Governance, Regulation, Legislation, Geostrategies

 

European Commssion wants a postponment of overlapping national social media laws for children – The European Commission has decided to postpone for 12 months draft national laws that overlap with the proposed EU KIDS Act, as it seeks to avoid different child social media laws emerging across member states while the EU-wide legislation is negotiated. Austria provides an example. The country had proposed restricting social media access for children under 14, but the Commission has told Austria to delay the draft for 12 months because it overlaps with the proposed EU framework. Austria had already anticipated that the Commission could require its national proposal to be put on hold if an EU-wide framework moved ahead. – https://dig.watch/updates/eu-delays-national-social-media-laws

 

EU and Canada expand AI-powered climate modelling cooperation – The European Commission and Environment and Climate Change Canada have signed an Administrative Arrangement to strengthen cooperation on AI-enabled climate modelling through Destination Earth (DestinE), the EU initiative developing a digital twin of the planet. Signed on 30 October during the EU–Canada Summit in Montreal, the arrangement builds on the EU–Canada Digital Partnership launched in December 2025 and aims to improve climate risk assessment, disaster preparedness and adaptation planning. – https://dig.watch/updates/eu-canada-ai-climate-modelling

 

Greece proposes new energy and investment rules for data centres – Greece has submitted legislation to Parliament introducing new energy, financial and regulatory requirements for data centres. Announced by the Ministry of Environment and Energy on 31 October, the proposed framework aims to manage electricity grid capacity, strengthen investment oversight and support the organised development of digital infrastructure. – https://dig.watch/updates/greece-energy-investment-data-centres

 

Forget AI, Europe has a plan to win the next tech revolution – A perennial also-ran in the global AI race, Europe now sees an opportunity to win what promises to be another technological revolution by learning from its mistakes. Brussels is set to unveil the Quantum Act, a major piece of tech-sector legislation aimed at pushing EU countries to band together to attempt to stay ahead of the United States and China in quantum computing. A draft of the November proposal obtained by POLITICO seeks to overcome factors that have constrained Europe’s ambitions in artificial intelligence, including a lack of funding to turn research into commercially viable and competitive products — and to scale globally. Crucially, it also shifts focus away from regulating the technology to driving competitiveness — an acknowledgement of concerns that Europe overregulated AI and shouldn’t do the same in a field in which it is at the scientific forefront. “Quantum is one of those [technologies] where we definitely can and should lead the pack,” said Théau Peronnin, CEO of French quantum computing company Alice & Bob. Quantum is considered the next technological breakthrough that could revolutionize many industries, from drug discovery to the military, as the problem-solving capabilities of quantum computers far surpass those of current computers. There is also a huge national security dimension, since it has the potential to break the encryption technology that secures modern communications and banking services. Much of the research is still in the laboratory, but experts forecast that over the next five years, the new generation of computing will become more widely available — and be made only more powerful when fused with AI’s continued progress. “Quantum computing is a way to solve problems that are so difficult that we know that with our normal computers we will never be able to solve,” said Jan Goetz, CEO of Finnish quantum computing company IQM, in an interview. The draft leans heavily on supporting the industry, ideally at the EU level, to avoid national champions struggling to scale because of a lack of funding. It also mandates governments to procure quantum technology from EU-based companies, or from countries that have a strategic partnership with the EU on the technology. The EU agrees quantum legislation should be fundamentally different than for AI, a senior Commission official told POLITICO: “It’s not about regulation. There’s nothing to regulate.” – https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-quantum-act-boost-europe-tech-competitiveness/

 

