A new report from the ITU Secretary-General details advances in digital inclusion, infrastructure investment, AI capacity-building and UN-wide coordination supporting the Global Digital Compact, ahead of broader implementation work under the Pact for the Future.
The report finds Belarus’s ‘anti-extremist’ and ‘anti-terrorist’ laws repress digital rights by prosecuting individuals for online criticism. it additionally finds that these vague laws violate international human rights standards and create a chilling effect on free expression.
On 8 August 2025, the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) entered into application across the European Union, introducing a uniform legal framework to strengthen media independence, protect journalists, and promote pluralism. The regulation establishes new safeguards for editorial freedom, transparency in media ownership, and protection against unwarranted content removal by large online platforms.
The European Commission has published a study on 8 August 2025 analysing the deployment of artificial intelligence in healthcare across the EU. The report reviews AI’s potential to improve service efficiency, diagnostic accuracy, and patient care, while identifying persistent barriers such as data standardisation gaps, regulatory complexity, funding constraints, and varying levels of digital literacy. It outlines practical measures to support safe, ethical, and effective AI integration, including common data governance standards, dedicated centres of excellence, and coordinated funding mechanisms.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has released Version 4.0 of its Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF), offering a refined, outcome-focused tool to help critical organisations manage cybersecurity risks and ensure operational resilience.
All police forces to gain access to digital tools under national effort to tackle exploitation
Good Things Foundation and People’s Partnership team up to boost online money management skills
Nineteen EU states back a proposal to scan private messages on encrypted apps before encryption, raising major privacy concerns.
New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner has issued a new legal framework governing the automated use of biometrics, aiming to safeguard personal privacy while supporting responsible innovation.
Elon Musk's social media platform, X, is engaged in a legal battle with the Indian government over increased internet censorship under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration.
Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE) is a project co-funded by the European Union.
