Governance, Legislation, and Geostrategies
Online Safety Regulations Around the World: The State of Play and The Way Forward
(Mariana Olaizola Rosenblat – Just Security – 28 April 2025) There is a growing international consensus that governments should take a more active role in overseeing digital platforms. As 2025 began, this was no longer a theoretical discussion: the past few years brought a surge of legislative action across major economies. The European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) are now in full force, transforming how major tech platforms are allowed to operate in Europe. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and many other countries have passed robust online safety laws that are now entering the enforcement stage. The United States is also an active arena of digital regulation, at least at the state level, although the federal government has yet to enact sweeping digital regulation. This is an opportune moment to analyze ongoing regulatory efforts and shape the future of digital governance. To help policymakers and the public navigate this complex landscape, the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights (..) undertook a global survey and analysis of online safety regulations. Through a systematic review of 26 laws in 19 jurisdictions, what initially seemed like a morass of requirements revealed itself as a set of discernible approaches to platform regulation. – https://www.justsecurity.org/110916/global-online-safety-regulations/
Scoping the UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill
(RUSI – 28 April 2025) RUSI’s Cyber and Tech research group, in partnership with Darktrace, convened a policy roundtable in London on 6 February 2025 to discuss the ongoing development of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (CSRB). Participants included representatives from technology vendors, cyber security services vendors, academia and critical national infrastructure providers. The expert discussion provided a platform for participants to reflect on the UK government’s Cyber Strategy, existing cyber security legislation, and how to design the CSRB so that it keeps pace with an evolving threat landscape. This conference report summarises points made during the roundtable discussion, none of which are attributable. It begins by setting out the background to the CSRB and its expected measures, and developments on the CSRB since the roundtable took place. Following this, it outlines key discussions from the roundtable, before finally presenting main takeaways and recommendations for the UK government: providing practical steps to ensure the CSRB is effective, proportionate and future-proof. – https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/conference-reports/scoping-uk-cyber-security-and-resilience-bill
India May Likely Push for Expanded Access to Quantum and Emerging Technologies in US Trade Talks
(Quantum Insider – 28 April 2025) As part of negotiations for a new bilateral trade agreement, India may likely seek relaxed US export controls and greater access to advanced technologies, such as quantum computing, AI, semiconductors, and biotechnology. While the US has eased technology transfer restrictions for close allies like Australia and the UK, India may face additional scrutiny over its export controls, cybersecurity standards, and defense ties. Negotiations are unfolding amid a widening US-India trade imbalance, with India maintaining a $41 billion goods surplus. The future of quantum collaboration between the US and India will ultimately depend on the policies enacted, not on diplomatic rhetoric, as access to quantum capabilities increasingly defines economic and strategic leadership. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/28/india-may-likely-push-for-expanded-access-to-quantum-and-emerging-technologies-in-us-trade-talks/
Microsoft Leadership Urges U.S., Allies to Double Down on Quantum
(Quantum Insider – 28 April 2025) Microsoft President Brad Smith warns that the United States risks falling behind China in the global race for quantum computing unless it strengthens investment, workforce development, and supply chain security. Smith calls for expanding federal research funding, boosting quantum talent development, and shoring up domestic quantum manufacturing to maintain U.S. technological leadership. Global competition is accelerating as China pours billions into quantum technologies, highlighting the urgency for coordinated U.S. action across government, academia, and industry. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/28/microsoft-leadership-urges-u-s-allies-to-double-down-on-quantum/
IBM Commits $150 Billion to Boost U.S. Tech Leadership, Includes $30 Billion to Back Quantum, Mainframe Manufacturing
(Quantum Insider – 28 April 2025) IBM announced a $150 billion investment plan over five years to strengthen U.S. innovation and technology leadership, including more than $30 billion for research and development. The company will continue manufacturing mainframes in Poughkeepsie, New York, and expand its American-based quantum computing operations. IBM described quantum computing as a major platform shift poised to boost U.S. competitiveness, create jobs, and enhance national security. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/28/ibm-commits-150-billion-to-boost-u-s-tech-leadership-includes-30-billion-to-back-quantum-mainframe-manufacturing/
