Ookla Speedtest Data Added to Arcep Mobile Performance Mapping Tool
Ookla has entered a 12‑month crowdsourced data partnership with France’s telecom regulator Arcep. The deal adds Speedtest‑derived speed and latency measurements to Arcep’s mobile performance and coverage mapping platform. This integration broadens the granularity of network data across the country, giving regulators and consumers more precise visibility into mobile service quality. The updated tool now reflects real‑time user‑generated metrics alongside existing coverage maps.
Devon Residents Urgent to Sign up for Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme
Devon residents are being urged to apply for the UK government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme before its August deadline. The scheme offers up to £4,500 (≈ $5,700) per eligible home or business, but vouchers require at least two premises, leaving isolated...
Bipartisan Bill Would Permanently Bar Chinese AI From U.S. Federal Agencies
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced the No Adversarial AI Act, which would permanently prohibit federal agencies from purchasing or using artificial intelligence developed by China, Russia, Iran or North Korea. The bill tasks the Federal Acquisition Security Council...
The White House AI Framework: Growth Engine, Guardrails, and Contradictions
The White House released a National AI Framework that seeks to boost U.S. innovation while imposing targeted safeguards. The plan relies on sector‑specific oversight, leveraging existing agencies rather than creating new regulators. It positions AI as a growth engine for...
Even If You’re Just Transiting Hong Kong, Refusing To Unlock Your Devices Is Now A Crime
Hong Kong has amended its National Security Law, making it a criminal offense to refuse police access to passwords or decryption assistance for any personal electronic device. The rule applies to all individuals, including U.S. citizens, whether arriving or merely transiting...
Cops Used AI to Match a Photo to an Innocent Grandmother in Tennessee, Then Jailed Her for Nearly 6 Months
Police in North Dakota used AI facial‑recognition software to link a blurry suspect photo to Angela Lipps, a 71‑year‑old grandmother who had never left her Tennessee hometown. Despite her lack of travel history, officers raided her trailer, arrested her at gunpoint...
Traffic Violation! License Plate Reader Mission Creep Is Already Here
A recent 404 Media report reveals that Georgia State Patrol used a Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) to issue a traffic ticket for a motorcyclist holding a phone, contradicting the vendor’s claim that its technology is not employed...
How Indonesia Is Protecting 80 Million Children From Online Harm
Indonesia will enforce a new regulation on March 28 that sets a minimum age of 16 for creating accounts on any digital platform deemed high‑risk, including social media, AI chatbots, and gaming apps. The law requires platforms to conduct a...
Awaab’s Law Phase 2: What It Covers and What Housing Providers Should Be Doing Now
Phase 2 of Awaab’s Law, due later in 2026, expands the mandatory hazard‑remediation regime for social landlords to five additional categories such as excess cold, structural instability and fire risks. The government estimated Phase 1 already adds about £129 million (≈ $161 million) in...
Putting Citizens and Businesses at the Heart of Public Services
Public sector digital services must adopt private‑sector‑style user experiences, treating platforms as evolving products rather than one‑off projects. Made Tech leaders stress early collaboration between policy and delivery teams, launching minimum viable products (MVPs) to gather real‑world feedback. Rapid sprints...
Norway and Iceland to Join the EU’s GOVSATCOM and IRIS2 Programmes
Norway and Iceland have signed agreements to join the European Union’s GOVSATCOM and IRIS2 secure communications programmes. GOVSATCOM, launched in January, provides interim secure satellite capacity, while the €10.6 billion IRIS2 project will deploy about 290 satellites by 2030. Iceland will...
When the Information Environment Becomes the Attack Surface
The Oulu City Library hosted Faktabaari’s Fact Tour, bringing together fact‑checkers, cybersecurity experts and officials to discuss the merging of information operations and cyber threats. Speakers highlighted how the same digital techniques—bot networks, AI‑generated deepfakes, and phishing—are used by both...
The Price of Privacy? HK$100k and 1 Year in Prison.
