Digital Watch Observatory - Digital Governance in 50+ issues, 500+ actors, 5+ processes
Cloudflare’s outage exposes cloud fragility as Brussels eyes gatekeepers. Plus: EU Digital Omnibus on AI/GDPR, Singapore’s AI sandbox, India’s DPDP, ETRS plan, Africa’s Cotonou 2030 goals.
The initiative includes $2.25 million for a Regional Data Commons to provide high-quality data for public health, food security and economic planning.
By combining breadth and speed, GPT‑5 assists researchers in literature review, idea generation, and experimental design, making scientific workflows more efficient while requiring careful human oversight.
Samsung and others hike memory prices amid extreme data centre demand.
New controls let creators adjust lighting, camera angle and layout while keeping characters and branding consistent.
A new partnership with the Blinded Veterans Association provides training that strengthens autonomy for blind and low-vision individuals using Meta’s accessibility features.
DeepSeek researcher Chen Deli cautioned that AGI progress may destabilise society despite rapid technical gains.
Semrush, a leading SEO and brand-visibility platform, is being acquired by Adobe in a US$1.9 billion deal, as the company aims to strengthen its generative AI marketing offerings.
Surveyed leaders say AI skills already matter for hiring and expect clear productivity gains from trained staff.
Must read
Analysis
The future of the EU data protection under the Omnibus Package
The EU data protection law and competitiveness are struggling to work cohesively, according to senior Union leaders. That is why the GDPR and ePD are next on the digital omnibus’ chopping board. With leaked drafts and questionable legal reasoning, all eyes are on 19 November for the Commission’s official proposal.
Analysis
The AI soldier and the ethics of war
AI is transforming warfare from a human-driven struggle into a machine-guided simulation, raising urgent questions about the future of ethics, accountability, and humanity on the battlefield.
Analysis
The rise of large language models and the question of ownership
Balancing open access and corporate ownership of these models will determine whether AI becomes a shared global good or a private monopoly.
Analysis
Most transformative decade begins as Kurzweil’s AI vision unfolds
Ray Kurzweil predicted AI would change everything. The 2020s may prove him right.
DW monthly
Digital Watch newsletter – Issue 104 – October 2025
Issue 104: In our October 2025 issue, we unpacked new rules for children’s online spaces and examined the global struggle to steer AI. We analysed shifting rare-earth supply chains and what recent cloud outages reveal about digital resilience. We also looked back at the signing of the UN Cybercrime Convention. We also recapped key Geneva events shaping the future of international digital governance.
DW WEEKLY
Weekly #239 Digital draught: When the cloud goes offline
Cloudflare’s outage exposes cloud fragility as Brussels eyes gatekeepers. Plus: EU Digital Omnibus on AI/GDPR, Singapore’s AI sandbox, India’s DPDP, ETRS plan, Africa’s Cotonou 2030 goals.
DW at a glance
FOLLOW
WSIS+20 Process
The year 2025 marks 20 years since the finalisation of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), and a review process looking at 20 years of WSIS outcomes implementation will conclude with a high-level meeting at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), in December. This page keeps track of the process leading to the UNGA meeting in December 2025. It also provides background information about WSIS and related activities and processes since 1998.
Explore the Observatory
Digital Technologies
From internet applications to quantum computing, we focus on advanced and emerging digital technologies which are increasingly reshaping our economies and societies.
Clusters of Policy topics
We unpack digital policy by exploring over 50 topics – from access and sustainable development to network security and the future of work – classified in 7 clusters.
Processes
Follow some of the most important digital policy processes, from the EU's work on the Digital Services Act/Digital Markets Act to the UN Cybercrime Ad Hoc Committee.