Data centre growth triggers backlash in Norway over power deficit concerns – Forecasts published on Thursday of rapid growth in power demand from data centres in Norway have further underscored concerns among policymakers and energy market operators, with one political party calling an emergency debate in parliament next week that may lead to a ban on new data centres. The data centre sector, which barely existed three to four years ago, now accounts for between 3 and 4 terawatt hours (TWh) of demand, about 2.5% of the total, and is set to continue growing fast, Kjetil Lund, the head of the the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), the energy regulator, told Reuters. Norway is the latest country where the rapid growth of data centres is meeting resistance, with critics saying the largely foreign-owned industry provides few jobs and will push up power prices. Data centres are also a major topic ahead of midterm elections in the US. – https://www.arctictoday.com/data-centre-growth-triggers-backlash-in-norway-over-power-deficit-concerns/

 

India consults on responsible AI guidelines for telecoms – The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has published draft guidelines on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in telecommunication networks and services, with stakeholder comments open until 27 November 2026. The draft, issued on 30 October 2026, is intended to translate India’s broader AI Governance Guidelines into more practical requirements for the telecommunications sector. – https://dig.watch/updates/india-ai-guidelines-telecoms

 

Japan’s universities must move beyond first-wave AI policies – Japanese universities’ first-wave artificial intelligence (AI) policies, while uneven, largely gave instructors discretion and placed responsibility on individual users, encouraging experimentation. Yet as AI systems become more capable and embedded across university workflows, institutions need to take responsibility for infrastructure, data protection, cybersecurity and setting expectations. Future policies should preserve pedagogical autonomy while providing stronger institutional support and governance for teachers and students. – https://eastasiaforum.org/2026/10/31/japans-universities-must-move-beyond-first-wave-ai-policies/

 

UK details AI use in public employment guidance – The UK’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published details of an AI-powered employment guidance service designed to help jobseekers identify career opportunities, improve their CVs and find relevant training. The disclosure, published on 30 October under the government’s Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS), explains how Work Hub uses generative AI to provide personalised employment support. – https://dig.watch/updates/uk-ai-public-employment

 

Security, Surveillance

 

New wave of fridge cyberattacks hits European supermarkets, this time in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden and Estonia – A new wave of fridge cyberattacks has affected supermarket refrigeration systems in several European countries. Fridges and freezers suddenly rose in temperature overnight, with some incidents suspected to be caused by hackers. On Monday, November 2, Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt reported an IT incident affecting dozens of stores in Belgium and Luxembourg. Swedish supermarket chains ICA and Coop also reported similar problems. “Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt said on Monday that an IT ​incident overnight hit fridges and freezers in dozens of stores in Belgium and Luxembourg, while Swedish grocers ‌ICA and Coop reported similar temperature spikes, with one store blaming a cyberattack.” Reuters states. – https://securityaffairs.com/202260/security/another-fridge-cyberattack-hits-european-supermarkets-this-time-in-belgium-luxembourg-sweden-and-estonia.html

 

Hackers Send Fake Nuclear Threat Alerts to Ukrainian and Russian Citizens – Ukraine and Russia both said on Sunday night that hackers had compromised their emergency alert apps and used them to send fake warnings about air raids and other attacks, including nuclear threats. The BBC reported the incident, but neither side’s claims have been independently confirmed. Shortly before 11 p.m. local time (9 p.m. GMT), Ukraine’s widely used Air Alarm app sent the highest-level air raid warnings across the country. Some people, including residents of Kyiv, also received alerts about possible radiation, chemical attacks and street fighting. A message posted on Telegram said the app had likely been targeted by a cyberattack, confirmed there was no radiation threat and urged people to remain calm. “Shortly before 23:00 local time (21:00 GMT), Ukraine’s widely usedair raid app sent red-level air raid warnings nation-wide, with additional warnings of radiation, chemical attacks, and street fighting sent to some residents in areas including Kyiv.” reports BBC. – https://securityaffairs.com/202248/security/hackers-send-fake-nuclear-threat-alerts-to-ukrainian-and-russian-citizens.html

 

