Governance, Regulation, Legislation, Geostrategies
Digital harms and child protection drive major Criminal Code reforms in Canada
(DigWatch) Canada has enacted new criminal justice legislation aimed at strengthening protections for children, restoring mandatory minimum sentences for serious sexual offences and expanding legal tools to combat online exploitation and digital abuse. The Protecting Victims Act has been presented as a major update to the Criminal Code. The law increases penalties for offences including sexual abuse, voyeurism, sextortion and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, including AI-generated or digitally manipulated sexual deepfakes. Authorities have also been given enhanced powers to pursue offenders operating across borders. – https://dig.watch/updates/canada-criminal-code-to-combat-child-abuse
Norway restricts generative AI use in primary schools
(DigWatch) Norway is introducing new national guidance that significantly restricts the use of generative AI in primary education as part of a broader effort to strengthen foundational learning outcomes. From the upcoming school year, pupils in grades 1–7 will generally not be permitted to use generative AI tools in their schoolwork. The approach reflects concerns over declining foundational skills, with international assessments indicating a drop in reading and numeracy levels among Norwegian students. Policymakers have linked the decision to evidence suggesting that early and uncritical reliance on generative AI could interfere with the development of essential literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills. – https://dig.watch/updates/norway-limits-generative-ai-primary-schools
Indonesia plans AI integration across major government programmes
(DigWatch) Indonesia plans to integrate AI into major government programmes, including its flagship free meals initiative valued at approximately $15 billion, under a draft presidential regulation awaiting approval from President Prabowo Subianto. The draft establishes a roadmap for AI adoption across ministries and regional governments between 2026 and 2029. It aims to improve economic growth and strengthen Indonesia’s competitiveness in AI at both regional and global levels. – https://dig.watch/updates/indonesia-ai-integration-government-programmes
Malaysia moves to strengthen laws against AI-enabled crimes
(DigWatch) Malaysia is moving to strengthen its legal framework to address AI-enabled offences, including deepfakes, identity impersonation and AI-generated child sexual abuse material, according to Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo. Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Gobind said Malaysia already has legal protections in several areas, particularly those involving children, but that the country’s regulatory framework must evolve to keep pace with emerging AI-related risks, especially those affecting young people. – https://dig.watch/updates/malaysia-laws-against-ai-enabled-crimes
Beijing publishing forum calls for AI copyright standards
(DigWatch) Publishing leaders and professionals have called for clearer copyright rules and industry standards for the use of AI in publishing, following discussions at the 2026 International Publishing Forum in Beijing. The forum, held during the Beijing International Book Fair, brought together nearly 300 publishing executives and professionals from 26 countries and regions. It was jointly organised by the Publishers Association of China and the International Publishers Association. – https://dig.watch/updates/beijing-calls-for-ai-copyright-standards
Data centers become the face of AI backlash
(Megan Morrone – Axios) Only a small fraction of data center opponents actually live near one, according to new polling by a consulting firm that counsels leading AI labs and tech startups. The findings by Milltown Partners, shared first with Axios, highlight how data centers have become a stand-in for broader anger at an AI future many Americans don’t want but fear they’ll have to pay for. The public is still divided on data centers, with direct opposition not yet a majority view. But nearly half of respondents support a temporary construction ban, according to Milltown’s findings. 38% of respondents said they would support a data center being built near their home, while 34% would oppose it. Meanwhile, 49% say they support a moratorium on construction of new data centers, while only 16% oppose a moratorium. Another 27% neither support nor oppose a moratorium and 8% say they don’t know. Most opposition to data centers isn’t coming from neighbors. Only 8% of the respondents who oppose data centers say they know of one or more data centers near their home, the poll found. – https://www.axios.com/2026/06/22/ai-data-center-backlash-poll
Nvidia says AI’s water challenge is largely solved
(Amy Harder – Axios) A top Nvidia executive says water concerns surrounding data centers could be largely addressed by the company’s next generation of AI infrastructure. It’s a bold claim with high stakes by the world’s dominant chip maker. Data centers are facing growing scrutiny for their use of energy and water, and Nvidia’s chips are helping drive the AI boom behind much of that demand. Nvidia announced Monday at London Climate Week that its latest AI system can be fully cooled with liquid warm enough to reduce the need for additional chilling equipment. “The water consumption challenge for data centers is largely solved,” said Josh Parker, Nvidia’s chief sustainability officer, in an interview last week ahead of his trip to London. Nvidia’s announcement comes on the heels of Google and Amazon defending their data center water practices amid growing local opposition to AI infrastructure. – https://www.axios.com/2026/06/22/nvidia-data-center-water-solution
The Geography and Geopolitics of Hyperscale
(Elizabeth Heyes – Observer Research Foundation) Rising geopolitical competition over advanced technologies is reshaping how states approach the infrastructure that underpins digital power. This brief argues that hyperscale data centres, often treated as technical or commercial assets, are becoming increasingly central to geopolitical strategy, even as they face constraints in resource supply chains, physical infrastructure, and data governance regimes. To examine how these factors interact, the brief employs a three-part analytical framework focused on the geographies of resources, infrastructure, and data. It assesses how these dimensions influence where hyperscale capacity can be developed and the extent to which states can secure access to advanced compute amidst heightened global geopolitical competition. – https://www.orfonline.org/research/the-geography-and-geopolitics-of-hyperscale
Capability in the Age of AI: India’s GCCs and the Future of White-Collar Work
(Arya Roy Bardhan, Soumya Bhowmick – Observer Research Foundation) Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping global enterprise operations, the task composition of white-collar work, and the geography of high-value services. This report examines what that shift means for India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs), which have evolved from cost-driven back offices into strategic hubs for technology, innovation, and AI deployment. It argues that, while AI will increase the strategic importance of mature GCCs due to the ongoing need for human oversight, India’s ability to capitalise on this will depend on closing structural gaps and will ultimately result in a highly productive, specialised, yet less labour-intensive workforce. A scenario exercise for 2024-2030 suggests that AI-related displacement from an optimistic 4.5 million employee baseline could range from roughly 40,000 jobs in a conservative linear-adoption case to around 150,000 jobs in an aggressive front-loaded case. The policy challenge is to build the skilling, governance, geographic, and monitoring systems needed to convert a narrow high-skill opportunity into broader economic gains. – https://www.orfonline.org/research/capability-in-the-age-of-ai-india-s-gccs-and-the-future-of-white-collar-work
China’s chipmaking supply chain runs through Southeast Asia
(Jing Ge – East Asia Forum) US export controls are constraining China’s access to semiconductor equipment while procurement channels increasingly shift through Southeast Asia. Singapore and Malaysia are emerging as important production, servicing and logistics hubs linked to US-origin technology systems, making China’s equipment access more regionalised and compliance-sensitive. Though Chinese firms are expanding rapidly, China’s dependence on foreign technology remains significant, increasing Southeast Asia’s strategic importance in US–China semiconductor competition. – https://eastasiaforum.org/2026/06/20/chinas-chipmaking-supply-chain-runs-through-southeast-asia/
Power, dilution and the AI chokepoint
(Tom Barber – Lowy The Interpreter) On 12 June, global access to Anthropic’s new Mythos-class models – the most capable(Opens in new window) ever released – was abruptly disabled. This was in response(Opens in new window) to a White House directive to restrict access to all foreign nationals. Without a way to verify user nationality in real time, Anthropic took the models offline for everyone(Opens in new window). It was the first time(Opens in new window) export controls have been used to restrict access to AI models (as opposed to the chips or weights underpinning them). And it came only days after Trump signed an executive order requesting(Opens in new window) early government access to every frontier model before public release. An administration explicit(Opens in new window) about wanting to win the AI race has just shown how readily state-level power concentration can be exercised. This is bad news regardless of whether the United States is friend or foe. Australia’s access disappeared alongside everyone else’s, and neither the alliance nor membership of Five Eyes made any difference. As recursive self-improvement looms over the horizon(Opens in new window), and with it the prospect of artificial general intelligence (AGI), it is plausible that, by early next decade, a single data centre could be the equivalent of a country of geniuses(Opens in new window). This would translate an already decisive lead into an insurmountable one(Opens in new window), with efficiency and productivity gains multiplying across every dimension of state power. An AGI hegemon would be far more powerful than any country in history, locking in a first mover advantage, hoovering up the majority of global GDP, and relegating everyone else to bystanders. In the most extreme example, concentration of power could permanently entrench(Opens in new window) a global totalitarian regime. Not ideal. – https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/power-dilution-and-the-ai-chokepoint
The UK’s Discriminatory AI Experiment on Child Refugees
(Anna Bacciarelli – Human Rights Watch) The UK Home Office is pushing ahead with plans to use AI technology to guess the age of young people arriving at UK borders to seek asylum, starting in 2027. Yet the Home Office’s own tests found the technology performed worse on certain groups of people, notably Africans. The plans severely endanger the human rights of children seeking asylum and should be scrapped. Facial age estimation technology (FAE) is a nascent technology used to estimate a person’s age, which would contribute towards determining their asylum status. Described with much fanfare by the Home Office as a “cutting-edge AI tech,” FAE is currently used in UK shops and bars on customers seeking to buy age-restricted items. To use this for life-changing decisions in refugee processing centers is to introduce an unreliable, untested technology into an already flawed process. – https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/19/the-uks-discriminatory-ai-experiment-on-child-refugees
Google Cloud urges changes to EU tech sovereignty plans