Hong Kong’s National Security Law implementation rules were amended to criminalize refusal to provide passwords for seized electronic devices, imposing up to one year in prison and a fine of HK$100,000 (≈US$12,800). The changes were issued by decree, bypassing Legislative...
Could Artificial Intelligence Finally Make Central Planning Work?
Recent discussions suggest artificial intelligence could finally make central economic planning viable, echoing the 1970s Chilean Cybersyn experiment. Proponents argue that modern AI’s massive data processing could overcome the classic socialist calculation problem identified by Mises and Hayek. The article...
Singapore’s Central Bank Pilots XRP Ledger for Cross-Border Trade
Singapore’s Monetary Authority has invited Ripple to join its Borderless, Liquid, Open, Online, Multicurrency initiative, using the XRP Ledger and Ripple’s USD‑linked stablecoin (RLUSD) to settle cross‑border trade. The pilot automates payment release the moment a shipment is verified, eliminating...
EFF Sues for Answers About Medicare's AI Experiment
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to obtain records on the WISeR program, a multi‑state Medicare pilot that uses artificial intelligence to evaluate prior‑authorization requests. WISeR,...
Romania Pays the Cyber Price for Backing Ukraine. Where Is the EU?
Romania’s water agency, coal‑power producer and oil‑pipeline operator have suffered ransomware attacks linked to Russian‑aligned groups such as Qilin and Gentlemen, which the country’s top cyber official says are timed with its support for Ukraine. The EU possesses a cyber‑sanctions...
Rostelecom Covers 1.8 Mln Residents with Mobile Network Under Federal Programme
Rostelecom announced that, under the second stage of Russia’s federal digital‑divide programme, it has extended GSM and LTE mobile coverage to 1.8 million residents across 7,881 villages. The rollout, carried out with its subsidiary T2, began with the first base station...
A Conversation with Denys Nazarenko, Advisor to Kyiv's CIO
In Kyiv, advisor Denys Nazarenko explains how the city’s digital infrastructure, built during the pandemic, became a lifeline during Russia’s renewed attacks on energy systems. The municipal command‑and‑control center aggregates data from sensors and services, feeding the Kyiv Digital app...
Digitizing Borders Could Free up Space to Reimagine #PaxEx
Smart technology and cross‑industry collaboration could eliminate the last major frictions in air travel—border checks and lost baggage. SITA estimates digitized border control can shave up to 80% off processing times, while IATA’s OneID initiative is gaining momentum worldwide. Bangalore’s...
Open Data Day Essay #5: ‘Decisions Under the Public Eye: A Promising Set of Open Data’
The Dutch research project Beschikkingen in Beeld examined how administrative decisions are disclosed as open data under the upcoming Wet open overheid. Mapping over 500 government bodies, the study found fewer than 40 agencies proactively publish individual decisions, highlighting the infancy...
Open Data Day Essay #1: ‘Data Is a Goldmine, if You Share It’
A new report by Open State Foundation estimates that open data creates roughly $3.85 bn of annual societal value in the Netherlands, driven by innovation, efficiency, accountability and participation. Real‑world cases – the Regional Climate Monitor dashboard, the citizen‑run Zonopjebakkes app,...
DRC Plans Sim Sale Restrictions Amid Rising Insecurity
The Democratic Republic of Congo announced a plan to tighten telecom controls by banning the sale of pre‑registered SIM cards and requiring all existing users to re‑identify themselves. The proposal was debated at a Council of Ministers meeting on March 20...
Cameroon Customs Launches Mobile Device Duty System to Recover Lost Revenue
Cameroon’s Directorate General of Customs has rolled out an electronic duty‑collection system for mobile phones, tablets and other devices, effective March 16. The initiative follows a dramatic drop in customs revenue from roughly $19 million to just $160,000. By digitizing the...
