Australia has unveiled a new Online Safety Code requiring digital platforms, gaming services, and AI chatbots to curb harmful material. The rules mandate risk assessments, age checks, and reporting tools to prevent child grooming, sextortion, and the spread of violent or explicit content. Services deemed high-risk, including certain AI companion chatbots, face strict Tier 1 obligations under the Code
A new cross-border initiative is setting the stage for stronger digital independence by bringing together governments determined to create their own trusted infrastructure.
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.
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.
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 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.
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
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
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.
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.
Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE) is a project co-funded by the European Union.