(DigWatch) Google Cloud has urged EU policymakers to revise parts of the European Commission’s Tech Sovereignty Package, arguing that some proposed cloud sovereignty measures could unintentionally isolate the European digital market. In a policy statement, Giorgia Abeltino, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Google Cloud in EMEA, said Europe requires significant investment in digital infrastructure to strengthen competitiveness, security and technological sovereignty. She said the EU is considering how to expand its digital footprint across chips, cloud adoption, and AI data infrastructure. – https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/identity-security/choice-compliance-and-collaboration-europes-path-to-open-digital-sovereignty
China expands AI adoption across consumer economy
(DigWatch) China’s Ministry of Commerce and seven other government departments have issued guidelines to accelerate the integration of AI into consumer markets. The implementation document sets out 17 measures in five areas under an ‘AI plus consumption’ strategy. It aims to expand smart product consumption, support AI-enabled services and create new consumer scenarios. – https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202606/18/content_WS6a33e5a0c6d00ca5f9a0bb00.html
European Patent Office launches Data Desk innovation platform
(DigWatch) The European Patent Office (EPO) has launched the Data Desk, a new platform designed to provide innovators, investors and policymakers with detailed insights into global technology, innovation and patent trends. The initiative was unveiled at VivaTech 2026 in Paris and forms part of the EPO’s broader efforts to support innovation and technological competitiveness across Europe. – https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/news/epo-launches-its-data-desk-providing-actionable-intelligence-europes-innovators
Greece and the European Commission strengthen AI cooperation for public services
(DigWatch) Greece and the European Commission have reinforced cooperation on AI through a conference held during the BEYOND 2026 exhibition, bringing together policymakers, academics, technology experts and citizens to discuss the future of AI in Europe. Speaking at the event, Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Dimitris Papastergiou emphasised the importance of responsible and innovative AI adoption to improve public services, drive digital transformation and strengthen Greece’s competitiveness. – https://dig.watch/updates/greece-eu-ai-cooperation-public-services
Asian Development Bank launches digital transformation strategy focused on AI and inclusion
(DigWatch) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a new digital transformation strategy aimed at helping countries across Asia and the Pacific harness AI and digital technologies while protecting vulnerable groups from associated risks. According to ADB, the strategy will run from 2026 to 2030 and focus on expanding digital connectivity, strengthening digital skills, enhancing cybersecurity and privacy protections, improving data governance and promoting the responsible use of AI. – https://www.adb.org/news/adb-moves-help-asia-and-pacific-harness-ai-guard-against-risk
OECD publishes AI literacy framework for schools
(DigWatch) The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a new report, ‘Empowering Learners for the Age of AI‘, outlining an AI literacy framework for primary and secondary education. According to the OECD, AI is becoming increasingly embedded in everyday digital life and is influencing civic, professional and social outcomes. The organisation argues that education systems must equip young people with the knowledge and skills needed to understand, evaluate and use AI responsibly. – https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/empowering-learners-for-the-age-of-ai_65cd27d4-en.html
Eurostat report highlights online hate speech exposure in the EU
(DigWatch) More than half of young internet users in the EU encountered hostile or degrading online content in 2025, according to Eurostat data published to mark the International Day for Countering Hate Speech. Eurostat said 54.0% of internet users aged 25 to 34 and 53.7% of those aged 16 to 24 had encountered hostile or degrading messages during the previous three months. Exposure declined with age, falling to 46.4% among people aged 35 to 44, 38.9% among those aged 45 to 54, 32.8% among those aged 55 to 64, and 28.1% among people aged 65 to 74. – https://dig.watch/updates/eurostat-report-online-hate-speech-in-the-eu
Digital Decade report showcases Spain’s progress in AI and connectivity
(DigWatch) Spain has strengthened its position as one of the EU’s leading digital economies, according to the European Commission’s 2026 State of the Digital Decade report. The assessment highlights Spain’s strong performance in connectivity, digital public services, AI adoption and digital skills, with the country outperforming the EU average across several key indicators. – https://dig.watch/updates/digital-decade-report-showcases-spains-progress-in-ai-and-connectivity
UNESCO launches consultation on fair payment for news in the digital age
(UN News) UN cultural agency UNESCO has launched a global consultation process to inform its Draft Guidance on Fair Compensation for News, particularly as online platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly rely on journalistic content. The initiative comes “at a time when securing the sustainability of news media is more urgent than ever to protect the future of journalism and safeguard information integrity,” the agency said. The text under consultation outlines disruptions to the media landscape, including decreased funding for public-interest journalism, the contraction or closure of local and community news organisations, and other challenges that indicate “a fundamental and ongoing change in the structure of the information economy.” – https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167771
Kyrgyzstan. UNESCO backs new initiative against online hate speech
(DigWatch) Organisations and experts in Kyrgyzstan have launched the country’s first multistakeholder coalition focused on online harmful content and content moderation, with support from UNESCO and the European Union. The Aikyn Sanarip coalition was launched in Bishkek on 17 June, ahead of the UN International Day for Countering Hate Speech. It brings together civil society, media representatives, government bodies, academics, international organisations and bloggers. – https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/hate-speech-online-no-longer-just-problem-its-threat-social-cohesion?hub=701
AI reshapes capital markets as efficiency gains meet governance challenges
(DigWatch) AI is rapidly transforming capital markets, moving beyond experimental pilots and into core financial infrastructure. Trading systems, cloud-native platforms and machine-learning tools are reshaping liquidity formation, price discovery and operational workflows. International institutions increasingly view AI adoption not only as a driver of productivity but also as a governance challenge affecting market integrity, transparency, and trust. – https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2026/06/17/international-organisations-leading-the-way-in-artificial-intelligence-the-next-frontier-for-capital-markets
Spain’s data protection authority issues privacy guidance for video game industry
(DigWatch) The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has published a new guide outlining data protection recommendations for the video game industry, urging companies to embed privacy safeguards throughout the entire game lifecycle. According to the AEPD, modern video games have evolved into complex digital ecosystems that collect, analyse and process significant volumes of personal data. This may include account information, gameplay activity, behavioural data and other user-generated information, creating potential privacy and security risks. – https://dig.watch/updates/spain-privacy-guidance-for-video-game-industry
Why Anthropic Is Sounding the Alarm on the Next Generation of AI
(Gordon M. Goldstein – Council on Foreign Relations) The ascending artificial intelligence (AI) giant Anthropic is no longer simply a global technology power. Its cutting-edge AI models are increasingly central to U.S. national security. Four recent episodes illustrate this growing reality. In April, Anthropic withheld the release of its model Mythos Preview, which self-created the most powerful cyber weapon in history, capable of finding more than ten thousand software vulnerabilities in computer networks believed to be highly secure. Earlier this month it was reported that the company had embedded half a dozen “forward deployed engineers” with the National Security Agency to conduct offensive AI cyber operations, presumably against China and Iran. Late last Friday afternoon, the Commerce Department ordered Anthropic to cut off access for all foreign nationals to its two most recent “frontier” models, citing undefined national security concerns. The dramatic dispute with the company, now playing out in the press, is yet another twist in Anthropic’s seemingly tortured relationship with the U.S. national security establishment. But arguably the most important development came on June 4, when Anthropic issued a significant report on the pace of the AI race titled, “When AI builds itself: Our progress toward recursive self-improvement, and its implications”. Composed using breezy and sometimes casual prose that obscures its remarkable thesis, the company warned that the next AI breakthrough—perhaps two years away—could create an advanced model so powerful that it evades human control entirely. Anthropic urged its rivals and partners to come together and embark on an unprecedented effort to build a viable multilateral regime of AI arms control. “Recursive self-improvement” is the anodyne term used by computer scientists to describe the next paradigm of AI. When it arrives, AI will have the capability to perfect and propagate itself, creating future iterations of ever more dynamic models that can prioritize their own survival and potentially self-exfiltrate across the Internet to computer networks around the globe. “If it were possible to effectively slow the development of this technology to give ourselves more time to deal with its immense implications, we think that would likely be a good thing,” Anthropic stated in its report. Anthropic is absolutely right to issue a warning. But the company has understated both the risks of the new technology and the extraordinary barriers to controlling what promises to be a revolutionary next paradigm in AI. – https://www.cfr.org/articles/why-anthropic-is-sounding-the-alarm-on-the-next-generation-of-ai
The EU’s secret weapon for enlargement: AI
(Sebastian Starcevic and Gerardo Fortuna – Politico) The European Commission is using artificial intelligence to speed up its work with prospective members of the EU. Two officials from the Commission who work on enlargement told POLITICO their department has been using an AI tool to assess candidate countries’ laws to ensure they align with EU legislation, as staff struggle to cope with an increased workload caused by so many countries banging on the bloc’s door. The AI tool used is the Commission’s own creation, the officials said. The EU executive launched GPT@EC, a generative AI tool for its staff, in 2024 amid privacy and security fears about American services such as ChatGPT and Claude. – https://www.politico.eu/article/the-eus-secret-weapon-for-enlargement-ai/
Anthropic and South Korea partner on AI safety and cybersecurity
(DigWatch) Anthropic has opened an office in Seoul and announced a series of partnerships across South Korea’s AI ecosystem, alongside a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Science and ICT on AI safety. The company said the Seoul office will serve as a long-term hub for collaboration with South Korean enterprises, startups, researchers and developers using Claude. Senior Anthropic leaders travelled to Seoul this week to open the office and meet partners, customers, and developers. – https://www.anthropic.com/news/seoul-office-partnerships-korean-ai-ecosystem?via=fahim
IWF backs Pope Leo XIV call for responsible AI development
