UAE Central Bank Rolls Out Nationwide E‑KYC Platform Powered by Norbloc
The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has signed a technical partnership with blockchain firm Norbloc to launch a nationwide e‑KYC platform for banks and fintechs. The system will standardise onboarding, cut turnaround times and lower compliance costs across the Emirati financial sector.
Ocean Radar Network Plans Outlined
Taiwan is constructing a national ocean‑radar network to boost monitoring in strategic waters such as the Taiwan Shoal, Luzon Strait and Pengjia Islet. The plan calls for integrating 57 disparate radar systems across four government agencies, expanding coverage to 210,000 km²...
The Philippines: Five Mindoro Barangays Receive Digital Boost
The Department of Information and Communications Technology launched the “Balik Loob: Reintegrasyong Digital” programme in five Mindoro barangays, delivering ten laptops and ten prepaid Wi‑Fi units to each community. The initiative focuses on former rebel returnees and local residents, providing...
New Rules to Boost Data Centre Power
Thailand's Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) finalized draft rules that require investors in data centres to post bank guarantees or collateral of 4.5 million baht (about $122,000) per megawatt of power purchased. The measure, aimed at preventing projects from shifting to rival...
India Advances AI Governance Architecture and Financial Integrity
India has launched two high‑profile institutional initiatives to tighten governance in artificial intelligence and financial integrity. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology created the AI Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG), a senior inter‑ministerial body chaired by Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, to...
NYC AV Permits Persist Despite Expired State Framework
“The city permit program still exists,” says NYCDOT’s Kelsey Taeckens on testing AVs. It’s basically as of right if you meet the requirements. But the state law framework under which the city issues the permits expired with the (now late)...
San José Residents Sue City, Saying Flock Safety Cameras Allow ‘Mass Surveillance’
San Jose residents have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the city’s deployment of roughly 470 Flock Safety automated license‑plate readers creates an unconstitutional mass‑surveillance system. The plaintiffs claim the cameras violate the Fourth Amendment by tracking vehicle movements without...
Secret Service Is Embracing New Solutions to Combat Malicious Drones, Director Says
The U.S. Secret Service is adopting kinetic counter‑drone technologies to protect high‑profile events such as the FIFA World Cup, the nation’s 250th anniversary, the G20 summit and the 2028 Olympic Games. Director Sean Curran said the agency has spent just...
Aged Care Tool Inquiry
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has opened an investigation into the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), an algorithm used for aged‑care assessments, after receiving 834 formal complaints. Senators highlighted that the tool, mandatory since November 2025, prevents human assessors from overriding its outcomes,...
NIST Cuts Down CVE Analysis Amid Vulnerability Overload
The National Institute of Standards and Technology announced it will scale back enrichment of its National Vulnerability Database, concentrating only on the most critical CVEs—those in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and software used by the federal government. The change...
Tech Firms Begging NYC for Data, Says Ex-FDNY Chief
“We have to beg for data” from tech firms operating on NYC streets, says former FDNY commish Kavanaugh. https://t.co/oIkFcbeM01
Tech Imposes Solutions; Cities Intervene when Systems Fail
Tech often comes to cities and says “this is how it works, trust us,” says former FDNY commish Laura Kavanaugh. She notes that the city’s role is often triggered when something has failed to work the way it should. https://t.co/kcpZR2Q3BM
Regional Collaboration: The Overlooked Layer in Government IT
U.S. government technology leaders face rising cyber threats, talent shortages, and increasingly complex service platforms. While national associations and state bodies provide some coordination, they leave a gap for peers operating under similar geographic and regulatory conditions. A regional collaboration...
Fewer Federal Workers, Same Mission: Why AI Is the Productivity-First Technology Critical to Agency Operations and Efficiency
The federal government is confronting a shrinking workforce—317,000 employees departed in 2025—while still tasked with delivering services. Budget pressures have limited overall spending cuts, but IT outlays rose to $126 billion in 2024, prompting agencies to turn to artificial intelligence for...
REPORT: Text Campaigns Can Help States Increase Public Benefit Participation
A pilot SMS campaign by Maryland's Department of Human Services and nonprofit mRelief targeted SUN Bucks participants who were not enrolled in SNAP. By texting 194,402 households, the effort drove 2,700 new SNAP enrollments and unlocked roughly $5.5 million in federal...
Actor Jeremy Renner Invests in RapidSOS, Cuts Documentary
Actor Jeremy Renner has joined public‑safety technology firm RapidSOS as a brand partner and investor. RapidSOS, which has raised more than $450 million and serves over 23,000 agencies in 16 countries, is pushing AI‑driven data integration to modernize emergency dispatch. Renner’s...
IRS Creates Online Tax Debt Tool
The Internal Revenue Service unveiled the Tax Debt Help tool on its website a day after the April 15 filing deadline. The interactive service walks individuals and businesses through a series of financial questions to recommend payment plans, temporary collection...
Kennedy: 90% Of FDA Reviewers Are Using AI For Faster Drug Approvals
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the House Ways & Means Committee that more than 90% of FDA reviewers are now using artificial‑intelligence tools to speed drug approvals. The AI applications are also being rolled...
