EU Officials Explore Plans for Teen Social Media Bans
EU officials, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, are advancing a proposal to prohibit social‑media access for anyone under 15 across the bloc. The plan, discussed with Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, mirrors Australia’s recent teen ban experiment, which has shown limited success. Australian eSafety Commissioner data indicates that about 70 % of teens still use platforms by evading restrictions, raising doubts about the effectiveness of blanket bans. The EU debate now focuses on enforcement mechanisms and alternative solutions such as digital‑literacy education.
Amtrak OIG: Agency Needs Better Data Governance to Achieve State of Good Repair –– News and Commentary
The Amtrak Office of Inspector General released a report highlighting serious data‑governance gaps that impede the railroad’s State of Good Repair (SOGR) program. Amtrak estimates a $47 billion backlog of infrastructure assets that fall short of safety and performance standards, with...
U.S. House Lawmakers Move to Codify DHS Biometric Screening Abroad
U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul and Henry Cuellar reintroduced the bipartisan BITMAP Authorization Act to formally embed the Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program within DHS. The bill would empower foreign partners to collect and share biometric data on high‑risk travelers,...
California Ghost-Gun Bill Wants 3D Printers To Play Cop, EFF Says
California’s AB 2047 would force 3D‑printer makers to embed state‑certified software that scans design files for firearm components and blocks prohibited prints. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argues the mandate is technically unworkable, easy to circumvent, and would create a...
Navy Doubles Down on Drone Fire
The Royal Australian Navy has formalized its autonomous maritime program by establishing the Maritime Autonomous Systems Unit (MASU) under Project SEA 1200. MASU will transition experimental unmanned vessels, such as Anduril’s Ghost Shark extra‑large autonomous under‑sea vehicle, into operational service. The...
Fintel Alliance Starts Planning Its Next-Gen Analytics Hub
Australia’s Fintel Alliance – a coalition of banks, regulators, police and gambling operators – is redesigning its collaborative analytics hub (CAH) to handle larger, real‑time financial‑crime monitoring. The existing hub, first deployed in 2024, proved its concept by uncovering hidden...
State Lotteries Make a Safe Bet With Cloud and AI
U.S. state lotteries, which have generated more than $644 billion for public programs, are rapidly digitizing through cloud platforms and artificial intelligence. Agencies like the Virginia and Arizona lotteries have moved core systems to AWS GovCloud and Google Workspace, gaining redundancy,...
Kazakhstan Launches AI System to Predict Court Verdicts and Streamline Legal Aid
Kazakhstan's Justice Ministry, led by Deputy Justice Minister Bekbolat Moldabekov, introduced the "E‑legal support" AI platform to forecast court verdicts, centralize lawyers, and offer free legal advice via a mobile app and call centre. The move signals the country's first...
Electrosoft Wins $500M CISA Digital Transformation BPA to Modernize Federal IT
Electrosoft Services, LLC was awarded a $500 million, five‑year blanket purchase agreement by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The contract positions Electrosoft as one of four firms to provide digital transformation, cybersecurity and AI services to federal agencies, accelerating...
London Borough of Harrow Cuts Maintenance Costs with Digital Twin
The London Borough of Harrow has deployed Esri UK’s Site Scan drone platform to enrich its digital twin with high‑resolution 3D models of parks, council buildings and heritage sites. The hybrid approach combines low‑resolution citywide data with targeted drone captures,...
State Department Cyber Leader: AI Must Serve Mission Outcomes, Not Drive Them
At the Splunk GovSummit 2026, State Department Security Operations Center chief Manuel Medrano warned that artificial intelligence must serve mission outcomes, not become the objective. He outlined how AI is already sharpening cyber monitoring and incident response across the department’s...
BEAD Program Drives $100M+ Broadband Expansion in Spokane County
The federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program has allocated more than $100 million to Spokane County, Washington, with a provisional $90 million award to public development authority Broadlinc and matching state funds. The money will finance a hybrid rollout of...