(DigWatch) The Internet Watch Foundation has welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s reflections on AI, arguing that AI systems must be developed with stronger safeguards to protect children from abuse. In a blog post, the IWF said the Pope’s message that technology should serve the common good and remain subject to human judgement and accountability reflects the risks its analysts are already seeing online. – https://www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/blogs/technology-for-good-reflections-on-the-pope-s-first-encyclical/
Finland links communications networks to security and digital growth
(DigWatch) Finland’s Ministry of Transport and Communications has completed the first phase of the TUUTTI project, concluding that secure and reliable communications networks are essential to both national security and digital economic growth. The report, published on 17 June 2026, provides an overview of Finland’s communications networks, markets and services, and identifies long-term decision points affecting network investment, security and future development. – https://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/-/1410829/overview-of-communications-networks-completed-high-quality-connections-are-the-foundation-of-security-and-growth
UK unveils AI tools to speed up planning decisions and housing delivery
(DigWatch) The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have unveiled two AI tools designed to modernise England’s planning system and accelerate housing delivery. One new AI prototype is being tested by Barnet, Camden and Dorset councils and aims to reduce average decision times for routine householder planning applications from eight weeks to four. The system triages applications and provides planning officers with preliminary assessments to support decision-making. – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ai-tool-to-slash-planning-decision-times-as-government-accelerates-push-to-build-15-million-homes
When the Algorithm Finds You First: A Case for Social Media Age Restrictions
(Claudia Wallner – RUSI) The UK government has now confirmed that it will introduce social media age restrictions for under-16s, with legislation expected before Christmas and implementation planned for spring 2027. In practice, this refers primarily to age limits on mainstream social media platforms rather than a wider ban on internet use or screen time as such. Similar measures are already in place or under active consideration elsewhere, such as in Australia, where an under-16s ban took effect in December 2025, while Canada has now announced legislation of its own. Much of the discussion so far has focused on children’s mental health and wellbeing and on the design features platforms use to maximise children’s time online. However, the case for tighter age restrictions is also a security and prevention argument. Young people now move through an online environment that exposes them not only to cyberbullying and addictive design features, but also to misogynist communities, violence-glorifying subcultures, self-harm and eating disorder content, violent extremist milieus, and, in some cases, recruitment efforts by hostile state or criminal actors. – https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/when-algorithm-finds-you-first-case-social-media-age-restrictions
UK expands AI-powered planning tools across England
(DigWatch) The UK Government has announced major progress in its efforts to modernise the planning system through AI, including the nationwide rollout of the Extract tool and continued development of the Augmented Planning Decisions (APD) prototype. Extract, developed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the government’s Incubator for AI (i.AI), is now available to local authorities across England following successful trials. The tool automates the processing of complex planning documents and could save the average council around 255 hours of manual work. – https://blog.google/company-news/inside-google/around-the-globe/google-europe/united-kingdom/google-cloud-summit-london-2026/
Italian competition authority investigates Apple over DMA interoperability rules
(DigWatch) The Italian Competition Authority has launched an investigation into Apple Inc., Apple Distribution International Ltd and Apple Italia S.r.l. over their compliance with interoperability requirements under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). According to the authority, the Digital Markets Act requires Apple to provide third-party consumer cloud service providers with free and effective interoperability with its iOS and iPadOS operating systems under conditions equivalent to those
available to iCloud. – https://en.agcm.it/en/media/press-releases/2026/6/IDMA1
EU court clarifies age verification rules for pornographic websites
(DigWatch) The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has clarified the conditions under which EU Member States may require age verification for users of pornographic websites and restrict the rebroadcasting of information about certain roadside checks. The ruling concerns joined cases involving WebGroup Czech Republic, NKL Associates and Coyote System. The cases were referred by France’s Council of State and concerned French measures requiring pornographic websites to verify users’ ages and allowing restrictions on geolocation driving assistance services that rebroadcast information about certain roadside checks. – https://dig.watch/updates/cjeu-age-verification-pornographic-websites
Western Balkans schools explore AI in education with UNESCO and UNICEF support
(DigWatch) Educators from across the Western Balkans gathered in Sarajevo to discuss the rapid rise of AI in education and its implications for teaching and learning. The regional conference brought together more than 80 teachers and practitioners from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia. Supported by UNESCO, UNICEF, the French Institute and the Croatian Cultural Society ‘Napredak’, the event focused on both the opportunities and risks associated with AI adoption in education. Discussions covered ethical use of AI, data protection, safeguarding learner well-being and maintaining educational integrity in digital environments. – https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/ai-and-education-towards-human-centred-future-digital-learning
South Korea and Saudi Arabia expand cooperation on AI and digital transformation
(DigWatch) South Korea and Saudi Arabia have agreed to strengthen cooperation in AI and digital transformation as part of a broader partnership spanning energy, advanced industries and critical mineral supply chains. The agreement was signed in Riyadh by South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-Kwan and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. – https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Business/view?articleId=294058
Swiss parliament weighs AI apps in media copyright bill
(DigWatch) Swiss lawmakers want the government to examine whether AI applications should be covered by a media copyright bill that would require online services to compensate publishers for displaying extracts from newspaper articles. The Swiss Senate unanimously referred the media copyright bill and related rights bill back to the federal government on Wednesday. The House of Representatives had already approved the request in March by 157 votes to 29, with two abstentions, making the decision final. – https://dig.watch/updates/swiss-parliament-media-copyright-bill-ai-apps
Canada enacts cybersecurity legislation to protect critical infrastructure
(DigWatch) Canada has strengthened its national cybersecurity framework after Bill C-8, the Act Respecting Cyber Security (ARCS), received Royal Assent.The legislation is designed to strengthen the security of critical infrastructure and telecommunications networks that support essential services across Canada. The new law amends the Telecommunications Act by making security an explicit policy objective and granting the government additional powers to require action against threats targeting telecommunications systems. – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/news/2026/06/government-of-canada-strengthens-cyber-security-and-critical-infrastructure-with-royal-assent-of-bill-c8.html
European Parliament backs AI Act simplification and nudifier app ban
(DigWatch) The European Parliament has approved amendments to parts of the EU AI Act as part of the digital omnibus package, postponing some compliance deadlines while adding a ban on AI systems used to create non-consensual sexually explicit content. MEPs backed the changes with 423 votes in favour, 57 against and 174 abstentions. The measures are intended to simplify compliance for companies while preserving the AI Act’s risk-based structure and core safeguards. – https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20260611IPR45207/ai-act-ep-approves-simplification-measures-and-nudifier-app-ban
Legal Considerations Related to the Anthropic “Export Controls Directive”
(Brian Egan – Just Security) On June 12, Anthropic announced that it was disabling access to two of its advanced artificial intelligence large language models, Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5, after receiving an order from the U.S. government to suspend access to these models by any non-U.S. national. Anthropic described the order (which the U.S. government has not publicly disclosed) as an “export controls directive” that cites “national security authorities” as the basis for the suspension. Anthropic announced that the U.S. government’s concerns relate to reported methods for bypassing, or “jailbreaking,” the safety controls deployed by Anthropic to prevent misuse of its models for illicit activities. According to Anthropic, the particular vulnerabilities at issue are minor and are common to other AI models. – https://www.justsecurity.org/142745/law-anthropic-export-controls/
UK deepens AI adoption in healthcare with new NHS funding
(DigWatch) According to UKAuthority, the UK government is investing nearly £30 million to expand the use of AI-powered diagnostic technologies across England’s National Health Service (NHS). The funding aims to accelerate diagnoses and improve patient care for millions of people. Under the programme, £20 million will be allocated to deploy AI-powered chest X-ray tools across every NHS trust in England by 2029. The technology is already used by around half of NHS trusts and has supported more than four million patients through faster lung cancer diagnosis or clearance – https://www.ukauthority.com/articles/government-invests-in-ai-cancer-diagnosis
South Korea launches AI-RAN project for 6G networks
(DigWatch) The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) has launched the AI-RAN Global Flagship Project, a multi-year research and development programme backed by an investment of 47 billion won (approximately $31.2 million). The initiative aims to develop AI native network technologies for the 6G era. The project will run until 2030 and brings together South Korea’s three largest mobile operators, SK Telecom, KT Corp and LG Uplus, alongside technology companies, universities and research institutions. The programme aims to integrate AI training and inference capabilities directly into next-generation network architecture. – https://www.telecomtv.com/content/ai/south-korea-s-etri-launches-ai-ran-initiative-55689/
Thailand updates legal framework to modernise capital markets
(DigWatch) Thailand is advancing amendments to the Securities and Exchange Act to create a legal framework for electronic securities and support the digitalisation of its capital markets. The draft bill has passed its first reading in the House of Representatives, with a special committee appointed to review the details before the second and third readings. The proposal would allow securities to be issued, held, transferred and used as collateral in electronic form with legal effect. – https://en.vietnamplus.vn/thailand-amends-securities-law-to-support-digital-economy-post344601.vnp
Manchester tops UK AI city ranking for third consecutive year