UK government urged to outlaw apps creating deepfake abuse images
(Digital Watch Observatory – 28 April 2025) The Children’s Commissioner has urged the UK Government to ban AI apps that create sexually explicit images through “nudification” technology. AI tools capable of manipulating real photos to make people appear naked are being used to target children. – https://dig.watch/updates/uk-government-urged-to-outlaw-apps-creating-deepfake-abuse-images
New AI guidelines aim to cut NHS waiting times
(Digital Watch Observatory – 28 April 2025) The UK government has announced new guidelines to encourage the use of AI tools in the NHS, aiming to streamline administrative processes and improve patient care. AI that transcribes spoken conversations into structured medical documents will be used across hospitals and GP surgeries. – https://dig.watch/updates/new-ai-guidelines-aim-to-cut-nhs-waiting-times
AI educational race between China and USA brings some hope
(Digital Watch Observatory – 28 April 2025) The AI race between China and the USA shifts to classrooms. As AI governance expert Jovan Kurbalija highlights in his analysis of global AI strategies, two countries see AI literacy as a ‘strategic imperative’. From President Trump’s executive order to advance AI education to China’s new AI education strategy, both superpowers are betting big on nurturing homegrown AI talent. – https://dig.watch/updates/ai-educational-race-between-china-and-usa-brings-some-hope
Security
Lazarus Group uses fake firms to spread malware to the crypto industry
(Digital Watch Observatory – 28 April 2025) North Korean hackers, believed to be part of the Lazarus Group, have created fake US businesses to target cryptocurrency developers. According to cybersecurity firm Silent Push, two companies, Blocknovas LLC and Softglide LLC, were set up to infect victims with malicious software. These companies were established using false information in New York and New Mexico, violating international sanctions. – https://dig.watch/updates/lazarus-group-uses-fake-firms-to-spread-malware-to-the-crypto-industry
Frontiers
Japan’s new 256-qubit quantum computer unleashes 4X more power than before
(Interesting Engineering – 28 April 2025) Japanese tech giant Fujitsu and leading research institute RIKEN have announced a major breakthrough with the development of a 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer, hailed as one of the most powerful systems of its kind in the world. The new system, built at the RIKEN RQC-FUJITSU Collaboration Center headquartered in Wako, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, quadruples the number of qubits compared to the previous 64-qubit machine unveiled in 2023. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/japan-256-qubit-quantum-computer?group=test_b
Quantum encryption achieves new milestone without cryogenics
(Digital Watch Observatory – 28 April 2025) Computer scientists at Toshiba Europe have set a new record by distributing quantum encryption keys across 158 miles using standard computer equipment and existing fibre-optic infrastructure. Instead of relying on expensive cryogenic cooling, which is often required in quantum computing, the team achieved this feat at room temperature, marking a significant breakthrough in the field. – https://dig.watch/updates/quantum-encryption-achieves-new-milestone-without-cryogenics
Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
European drone training sites mushroom in nod to Ukraine war tactics
(Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo – Defense News – 28 April 2025) Drone tactics emerging from the war in Ukraine have inspired other European countries to intensify their military-experimentation campaigns, with a new crop of testing facilities designed to test the small aircraft in war-like conditions. – https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/04/28/european-drone-training-sites-mushroom-in-nod-to-ukraine-war-tactics/
The AI arms race will be won on mathematical proof
(Anjana Rajan, Jonathan Ring – Defense One – 25 April 2025) The AI-powered weapons and systems that the Pentagon is racing to build will come with a significant vulnerability: our inability to determine how they will behave under real battlefield conditions. The Defense Department, National Security Agency, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency call this the “software understanding gap.” Increasingly, users do not understand the digital building blocks of their systems, which leads to an inability to predict, verify, and secure their systems’ actions. Without a deeper understanding of our most complex software, the United States’ world-class arsenal will be unreliable across modern battlefields, and adversaries may be emboldened to exploit those vulnerabilities. – https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2025/04/ai-arms-race-will-be-won-mathematical-proof/404834/