Space Force Official Touts AI’s Impact on Cyber Compliance
Space Force acting cyber chief Seth Whitworth says large language models are reshaping how the service reviews cyber risk and achieves compliance. He highlighted that AI can automatically patch minor misconfigurations that often serve as entry points for state‑sponsored actors....
AI Data Center Moratorium: Balancing Energy, Community, and Growth Risks
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, which would freeze new AI‑focused data‑center construction until federal safeguards on energy, water, labor and civil liberties are in place. The proposal arrives as at least...
California County Jail to Save $12 Million in Energy Costs with Solar Carport and Tesla Battery
Sunrock Distributed Generation has commissioned a 1.243‑MW solar carport and a 1.043‑MW/2.087‑MWh Tesla Megapack battery at the Monterey County Jail in Salinas, California. Funded through a power‑purchase agreement, the system is projected to generate over 2,000 MWh of clean electricity each...
Public-Facing AI Tools Could Yield More Efficiency Gains for States, Report Says
State leaders are rapidly deploying AI assistants for internal use, but a new Pioneer Institute policy brief highlights a missed opportunity to expand public‑facing AI tools. Massachusetts, partnering with OpenAI, has rolled out an AI assistant for its 40,000‑person executive...
Gabon Institutes Social Media Age Verification for Under-16s
Gabon has enacted a pioneering regulation that obliges all social‑media users under 16 to undergo age verification using national ID, address and digital‑identity data. Platforms have a 12‑month window, ending February 2027, to meet technical standards, undergo HAC audits and...
From Pledges to Projects to Procurement: How to Build a Digital Platform to Manage Climate Finance
The Open Contracting Partnership found that while the technology to track climate finance exists, misaligned incentives and data silos prevent its use. Commitments such as the UNFCCC’s $6 trillion annual target remain high‑level because current systems cannot follow money through procurement...
CISA Cancels CyberCorps Summer Internship Hiring Amid DHS Shutdown
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has scrapped all CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service summer internships after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entered a two‑month funding lapse. The program, which funds tuition and provides stipends in exchange for future...
California Initiative May Accelerate Adoption of Bidirectional EV Charging
The California Energy Commission unveiled a roadmap to accelerate bidirectional EV charging, targeting vehicle‑to‑grid (V2G) and vehicle‑to‑home (V2H) deployments across residential, commercial and industrial sites. It highlights the state’s 2.1 million‑vehicle fleet, which holds an estimated 18.5 GW of latent storage—exceeding existing...
Virginia Enacts Law to Streamline Wireless Infrastructure Upgrades
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed House Bill 277 into law, streamlining upgrades to existing wireless infrastructure by restricting local governments from denying modification requests that do not substantially change a facility’s dimensions. The bill defines “substantial change” to include work...
Palantir Defends Its Record as MPs Demand More Scrutiny of Data Use
Palantir’s UK arm is defending a £300 million (~$380 million) NHS contract as MPs from Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and the Conservatives call for tighter scrutiny of its data handling. The company’s Foundry federated data platform is intended to link...
Philippines Launches Broad Crackdown on Deepfakes as AI Drives Identity Fraud Surge
The Philippines has launched a whole‑of‑government campaign against deepfakes and disinformation, formalized by a memorandum of agreement among the Department of Justice, the Presidential Communications Office and the Department of Information and Communications Technology. The initiative comes amid a dramatic...
Relying Parties in the Spotlight at 2026 Global Age Assurance Standards Summit
The 2026 Global Age Assurance Standards Summit in Manchester highlighted the industry’s shift after the debut of ISO/IEC 27566-1, the first global standard for age‑verification systems. Organisers placed relying parties—such as TikTok, Phillip Morris International and Epic Games—front‑and‑center to discuss liability, trust...
Nigeria’s AI-Driven Civil Service Overhaul Aims to Cut Delays, Lure Investment
Nigeria is launching an AI‑driven overhaul of its federal civil service, expanding paperless operations from three to 38 ministries and boosting its digital user base to roughly 115,000 official email accounts. Central to the effort is ServiceWise GPT, an AI...
