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IWF and NCA urge parents to protect children’s photos from AI misuse

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) have launched new guidance urging parents and carers to better protect images of their children online, warning that criminals are increasingly using AI to turn publicly available photographs into child sexual abuse material.

The campaign responds to a sharp rise in AI-generated child sexual abuse material and aims to help families make more informed decisions about sharing children’s image online and obtaining their consent.

The guidance accompanies a public awareness campaign across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, encouraging families to review privacy settings, reconsider who can access children’s photographs and discuss image consent with young people.

Parents are encouraged to regularly review whether they are comfortable sharing images online, limit access through private groups where appropriate, and talk openly with their children about AI-generated imagery, deepfake nudes and online safety.

The campaign follows growing evidence that offenders are exploiting publicly accessible family and school photographs.

The IWF recently helped prevent the circulation of more than 100 AI-generated sexual images created from photographs taken from a UK school’s website after criminals attempted to blackmail the school. According to the organisations, even ordinary family photographs can now be manipulated into realistic abuse material without the knowledge of children or their parents.

The scale of the threat has grown significantly. The IWF identified 8,029 AI-generated child sexual abuse images and videos in 2025, a 14% increase on the previous year.

AI-generated videos increased from just 13 identified in 2024 to 3,443 in 2025, with nearly two-thirds classified as the UK’s most severe Category A abuse material.

The IWF argues that technology companies must strengthen safeguards around AI image generation tools before release, while continuing to support law enforcement efforts to combat online child exploitation.

Why does it matter?

Generative AI has made it significantly easier to create realistic child sexual abuse material from ordinary photographs, fundamentally changing the online child protection landscape. Images shared on social media, school websites or other public platforms can now be manipulated without a child’s knowledge, creating new risks for families and increasing the burden on law enforcement and child protection organisations.

The campaign also highlights that preventing AI-enabled abuse requires more than criminal enforcement. Stronger safeguards in AI image-generation tools, improved privacy practices, greater parental awareness and better digital literacy around image sharing and consent are all becoming essential components of online child safety.

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ITU showcases AI tools to strengthen digital trust

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has highlighted a new generation of AI researchers developing practical tools to strengthen digital trust, improve content authenticity and combat misinformation.

Ahead of the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, the Young Researcher Associate Programme is showcasing projects designed to improve multimedia authenticity, helping people identify manipulated content while supporting creativity and innovation in the age of generative AI.

The initiative operates under the AI and Multimedia Authenticity Standards Collaboration, established in 2024 by the World Standards Cooperation, which brings together the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the ITU.

The programme brings together early-career researchers from universities around the world to develop solutions addressing content authenticity, provenance and digital rights as AI-generated media becomes increasingly common online.

Three flagship projects illustrate the programme’s multidisciplinary approach. STOP&SCAN promotes critical thinking through a five-step framework that encourages people to assess the source, content and context of digital information before sharing it.

AMITO provides an AI-powered multimedia integrity toolkit through Telegram and WhatsApp, analysing suspicious images and videos while explaining its findings in plain language rather than simply labelling content as authentic or fake.

Meanwhile, the Policy-as-Code project maps AI-related regulations across jurisdictions, helping creators, businesses and policymakers understand how AI-generated content is regulated while laying the foundations for machine-readable compliance mechanisms.

The researchers will present their work at the AI for Good Global Summit on 9 July, demonstrating how technical innovation, behavioural science and regulatory frameworks can work together to build more trustworthy digital ecosystems. According to the ITU, strengthening digital trust requires collaboration across generations, disciplines and countries.

According to ITU, designing digital trust requires collaboration across generations, disciplines and countries to ensure AI strengthens rather than undermines confidence in online information.

Why does it matter?

As generative AI makes it easier to create convincing synthetic media, verifying the authenticity and provenance of digital content is becoming increasingly important for governments, businesses and the public. Technical tools alone are unlikely to solve the problem, making user education, common standards and transparent governance equally important.

The initiative also highlights the growing role of international standards organisations in shaping AI governance. By combining authenticity technologies, regulatory mapping and practical educational tools, the ITU and its partners are helping develop a shared foundation for trusted digital ecosystems that can operate across platforms and national borders.

