Digital identities

EU drops revised GDPR personal data definition amid regulatory pressure

Governments across the EU have withdrawn the revised definition of personal data from the GDPR omnibus package, softening earlier proposals that had prompted strong resistance from regulators and civil society.

A decision that signals a preference for maintaining the original scope of the General Data Protection Regulation instead of reopening sensitive debates that risked weakening long-standing protections.

Greater attention is now placed on the forthcoming pseudonymisation guidelines prepared by the European Data Protection Board. These guidelines are expected to shape how organisations interpret key safeguards, offering practical direction instead of altering the legal definition of personal data.

The updated prominence given to the guidance reflects a broader trend within the Council towards regulatory clarity rather than legislative redesign.

The compromise text also maintains links with the wider review of the ePrivacy Directive, keeping future updates aligned with existing digital-rights rules.

Member states appear increasingly cautious about reopening foundational privacy concepts, opting to strengthen enforcement through guidance and implementation rather than altering core definitions in law.

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Turkey reviews children’s data handling as identity checks planned for social platforms

The data protection authority of Turkey has opened a new review into how major social media platforms manage children’s personal data.

A decision that places scrutiny on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X and Discord as Ankara prepares legislation that would expand state authority over digital activity instead of relying on existing rules alone.

Regulators aim to assess safeguards for children and ensure stronger compliance with local standards.

The ruling party is expected to introduce a family package that would require identity verification for every account through phone numbers or the e-Devlet system. Children under 15 would not be allowed to create profiles and further limits could apply to users under 18.

A proposal that would also allow authorities to order the rapid removal of content deemed unlawful without waiting for court approval, while platforms that fail to comply may face penalties such as phased bandwidth reductions.

Rights advocates warn that mandatory verification and broader enforcement powers could reshape online speech across the country. Some argue that linking accounts to verified identities threatens anonymity and could restrict legitimate expression instead of fostering safety.

Turkey has already expanded online oversight since 2016 through laws that increased the government’s ability to block websites, require content removal and oblige major platforms to maintain a legal presence in the country.

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Cloudflare outage causes global internet disruption after an internal error

A major outage on 20 February disrupted global internet traffic after an internal configuration failure at Cloudflare caused the unintended withdrawal of customer BGP routes.

The incident lasted just over six hours and left numerous services unreachable, despite early fears of a cyberattack. An internal update led to the systematic deletion of more than a thousand Bring Your Own IP prefixes, which pushed many connections into BGP path hunting instead of stable routing.

Engineers traced the disruption to an error in the company’s Addressing API, introduced during an automated cleanup task under the Code Orange resilience programme.

A flawed query interpreted an empty value as an instruction to delete all returned prefixes, removing essential bindings for hundreds of customers. Some users restored connectivity through the dashboard, while others required manual reconstruction carried out across the edge network.

An outage that affected a series of core offerings, including content delivery, security layers, dedicated egress and network protection services. Restoration took several hours because the withdrawn prefixes varied in severity, demanding different recovery methods instead of a uniform reinstatement process.

The error triggered widespread timeouts on dependent websites and applications, along with 403 responses on the 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver.

Cloudflare plans to introduce stricter API validation, circuit breakers for abnormal deletion patterns, and improved configuration separation. It has also issued a public apology for a failure that undermined its assurances of network resilience.

An event that reaffirmed the risks posed by internal automation faults when they interact with critical internet infrastructure.

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Phishing messages target IndiaAI and Impact Summit 2026 participants

IndiaAI has issued an urgent advisory warning of a phishing campaign targeting attendees of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Fraudulent SMS and WhatsApp messages claim refunds are pending and request sensitive financial details.

Organisers said the messages are not official and have not been authorised. Recipients are being urged to click links and provide full card numbers, WhatsApp numbers, and other contact information to ‘process’ refunds.

IndiaAI advised participants not to click suspicious links or share personal or banking information with unverified sources. Attendees in India are encouraged to delete such messages immediately and block the sender’s number.

Anyone who may have submitted details through a suspicious link should contact their bank without delay to secure their accounts. Organisers stressed that event-related communication will only be shared through official channels.

The advisory was issued under the AI Impact Summit 2026 banner, themed ‘Welfare for All | Happiness of All’, as authorities seek to prevent financial fraud linked to the high-profile gathering.

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Saudi Arabia steps into global AI leadership to shape AI future

The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), a multilateral initiative hosted by the OECD and launched by the G7, has officially welcomed Saudi Arabia as a new member. The move reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to shaping global AI governance and ethical technology use.

Accession is led by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority and supported by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Joining GPAI aligns with Vision 2030, which aims to localise advanced technologies and boost the digital economy’s contribution to GDP.