(DigWatch) Manchester has ranked as the UK’s most AI-ready city outside London for the third consecutive year, according to the SAS AI Cities 2026 Index. The index, produced by data and AI company SAS, assesses cities using indicators including AI-related jobs, business activity, innovation funding, education opportunities and digital infrastructure. – https://www.prolificnorth.co.uk/news/manchester-retains-uks-top-ai-city-crown-for-third-year/
Foxconn and Schneider Electric partner on AI data centre infrastructure
(DigWatch) Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) has formed a strategic partnership with Schneider Electric to develop next-generation AI data centres and support the global expansion of AI infrastructure. The companies plan to develop a reference architecture for AI data centres focused on closed-loop energy optimisation, modular power and cooling systems, and standardised designs. They aim to create repeatable, high-performance ‘AI factory’ models that can be deployed at scale. – https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6383918
Vietnam targets digital economy at 30% of GDP by 2030
(DigWatch) Vietnam has approved a national programme to develop its digital economy and digital society from 2026 to 2030, setting a target for the digital economy’s value-added contribution to reach around 30% of GDP by the end of the decade. The programme aims to accelerate digital transformation across public services, businesses and society through digital platforms, data infrastructure, AI and wider adoption of digital services. – https://dig.watch/updates/vietnam-targets-digital-economy-30-of-gdp-2030
Trump’s AI export strategy runs into Trump’s export controls
(Ashley Gold – Axios) The Trump administration has made exporting American AI a key part of its plans for global AI dominance, but ad hoc policy decisions around the most advanced AI are threatening that effort. A flagship U.S. program designed to boost AI exports could be undermined by the very administration that created it. “The government’s willingness to arbitrarily and abruptly remove America’s best models from all foreign use shows that the strategy behind the AI Export Program is no longer relevant to decision makers in the U.S. government,” Dean Ball, a former AI adviser in the Trump administration, told Axios. The Trump administration slapped export controls on Anthropic’s newest model Fable 5 due to disagreements over whether it is safe for deployment, causing Anthropic to pull access to it entirely. – https://www.axios.com/2026/06/16/trump-ai-export-strategy-export-control
Australian Finance Department releases internal AI guidance
(DigWatch) Australia’s Department of Finance has publicly released internal guidance on generative AI under the Freedom of Information Act 1982, outlining how staff and contractors should use AI tools in their work. The guidance, dated March and April 2026, applies to tools including Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, Microsoft 365 Copilot full licences, and public generative AI services such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. It says AI tools can improve productivity and service delivery, but also carry risks that must be understood and managed. Staff intending to use AI tools must complete the APS Academy’s AI in Government Fundamentals course. Staff are also encouraged to build prompting skills in a secure environment through GovAI’s Interactive Learning Environment and discuss approved AI use cases with managers. – https://dig.watch/updates/australia-finance-generative-ai-guidance
EDPS warns Shadow AI creates hidden data protection risks
(DigWatch) The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has warned that Shadow AI can create hidden data protection and breach risks when employees use unauthorised AI tools without organisational approval. The warning was published in a blog post by EDPS Wojciech Wiewiórowski on 15 June 2026. The EDPS said Shadow AI can include tools such as generative AI chatbots, coding assistants and automated note-taking applications. While employees may use them as shortcuts to improve productivity, unauthorised AI tools can bypass data protection and security safeguards. – https://www.edps.europa.eu/press-publications/press-news/blog/managing-shadow-ais-hidden-data-breach-risk_en
Armenian finance minister highlights AI’s economic potential and risks
(DigWatch) Armenia’s Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan said AI could support economic growth while also creating new economic and labour-market challenges. He made the comments during a parliamentary discussion on the performance of the 2025 state budget. Hovhannisyan said the impact of AI is being widely debated internationally and that governments around the world are actively exploring its economic implications. He was responding to questions about AI’s potential effect on GDP growth and the expansion of the tax base. – https://www.arka.am/en/news/economy/armenia-s-finance-minister-assesses-the-risks-and-impact-of-ai-on-economic-growth/
Canada seeks stronger privacy rights through new digital governance law
(DigWatch) The Canadian government has introduced the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, a major legislative proposal designed to modernise the country’s private-sector privacy framework and strengthen protections in an increasingly AI-driven digital environment. According to the government, Canada’s existing privacy legislation was developed more than 25 years ago and no longer reflects technological realities such as AI, automated decision-making systems, deepfakes and the large-scale collection of children’s data. – https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2026/06/government-of-canada-tables-new-legislation-to-protect-childrens-data-strengthen-privacy-and-build-trust-in-the-digital-economy.html
OECD says governments need stronger delivery capacity for digital transformation
(DigWatch) The OECD says governments have made progress in building the foundations of digital government, but must now focus on turning those foundations into measurable benefits for people and businesses. In its Digital Government Outlook 2026, the OECD says governments are operating under pressure from rapid technological change, fiscal constraints, rising public expectations and the growing adoption of AI. The report argues that digital technologies and data are now essential to public-sector performance, resilience, and trust. – https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/digital-government-outlook_0496b2bc-en.html
ILO adopts Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention 2026 for digital workers
(DigWatch) The International Labour Organization has adopted the Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention 2026, creating the first global labour standard specifically focused on work
performed through digital labour platforms. The International Labour Conference adopted the Convention at its 114th session in Geneva. It addresses working conditions in the platform economy, including ride-hailing, delivery, online freelancing, data work and other forms of digitally mediated labour. – https://dig.watch/updates/ilo-adopts-decent-work-in-the-platform-convention
Humanists UK urges government to adopt human-centred AI principles
(DigWatch) Humanists UK has urged the UK government to place human dignity, democratic oversight and human flourishing at the centre of AI governance. The call followed a House of Lords debate on the impact of AI on human relationships and society, during which peers discussed the ethical, social and regulatory challenges raised by rapidly advancing AI systems. – https://humanists.uk/2026/06/16/uk-government-urged-to-adopt-humanist-ai-principles/
Yale proposal targets transparency gap in AI development
(DigWatch) Researchers at Yale’s Digital Ethics Center have proposed a copyleft-style licensing framework intended to increase transparency around generative AI models trained on open-source software. The proposal, called the Contextual Copyleft AI License, would adapt principles from free and open-source software licensing to generative AI. Under the model, AI systems trained on open-source code could be treated as derivative works, requiring developers to make key information about model architecture and training data freely available. – https://news.yale.edu/2026/06/15/yale-researchers-propose-copyleft-rules-generative-ai
Security and Surveillance
Anthropic’s Mythos AI broke into almost all NSA classified systems in hours
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) On June 12, the Trump administration directed Anthropic to restrict access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5, its two most capable models, exclusively to US citizens. Because verifying every user’s nationality in real time isn’t practically possible, Anthropic’s only option was to shut both models down for everyone. Allies included. No warning. The U.S. government ordered Anthropic to limit access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models to U.S. citizens after a jailbreak was discovered. That includes Five Eyes partners, Australia, the UK, Canada, and New Zealand, and it blocked the UK AI Security Institute, the main international body for testing frontier AI models, from accessing systems it was actively evaluating. – https://securityaffairs.com/194016/ai/anthropics-mythos-ai-broke-into-almost-all-nsa-classified-systems-in-hours.html
FortiBleed: The Most Detailed Breakdown Yet of an Active Russian Credential-Harvesting Operation
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) A new threat intelligence report from SOCRadar’s Threat Research Unit (STRU), the team that first identified and named the FortiBleed campaign, goes deeper than anything published so far on what is shaping up to be one of the most significant credential-theft operations of 2026. – https://securityaffairs.com/194004/hacking/fortibleed-the-most-detailed-breakdown-yet-of-an-active-russian-credential-harvesting-operation.html
Spain reports higher removal of online hate speech content
(DigWatch) Spain’s Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia identified 31,003 pieces of hate speech and discriminatory content on social media in May 2026, according to its monthly monitoring report. The Observatory, known as OBERAXE, said digital platforms removed 65% of notified content, up from 56% in April. TikTok, X and Instagram recorded the highest removal rates, while the Trusted Flagger route continued to perform better than ordinary user reporting. – https://dig.watch/updates/spain-reports-removal-online-hate-speech-content
AWS Unveils ‘Continuum,’ an AI-Powered Vulnerability Management Platform
(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine) Security teams using Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure now have access to a new Amazon-made platform to manage the whole lifecycle of code vulnerabilities from discovery to remediation. The Seattle-based tech giant launched AWS Continuum among a wave of announcements at AWS Summit New York on June 17, including new AI models and AWS Context, a knowledge graph that gives agents access to the context they need to do their best work. The AWS Continuum platform, available in gated preview, has access to an organization’s full environment, including structured data already living in AWS and unstructured data, such as documents, communications and business priorities. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/aws-continuum-ai-vulnerability/
Confidence Lacks in Threat Detection Across Non-Email Channels like Slack and Teams
(Beth Maundrill – Infosecurity Magazine) Cybersecurity leaders are increasingly concerned about their ability to detect threats as attackers shift beyond email to collaboration platforms such as Slack and Microsoft Teams. According to new research from KnowBe4, many organizations lack confidence in their visibility across these non-email channels, despite their growing use in cyber-attacks. An in-person survey of 169 cybersecurity professionals, conducted at Infosecurity Europe 2026, found that 50% said their organization lacks strong confidence in detecting threats across messaging and social platforms. This despite 60% stating that cyber-attacks are already moving beyond email. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/threat-detection-across-nonemail/