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Bank of England explores AI ‘kill switches’ for markets

The Bank of England is exploring whether emergency ‘kill switches’ could halt trading activity if autonomous AI systems begin behaving unpredictably, reflecting growing concern that existing market safeguards may not be suited to AI-driven trading.

Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden said regulatory frameworks must evolve as AI systems become capable of autonomously chaining actions and executing trading strategies. Speaking at the European Central Bank’s Sintra Forum, she warned that relying solely on human oversight may no longer be sufficient as financial markets become increasingly automated.

Regulators are particularly concerned about systemic risks, including AI models amplifying market volatility, exhibiting coordinated behaviour or pursuing objectives that diverge from their intended design. They also warned that AI could strengthen cyber defences while simultaneously making it easier to discover and exploit vulnerabilities at scale.

Breeden said the Bank is also exploring resilience measures such as simulation testing, stronger recovery mechanisms and potential cross-institution support during market disruptions. She added that international coordination will be essential as increasingly autonomous AI systems become embedded in global financial markets.

Why does it matter?

The Bank of England’s proposals reflect a growing recognition that autonomous AI systems could introduce systemic risks that existing market safeguards were not designed to address. Traditional mechanisms such as circuit breakers assume markets are ultimately driven by human decisions, whereas AI agents may react to changing conditions at machine speed and in highly coordinated ways.

The discussion also illustrates how financial regulators are shifting from studying AI risks to preparing practical resilience measures. Tools such as simulation testing, emergency trading controls and international coordination could become increasingly important as AI takes on a larger role in trading, payments and other core financial market functions.

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AI for Good Global Commission launches to expand trusted AI access

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff and International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin have announced the launch of the AI for Good Global Commission.

The Commission brings together more than 40 founding members, including heads of state and government, technology executives and heads of UN agencies.

It is co-chaired by Kagame and Benioff, with Bogdan-Martin serving as vice-chair. ITU said the Commission will work to identify practical pathways to strengthen trust, expand access and unlock AI’s potential to address real-world challenges.

The initiative will focus on technical, socioeconomic and policy questions around AI, with an emphasis on responsible innovation, human capability and broad-based economic and social benefits.

Access is a central part of the Commission’s mandate. ITU said 2.2 billion people remain offline, limiting their ability to benefit from AI developments.

The Commission builds on ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, which has focused on connectivity, digital inclusion and economic development.

Its inaugural meeting will take place during the AI for Good Global Summit 2026 from 7 to 10 July. The Summit is part of Digital Week, which also includes the first UN-mandated Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the WSIS Forum 2026.

Why does it matter?

The AI for Good Global Commission places digital inclusion at the centre of global AI governance debates. Its launch highlights a key challenge: many countries and communities cannot benefit from AI if they lack connectivity, infrastructure, skills and institutional capacity. The Commission’s relevance will depend on whether it can move beyond high-level commitments and help turn access, trust and responsible innovation into practical support for developing countries.

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Pew survey finds majority support social media ban for under-16s

A Pew Research Center survey has found that 56% of US adults support banning children under 16 from using social media sites.

The survey, conducted from 26 May to 1 June 2026 among 9,750 US adults, found that 21% oppose such a ban, while 23% are unsure.

Pew said the findings come as governments around the world weigh stronger restrictions on teenagers’ use of social media.

Support for an under-16 ban extends across major demographic and partisan groups. Pew found that 65% of parents with a child under 18 support the measure, compared with 52% of adults without a child under 18.

Support is also higher than opposition among both Republicans and Democrats. Pew reported that 59% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents support the ban, compared with 54% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning adults.

The survey also found broad support for other measures aimed at minors’ social media use. Around 85% of US adults support requiring parental consent for minors to create social media accounts, while 78% support age verification and 78% support time limits for minors.

Support for these measures has increased since 2023, according to Pew, especially for age verification and time limits.

Why does it matter?

The findings suggest that child online safety restrictions are gaining wider public support in the United States, including across party lines and among adults without children. That could give lawmakers more political space to propose age verification, parental consent and time-limit rules. The survey also shows that support is not limited to outright bans: many Americans favour a broader set of safeguards that would change how platforms verify age and manage minors’ access.