Through membership in GPAI, which unites over 40 countries, Saudi Arabia will help establish international AI standards, promote human-centric and responsible AI development, and strengthen global cooperation in the sector.

Officials also anticipate that the move will attract high-quality international investment, leveraging the Kingdom’s expanding regulatory framework and growing AI and data ecosystem.

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Deutsche Bank expands digital asset plans 

The German banking giant has applied for a digital asset custody licence from BaFin, marking a significant step in its expansion into cryptocurrency services. The move positions Deutsche Bank to offer safekeeping solutions for clients seeking exposure to digital assets.

Plans form part of a broader strategy to build a dedicated digital assets division, according to David Lynne, a commercial banking executive. DWS Group’s initiatives highlight rising institutional interest in crypto partnerships in Germany.

Previous experimentation includes a tokenised investment platform developed in Singapore with Memento Blockchain, enabling access to digital asset funds through fiat on-ramps.

Activity mirrors wider domestic momentum, as Deutsche WertpapierService Bank has already launched crypto infrastructure linking traditional and digital accounts.

Regulatory clarity and growing client demand appear to be key drivers, with Deutsche Bank signalling a cautious yet deliberate approach to integrating cryptocurrencies into its mainstream banking services.

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Secure quantum-safe optical transport strengthens Japan’s AI data center infrastructure

Nokia and KDDI Corporation demonstrated quantum-safe optical transport at Sakai Data Center, supporting advanced AI workloads. The network aims to deliver secure, uninterrupted data transfer while protecting sensitive AI operations.

The demonstration showcases KDDI’s scalable AI-ready infrastructure for real-time training, inference, and analytics. Quantum-safe encryption and resilient transport protect customer data and critical infrastructure across Japan’s distributed data centres.

Using Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) and 1830 Security Management Server (SMS), the partners validated high-capacity, secure optical connectivity. The solution delivers privacy, reliability, and fast quantum-safe encryption for modern AI workloads.

Executives from both companies emphasised the importance of secure, scalable networks in enabling AI-driven services. Nokia and KDDI will continue advancing quantum-safe data centre connectivity, supporting Japan’s digital infrastructure and key enterprise applications.

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China sets new record in rare disease AI diagnosis

A Chinese research team has developed an AI-powered system, DeepRare, to diagnose rare diseases with unprecedented accuracy.

The project, led by Shenhua Hospital and the university’s School of Artificial Intelligence, has already attracted over 1,000 specialised users from more than 600 medical and research institutions worldwide.

Tests show DeepRare achieves 57.18 percent accuracy using only clinical data, marking a 24-point improvement over previous models. Including genetic data raises accuracy above 70 percent, showing potential to improve diagnosis in areas without advanced testing.

The system draws on an extensive knowledge base of medical literature and real-world cases. Its cycle of hypothesis, validation, and self-review boosts reliability and fills reasoning gaps, surpassing the limits of traditional AI models.

By enhancing transparency and precision, DeepRare offers a practical tool for clinicians facing the persistent challenge of identifying rare diseases, potentially setting a new global standard for AI-assisted diagnostics.

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Strict ban on crypto references introduced by OpenClaw

OpenClaw has introduced a firm community rule prohibiting any reference to Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies on its Discord server, according to its creator, Peter Steinberger.

Enforcement drew attention after a user was removed for mentioning Bitcoin block height as a timing method in a benchmark, with the developer later offering to restore access.

The policy follows a rebrand scare when scammers hijacked old accounts to promote a fake Solana token. Market value spiked then plunged after Steinberger denied involvement, warning that no official token would be issued.

Rapid growth of the open-source project, which has attracted a large developer base within weeks of launch, contrasts with wider industry momentum linking AI agents and digital assets.

Leaders such as Jeremy Allaire of Circle argue stablecoins could become default payment rails for autonomous software, while Coinbase is already rolling out infrastructure enabling agents to transact on-chain.

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Altman urges urgent AI regulation

OpenAI chief Sam Altman has called for urgent global regulation of AI, speaking at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Addressing leaders and executives in New Delhi, he said the rapid pace of development demands coordinated international oversight.

In New Delhi, Altman suggested creating a body similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency to oversee advanced AI systems. He warned that highly capable open source biomodels could pose serious biosecurity risks if misused.

Altman argued in New Delhi that democratising AI is essential to prevent power from being concentrated in a single company or country. He added that safeguards are urgently required, even as technology continues to disrupt labour markets.

During the summit in New Delhi, Altman said ChatGPT has 100 million weekly users in India, with more than a third being students. OpenAI also announced plans with Tata Consultancy Services to build data centre infrastructure in India.

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