Updates

21 May 2026

Canada plans new 5G spectrum auction and reforms wireless tower approvals

The Canadian government has announced new spectrum measures and proposed reforms to wireless infrastructure approvals as part of efforts to expand 5G capacity and accelerate network deployment.

21 May 2026

European standards bodies push to keep cybersecurity certification tied to EU standards system

European standardisation organisations CEN and CENELEC have backed the proposed Cybersecurity Act 2 while warning against expanding the use of ENISA technical specifications beyond exceptional cases.

21 May 2026

W3C approves updated subtitle and captioning standard for global media delivery

The World Wide Web Consortium has published IMSC Text Profile 1.3 as an official web standard, adding new subtitle formatting features and updated guidance for multilingual captioning workflows.

21 May 2026

Rights groups say Meta restricted human rights accounts in Saudi Arabia and the UAE

A joint statement by human rights and digital rights organisations says Meta Platforms geo-blocked Facebook and Instagram accounts of NGOs, researchers, and activists following government requests from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

21 May 2026

Australia orders AI nudify platform to strengthen child protection measures

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has launched enforcement action against a major AI-powered nudify service accused of failing to prevent children from accessing sexually explicit deepfake content.

20 May 2026

United States regulator starts enforcing law on non-consensual intimate image removals

The Federal Trade Commission has begun enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act, requiring platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours of valid requests.

20 May 2026

Rights groups accuse Gulf governments of using security laws to suppress online speech

A coalition led by SMEX says Gulf governments are using cybercrime and security laws to suppress online reporting and sharing of information related to Iranian attacks across the region.

20 May 2026

EU publishes draft guidance on high-risk AI classification under AI Act

The European Commission has launched a public feedback process on draft guidance explaining how high-risk AI systems should be identified under the EU AI Act.

20 May 2026

EU postpones tech sovereignty package again

The European Commission has delayed publication of its planned tech sovereignty package for a third time, as debates intensify over Europe’s industrial strategy for cloud infrastructure, semiconductors, and digital autonomy.

19 May 2026

Civil society submission urges UN AI dialogue to prioritise Global Majority governance concerns

A submission by the Tech Global Institute calls on the UN’s upcoming AI governance dialogue to address structural inequalities in global AI development, oversight, and participation.

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