Granicus Standardizes Hybrid, Government-Grade Video Infrastructure with Wowza
Granicus, a digital‑engagement platform for more than 7,000 public‑sector agencies, continues to rely on Wowza Media Systems for its hybrid video infrastructure. The company operates roughly 70 cloud‑based Wowza instances alongside over 100 on‑prem deployments, enabling live and on‑demand streaming...
Improving GOV.UK Publishing
dxw is partnering with the UK Government Digital Service to overhaul the GOV.UK Publishing Service. The effort shifts the platform from a pre‑packaged content store to on‑the‑fly generation via a revamped Publishing API, reducing data sync errors. GraphQL support adds...
States Addressing Affordability
State legislatures are launching new low‑income broadband subsidies as the federal Affordable Connectivity Program winds down. New Mexico’s LITAP offers up to $30 monthly, funded by a $1.50 telecom surcharge, while Oregon increased its subsidy to $15 and added a...
Asia Daily: March 24, 2026
Hong Kong amended its national security law, granting police authority to demand passwords and decryption tools, with up to one year in jail for refusal. A U.S. report warns that retirements and a steep drop in students studying China will...
In 7 Months, 90% of Americans Will Vote on Easily Hackable Machines That Leave No Evidence of Tampering
In January 2024, Princeton researcher J. Alex Halderman demonstrated in federal court that a Dominion voting machine could be hijacked using a ballpoint pen, a $20 card reader and a $30 homemade smart card, exposing a vulnerability that leaves no...
Port of Gioia Tauro Secures Funding for 5G Network Development
The Port Authority of the Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas secured roughly €2 million (about $2.2 million) from Italy’s Fund for Technological Innovation and Digitalization to build a private 5G network at the Port of Gioia Tauro. The project, which earned a top‑score...
America’s Drone Future
The FAA forecasts that nearly two million drones will operate in U.S. airspace within a few years, yet state and local governments lack affordable, real‑time monitoring solutions. Federal proposals such as Part 108 and expanded JIATF‑401 authority aim to tighten counter‑UAS...
What the Pacing Problem Means for Parliaments Around the World
The POPVOX Foundation highlights a growing "pacing problem" where rapid technological change outstrips the ability of parliaments worldwide to understand, adopt, and regulate new tools. It categorises the challenge into three dimensions: external (lawmakers’ tech literacy), interbranch (executive branches moving...
‘Nice-to-Have’ FAFSA User Experience Updates Coming Soon
The U.S. Department of Education announced a suite of FAFSA user‑experience upgrades slated for this summer, including an ITIN option for parents without Social Security numbers and an autofill feature for repeat filers. Applicants will see their federal aid eligibility,...
Lloyd’s Register Partners with Echo Marine Group to Deliver Electric Ferry Fleet
Lloyd’s Register has entered a partnership with Echo Marine Group to certify the design and construction of five battery‑electric passenger ferries for Perth’s Swan River, creating Western Australia’s first fully electric ferry fleet. The vessels are part of the METRONET...
Port of NY/NJ Plans Replacement of Ageing Fare Gates
The Port Authority approved $3.5 million to start planning replacement of fare gates at all 13 PATH stations. The existing 22‑year‑old gates have outlived their 15‑20 year design life, causing breakdowns, higher maintenance costs, and increased fare evasion. The project, slated...
AI Hazards and Guard Rails
Since its emergence in late 2022, generative AI has accelerated municipal efficiency but also exposed governments to costly hallucinations and factual errors. High‑profile incidents—including a New York City chatbot that gave illegal advice and Deloitte’s $290,000 refund to Australia—highlight the...
The Stark Divide in the UAE and India War Info Systems
During the Iran‑Israel escalation, the UAE deployed a government‑run emergency alert system that pushed multilingual warnings to every mobile SIM and imposed steep fines for sharing unverified footage, keeping misinformation low. In contrast, India’s media landscape flooded viewers with outdated,...