The Human Cost of Ransomware: Why CISOs Must Think Beyond Technology
(Christos Tulumba – Infosecurity Magazine) When ransomware strikes, organizations scramble to measure financial losses and system downtime. But the most devastating impacts often go unmeasured: the psychological trauma, organizational chaos, and human toll that can persist long after systems are restored. As CISOs, we must recognize that ransomware is fundamentally an attack on people, not just technology. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/opinions/human-cost-of-ransomware/
FortiBleed Exposes Global Credential-Spraying Operation
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) FortiBleed wasn’t a targeted hack. It was a factory. A multi-operator crew ran an industrial-scale attack against Fortinet FortiGate SSL VPN devices worldwide, and security researcher Volodymyr “Bob” Diachenko of SecurityDiscovery.com caught them only because they left their own infrastructure exposed on the open internet in June 2026. “The crew mass-scans 320,777 FortiGate /remote/login endpoints and more than 247,000 Sophos /userportal endpoints. FortiGate logins are then sprayed with 3,639 base credential pairs across every target, 1.16 billion combinations in total, through a custom tool called forticheck running 25,000 threads.” reads the report published by Ransomnews. – https://securityaffairs.com/193931/hacking/fortibleed-exposes-global-credential-spraying-operation.html
14,971 WordPress Sites Cleaned in Global SocGholish Takedown
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) On June 18, 2026, law enforcement agencies from the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, and Germany, coordinated through Europol, executed a joint action week against SocGholish, one of the most persistent and widely deployed malware distribution networks on the internet. The Operation EndGame took down over 100 servers and domains and removed infections from 14,971 compromised WordPress websites. Proofpoint, which has tracked the group behind SocGholish since 2018, provided intelligence to support the law enforcement actions. “In the past few days, the Netherlands (NHCTU), Canada (RCMP), the United States (FBI) and Germany (BKA), with support from Europol and Eurojust, delivered a major blow to SocGholish’s criminal infrastructure during a joint action week.” reads the press release. “Worldwide, 106 servers and domains were taken down. 14.971 websites have been remediated. In addition, the following actions were carried out: – https://securityaffairs.com/193893/malware/14971-wordpress-sites-cleaned-in-global-socgholish-takedown.html
Peter Thiel ‘s Secret Society Leak Creates a Perfect Target List for Espionage, Influence Operations, and Blackmail
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) Dialog, a private invitation-only organization cofounded in 2006 by billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel, has spent two decades refusing to disclose its membership. That position became harder to maintain last week when Swiss hacktivist maia arson crimew, known for exposing the US government’s No Fly List, found an open directory embedded in the source code of dialog.org that was visible to anyone who viewed the page. WIRED independently verified the contents and obtained the registration list for Dialog’s 2026 retreat, scheduled for August 12-16 near Dublin, Ireland. “A trove of internal records from a secret society for powerful figures in US politics, finance, and tech was left exposed online, WIRED has confirmed, naming participants in its events and revealing sensitive personal details they were assured would stay private.” reported Wired. “The group, called Dialog, is a private, invitation-only organization cofounded in 2006 by the billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel. It convenes US officials, foreign government figures, and Silicon Valley executives at off-the-record annual retreats.”. The 2026 list names 222 registrants, 87 of them first-time attendees. Others have histories stretching back more than a decade, a handful to the founding itself. None used a government email address, placing their attendance outside public records laws. – https://securityaffairs.com/193880/intelligence/peter-thiel-secret-society-leak-creates-a-perfect-target-list-for-espionage-influence-operations-and-blackmail.html
24 Billion Stolen Credentials Exposed in Massive Data Leak
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) Exposed database with 24 Billion records revealed stolen credentials from infostealers, Telegram channels, and breach collections, risking account takeovers. Cybernews researchers found an exposed Elasticsearch cluster on June 12th containing 24 billion records and more than 8.3 terabytes of data. They triple-checked the numbers. The numbers held up. “The vast majority of the 24 billion exposed records, our researchers believe, were infostealer logs. In other words, stolen usernames, passwords, and services that these credentials were supposed to grant access to.” reads the report published by Cybernews. “The credential data leak is dangerous simply because of its enormous size. Since the data leaked online, billions of affected accounts are at serious risk of takeovers, especially if they are not protected with multi-factor authentication,” the team explained.”. The vast majority of records were infostealer logs: usernames, email addresses, and plaintext passwords, each credential saved separately alongside the URL it was supposed to unlock. Twenty-four billion is not a typo. – https://securityaffairs.com/193864/security/24-billion-stolen-credentials-exposed-in-massive-data-leak.html
Japan and Australia deepen cybersecurity cooperation through policy dialogue
(DigWatch) Japan and Australia held their seventh Cyber Policy Dialogue in Tokyo on 18 June, bringing together senior government officials to discuss cybersecurity strategy, emerging technologies and bilateral cooperation. The whole-of-government meeting was co-chaired by Miyake Fumito, Japan’s Ambassador in charge of Cyber Policy and Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Jessica Hunter, Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. – https://dig.watch/updates/japan-australia-cyber-policy-dialogue
Fake GitHub Stars and AI Videos Mask a Crypto Clipper
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) A cryptocurrency-stealing malware campaign has been spreading by faking its own popularity, dressing up booby-trapped “tools” with bogus GitHub stars, inflated download counts and AI-narrated YouTube tutorials. New analysis from Check Point Research traced the operation to a Rust-based clipboard hijacker, a “clipper” that swaps copied crypto wallet addresses for the attacker’s own, built for both Windows and macOS. The lures are “edge” tools that promise easy money, crypto sniper bots and “predictors” that claim to forecast crash-gambling games, aimed at traders and gamblers chasing shortcuts. A WordPress phishing page acts as the hub, funneling victims to the downloads. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/crypto-clipboard-hijacker-fake/
Cybercriminals Are Worried About AI Taking Their Jobs Too
(Danny Palmer – Infosecurity Magazine) Cybercriminals are experiencing the same worries as many employees working in legitimate jobs: many are worried that the rise of AI tools and large language models (LLMs) could result in them losing their jobs. That is according to analysis of chatter on cybercriminal discussion boards, dark web marketplaces and messaging apps by cybersecurity researchers at Sophos Counter Threat Unit (CTU), which has showcased some of the hopes and fears that hackers have around the rise of AI applications and tools. The research detailed how AI-based hacking tools have become an increasingly common offering on underground marketplaces. Sellers, both established and new, claim to offer AI-powered kits which can aid attackers with generating phishing and social engineering campaigns, developing malware, performing actions within compromised networks and more. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cybercriminals-worried-ai-take/
LATAM Infrastructure Hit by Fortinet and Ivanti Exploits
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) A coordinated campaign against government and financial targets across Latin America has been laid bare by the attackers’ own mistake, after they left a staging server exposed online. New analysis from CloudSEK detailed the operation, which it named Operation Escaneo, after researchers found an open directory on the group’s server in early 2026 and mapped its toolkit from the artifacts left behind. The campaign hit critical infrastructure across Mexico, with lesser activity in Ecuador and Portugal, spanning government, tax authorities, utilities, transport, telecoms and banks. CloudSEK said it confirmed beacons from at least five victims and large-scale data theft. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/operation-escaneo-cloudsek-latam/
Hostile States Behind 75% of Cyber-Attacks on UK Critical Infrastructure, NCSC Warns
(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine) Three-quarter of cyber incidents affecting UK critical infrastructure organizations over the past year originated from nation-state actors or were linked to hostile states such as Russia, China and Iran, according to Richard Horne, CEO of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Annual Security Lecture 2026 on June 17, Horne said the agency dealt with 200 cyber incidents affecting critical nation infrastructure (CNI) between June 2025 and May 2026. This builds on Horne’s disclosure in Aprill that the NCSC had dealt with 204 “national significant” cyber incidents at the time of its last annual review. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/hostile-states-cni-75-percent-ncsc/
Best Practices for Migrating Large Mailboxes from Exchange Server to Microsoft 365
(Bharat Bhushan – Infosecurity Magazine) Migrating large mailboxes – especially more than 100GB in size – can be a little bit complicated. While most mailboxes are average in size, large mailboxes are common among executives and legal teams. These large mailboxes significantly increase complexity of migration and raise the chances of issues like timeouts, throttling, data corruption, incomplete transfer, and data inconsistency. Based on testing and multiple migration scenarios, we have, in this guide, outlined the most effective ways for migrating oversized mailboxes from local Exchange Server to Microsoft 365. We have also mentioned a third-party Exchange migration tool that helps overcome the limitations associated with the native solutions. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/blogs/migrating-large-mailboxes-from/
Cybercrime Surges in APAC as Digitalization Takes Hold
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) Cybercrime is taking hold in Asia and the South Pacific just as it has elsewhere in the world, with organized crime gangs exploiting the adoption of new technologies, according to Interpol. The policing network said that cybercrime now accounts for 30% of crime in over half of the countries covered by its 2025/2026 Asia and South Pacific Cyberthreat Assessment Report. The study, which is sponsored by the UK government, assessed cybercrime trends across 18 Southeast Asian countries and Pacific Island states. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cybercrime-surges-apac-digitization/
North Korean Hiring Fraud Runs on AI and US Laptop Farms
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) A North Korean scheme to plant fake IT workers inside Western companies has been exposed from the inside, after one of its operatives tried to infiltrate the very firm that tracks the fraud. Risk intelligence provider Nisos recently detailed how a supposed Florida-based AI architect applied for a remote job at the company in June 2025, and how the application unraveled into a look inside an active fraud cell. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/north-korea-it-worker-fraud-ai/