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EU examines harmful design features in online platforms

The second annual report on systemic risks under the Digital Services Act has highlighted online risks faced by children and young people on very large online platforms and search engines.

The report was published by the Board for Digital Services and developed in cooperation with the European Commission. It provides an overview of recurrent systemic risks in the EU for very large online platforms and search engines.

Risks identified in the report include the spread of illegal content, cyberbullying, grooming and exposure to harmful material such as dangerous viral challenges and adult content.

The report also points to the role of platform design. Interface features and recommender systems can contribute to addiction-like behaviour, increase exposure to harmful content and intensify harmful interactions between users.

Platforms have introduced mitigation measures, including targeted protection tools, content moderation systems and user empowerment features.

The Commission said the report reinforces the role of the DSA as a transparency and accountability tool for understanding how online platforms function and shape risks in society.

The findings will support regulators, civil society, and platforms as the EU continues to monitor DSA implementation and efforts to create a safer online environment for minors.

Why does it matter?

The report shows that the EU platform regulation is moving beyond illegal-content takedown towards a broader assessment of systemic risks created by platform design. For children and young people, recommender systems, interface choices and engagement-driven features can shape exposure to harmful content and unsafe interactions at scale. The DSA reporting process, therefore, provides regulators and civil society with a clearer evidence base for assessing whether very large platforms are doing enough to protect minors.

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Intesa Sanpaolo moves core IT systems to Google Cloud in Italy

Intesa Sanpaolo has completed the migration of core IT systems to Google Cloud’s Italian regions, hosted in TIM data centres in Milan and Turin.

The Italian banking group said the project is one of the largest cloud migrations carried out by a European financial institution. It forms part of a broader digital transformation effort with Google Cloud and TIM.

The migration involved more than 800 business applications and the retirement of a similar number of legacy systems previously hosted on the bank’s own infrastructure.

According to the partners, the transition was completed while maintaining operational continuity for the bank’s services.

Google Cloud provided cloud infrastructure and data capabilities, while TIM hosted the Italian cloud regions and supported data centre services, connectivity and project governance.

Intesa Sanpaolo said the migration strengthens its cloud-first strategy and provides the technological foundation for Isytech, its cloud-native digital platform for customers and employees across the group.

The bank also linked the project to workforce transformation. More than 3,000 employees participated in cloud training programmes, earning more than 170 Google Cloud certifications.

The project is intended to support advanced analytics, AI adoption and future digital banking services while keeping workloads in Google Cloud’s Italian regions.

Why does it matter?

The migration shows how major European banks are modernising legacy IT infrastructure to support AI, analytics and digital financial services. Moving core systems to cloud environments can improve scalability and accelerate new services, but it also raises important questions about resilience, cybersecurity, data governance and regulatory compliance. The use of Italian cloud regions hosted in TIM data centres reflects the growing importance of data residency and trusted infrastructure in regulated financial services.

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India and Japan expand strategic AI partnership

India and Japan have agreed to deepen cooperation on AI, linking AI governance, cybersecurity, infrastructure, research and talent development.

In a joint statement, the two countries described AI as a transformative technology with long-term implications for innovation, economic security, governance and the international order.

Both sides are committed to building a safe, secure, trustworthy, inclusive and human-centric AI ecosystem. They also agreed to strengthen cooperation with partners in the Indo-Pacific and the Global South.

The statement identifies international AI governance, safety and cybersecurity as priority areas. India and Japan said they would coordinate in forums including the G20, OECD, Global Partnership on AI and the UN, while supporting responsible innovation and risk-based governance.

The two countries also agreed to cooperate on AI-enabled cybersecurity and the security of AI systems, with particular attention to critical infrastructure. They highlighted the need for safeguards to ensure AI supports children’s learning and growth rather than causing harm.

AI infrastructure is another focus. India and Japan will strengthen cooperation on data centres, GPU and other compute resources, semiconductors and trustworthy supply chains across the AI technology stack.

