Digital Watch Observatory - Digital Governance in 50+ issues, 500+ actors, 5+ processes
Australia’s world-first social media age limit faces a major legal test as Reddit claims the policy limits political communication instead of improving online safety for young people.
Early tests show GPT‑5.2 accelerates scientific and mathematical problem-solving while enhancing productivity across business and technical tasks.
The new support for GlobalFoundries and X-FAB will bring first-of-a-kind manufacturing capacity to Germany and reinforce the EU’s long-term semiconductor resilience.
Strong investment and device availability push North America ahead in 5G uptake, with analysts expecting early 5G-Advanced features to scale quickly across sectors.
Telecom operators prepare for AI-centred demands as India’s 5G footprint reaches almost full district-level coverage, supported by extensive infrastructure sharing.
Europeans want digital skills taught with the same importance as core subjects and expect stronger guidance on misinformation, responsible technology use and the growing role of artificial intelligence in education.
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Analysis
RightsX Summit 2025: Governing technology through human rights
Human rights are no longer abstract ideals but living principles shaping how AI, data, and digital governance influence everyday life, power structures, and the future of human dignity in an increasingly technological world.
Analysis
The fundamentals of AI
Understanding the fundamentals of AI explains how machines learn, adapt and perform tasks once considered uniquely human.
Analysis
Gaming and Esports: A new frontier in diplomacy
Gaming and professional esports are rapidly emerging as powerful tools of global diplomacy, revealing how digital competition and shared virtual worlds can connect cultures, influence international relations, and empower new generations to shape the narratives that transcend traditional borders.
DW at a glance
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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.