Africa Pours $2 Billion Into Controversial Chinese Surveillance Tech
A new study finds that eleven African nations have collectively spent more than $2 billion on AI‑driven surveillance systems, much of it sourced from Chinese firms and financed by Chinese banks. The loans are explicitly conditioned on buying Chinese hardware and...
Testimony to the NYC Council for 2026 Preliminary Budget Hearing – Technology
BetaNYC testified before the NYC Council urging budget reforms for the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI), citing severe staffing shortages that undermine open data and automation efforts. The testimony proposes moving OTI’s specialized units under the Deputy Mayor for...
Ofcom Fines 4chan for Non-Compliance with the Online Safety Act
Ofcom fined 4chan £520,000 for breaching the Online Safety Act by lacking age‑verification, failing risk assessments, and not updating its terms of service. The regulator set a compliance deadline of 2 April 2026, after which a daily penalty of £800 will apply....
Recent Developments in Data Access Policy
The Open Data Policy Lab added 11 new policy developments this quarter across Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. These entries illustrate five emerging approaches governments use to structure data access, from mandatory public data release to controlled sharing of...
POPVOX Foundation Team Submits Public Witness Testimony for FY 2027 Legislative Branch Appropriations
The POPVOX Foundation submitted written testimony to the House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee urging FY 2027 investments in artificial‑intelligence capacity, constituent casework, member and staff security, and institutional modernization. Highlights include a proposal for a Congressional Capacity and Technology Office (C‑TECH)...
Leveraging Digital Public Goods: Designing Digital Wallets to Unlock Opportunities for Human Security
Digital wallets are evolving from simple payment tools into digital public goods that can verify eligibility for social benefits, share health records, and certify documents. The UNDP Digital X 3.0 webinar, co‑hosted with Japan, highlighted how integrated wallets can streamline access to...
Can AI Strengthen Democracy? Italy’s Parliament Offers a Test Case
Italy’s parliament is launching a pilot program to embed artificial intelligence across its legislative processes, joining a growing but fragmented global trend. The initiative mirrors diverse international experiments, from Chile’s bill‑drafting assistance to Brazil’s citizen‑participation platforms. The Inter‑Parliamentary Union warns...
Human/AI Collective Intelligence for Deliberative Democracy: A Human-Centred Design Approach
The authors introduce Collective Intelligence for Deliberative Democracy (CI4DD), a framework that leverages AI to augment citizen deliberation. They argue that a human‑centred design approach is essential to ensure trustworthy, inclusive processes. The paper outlines a co‑design methodology that maps...
Pentagon Begins Replacing Anthropic’s AI Tools in Military Operations with Alternative Models
The Pentagon is actively replacing Anthropic’s Claude model with alternative large‑language models, a transition Cameron Stanley says will take more than a month. OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI have already secured clearance for classified work, while Google is rolling out...
Russia Sees Investment in Public Wi-Fi Networks More than Double in 2025
Russia’s public budget for public Wi‑Fi upgrades jumps to 9.62 billion roubles in 2025, more than double the 3.77 billion allocated in 2024. Data traffic on these networks surged 10.6‑fold year‑on‑year, reaching 13.8 million petabytes. The growth is linked to mobile‑internet disruptions caused...
Brazil Aims for 80% 5G Population Coverage by 2026
Brazil's Ministry of Communications aims for 80% of the population to have 5G coverage by the end of 2026, spanning 2,220 municipalities. This exceeds the original target of 1,469 cities. To date, 5G is active in about 1,420 municipalities, focusing...
Fixing Federal Permitting
The House passed H.R. 5419, the Enhancing Administrative Reviews of Broadband Deployment Act, directing the Interior and Agriculture departments to assess and report on administrative barriers to broadband permits on federal lands within a year. The bill follows previous executive...
ICO Must Investigate Reform ‘Competition’ for Data Protection Breaches
Reform UK launched a competition offering a year’s energy bills to participants who disclose their past and intended voting preferences. The Open Rights Group argues the scheme breaches UK data protection law by collecting special category data without a clear...