-Safe Network
IonQ and Florida LambdaRail have signed a Master Service Agreement to launch the United States’ first statewide quantum‑safe network, beginning with a 100‑mile quantum key distribution (QKD) corridor linking three research institutions in South Florida. The system leverages IonQ’s QKD...
Nevada to Launch Data Dashboard Tracking Student Career Prep
Nevada will launch a publicly viewable education dashboard on Sept 1 that tracks high‑school graduates' outcomes, including remedial college enrollment, average time to degree, and unemployment within two years. The tool consolidates existing data on career‑technical education, early college credit, and...
Stable Rules for Stablecoins: Treasury Proposes AML and Sanctions Framework for Issuers
On April 8, 2026 the U.S. Treasury’s FinCEN and OFAC issued a proposed rule to apply Bank Secrecy Act requirements to permitted payment stablecoin issuers (PPSIs). The rule treats PPSIs as financial institutions, mandating comprehensive AML/CFT programs and, for the first time,...
Supreme Court Wary of Barring Police From Phone Searches to Find Crime Suspects
The Supreme Court heard arguments in Chatrie v. U.S., questioning whether police can use geofence warrants to compel Google for location data without a traditional warrant. Justices were divided, with some emphasizing the investigative value of precise phone‑tracking and others...