Governance/Regulation/Legislation

Fighting online youth radicalisation, Australia and India can teach each other

(Soumya Awasthi and Fitriani – ASPI The Strategist) Two democracies, very different in scale, are grappling with the same problem: how to protect young people from radicalisation through online gaming. After Australia’s worst terrorist attack, the Bondi Beach massacre in December, the federal government this month committed A$74 million to a new Counter Terrorism Online Centre to monitor gaming platforms, chat rooms and online forums. India, with an estimated 600 million gamers, passed Online Gaming Act in 2025 to bring its vast digital ecosystem under regulatory oversight. Neither country has solved the problem. But together, they hold many of the pieces needed to do so. – https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/fighting-online-youth-radicalisation-australia-and-india-can-teach-each-other/

UK plans for cybercrime law reform would protect almost no one, experts warn

(Alexander Martin – The Record) The British government’s plans to overhaul the country’s main cybercrime law would offer such narrow legal protections that most security researchers would be left in the same position as today, multiple sources briefed on the proposals have told Recorded Future News. Plans to amend the Computer Misuse Act 1990 were announced in the King’s Speech last week following years of campaigning by industry to modernize a law they criticized for prohibiting ordinary cybersecurity activities. Last December, Security Minister Dan Jarvis pledged the government would introduce a statutory defense — a formal legal protection written into law — protecting researchers from conviction in court, “as long as they meet certain safeguards.” But sources briefed on the plans, which have not previously been reported, say those safeguards are extremely limited. – https://therecord.media/uk-plans-for-cybercrime-law-reform-limited-protections

Australia’s regulator targets AI-nudify platform over child safety and deepfake risks

(DigWatch) Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has begun enforcement action against another AI-powered ‘nudify’ service accused of failing to protect children from exposure to sexually explicit deepfake images. The regulator issued a formal Direction to Comply to one of the most visited nudify services in Australia, giving the provider 14 days to implement stronger protections preventing children from accessing the platform. eSafety said the service allows users to upload images of real people and generate sexually explicit deepfake content on demand. –  https://www.esafety.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/esafety-takes-action-against-another-major-nudify-service-for-failing-to-protect-australian-children

Việt Nam highlights AI in national digital transformation strategy

(DigWatch) Việt Nam’s Ministry of Science and Technology has highlighted AI as part of the country’s digital transformation and innovation strategy. Officials said AI is being prioritised alongside technologies including big data, cloud computing, blockchain, and the Internet of Things. The comments were made during a workshop focused on AI products and technology cooperation. Participants said businesses are showing growing interest in AI adoption while facing implementation and investment challenges. – https://vietnamnews.vn/economy/1781741/ai-seen-as-key-driver-of-digital-transformation.html

Geostrategies

Xi and Putin pledge closer cooperation on AI, cyberspace and satellite systems

(Daryna Antoniuk – The Record) Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin used a summit in Beijing on Wednesday to deepen their “good neighborliness and friendly cooperation,” which, among other initiatives, includes plans to expand collaboration on satellite internet, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and internet governance. In a lengthy joint statement, Moscow and Beijing pledged closer cooperation on satellite internet technologies and joint work on software development and open-source initiatives — part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on Western technology and build a more independent technological ecosystem capable of competing with countries both states consider “unfriendly.”. Moscow and Beijing said they would explore creating joint software development projects and expand cooperation on open-source technologies — a move that could help reduce their dependence on Western software as sanctions and export controls continue to limit access to technology, particularly for Russia. – https://therecord.media/russia-and-china-pledge-cooperation-2026

Russia’s Push for Digital Sovereignty Yielding Mixed Results

(Luke Rodeheffer – The Jamestown Foundation) Russia’s digital sovereignty push is multi-pronged, encompassing software, operating systems, hardware, and telecommunications. Kremlin directives have mandated that all critical infrastructure organizations (CIOs) replace foreign software and hardware with domestic alternatives by 2030, backed by billions in state investment. Domestic Linux operating system (OS) distributions, led by Astra, have expanded significantly following the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Astra now controls over 70 percent of the Russian-made operating system (OS) market, with ALT and Aurora filling gaps in state-enterprise and mobile technologies. The push to develop sovereign hardware has encountered serious setbacks. Baikal Elektroniks, a primary recipient of state support, faces persistent engineering shortages and high chip defect rates, prompting the Kremlin to consider forming a new state enterprise with up to one trillion rubles in subsidies. –  https://jamestown.org/russias-push-for-digital-sovereignty-yielding-mixed-results/

Singapore and Google strengthen collaboration on AI innovation and digital governance

(DigWatch) Google and Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information have announced an expanded National AI Partnership designed to accelerate the deployment of frontier AI technologies across the country’s economy and public sector. The initiative builds on earlier collaboration between Google and Singapore’s digital authorities and aims to support healthcare innovation, scientific research, workforce development, enterprise transformation, and AI governance. Officials said the partnership aligns with Singapore’s National AI Strategy and broader ambitions to position the country as a global AI hub. – https://www.mddi.gov.sg/newsroom/google-and-singapore-expand-partnership-to-accelerate-ai-impact-for-the-public-good/