Large Districts Absent From Ohio Dashboard on Chronic Absenteeism
Ohio launched a public dashboard that lets users track chronic absenteeism rates for 728 reporting schools and districts on a weekly basis. The tool defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% of school days or two days each month and aims...
Knox Systems Secures FedRAMP High Authorization, Expanding FEMA Partnership
Knox Systems announced it has achieved FedRAMP High authorization for its Managed Service Platform, a milestone that expands its partnership with FEMA and brings high‑security cloud services to 16 federal agencies. The new high‑baseline environment adds 52 security controls and...
FERC OKs Transmission Deal to Power 1 GW Data‑Center Campus in Greater Chicago
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a Transmission Security Agreement between Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) and data‑center developer Tract, clearing the way for a 1 GW, 2.9 million‑sq‑ft campus at Morris Technology Park. The deal ties upgrade costs to the new load, protecting...
DC3 Making Better Sense of Its Cyber Data
The Defense Department Cyber Crime Center (DC3) is widening its Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity program, adding more prime contractors and subcontractors and boosting daily data inflows. To tame the surge, DC3 is deploying a data‑mesh fabric with metadata tagging, zero‑trust...
Yoti, Luciditi Demo Interoperable Age Check at 2026 GAASS
At the 2026 Global Age Assurance Summit in Manchester, Yoti and Luciditi demonstrated an interoperable digital‑identity solution that verifies a customer’s age for alcohol purchases. The live demo showed Yoti’s Digital ID Connect app confirming a proof‑of‑age credential issued by...
Pakistan Ends 8‑Year Bank Ban on Crypto, Allows VASP Accounts for 40 Million Users
The State Bank of Pakistan revoked its 2018 prohibition on banks dealing with cryptocurrencies, allowing licensed virtual asset service providers to open segregated client‑money accounts. The move targets roughly 40 million Pakistanis active in crypto and backs a $2 billion tokenisation partnership...
Draft for Approval of Mandatory National Standard for "Safety Requirements for Combined Driving Assistance Systems of Intelligent Connected Vehicles" Completed
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has completed a draft mandatory national standard titled “Safety Requirements for Combined Driving Assistance Systems of Intelligent Connected Vehicles.” The rule applies to M and N‑category vehicles and classifies combined driving assistance systems...
UK to Deploy Biometric ID in Prisons After 179 Released in Error
The UK government will introduce a biometric "Justice ID" system to curb mistaken prisoner releases, allocating up to £82 million (≈US$111 million). Fingerprint and facial‑scan verification will be applied at key points, starting with trials within six months and a full rollout...
B4DE Reprise: Following the Money on Digital Equity and AI Data Centers
On Tax Day, the Institute for Local Self‑Reliance and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance hosted the Building for Digital Equity livestream to examine how public funding intersects with the rapid expansion of AI hyperscale data centers. Speakers highlighted that promised...
Alcohol Retailers Awaiting Digital Age Checks Lay Out What They Want From a Solution
UK alcohol retailers are pressing for practical digital‑ID age‑assurance solutions after the promised rollout by Christmas 2025 failed to materialise. At the 2026 Global Age Assurance Standards Summit, representatives from Co‑op, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and others outlined core requirements:...
Maritime Passport Prepares to Launch Digital Wallet for Seafarers’ ID Management
Maritime Passport, a UK‑based digital firm, unveiled a free‑to‑use digital wallet for seafarers at an International Maritime Organization (IMO) Facilitation Committee meeting in London. The wallet, slated for a Q2 2026 rollout, leverages face‑biometrics and liveness detection to streamline identity...
Google, Pentagon Discuss Classified AI Deal
Google is in talks with the U.S. Department of Defense to let the Pentagon use its Gemini AI models in classified environments. The discussions include a contract that would permit all lawful defense applications while adding clauses to block domestic...
Maine Moves to Pause Data Centers Before Demand Arrives
Maine lawmakers approved the nation’s first statewide moratorium on large data centers, banning permits for facilities of 20 MW or more until November 1 2027. The pause is enforced while a newly formed Maine Data Center Coordination Council evaluates the projects’ impact on...
FDA Scientists Working in Satellite Laboratories Across U.S. Help Prevent Harmful Drugs From Reaching Americans
The FDA’s National Forensic Chemistry Center runs satellite laboratories inside high‑volume international mail hubs in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Honolulu. These compact labs use spectroscopy and mass spectrometry to screen incoming packages for counterfeit, unsafe or novel drug compounds...
Threat Exposure Management Establishes a Risk-Driven Approach for Federal Agencies
Federal agencies are adopting Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) to shift from traditional vulnerability counting to a risk‑driven security posture. CDW’s leaders describe CTEM as a five‑stage framework—scoping, discovery, prioritization, validation, and mobilization—that ties technical findings to business impact. By...
