ICANN has extended the deadline for its Applicant Support Program (ASP) to 19 December 2025, giving applicants more time to complete submissions for the next round of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs).
The Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) has updated its guidelines on cookies and similar technologies to clarify how the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and the Telecommunications Act (TCA) apply to online tracking. The revised version, issued on 6 October 2025, defines when consent is required, outlines joint responsibilities for website operators and third parties, and sets limits on practices such as cookie paywalls.
Ahead of the EU's Apply AI Strategy, OpenAI has released policy proposals focused on skills, SMEs and regulation.
The CEPS Task Force is charting a course toward a more coherent and innovation-friendly EU digital rulebook that simplifies compliance while preserving Europe’s strong consumer and data protections.
The coalition wants WSIS+20 to move from broad aspirations to funded, rights-based, and locally grounded delivery—so that access becomes affordable, safe, multilingual, and genuinely useful for everyone.
The Forum’s submission includes recommendations for governance reform within the WSIS framework. It supports calls for making the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) a permanent UN body with sustainable funding and inclusive participation metrics. It also recommends stronger linkages between WSIS processes, the UN Group on the Information Society (UNGIS), and the Global Digital Compact to ensure coherence and accountability across UN digital initiatives.
The WSIS Youth Caucus has welcomed the WSIS+20 Zero Draft but warned that youth voices risk being sidelined unless they are consistently recognised as a distinct stakeholder group throughout the text.
The group urges formal recognition of Youth IGFs within WSIS processes, alongside concrete measures to ensure inclusive policymaking that reflects young people’s diverse realities. It also highlights the need for intergenerational digital literacy initiatives and rights-based approaches to tackling misinformation, stressing that safeguarding freedom of expression must remain central to the future of the information society.
In its detailed submission to the WSIS+20 Zero Draft, the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) supports the overall direction of the document but calls for clearer commitments on human rights, digital equality, and environmental sustainability. The organisation urges states to move beyond market-driven solutions and adopt community-led, rights-based approaches to digital governance.
Their submission encourages the UN to promote community-led networks, indigenous-language content, and bottom-up participation in governance processes. This, they argue, would make global digital policies more relevant and responsive to people in remote regions.
Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE) is a project co-funded by the European Union.