FortiBleed Exposes Admin Passwords for 75,000 Fortinet Firewalls
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) Security researcher Bob Diachenko found a server sitting open on the internet containing what appeared to be valid Fortinet VPN credentials, including usernames, email addresses, and plaintext passwords for tens of thousands of organizations. He posted about it on LinkedIn. Kevin Beaumont, one of the most trusted independent voices in network security, then obtained the dataset, worked through it with Hudson Rock, and confirmed what nobody wanted to hear. “Massive Fortinet/FortiGate bruteforce/active exploitation campaign uncovered in action. Thousands of top vendors instances are listed in the files like this (see screenshot). This one alone has 21,634 domain names – from Chevron to Fortinet itself. All – with potentially working passwords to the FortiGate appliances obtained through various menas.” Bob Diachenko wrote on LinkedIn. – https://securityaffairs.com/193817/hacking/fortibleed-exposes-admin-passwords-for-75000-fortinet-firewalls.html
INTERPOL report warns of rising cybercrime across Asia-Pacific
(DigWatch) INTERPOL has published its 2025/2026 Asia and South Pacific Cyberthreat Assessment Report, covering the period from January 2024 to March 2025. The report documents a rise in cybercrime across the region, attributing the trend to expanding digital infrastructure, the adoption of new technologies and increasingly organised criminal networks. More than half of the countries surveyed reported that cybercrime accounts for over 30% of all crimes recorded nationally. Phishing and related online scam techniques were identified as the most common and financially damaging forms of cybercrime, with 33 % of surveyed countries recorded over 10,000 such cases. – https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2026/New-INTERPOL-report-highlights-escalating-cyber-threats-across-Asia-and-South-Pacific
Estonia to quarantine emails sent from Russian .ru domain before they reach government officials
(Daryna Antoniuk – The Record) Estonia will require additional security screening for emails sent from Russia’s .ru top-level domain before they reach government officials, according to the country’s minister of justice and digital affairs. The new measure will take effect on August 31, the anniversary of the withdrawal of Russian troops from Estonia following the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is intended to protect public institutions from cyber threats, Minister Liisa Pakosta said in a public speech quoted by local media. “Email addresses ending in .ru pose an elevated cyber risk. There is a serious danger that they are being used to break into personal databases,” she added. – https://therecord.media/estonia-quarantine-russian-emails
Serverless Phishing Kit on GitHub Targets Mexican Banks
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) A long-running phishing operation has been stealing banking credentials from customers of Mexican financial institutions without running any server infrastructure of its own, instead hiding inside trusted cloud platforms. New analysis from Group-IB detailed the campaign, which it called GitBait, and tied it to attacks on at least 12 financial institutions in Mexico over roughly three years. Instead of a dedicated backend, GitBait hosted its fake bank pages on GitHub Pages and funneled stolen logins through SheetBest, a legitimate service that writes data straight into Google Sheets, leaving little infrastructure to seize. Group-IB counted more than 100 GitHub-hosted domains tied to the campaign, each serving several phishing pages, and said it has reported all of them to GitHub. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/gitbait-github-pages-sheetbest/
Sensitive Enterprise Data Uploads to AI Models Double in a Year
(Danny Palmer – Infosecurity Magazine) The amount of sensitive enterprise data which employees uploaded to AI and machine learning applications has almost doubled in the last year, putting organizations at increased risk of data breaches and cyber espionage, a new report has warned. Published on June 17, the Zscaler 2026 AI Threat Report said that there has been a 93% year-over-year increase in employees transferring enterprise data to AI tools. Over half of these data transfers were driven by staff using two tools in particular: Grammarly (38%) and ChatGPT (21%). Other tools included OpenAI, Codium, GitHub Co-Pilot, Perplexity, Microsoft Co-Pilot, Google Gemini and Claude. According to Zscaler, a total of 18,033 TB of data was transferred to AI and machine learning applications during the last year. The report stated that this is roughly equivalent to 3.6 billion digital photos. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/sensitive-ai-data-upload-doubles/
AI Threats and Alert Fatigue Challenge Cybersecurity Teams
(Beth Maundrill – Infosecurity Magazine) A study conducted during Infosecurity Europe 2026 has found that AI-powered attacks at scale are the biggest security concern facing many cybersecurity professionals. The survey of 168 cybersecurity leaders across various sectors conducted by Filigran during the three-day event found 41% cited AI-powered attacks as a top challenge, double that of those who cited supply chain risk (21%) or unknown threats (21%). The research also asked what wastes most time within the security teams. Chasing false positives and low priority alerts the most common issue at 26%, suggesting significant proportion of time is spent validating findings. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ai-threats-alert-fatigue-challenge/
Fifteen JetBrains Marketplace Plugins Found Stealing API Keys
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) Security researchers have uncovered a coordinated campaign designed to steal developers’ AI-related API keys via malicious plugins. Aikido Security found at least 15 integrated development environment (IDE) plugins on the JetBrains Marketplace which had slipped past security checks and have now been installed around 70,000 times. They apparently date back to October 2025, with the most recent plugins released in June 2026. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/fifteen-jetbrains-marketplace/
Frontier AI Models Point to a Shift Defenders Are Not Ready For
(Shlomo Kramer – Infosecurity Magazine) When Anthropic signalled the direction of travel with its Mythos model, it highlighted a structural change in how cyber-attacks will be created, scaled and executed. Enterprises are already deploying AI so fast than many security teams struggle to keep up. New tools are being embedded into workflows, connected to sensitive data and integrated across core systems. At the same time, frontier AI models, like mythos and GPT-5.5-cyber, are expanding what these systems can do, particularly in areas such as reasoning, automation and task execution. The combination has direct consequences for cybersecurity, because it allows both vulnerability discovery and attack execution to operate with far less human involvement, at a pace that can’t be matched by humans. The challenge for enterprises is not simply the volume of new vulnerabilities, but the operational burden of responding to them quickly enough, particularly in environments still dependent on distributed hardware and fragmented security infrastructure. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/opinions/frontier-ai-defenders-not-ready/
Staffing Is Top SOC Challenge Even as AI Proliferates, Says SANS
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) A lack of skilled staff is the top operational challenge faced by today’s security operations centers (SOCs), although practitioners and leaders have diverging perceptions of hiring needs, according to SANS Institute. The 2026 SANS SOC Survey was based on interviews with 444 IT and security professionals actively working in monitoring or security operations (SecOps) roles, plus an additional 69 CISOs and senior security executives. It found that 14% of practitioners cited staffing as their main challenge; the top-rated answer. However, over half (59%) of the “cyber leaders” interviewed claimed that management actually pays close attention to SOC hiring and retention needs. This contrasted with just a third (32%) of practitioners. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/staffing-top-soc-challenge-ai/
EdTech Faces a Cybersecurity Crisis: Data Breaches Surge
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) Resecurity (USA) warns the education technology (EdTech) sector has become a prime target for cybercriminals, as attacks against educational institutions and related platforms continue to escalate. Recent high-profile incidents, including attacks by groups such as ShinyHunters and FulcrumSec, highlight the vulnerability of educational organizations and the increasing sophistication of cyber extortion tactics. – https://securityaffairs.com/193777/data-breach/edtech-faces-a-cybersecurity-crisis-data-breaches-surge.html
FulcrumSec Targets Novo Nordisk, Leaks Clinical and Research Data
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) On June 15, 2026, a data-theft extortion group calling itself FulcrumSec began leaking files from Novo Nordisk, the Danish maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, after the company refused a $25 million ransom demand. The attackers claimed access since March, opened a dialogue with Novo Nordisk on June 1, and started posting samples and a file tree once negotiations went nowhere. Novo Nordisk has confirmed unauthorized access to a limited number of internal IT systems and exposure of pseudonymized clinical-trial data, though it hasn’t validated the full scope of what FulcrumSec claims to have taken. “Novo Nordisk A/S recently identified an IT security incident involving unauthorised access to a limited number of internal IT systems.” reads the notice published by the company. “The incident included unauthorised access to certain personal data stored on the internal IT systems.” – https://securityaffairs.com/193763/security/fulcrumsec-targets-novo-nordisk-leaks-clinical-and-research-data.html
China-Linked FishMonger Ports SprySOCKS to Windows With Kernel-Level Stealth and UEFI Bootkit Hints
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) ESET researchers have found two previously undocumented Windows versions of SprySOCKS, a backdoor that the security community had until now treated as Linux-only. Trend Micro first documented the Linux variant in September 2023 and attributed it to Earth Lusca, a China-linked actor also tracked as Aquatic Panda, Charcoal Typhoon, and RedHotel, which has been active since at least 2021 and operated by a Chinese contractor named i-Soon. ESET researchers track the same cluster as FishMonger and place it under the broader Winnti umbrella. “ESET researchers have discovered two as-yet undocumented Windows variants of SprySOCKS, a previously Linux-only backdoor reportedly used by FishMonger” reads the report published by ESET. “The Windows variants discovered are internally marked as WIN_DRV and WIN_PLUS. Both come with a hardcoded C&C configuration and support communication over TCP, UDP, and WebSocket protocols.” – https://securityaffairs.com/193728/apt/china-linked-fishmonger-ports-sprysocks-to-windows-with-kernel-level-stealth-and-uefi-bootkit-hints.html
SprySOCKS Backdoor Expands From Linux to Windows
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) A backdoor used by a China-aligned espionage group has expanded from Linux to Windows, gaining a kernel-level stealth layer that hides it from the tools defenders rely on to spot intrusions. New analysis from ESET identified two previously undocumented Windows versions of SprySOCKS, a backdoor it attributes to FishMonger, the China-based group widely linked to contractor I-Soon. Both versions, marked WIN_DRV and WIN_PLUS, ship with hardcoded command-and-control (C2) settings and a broad set of espionage features. ESET telemetry traced real activity to 2023 and 2024, mostly against government bodies in Honduras, Taiwan, Thailand and Pakistan. SprySOCKS was first documented as a Linux backdoor in 2023. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/sprysocks-backdoor-windows/