The statement also supports collaboration on multilingual, open-source and domain-specific AI models, including models for native languages and public-interest applications. Several memoranda were signed, including partnerships involving IIT Bombay, BharatGen, Japan’s National Institute of Informatics, Sarvam, Preferred Networks, IndiaAI and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Both sides also committed to researcher exchanges, industry-academia collaboration and talent mobility. Japan reaffirmed its goal of welcoming 500 highly skilled AI professionals from India by 2030.

Why does it matter?

The joint statement shows how AI cooperation is becoming part of broader economic and security strategies in the Indo-Pacific. India and Japan are not only discussing AI governance, but also the infrastructure and supply chains needed to build and deploy AI systems, including compute, semiconductors, data centres and talent. The focus on multilingual and open-source models also matters for countries seeking AI systems that reflect local languages, public-interest needs and Global South priorities.

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Council of the EU backs interim rules on online child abuse detection

The Council of the European Union has adopted its position on interim legislation that would restore a legal basis for online service providers to voluntarily detect, report and remove child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from their platforms.

The proposal aims to restore legal certainty after the previous temporary framework expired on 3 April 2026, while negotiations continue on a permanent EU regulation to combat online child sexual abuse.

The interim regulation introduces a limited derogation from the EU’s electronic communications privacy rules, allowing online platforms to voluntarily detect child sexual abuse material and report suspected offences to law enforcement authorities.

According to the Council, these voluntary measures are essential for identifying children at risk, supporting criminal investigations, prosecuting offenders and reducing the circulation of child sexual abuse material online.

The Council proposes extending the temporary framework until 3 April 2028 to avoid a prolonged legal gap while negotiations continue on the long-term Child Sexual Abuse Regulation.

Irish Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan said restoring providers’ ability to detect online child sexual abuse is essential to protecting victims and bringing offenders to justice. The proposal will now move to the European Parliament for a second reading, where MEPs may approve, amend or reject the Council’s position.

If adopted, the measure would restore the legal basis for voluntary detection activities while policymakers continue negotiations on a permanent framework governing the detection of child sexual abuse material across digital services in the European Union.

Why does it matter?

The proposal addresses a legal gap that emerged after the previous temporary framework expired, creating uncertainty for online platforms that voluntarily detect and report child sexual abuse material. Restoring a clear legal basis would allow providers to continue supporting law enforcement while longer-term legislation is negotiated.

The debate also reflects the EU’s continuing effort to balance child protection with privacy and fundamental rights. While the interim proposal focuses on voluntary detection, negotiations on a permanent framework are expected to continue raising questions about the appropriate balance between online safety, privacy and the responsibilities of digital platforms.

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Microsoft Defender adds protection for local AI agents

Microsoft has announced new Defender capabilities designed to help organisations secure local AI agents and Model Context Protocol servers across enterprise environments.

The company said Microsoft Defender can now discover more than 25 types of local AI agents and MCP servers across managed Windows and macOS devices.

Microsoft said the feature also provides runtime protection when developers use coding agents such as GitHub Copilot CLI or Claude Code. According to the company, Defender can detect and block prompt injection attempts before a malicious action is executed.

Security teams can investigate AI agent exposure through Advanced Hunting. Microsoft said the local AI agent capabilities are currently in preview.

The update reflects a broader shift in enterprise security as organisations deploy AI agents, coding tools and MCP servers inside development and productivity workflows.

Microsoft also announced Codename MDASH, a private-preview multi-model agentic scanning system designed to discover, validate and help remediate software vulnerabilities. The company said MDASH can route validated issues into Microsoft Defender workflows and engineering pipelines.

Other June security updates include Microsoft Entra Backup and Recovery, expanded multicloud coverage in Defender for Cloud, new database threat protection for open-source relational databases on AWS RDS, Microsoft Purview customisable reports and a unified identity risk score.

Why does it matter?

AI agents are becoming part of enterprise infrastructure, which means they also become part of the attack surface. Local coding agents, MCP servers and agentic development tools can interact with files, code, credentials and internal systems. Microsoft’s update shows end point security expanding beyond traditional malware detection towards prompt injection, agent exposure and AI-driven development workflows. It also reflects a wider trend: security teams will need visibility and controls for AI systems deployed inside organisations, not only for cloud-hosted models.

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