Security and Surveillance

Europe dismantles VPN service used by cybercriminals to hide ransomware attacks

(Daryna Antoniuk – The Record) European law enforcement agencies have dismantled a VPN service long favored by cybercriminals to conceal ransomware attacks, fraud schemes and other illicit activities. The international operation, led by France and the Netherlands and carried out May 19-20, targeted a service known as First VPN, which had been marketed for years on Russian-speaking cybercrime forums as a secure way for criminals to evade law enforcement. Authorities in Ukraine questioned the service’s administrator at the request of French investigators and conducted a house search as part of the coordinated operation. Law enforcement agencies also dismantled 33 servers linked to the platform. – https://therecord.media/europe-dismantles-first-vpn

Switzerland advances National Cyberstrategy implementation

(DigWatch) Switzerland has reported progress in implementing its National Cyberstrategy, with more than 90 projects underway and new measures addressing the role of AI in cybersecurity. The Federal Council was informed of the 2025 implementation report. The implementation report was prepared by the National Cyberstrategy Steering Committee together with the National Cyber Security Centre. – https://www.admin.ch/en/newnsb/NpjoeGQGVrnvbq6nD4L-D

Defense/Intelligence/Warfare

Palantir fights Pentagon over key intelligence contract

(Maria Curi – Axios) Palantir is battling the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency for the ability to bid for a contract to modernize its data analytics system, according to a filing obtained by Axios. Palantir’s already massive foothold at the Pentagon could eventually expand to an agency tasked with providing foreign military intelligence to prevent and win wars. Palantir argues in its protest that the DIA is wasting taxpayer money, and flouting the law, by refusing to consider a commercial solution for its data analytics modernization efforts. – https://www.axios.com/2026/05/21/palantir-pentagon-dia-contract-suit

Beyond the front line: Ukraine is deepening its drone wall

(David Kirichenko – ASPI The Strategist) Long-range Ukrainian strikes have dominated recent headlines, and for good reason: they are causing lasting damage. In April, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, said strikes on Russian military infrastructure had caused around $25.5 billion in damage. But on the battlefield, another trend is taking shape: Ukraine’s drone wall is evolving from a primarily defensive shield along the front line into an increasingly offensive system. The kill zone that emerged as drones came to dominate the battlefield was initially around 5 to 10 km in depth, but it has continued to expand. ‘We’ve contracted a record number of mid-range strike systems,’ said Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s defense minister. With both the production and usage of mid-range strike drones scaling up, Kyiv is now pushing to expand that kill zone further. – https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/beyond-the-front-line-ukraine-is-deepening-its-drone-wall/

Frontiers and Markets

New Stanford scaling method could make AI training cheaper

(DigWatch) Researchers at Stanford University have introduced a new approach to scaling laws that could significantly reduce the computational cost of predicting how large language models will perform as they grow. Scaling laws are used to estimate how smaller models will behave before developers commit to expensive large-scale training runs. These predictions are central to modern AI development, where training advanced models can require enormous computing resources and financial investment. A research team led by Sanmi Koyejo and Sang Truong developed a framework called Item Response Scaling Laws, or IRSL, which draws on measurement science and educational testing methods. The approach adapts techniques similar to those used in standardised exams to evaluate model capabilities with far fewer test queries. – https://hai.stanford.edu/news/new-approach-to-scaling-laws-could-change-how-ai-models-are-trained

NASA develops AI system to track harmful algal blooms using satellite data

(DigWatch) NASA researchers have developed an AI system designed to combine satellite datasets to improve monitoring of harmful algal blooms. The system uses self-supervised machine learning to analyse patterns across five satellite missions and instruments, helping researchers identify blooms in regions including western Florida and Southern California. According to researchers, the approach could support environmental monitoring and earlier identification of marine health risks. – https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ai-tool-fuses-satellite-datasets.html

MIT researchers explore AI-driven approaches to drug discovery

(DigWatch) AI is increasingly being used in drug discovery to analyse large chemical datasets and identify potential therapeutic compounds. Researchers estimate that the number of potentially useful small-molecule compounds is too large for experimental testing alone, increasing reliance on computational screening methods. – https://news.mit.edu/2026/building-ai-models-with-chemical-principles-connor-coley-0520

Study examines local warming effects linked to data centre expansion

(DigWatch) New research suggests that expanding data centre infrastructure may contribute to localised warming effects similar to urban heat islands. The study, published in the Journal of Engineering for Sustainable Buildings and Cities, examined several data centres in the Phoenix metropolitan area and found measurable increases in surrounding air temperatures. Researchers reported temperature increases ranging from approximately 1.5 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit within areas located downwind from facilities. – https://dig.watch/updates/study-examines-local-warming-effects-linked-to-data-centre-expansion