NYC Congestion Zone Cuts Air Pollution 22% Study Finds | Phys.org
New York City’s congestion pricing, launched in January 2025, has delivered measurable environmental gains. A Cornell study shows that particulate matter 2.5 concentrations fell 22% within the Congestion Relief Zone during the first six months. The program also cut traffic, reduced...
How Public Records Requests Could Help ‘Fight AI with AI’
Public records requests are overwhelming state and local agencies, a problem amplified by AI‑generated bulk inquiries. Experts argue that the same technology can be repurposed to automate document retrieval, initial review, and redaction, easing the administrative load. Madison AI’s CEO...
Social Media Platforms Need To Stop Never-Ending Scrolling, UK's Starmer Says
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged social‑media firms to strip away infinite‑scroll features for users under 16, as Britain widens its child‑online‑safety consultation. The government is weighing bans, curfews and app‑time limits to curb addictive usage, and more than 45,000...
Distributed Batteries Get Legislative, Utility Lift in California
California lawmakers are advancing SB 913 to count aggregated residential batteries and electric vehicles as resource‑adequacy capacity, leveling them with traditional generators. Ava Community Energy has launched an $11.25 million SmartHome Battery incentive, offering $500/kWh rebates for low‑income households and $90/kWh for...
Beyond by RS2 Joins Hakisa in Boosting Digital Expense Management for Social and Public Entities
Fintech innovators Beyond by RS2 and Hakisa have launched an integrated digital card‑based expense management platform aimed at social institutions, welfare organisations, and municipalities. The solution combines RS2’s payment processing capabilities with Hakisa’s local market reach to deliver real‑time tracking,...
US Removes Anthropic, Raises Private AI Power Concerns
🇺🇸 vs 🤖: "The US government is pulling Anthropic out of all systems to the government, saying, 'Nah, we don't want it.' "Then, does that mean that this private company will have more powerful capabilities than our own government?" --...
Denver International Airport and Southwest Airlines Introduce Dedicated TSA PreCheck Touchless ID Self-Bag Drop Option for Passengers
Denver International Airport and Southwest Airlines have launched a dedicated TSA PreCheck Touchless ID self‑bag‑drop lane for Southwest flyers at the Jeppesen Terminal. The service uses facial‑comparison technology to verify identity without a physical ID scan, allowing eligible travelers to print tags and...
Virginia Governor Signs Law Banning Sales Of Location Data
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed Senate Bill 338, a privacy law that bans the sale of precise location data within a 1,750‑foot radius. The measure, effective July, replaces the 2021 consent‑based framework and joins Maryland and Oregon in prohibiting such...
Court Transcripts and Public Inquiry Responses: How the UK Gov Is Outsourcing Work to AI
The UK government is increasingly turning to artificial intelligence, notably Google’s Gemini model, to automate the drafting of court transcript summaries and responses to public inquiries. The Department for Transport has piloted Gemini for processing public consultation feedback, aiming to...
DIFC Courts Deploy AI‑Powered Notary Service with DataFlow Group
The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts have rolled out an AI‑enabled notary service in partnership with DataFlow Group, delivering instant document tampering detection and primary source verification across three access channels. The initiative marks the UAE’s first AI‑driven notarisation...
UAE's ADEK Rolls Out 'Midad' Digital Teacher Training Program
The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) launched Midad, a four‑week, self‑paced digital bootcamp that creates a fast‑track entry point for UAE nationals and long‑term residents into classroom teaching. The initiative blends core pedagogy with AI‑enabled tools, positioning...
Waymo and Waze Team Up to Map Potholes, Targeting Philadelphia Next
Waymo and Waze announced a pilot that will feed pothole data collected by Waymo’s autonomous fleet into Waze’s crowdsourced platform. The program launches in five cities, with Philadelphia slated to join once Waymo secures full‑autonomy permits, promising faster road‑maintenance cycles...