Rokarolla Trojan Combines Banking Fraud With Device Surveillance
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) A newly discovered Android banking trojan has been observed going beyond draining accounts, seizing near-total control of a phone and cutting victims off from their banks so fraud can run undetected. Named Rokarolla after its command-and-control (C2) servers, the malware was detailed by zLabs, the research arm of mobile security firm Zimperium, which found it targeting 217 banking and cryptocurrency apps through a toolkit of 137 commands. It spreads through malicious sites that masquerade as TikTok or Google Chrome, using a dropper that poses as Google Play Protect to slip a second-stage payload past Android’s defenses and onto the device. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/rokarolla-android-banking-trojan/
Over Two-Thirds of Security Pros Say Cyber Is Getting Harder
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) Cybersecurity professionals say their job is harder than ever, with 68% reporting it has become more difficult over the past two years, according to a new report. The study, The Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals, Volume VIII, from industry body ISSA and analyst Omdia, surveyed 380 practitioners. It found that over 70% of respondents are facing workplace challenges linked to being locked out of key technology decisions. Among the key challenges cited were that other groups such as IT operations and platform engineering are increasingly involved in cybersecurity (79%). Another was that tech decisions are made without the input of cyber, creating barriers to security adoption (72%). – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/security-pros-cyber-cyber-harder/
DragonForce Ransomware Exploited Microsoft Teams to Hide in Attack Against Major Company
(Danny Palmer – Infosecurity Magazine) A notorious ransomware group secretly infiltrated the network of a major company for up to two months by hiding command and control (C&C) traffic in Microsoft Teams, before unleashing their attack, researchers have warned. The investigation report, published by Symantec and Carbon Black on 16 June, warned that attackers deployed DragonForce ransomware on the network of a “major US services firm.”. The cybercriminals used a Go-based Remote Access Trojan (RAT) to abuse Microsoft Teams’ TURN relay servers and mask command-and-control traffic. The backdoor, which researchers dubbed Backdoor.Turn, altered the traffic so all defenders could see was outbound connections to legitimate Microsoft Teams servers. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/dragonforce-ransomware-hidden/
Chainguard, JPMorgan, BNY Team Up to Secure Open Source from AI Threats
(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine) Open-source security firm Chainguard has brought together dozens of partners in a new industry coalition to protect open-source software from AI attacks. The initiative, called Athena, was announced by Chainguard on June 16. Its founding members include BNY, Chainguard, Cisco, Cloudflare, Corridor, DepthFirst, Docker, JPMorganChase, Kyndryl, LTIMindtree and PwC. Based on preliminary work at Chainguard, Athena provides a vulnerability intelligence sharing platform and tools to fix the vulnerabilities frontier AI models, like Anthropic’s Mythos and OpenAI’s GPT-5.5.-Cyber, find before attackers can exploit them. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/chainguard-bny-open-source-athena/
FBI Warns Courier Cash Pickups Are Driving Crypto Scams
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) The FBI has repeated calls urging members of the public not to fall for cryptocurrency investment schemes, after claiming that scammers are using couriers to bypass bank checks. Financial institutions are increasingly capable of spotting and blocking suspicious fund transfers made by victims to crypto-investment scammers, noted a Public Service Announcement (PSA) on July 15. However, the fraudsters are adapting. “Scammers inform victims in-person cash pickups are required to continue investing with the fraudulent investment firm or to pay purported fines to withdraw their investments,” the FBI noted. “Alternatively, the fraudulent cryptocurrency exchange may inform victims their account has been ‘flagged,’ allowing the scammer to suggest the use of cash couriers as an alternative.” – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/fbi-warns-courier-cash-pickups/
China-linked actor spent two years inside medical research networks
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) Google’s Threat Intelligence Group published a report this week on UNC6508, a China-linked cyberespionage group that breached North American medical and military research organizations and stayed hidden for more than two years. The earliest confirmed intrusion dates to September 2023. The group remained active until November 2025, when researchers finally detected it. The finding highlights a lack of defender visibility more than attacker sophistication. “GTIG attributes this activity to UNC6508 with high confidence. This assessment is based on infrastructure overlaps between campaigns, the consistent use of the INFINITERED backdoor on REDCap servers, and the specific targeting of medical research and defense sectors.” reads the report published by Google. “We assess UNC6508 is an espionage motivated threat cluster, with priorities that align with historic PRC state-sponsored espionage trends and intelligence collection requirements.” – https://securityaffairs.com/193667/apt/china-linked-actor-unc6508-spent-two-years-inside-medical-research-networks.html
EU extends Cybersecurity Reserve support to Ukraine
(DigWatch) Ukraine can now activate emergency EU cyber support during significant or large-scale cybersecurity incidents after the Council of the European Union approved its inclusion in the EU Cybersecurity Reserve. The Reserve, managed by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, provides incident response services from trusted private-sector providers to help contain and mitigate major cyber incidents. – https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/eu-provides-cyber-support-ukraine-against-major-attacks
Women in cybersecurity are crucial in the AI era
(Renee Burton – ASPI The Strategist) In Australia, women are only 17 percent of the cybersecurity workforce. This long-standing imbalance is a major thorn in the side of the industry and has created a critical gap in digital protection. With AI-driven threats on the rise, diversity in the workplace isn’t just a nice to have; it’s an absolute necessity. There are two sides to this coin: one is that cybersecurity involves complex problem solving, which benefits from differing perspectives; the other is that cyberthreats disproportionately affect women. Women offer diverse perspectives, particularly perspectives that are more commonly confronted with specific types of scams, and the benefits of having them at the decision-making table are numerous. According to reporting by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, women were more likely to report feeling unsafe online. They received more phishing messages, whether by text or email. The study also signalled that women were more likely to be targeted for identity theft. Nearly half of the women surveyed reported that their social media accounts had been hacked at one point or another, compared with 37 percent of men surveyed. – https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/women-in-cybersecurity-are-crucial-in-the-ai-era/
Defense, Intelligence, Warfare
ChatGPT set to join Pentagon’s GenAI.mil platform
(DigWatch) Mohammed Husain, OpenAI’s Strategic Delivery Lead for Cyber, said at the Defense One Tech Summit in Virginia that the company expects to launch ChatGPT on GenAI.mil, the US Department of Defense’s enterprise-wide generative AI platform, in early July. The deployment would extend ChatGPT access to more than 3 million defence, civilian, and military personnel. – https://dig.watch/updates/chatgpt-set-to-join-pentagons-genai-mil-platform
The Hour That Worked: What Midnight Hammer Teaches About AI-Era Command
(Burak Oktenli – RUSI) On the night of 21 June 2025, seven B-2 Spirit bombers flew eastward from Missouri towards Iran while a second group of bombers flew west into the Pacific, towards Guam, as a decoy. The deception held: as General Dan Caine, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, later told reporters, ‘Iran’s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran’s surface-to-air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission.’ Over roughly 25 minutes, the strike package dropped 14 30,000-pound bunker-busters on the Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites, while a submarine launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at Isfahan. Operation Midnight Hammer has been analysed largely as a feat of tactical execution, and it was. But its most instructive feature for the alliance is quieter, and concerns the architecture of command rather than the skill of the aircrew. The decisive choices in Midnight Hammer were not made in the cockpit, nor improvised in the operations centre under time pressure. They were made years in advance, embedded in the design of the weapon and the structure of the mission. That is a model of disciplined command for an age in which machines compute faster than humans can deliberate, and the contrast with what came nine months later, the much larger, AI-accelerated Operation Epic Fury, should concentrate allied minds, British and European ones included. – https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/hour-worked-what-midnight-hammer-teaches-about-ai-era-command
Navy preps science-and-tech strategy built for speed and focus
(Bradley Peniston – Defense One) A new Navy science-and-tech strategy will push technology to the fleet faster and concentrate limited research funds on problems that industry won’t solve on its own, the service’s research chief said Tuesday. The Office of Naval Research strategy, called “Feed S&T at Speed to the Fleet and Force,” is in final production, Chief of Naval Research Rachel Riley said Tuesday at the Defense One Tech Summit in Arlington, Virginia. “Speed is, of course, the word of the year in our business,” she said during a panel discussion that included Jarred Conley, principal director for maritime efforts at the Defense Innovation Unit. Riley said the document urges closer collaboration with DIU, warfighters, and other stakeholders. She said it also aims to explain “in plain English” what ONR does and what the Navy wants from industry. ONR is working to “de-layer and simplify” its bureaucracy, so that the limiting factor on technology development is “the physical science and not the processes and the policies around it,” she added. – https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2026/06/navy-preps-science-and-tech-strategy-built-speed-and-focus/414226/?oref=d1-featured-river-secondary
AI is taking some parts of background checks from ‘months to hours,’ clearance agency says
(David DiMolfetta – Defense One) The nation’s largest counterintelligence unit aims to use artificial intelligence tools to speed security clearance reviews for people and companies seeking to do sensitive work on behalf of the government. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency can use AI to reduce parts of the vetting process from “months to hours,” said Mark Nehmer, an agency analytics and innovation chief who spoke Tuesday on a panel at the Defense One Tech Summit in Virginia. DCSA is the Defense Department’s main agency for conducting background investigations and vetting personnel for access to classified information, and serves as a key determinant for whether companies are eligible to work with military and intelligence agencies. – https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2026/06/background-checks-clearance/414225/?oref=d1-homepage-river