Chainalysis Investigates Security Incident Involving AI-Driven Attack Techniques – Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis says it was the target of a cybersecurity incident. A threat actor accessed its systems and internal tools and stole some non-sensitive customer data. “This month, Chainalysis detected an external actor using offensive agentic techniques to gain unauthorized access to Chainalysis systems and internal tools.” reads the statement published by the company, which also includes the full email sent to affected customers. Chainalysis says it discovered the attacker this month and described the methods used as offensive techniques involving AI agents. However, it did not explain how the attack was carried out. The company also warned that AI-powered attacks are becoming more common across the industry and said it is taking a company-wide approach to dealing with this growing threat. – https://securityaffairs.com/202241/ai/chainalysis-investigates-security-incident-involving-ai-driven-attack-techniques.html

 

FBI Blames North Korea for $6 Billion Binance Crypto Theft – The FBI has named North Korea as the party behind the theft of more than $6 billion in virtual assets from the crypto exchange Binance, on or about October 29, 2026. The bureau published its findings in a public alert. The FBI specifically blames the North Korea-linked APT “TraderTraitor,” also tracked as Lazarus Group and APT38. Binance hasn’t named a culprit, but the blockchain analysis firm TRM has. It was the first to attribute the attack to TraderTraitor, and Chainalysis also said it’s highly confident in that finding. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is releasing information advising the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) was responsible for the theft of more than $6 billion USD in virtual assets from cryptocurrency exchange Binance, on or about October 29, 2026. The FBI refers to this specific North Korean malicious cyber activity as “TraderTraitor.”” reads the FBI’s statement. – https://securityaffairs.com/202221/apt/fbi-blames-north-korea-for-6-billion-binance-crypto-theft.html

 

Organisations need to prove that their AI agents can shut down – Any organisation contemplating use of AI agents, especially any in national security or critical infrastructure, should give them no system access until sure that they will obey an order to stop. This is called a stand-down drill, a test in which an organisation checks that an agent that’s been told to stand down can no longer access systems and is no longer doing anything. Moreover, it must be done when agents are working together as a team. An agent that keeps working after it has been told to stop is a danger to any organisation that relies on it, and the danger only grows when they can work together. An AI agent is made up of an AI model and a piece of software called a harness. The harness connects the AI model to files, accounts and software tools; it decides what actions the agent can actually take. An AI can then autonomously pursue a task using other software, rather than merely answering a question. It may, for example, search maintenance records, prepare an order or change a setting. But here lies the problem: a convincing instruction for the agent to stop is worth little if the AI is able to keep using its tools. – https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/organisations-need-to-prove-that-their-ai-agents-can-shut-down/

 

AI may help, but it’s no substitute for sturdy cyber defence – Sprinkling AI pixie dust around the place doesn’t automatically provide cyber defence. In its Annual Cyber Threat Report 2025–26, the Australian Signal Directorate urges organisations to embrace AI for cyber defence, but asking how much AI your cyber team is using is asking the wrong question. No AI product makes up for not knowing what software you run, which of it is out of date, or what data you have needlessly exposed to the internet. The ASD responded to more than 1,500 incidents last year, up more than 20 percent on the previous year, as attackers used automation to exploit known weaknesses faster than poorly managed organisations can fix them. – https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/ai-may-help-but-its-no-substitute-for-sturdy-cyber-defence/

 

Defence, Military

 

The assay problem: battlefield data after the 2026 Iran war – Battlefield data shared between allies for model training needs to be graded for quality, just as oil is. The war in Ukraine is transforming battlefield data into a shareable asset. In August, Britain became the first foreign country to get access to Ukraine’s Avengers AI Labs, a platform collecting data from thousands of cameras and infrared sensors. The British government has described the platform as a gold mine. Meanwhile, the Iran war is demonstrating that the asset lacks a grade. The conflict has been fought within a data environment that is unreliable at the point of generation. In the first four days of the war alone, 1,735 instances of satellite-navigation interference were recorded across the Gulf. In the same period, Iranian drones damaged data centres in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, forcing a break in data custody. – https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-assay-problem-battlefield-data-after-the-2026-iran-war/