NSO group, an Israel-based spyware company, has announced a new human rights policy to embed relevant human rights protections throughout its business and governance systems. This announcement came after repeated scandals, as  NSO Group’s spyware, Pegasus, was found to be used to target activists, journalists, and members of civil society in countries such as Mexico, [...]

The Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), through the Health Innovation Exchange, formed a partnership with ThoughtFocus, a technology services company, to establish an Internet of Things (IoT) Center of Excellence. The center will work with health care agencies, manufacturers, governments, civil society organizations, communities, and other stakeholders to promote the use of IoT in [...]

Apart from the US, G7 member countries have signed the Charter for a Free, Open, and Safe Internet that focuses on combating illegal content and online harms in online platforms. The Charter presents a list of actions that includes upholding human rights online, defending media freedom, protecting targeted groups, improving safety, increasing transparency, improving cooperation, [...]

In a report commissioned by the UK Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, the Royal United Services Institute explored the use of data analytics and algorithms in policing activities in England and Wales, and different types of bias that can arise in these activities. The report is based on consultations with police forces, civil society [...]

Germany announced a new strategy related to developments in the field of blockchain technology. The aim of the strategy is to use its potential for Germany’s digital transformation. The strategy states that Germany has become a dynamic ecosystem attracting developers and providers of blockchain-based services, and sees Germany as a base for the development of [...]

The Council of Europe's (CoE) Committee of Ministers has established an Ad Hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAHAI) tasked with conducting a feasibility study and developing potential elements of a legal framework for the development, design, and application of artificial intelligence (AI). The committee is expected to engage in broad multistakeholder consultations, and take into [...]

The Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) signed a funding partnership to support Ecopia Tech Corporation (Ecopia) develop a digital map of sub-Saharan Africa that includes an estimated 342 million buildings, 3.8 million linear kilometers of roads, and 582 million hectares of forests. “This project will not only showcase Canadian technology on the world stage, but [...]

Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE) of the Organization of American States (OAS) conducted regional consultations on the work of the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE). Consultations involved representatives of OAS member States, as well as civil society, academia and the business sector, and were attended by both Ambassador Guilherme Patriota of Brazil, Chair of [...]

A new digital rights bill underwent its first reading at Nigeria’s House of Representatives on 16 July 2019. The reading comes following consultations with stakeholders after President Buhari declined to assent to a similar bill earlier in the year. The Paradigm Initiative, one of the civil society organisations that had advocated for the first bill, [...]

A new project to reform e-waste has been launched in Lagos, Nigeria, with an aim to put an end to inadequate management of electronic waste. Backed by Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and UN Environment, the 15 $-initiative has brought together stakeholders from the government, the private sector and civil society. While promoting the recycling of [...]