Europe moves to build its own digital infrastructure
A new cross-border initiative is setting the stage for stronger digital independence by bringing together governments determined to create their own trusted infrastructure.
UK to toughen online safety laws to protect people from self-harm content
The UK will amend the Online Safety Act to make self-harm content a priority offence. Tech companies will be legally required to detect and remove harmful material before it reaches users, with Ofcom overseeing enforcement.
ICANN seeks feedback on report addressing DNS abuse mitigation
CANN’s GNSO is asking for input on its Preliminary Issue Report about DNS abuse mitigation. The consultation could pave the way for new global policies to address security threats and strengthen trust in the internet.
Anthropic to pay $1.5B to settle authors’ lawsuit over pirated books
AI company Anthropic has agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit by authors who said their books were illegally taken from pirate websites and used to train its chatbot, Claude. If approved by a San Francisco judge, the deal would be one of the largest copyright recoveries in history. The settlement will [...]
KICTANet calls for binding global rules on participation, funding, and rights ahead of WSIS+20
KICTANet has urged the UN to make participation, financing, and human rights legally binding in the WSIS+20 outcome, warning that earlier digital governance efforts failed to deliver inclusion or accountability for the Global South. The organisation calls for guaranteed funding for participation, predictable financing mechanisms for connectivity and digital literacy, and stronger protections for freedom of expression and data privacy.
German data protection authorities issue joint statement against AI oversight shift
Germany’s state data protection authorities have issued a joint statement opposing a draft law that would transfer oversight of high-risk AI systems to the Federal Network Agency. They argue the move would weaken fundamental rights protections, contradict the EU’s AI Act, and potentially breach Germany’s federal constitution
EU moves to recognise Brazil’s data protection system as ‘adequate’
The European Commission has issued a draft decision recognising Brazil’s data protection law (LGPD) as providing protections essentially equivalent to the EU’s GDPR. If adopted, it will allow personal data to flow freely between the EU and Brazil without additional safeguards
European Commission plans to simplify cookie consent rules
The European Commission is working on new rules to reduce the number of cookie banners by promoting centralized consent tools and simplifying digital consent. The aim is to make online privacy protections more user-friendly without undermining GDPR standards.
European Commission launches public consultation on AI transparency guidelines and Code of Practice
The Commission is seeking concrete, specific and concise feedback, including real-world use cases and practical examples. The consultation is open until 2 October 2025, and all contributions may be published in anonymised or non-anonymised form depending on the respondent's preferences.
CEN and CENELEC respond to EU call for evidence on revising the New Legislative Framework
The European Committee for Standardization (CEN ) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical (CENELEC), two leading European standardisation bodies, have submitted a formal response to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on updating the New Legislative Framework (NLF) — the legal structure that supports harmonised product rules across the EU. The NLF was originally established [...]