Hearst Newspapers Expands AI-Powered Tax Tool in Texas After Seeing Strong Conversions
Hearst Newspapers is rolling out its AI‑driven property‑tax protest platform, TX Tax, to six additional Texas counties after a successful pilot with the Houston Chronicle. The pilot generated 52,000 visits, added roughly 500 new newspaper subscribers and emerged as the highest‑converting...
Starlink Outage Hit Drone Tests, Exposing Pentagon’s Growing Reliance on SpaceX
In August 2024 a global Starlink outage crippled two dozen U.S. Navy unmanned surface vessels off California, halting communications for about an hour. Internal Navy documents show the outage exposed a single point of failure for the Pentagon’s autonomous drone...
Canada Opens Applications to Build a Public AI Supercomputer
The Canadian government has launched the AI Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program (SCIP), allocating roughly $890 million CAD (about $660 million USD) to build a publicly owned, large‑scale AI supercomputer. Applications are open to Canadian non‑profits, post‑secondary institutions, or consortia, with a deadline...
State Embarks on Search for New Content Management Software Platform
The U.S. State Department issued a request for information seeking a commercial‑off‑the‑shelf cloud content‑management platform. The solution must be FedRAMP High and DoD Impact Level 4 certified, offer no‑code configuration, and include at least 1,500 pre‑built integrations with SaaS tools like...
Initiative Aims to Update Farming Data Landscape
Thailand’s National Statistical Office, together with the Ministry of Agriculture, has launched the One Data initiative to unify the country’s fragmented agricultural statistics. The project will integrate data from twelve agencies into a single, standardised platform, beginning with a focus...
Fresh Digital Plan to Fortify Thailand
Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) has launched a comprehensive overhaul of its five‑year National Action Plan, slated for rollout after 2027, to serve as the nation’s central digital connectivity hub. The reform includes transferring the Digital Government...
Lawmakers Aiming to Circulate Draft USF Framework This Summer
Lawmakers are preparing a discussion draft to modernize the $8.5 billion‑per‑year Universal Service Fund, with a target release this summer. The FCC has opened a comment period, ending May 15, on potential reforms to the nonprofit that administers the fund, USAC, focusing...
Free Law Project Announces Initiative to Add Digitized Scans of Case Law Volumes to CourtListener
The Free Law Project, the nonprofit behind CourtListener, announced a new initiative to digitize and upload millions of pages of case‑law opinions from 2018 onward. The effort will add high‑resolution scanned PDFs of the original volumes, complementing the existing text‑only...
Russia Caps Bandwidth, Forcing VPN Filters or Price Hikes
Russia’s fight against digital privacy escalates as internet providers agree to freeze the expansion of cross-border channels into Europe. By capping international bandwidth, authorities aim to force telecom operators to either filter VPN traffic or hike prices, making it harder...
U.S. Military Rolls Out Digital Brain‑Health Card for Service Members
The Military Health System has introduced a downloadable digital brain‑health card that uses a QR code to connect service members to the Warfighter Brain Health Hub. The tool centralizes concussion‑recognition guidance, medical‑care pathways, and recovery resources, signaling a new focus...
With Federal Grant, Connecticut HIE Works on Electronic Consent Management
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and SAMHSA awarded a federal grant to Connecticut’s health‑information exchange, Connie, to pilot an electronic consent‑management solution for substance‑use‑disorder data. United Services, a nonprofit serving 22 rural towns, will work with...
Jordan Mandates Digital ID for All Public Services, Law Takes Effect
Jordan's House of Representatives approved amendments that make digital identity compulsory for accessing any government or private‑sector service. The law, approved on April 13, introduces mandatory digital IDs, a digital mail address system and fines for missing documents, aiming to...
CISA Flags Windows Task Host Flaw as Actively Exploited, Urges Federal Patch
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) placed the Windows Task Host privilege‑escalation bug (CVE‑2025‑60710) on its catalog of actively exploited vulnerabilities and ordered federal agencies to apply the November 2025 Microsoft patch within two weeks. The move highlights a...
Spain’s Path to Mandatory E-Invoicing: Compliance, Systems, and Readiness
Spain has enacted the Crea y Crece Law, making B2B e‑invoicing mandatory and rendering PDF or paper invoices invalid. Technical specifications are slated for release by July 2026, after which large enterprises must comply within one year and all other...
Maine Enacts First AI Disclosure Law for Political Ads
Maine lawmakers approved LD 517, mandating that political campaigns and PACs label ads generated with artificial intelligence. The law, signed by Gov. Janet Mills, marks the nation’s first AI‑disclosure requirement for political advertising, aiming to curb misinformation and restore voter...
EU Age Verification App Announced To Protect Children Online
The European Commission announced that a new age‑verification app is technically ready for rollout, allowing users to prove they are over a required age without disclosing personal identity. The app will be downloaded from standard app stores and set up...
NYC Launches Concierge-Style Service, Enhanced Web Tools to Aid Local Law 97 Compliance
New York City unveiled Momentum, a free concierge‑style accelerator that helps building owners navigate Local Law 97’s strict emissions targets. The service bundles a call center, an online portal with decarbonization planning tools, case‑study library, and financing guidance, and expands into...