DOT Moves to Clear Regulatory Path for Vehicles Without Steering Wheels
The U.S. Department of Transportation is proposing to strip federal vehicle standards that mandate human controls, clearing a path for fully autonomous cars and trucks. NHTSA is fast‑tracking Amazon‑owned Zoox’s request to operate up to 2,500 purpose‑built robotaxis without steering...
AI Decision Support System Aims to Improve Battlefield Triage
GovCIO Media & Research introduced APPRAISE, an AI‑enabled decision‑support system designed to help combat medics triage casualties and assess hemorrhage risk in real time. By analyzing vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure, the tool predicts the likelihood...
Colo. Bans Arrests Based Solely on Colorimetric Drug Tests
Colorado enacted a law prohibiting arrests based solely on colorimetric drug test results for misdemeanor possession. Officers must now issue a court summons and inform defendants of false‑positive risks, offering confirmatory testing before any plea. The legislation passed unanimously and...
How Digital Signalling Projects Depend on Better Asset Data
Digital signalling upgrades are no longer just a technology issue; they hinge on comprehensive, connected asset data. Rail operators often juggle disparate spreadsheets, legacy systems, and fragmented records, which obscures the true readiness of routes and creates delivery risk. A...
VA Deputy Secretary on Resuming EHR Rollout
The Department of Veterans Affairs resumed its Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program this weekend after a three‑year pause. Deputy Secretary and Acting CIO Paul Lawrence highlighted a renewed emphasis on governance, user experience, and measurable outcomes. The rollout will...
North Carolina Treasurer’s Office Expands Use of AI Throughout the Agency
The North Carolina Treasurer’s Office announced a agency‑wide rollout of artificial‑intelligence tools after a successful 12‑week pilot that lifted productivity by up to 10 percent in certain divisions. The state purchased 150 ChatGPT licenses for roughly $51,700 a year and...
A Data Center Near You
Maine became the first state to impose a moratorium on new data centers of 20 MW or more, signaling growing backlash against the industry’s water‑intensive, low‑job projects. Communities from Ohio to South Memphis report massive water withdrawals—up to a million gallons...
FCA Publishes Open Finance Roadmap
On 14 April 2026 the UK Financial Conduct Authority released an Open Finance Roadmap outlining its vision for a smart‑data future through 2030. The plan emphasizes boosting competition, delivering inclusive outcomes for consumers and SMEs, and driving economic growth by...
California School District Completes 3.5 MW Solar and Energy Modernization Project
The Yucaipa‑Calimesa Joint Unified School District completed a $33 million energy modernization that installs 3.5 MW of solar across 12 campuses and upgrades lighting, HVAC and irrigation. A performance‑based lease‑purchase with a 4.373% fixed rate guarantees roughly $48 million in savings over the...
California District Adds 3.1 MW Solar to 12 Schools
California school district installs 3.1 MW of solar across 12 campuses #energysky -- via Solar Power World: https://t.co/p01D2DhXnl
Mamdani Commits to Containerizing New York’s Residential Waste by 2032
Mayor Zohran Mamdani pledged to finish containerizing New York City residential waste by the end of 2031, with at least one community district in each borough covered by 2027. The Department of Sanitation secured a $25 million deal for side‑loading trucks...
CMS Accepts More than 150 Providers, Digital Health Firms for ACCESS Model
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted provisional approval to more than 150 providers and digital‑health firms for its Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) Model. The 10‑year experiment, launching in July, will pay participants...
Why Drone Detection Is Essential to Comply with the Critical Entities Resilience Directive
The EU’s Critical Entities Resilience (CER) Directive obliges designated critical‑infrastructure operators to demonstrate measurable resilience by May 2027, with a ten‑month compliance window after identification. Drone‑related threats—unauthorised flights, surveillance, hazardous payloads—are now recognised as a key risk that could breach that...