Digital identities

Uzbekistan sets principles for responsible AI

A new ethical framework for the development and use of AI technologies has been adopted by Uzbekistan.

The rules, prepared by the Ministry of Digital Technologies, establish unified standards for developers, implementing organisations and users of AI systems, ensuring AI respects human rights, privacy and societal trust.

A framework that is part of presidential decrees and resolutions aimed at advancing AI innovation across the country. It also emphasises legality, transparency, fairness, accountability, and continuous human oversight.

AI systems must avoid discrimination based on gender, nationality, religion, language or social origin.

Developers are required to ensure algorithmic clarity, assess risks and bias in advance, and prevent AI from causing harm to individuals, society, the state or the environment.

Users of AI systems must comply with legislation, safeguard personal data, and operate technologies responsibly. Any harm caused during AI development or deployment carries legal liability.

The Ministry of Digital Technologies will oversee standards, address ethical concerns, foster industry cooperation, and improve digital literacy across Uzbekistan.

An initiative that aligns with broader efforts to prepare Uzbekistan for AI adoption in healthcare, education, transport, space, and other sectors.

By establishing clear ethical principles, the country aims to strengthen trust in AI applications and ensure responsible and secure use nationwide.

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UNESCO launches AI guidelines for courts and tribunals

UNESCO has launched new Guidelines for the Use of AI Systems in Courts and Tribunals to ensure AI strengthens rather than undermines human-led justice. The initiative arrives as courts worldwide face millions of pending cases and limited resources.

In Argentina, AI-assisted legal tools have increased case processing by nearly 300%, while automated transcription in Egypt is improving court efficiency.

Judicial systems are increasingly encountering AI-generated evidence, AI-assisted sentencing, and automated administrative processes. AI misuse can have serious consequences, as seen in the UK High Court where false AI-generated arguments caused delays, extra costs, and fines.

UNESCO’s Guidelines aim to prevent such risks by emphasising human oversight, auditability, and ethical AI use.

The Guidelines outline 15 principles and provide recommendations for judicial organisations and individual judges throughout the AI lifecycle. They also serve as a benchmark for developing national and regional standards.

UNESCO’s Judges’ Initiative, which has trained over 36,000 judicial operators in 160 countries, played a key role in shaping and peer-reviewing the Guidelines.

The official launch will take place at the Athens Roundtable on AI and the Rule of Law in London on 4 December 2025. UNESCO aims for the standards to ensure responsible AI use, improve court efficiency, and uphold public trust in the judiciary.

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AI model boosts accuracy in ranking harmful genetic variants

Researchers have unveiled a new AI model that ranks genetic variants based on their severity. The approach combines deep evolutionary signals with population data to highlight clinically relevant mutations.

The popEVE system integrates protein-scale models with constraints drawn from major genomic databases. Its combined scoring separates harmful missense variants more accurately than leading diagnostic tools.

Clinical tests showed strong performance in developmental disorder cohorts, where damaging mutations clustered clearly. The model also pinpointed likely causal variants in unsolved cases without parental genomes.

Researchers identified hundreds of credible candidate genes with structural and functional support. Findings suggest that AI could accelerate rare disease diagnoses and inform precision counselling worldwide.

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Meta expands global push against online scam networks

The US tech giant, Meta, outlined an expanded strategy to limit online fraud by combining technical defences with stronger collaboration across industry and law enforcement.

The company described scams as a threat to user safety and as a direct risk to the credibility of its advertising ecosystem, which remains central to its business model.

Executives emphasised that large criminal networks continue to evolve and that a faster, coordinated response is essential instead of fragmented efforts.

Meta presented recent progress, noting that more than 134 million scam advertisements were removed in 2025 and that reports about misleading advertising fell significantly in the last fifteen months.

It also provided details about disrupted criminal networks that operated across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Facial recognition tools played a crucial role in detecting scam content that utilised images of public figures, resulting in an increased volume of removals during testing, rather than allowing wider circulation.

Cooperation with law enforcement remains central to Meta’s approach. The company supported investigations that targeted criminal centres in Myanmar and illegal online gambling operations connected to transfers through anonymous accounts.

Information shared with financial institutions and partners in the Global Signal Exchange contributed to the removal of thousands of accounts. At the same time, legal action continued against those who used impersonation or bulk messaging to deceive users.

Meta stated that it backs bipartisan legislation designed to support a national response to online fraud. The company argued that new laws are necessary to weaken transnational groups behind large-scale scam operations and to protect users more effectively.

A broader aim is to strengthen trust across Meta’s services, rather than allowing criminal activity to undermine user confidence and advertiser investment.

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YouTube criticises Australia’s new youth social-media restrictions

Australia’s forthcoming ban on social media accounts for users under 16 has prompted intense criticism from YouTube, which argues that the new law will undermine existing child safety measures.

The report notes that from 10 December, young users will be logged out of their accounts and barred from posting or uploading content, though they will still be able to watch videos without signing in.

YouTube said the policy will remove key parental-control tools, such as content filters, channel blocking and well-being reminders, which only function for logged-in accounts.

Rachel Lord, Google and YouTube public-policy lead for Australia, described the measure as ‘rushed regulation’ and warned the changes could make children ‘less safe’ by stripping away long-established protections.

Communications Minister Anika Wells rejected this criticism as ‘outright weird’, arguing that if YouTube believes its own platform is unsafe for young users, it must address that problem itself.