NATO has ‘changed a lot’ in four years, transformation leader says
(Bradley Peniston, Defense One) NATO has “really changed a lot in the last three to four years,” since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced the alliance to rethink how it learns, experiments, and operates, a top NATO transformation official said. Now the alliance is moving away from long, platform-centered modernization cycles and toward faster experimentation, interoperability, and “system-of-systems” approaches, said Maj. Gen. Dominique Luzeaux, NATO’s digital transformation champion and special advisor to the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. He spoke Tuesday at the Defense One Tech Summit in Arlington, Virginia. Luzeaux pointed to Ukraine’s ever-increasing use of unmanned ground, air, surface, and undersea systems—and how the main lesson is more than just drones are useful. – https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2026/06/nato-changed-transformation/414217/?oref=d1-homepage-river
Shaped charges from coffee grounds? Pentagon science chief describes future of war
(Bradley Peniston – Defense One) When the Pentagon’s science and technology chief looks at Ukraine, he sees a war fought with weapons invented, produced, and fielded since the conflict erupted. “The fact that you can bring relevant capability to the fight, as the Ukrainians and allies have done in the conflict with Russia, that essentially didn’t exist at the beginning of the fight,” Joseph Jewell, assistant defense secretary for science and technology, said Tuesday at the Defense One Tech Summit in Arlington, Virginia. “That’s the new thing here.”. It’s a thing the United States must learn to do, Jewell said. Ukraine’s homegrown drone industry “to a large extent, sprung up almost overnight because of urgency. I think with our industrial resources, we certainly could do things at that scale and even in a more sophisticated way. And we need to do it,” he said. Jewell noted that Ukraine has taken the Russian Navy out of the fight without much of a navy of its own. “The way they were able to do that, well, there are several things. First of all, their weapon systems were small, relatively undetectable. Second of all, they had a lot of them,” he said. There is still a need for expensive, highly capable weapons, Jewell said, “But the exquisite effect may be helped along by leveraging a hundred or a thousand drones controlled by AI. And I think that’s what we’re starting to see modern warfare evolve into. Now, of course, the model is a lot of people in Ukraine who are actually manually controlling these first-person drones. I think the natural evolution of that is AI-controlled or AI-enabled.” – https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2026/06/pentagon-science-chief-future-war/414214/?oref=d1-homepage-river
Poland weighs joining X-BAT autonomous vertical-takeoff fighter program
(Jaroslaw Adamowski – Defense News) California-based defense technology firm Shield AI has offered Poland a role in its X-BAT autonomous vertical-takeoff fighter jet program, with the country potentially hosting some of the manufacturing activities for the aircraft, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. “Their intention is to also cooperate with Poland, and to produce in Poland, for the X-BAT program, the first autonomous combat aircraft in the world,” Tusk said at a June 16 press conference in Warsaw. “It’s top-tier technology, a chance for air domination in case of an armed conflict, and an incredibly ambitious project with regard to technology and innovativeness.” – https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/06/17/poland-weighs-joining-x-bat-autonomous-vertical-takeoff-fighter-program/
Black Recon ‘microdrone’ system unveiled by Teledyne FLIR
(Aaron Mehta – Breaking Defense) Teledyne FLIR Defense has rolled out a new “microdrone” dubbed the Black Recon, designed to launch from manned ground vehicles. The Black Recon system comes with three drones, each of which “launches autonomously, performs reconnaissance, surveillance, and acquisition (RSTA) missions, then returns to the launcher for capture, docking, and recharging,” per a company announcement. The drone, which weighs less than 450 grams (0.99 lbs.), has flight time of up to an hour and can hit a top speed of around 55 miles per hour, according to the company. The price of the system, and of the individual drones if replacements are needed, were not disclosed. – https://breakingdefense.com/2026/06/black-recon-microdrone-system-unveiled-by-teledyne-flir/
France prepares Ukraine-inspired ‘kill web’ for battlefield awareness
(Rudy Ruitenberg – Defense News) France is working on a “kill web” to connect sensors and weapon systems on the battlefield for faster decision making and firing, similar to Ukraine’s Delta system, according to the head of the French Army’s technical section STAT. The kill web will initially be built around France’s Atlas artillery-weapon system provided by Thales, with the intention to expand “to enable dynamic targeting,” according to Gen. Olivier Coquet, who heads the section, in a briefing with reporters here at the Eurosatory defense show on Sunday. He said the kill web will be part of the broader Arcadia AI-powered battlefield command and control structure. – https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/06/15/france-prepares-ukraine-inspired-kill-web-for-battlefield-awareness/
Frontiers
EU selects EUROPA consortium to build multilingual frontier AI model
(DigWatch) The European Commission has selected the EUROPA consortium, led by Italian company Domyn, as the winner of its Frontier AI Grand Challenge. The project will develop a large-scale open-source AI model capable of operating across all 24 official languages of the EU. Launched in February 2026, the competition challenged European AI innovators to propose a frontier model exceeding 400 billion parameters, a scale typically associated with some of the world’s most advanced AI systems. – https://dig.watch/updates/eu-selects-europa-consortium-frontier-ai-project
Google AI advances beyond diagnosis into patient care
(DigWatch) AMIE, a medical AI system designed for clinical reasoning, is being extended from diagnostic support into long-term disease management, according to new research published in Nature. The system uses advanced long-context AI models to interpret clinical guidelines, drug formularies and patient data across extended treatment periods. – https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/google-research/amie-for-disease-management-in-nature/
Ottawa strengthens role in quantum computing and cybersecurity research
(DigWatch) Researchers and technology experts in Ottawa are contributing to advances in quantum computing, a technology that could transform fields such as drug discovery, clean energy and space exploration by solving highly complex problems beyond the reach of many conventional computers. Researchers said quantum computing could accelerate scientific discovery and enable breakthroughs that may eventually translate into practical applications across a range of industries. However, the technology also presents significant cybersecurity challenges, as sufficiently advanced quantum computers could eventually undermine widely used encryption methods that protect digital communications and online services. – https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/ottawas-unique-position-in-the-development-of-quantum-computing/
Spain backs AI gigafactory to boost European technological sovereignty
(DigWatch) Spain has approved a €719 million investment in a national AI gigafactory project aimed at expanding advanced computing capacity and strengthening European technological sovereignty. The investment was authorised by Spain’s Council of Ministers through the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service. The investment will be channelled through the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), which will establish a public-private consortium to develop the project and submit a bid under a forthcoming European Commission call for AI gigafactories. – https://dig.watch/updates/spain-ai-gigafactory-investment
US backs photonics expansion for AI data centres under CHIPS Act
(DigWatch) The Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Program Office has signed a letter of intent to provide up to $50 million in direct funding to Coherent Corp. under the CHIPS and Science Act. According to the CHIPS Program Office, the proposed funding would support the expansion of Coherent’s facility in Sherman, Texas, which it describes as the first and largest high-volume 150mm indium phosphide semiconductor manufacturing facility in the United States. – https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2026/06/department-commerces-chips-program-announces-letter-intent-coherent-50
Japan and the Philippines partner on an AI-powered disaster risk platform
(DigWatch) The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Philippines Department of Science and Technology (DOST) have agreed to collaborate on the GATES programme, a national geospatial and AI initiative aimed at strengthening disaster risk reduction and data-driven governance. The Geospatial Analytics & Technology Solutions (GATES) programme is led by DOST and aims to integrate fragmented disaster-risk, geospatial, climate, hazard and strategic datasets from across government into a unified and interoperable data ecosystem. The programme uses geospatial analytics and artificial intelligence to support digital transformation, evidence-based policymaking, and science, technology, and innovateon. – https://www.jica.go.jp/english/about/dx/information/2026/1582491_72540.html
New AI breakthrough in cardiology balances patient data privacy and diagnosis
(DigWatch) Researchers at the University of Kansas have developed a new AI model designed to improve the analysis of electrocardiogram (ECG) data while strengthening protections for patient privacy. The innovation responds to growing concerns that AI-enhanced ECGs can reveal sensitive personal attributes beyond heart activity. The model, known as PP-VAE, aims to preserve clinically relevant insights, such as indicators of heart disease and mortality risk, while reducing the risk of exposing biometric and demographic information, including age and sex. The system uses advanced neural network architectures to separate clinically relevant signals from identifiable personal characteristics. – https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260616/New-AI-model-protects-patient-privacy-in-ECG-data.aspx
European consortium launches SHIELD-6G project to develop cybersecurity capabilities for future 6G networks
(DigWatch) A consortium of 19 organisations from across Europe has launched SHIELD-6G (Scalable, Hybrid, and Intelligent End-to-End Defense for 6G Networks), a research and innovation project aimed at developing cybersecurity technologies for future 6G communications networks. The project is coordinated by University College Dublin and brings together universities, research institutes, telecommunications operators, technology companies, and small and medium-sized enterprises from 10 European countries, including Ireland, Spain, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Latvia, Estonia, and Türkiye. – https://www.ucd.ie/innovation/news-and-events/2026/shield-6g-project-advance-6g-network-security-ucd/
Japanese researchers develop interpretable AI for materials discovery
(DigWatch) Researchers in Japan have developed an interpretable AI method to explain how AI models make predictions in materials discovery. The method analyses features learned by a trained AI model and uses them to identify relationships between atomic structure and optical spectra. The study was led by researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo, in collaboration with Tohoku University. The work is expected to be published in the journal Advanced Intelligent Discovery. – https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ai-materials-discovery-uncovering.html