The debate comes as Australia’s eSafety Commissioner investigates other youth-focused apps such as Lemon8 and Yope, which have seen a surge in downloads ahead of the ban.

Regulators reversed YouTube’s earlier exemption in July after identifying it as the platform where 10- to 15-year-olds most frequently encountered harmful content.

Under the new Social Media Minimum Age Act, companies must deactivate underage accounts, prevent new sign-ups and halt any technical workarounds or face penalties of up to A$49.5m.

Officials say the measure responds to concerns about the impact of algorithms, notifications and constant connectivity on Gen Alpha. Wells said the law aims to reduce the ‘dopamine drip’ that keeps young users hooked to their feeds, calling it a necessary step to shield children from relentless online pressures.

YouTube has reportedly considered challenging its inclusion in the ban, but has not confirmed whether it will take legal action.

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Governments urged to build learning systems for the AI era

Governments are facing increased pressure to govern AI effectively, prompting calls for continuous institutional learning. Researchers argue that the public sector must develop adaptive capacity to keep pace with rapid technological change.

Past digital reforms often stalled because administrations focused on minor upgrades rather than redesigning core services. Slow adaptation now carries greater risks, as AI transforms decisions, systems and expectations across government.

Experts emphasise the need for a learning infrastructure that facilitates to reliable flow of knowledge across institutions. Singapore and the UAE have already invested heavily in large-scale capability-building programmes.

Public servants require stronger technical and institutional literacy, supported through ongoing training and open collaboration with research communities. Advocates say that states that embed learning deeply will govern AI more effectively and maintain public trust.

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Public backlash grows as Coupang faces scrutiny over massive data leak

South Korea is facing broader concerns about data governance following Coupang’s confirmation of a breach affecting 33.7 million accounts. Investigators say the leak began months before it was detected, highlighting weak access controls and delayed monitoring across major firms.

Authorities believe a former employee exploited long-valid server tokens and unrevoked permissions to extract customer records. Officials say the scale of the incident underscores persistent gaps in offboarding processes and basic internal safeguards.

Regulators have launched parallel inquiries to assess compliance violations and examine whether structural weaknesses extend beyond a single company. Recent leaks at telecom and financial institutions have raised similar questions about systemic risk.

Public reaction has been intense, with online groups coordinating class-action filings and documenting spikes in spam after the exposure. Many argue that repeated incidents show a more profound corporate reluctance to invest meaningfully in security.

Lawmakers are now signalling plans for more substantial penalties and tighter oversight. Analysts warn that unless companies elevate data protection standards, South Korea will continue to face cascading breaches that damage public trust.

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AWS launches frontier agents to boost software development

AWS has launched frontier agents, autonomous AI tools that extend software development teams. The first three – Kiro, AWS Security Agent, and AWS DevOps Agent – enhance development, security, and operations while working independently for extended periods.

Kiro functions as a virtual developer, maintaining context, learning from feedback, and managing tasks across multiple repositories. AWS Security Agent automates code reviews, penetration testing, and enforces organisational security standards.

AWS DevOps Agent identifies root causes of incidents, reduces alerts, and provides proactive recommendations to improve system reliability.

These agents operate autonomously, scale across multiple tasks, and free teams from repetitive work, allowing focus on high-priority projects. Early users, including SmugMug and Commonwealth Bank of Australia, report quicker development, stronger security, and more efficient operations.

By integrating frontier agents into the software development lifecycle, AWS is shifting AI from task assistance to completing complex projects independently, marking a significant step forward in what AI can achieve for development teams.

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Honolulu in the US pushes for transparency in government AI use

Growing pressure from Honolulu residents in the US is prompting city leaders to consider stricter safeguards surrounding the use of AI. Calls for greater transparency have intensified as AI has quietly become part of everyday government operations.

Several city departments already rely on automated systems for tasks such as building-plan screening, customer service support and internal administrative work. Advocates now want voters to decide whether the charter should require a public registry of AI tools, human appeal rights and routine audits.

Concerns have deepened after the police department began testing AI-assisted report-writing software without broad consultation. Supporters of reform argue that stronger oversight is crucial to maintain public trust, especially if AI starts influencing high-stakes decisions that impact residents’ lives.

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Irish regulator probes an investigation into TikTok and LinkedIn

Regulators in Ireland have opened investigations into TikTok and LinkedIn under the EU Digital Services Act.

Coimisiún na Meán’s Investigations Team believes there may be shortcomings in how both platforms handle reports of suspected illegal material. Concerns emerged during an exhaustive review of Article 16 compliance that began last year and focused on the availability of reporting tools.

The review highlighted the potential for interface designs that could confuse users, particularly when choosing between reporting illegal content and content that merely violates platform rules.

An investigation that will examine whether reporting tools are easy to access, user-friendly and capable of supporting anonymous reporting of suspected child sexual abuse material, as required under Article 16(2)(c).

It will also assess whether platform design may discourage users from reporting material as illegal under Article 25.

Coimisiún na Meán stated that several other providers made changes to their reporting systems following regulatory engagement. Those changes are being reviewed for effectiveness.

The regulator emphasised that platforms must avoid practices that could mislead users and must provide reliable reporting mechanisms instead of diverting people toward less protective options.

These investigations will proceed under the Broadcasting Act of Ireland. If either platform is found to be in breach of the DSA, the regulator can impose administrative penalties that may reach six percent of global turnover.

Coimisiún na Meán noted that cooperation remains essential and that further action may be necessary if additional concerns about DSA compliance arise.

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