Digital identities Archives | Page 2 of 185

EU launches funding for youth-centred social media platforms

The European Commission has launched a €1.48 million call for proposals to support the development and testing of safer, more inclusive social media platforms designed for young people.

The initiative aims to involve young people from diverse backgrounds in designing digital services that prioritise privacy, well-being, accessibility and user safety.

Selected projects will develop or enhance protocol-based social media platforms aligned with EU values, while giving users greater control over their data, content moderation and overall online experience.

The programme also supports market analysis, platform development, adoption strategies and recommendations for the future of social media in the EU.

Why does it matter?

The initiative reflects the EU’s growing emphasis on promoting digital platforms that prioritise user wellbeing, privacy and safety rather than engagement-driven business models. By supporting protocol-based alternatives, the Commission is seeking to encourage a more open and user-centric social media ecosystem.

It also highlights a broader policy shift towards involving young people directly in the design of digital services. Giving users greater control over their data, online experience and content moderation aligns with the EU’s wider objectives on digital rights, platform accountability and safer online environments.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

EU drops browser-based cookie consent proposal from Digital Omnibus

The European Commission had proposed replacing cookie banners with an automated browser-based privacy signal as part of its ‘Digital Omnibus’ package, a move that would have allowed devices to communicate users’ tracking preferences directly to websites. The plan, outlined in Article 88b of the GDPR, was intended to cut red tape and reduce the burden on consumers navigating consent requests across the web.

According to digital rights organisation noyb, cookie banners were not created by data protection law but emerged as a mechanism for the online advertising industry to obtain users’ consent for data sharing with third parties. Studies suggest only 3 to 10 per cent of users actually wish to be tracked, yet so-called dark patterns, such as hidden ‘no’ buttons and pre-ticked boxes, allow the industry to achieve consent rates of up to 90 per cent. Across more than 450 million EU citizens, this results in billions of unnecessary clicks each year.

According to noyb, a lobbying document submitted by Google argued that removing cookie banners would effectively halt all online advertising, citing figures that the European Commission has since described as highly exaggerated. The Commission had made clear that consent would still be possible on a per-website and per-purpose basis, meaning users could grant access to specific outlets while withholding it from others. Google’s paper also claimed that media outlets would be harmed, despite the fact that they are explicitly exempt from the proposed provision.

According to noyb, the lobbying campaign appears to have influenced the legislative process. In the Council’s position paper of 18 June 2026, Article 88b was removed entirely from the Digital Omnibus. Noyb added that Germany, France, and Poland were among the member states supporting the article’s removal following lobbying by the online advertising industry.

The outcome is particularly striking given that many of the same member states have long called on the EU to simplify regulation and cut red tape. noyb, the European digital rights organisation, has described the result as a victory for lobbying over public interest, noting that the majority of EU citizens have consistently expressed frustration with cookie banners.

The European Parliament has not yet taken a position on Article 88b, and negotiations between the Parliament and the Council are ongoing. Noyb has urged the European Parliament to support reinstating Article 88b during the next stage of negotiations.

Why does it matter?

The debate highlights the growing tension between digital simplification efforts, privacy protection and the economic interests of the online advertising ecosystem. Browser-based privacy signals have long been discussed as a way to reduce repetitive consent requests while preserving users’ ability to decide when and how their personal data may be used.

The proposal’s removal also illustrates the influence that industry stakeholders can have during the EU legislative process. Whether Article 88b is reinstated during negotiations with the European Parliament could shape the future of online consent management in Europe, affecting digital advertising, user experience and the practical implementation of data protection rules.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Spain advances law to protect minors in digital environments

Spain’s Minister for Youth and Children, Sira Rego, has said she expects the country’s Law for the Protection of Minors in Digital Environments to be approved by Congress in autumn 2026.

Rego said the bill responds to growing social concern over children’s safety online and the need to regulate digital spaces more effectively.

The bill is currently moving through the Congress of Deputies. Rego said Spain would have a pioneering law to regulate digital environments and that major platforms must take greater responsibility for practices that are especially harmful to children and adolescents.

The proposed law draws on recommendations from a 50-member expert committee convened by the Ministry of Youth and Children. The government says the framework is intended to strengthen the rights of minors in digital spaces, including privacy, reputation, image rights, access to truthful information and responsible technology use.

Measures in the bill include mandatory parental control systems for mobile devices, rules on loot boxes in video games and on platforms, and requirements for schools to regulate the use of mobile phones and digital devices.

The proposal would also introduce criminal law changes covering digital violence. These include penalties restricting aggressors from contacting victims online, offences linked to making pornography indiscriminately available to minors, and criminalisation of sexual or seriously degrading deepfakes.

Large audiovisual service providers and major influencers would also be required to provide reporting channels for inappropriate content, inform users about content that may harm minors, use effective age verification systems and separate pornographic or violent content from other material.

Why does it matter?

Spain’s proposal reflects a wider shift towards stronger child online safety regulation, moving beyond awareness campaigns towards legal duties for platforms, device makers, schools and digital service providers. The bill also shows how child protection debates are expanding from harmful content to design features, age assurance, deepfakes, loot boxes and digital violence. If adopted, it could become one of Europe’s more comprehensive national frameworks for protecting minors online.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Google expands financial ad verification across EU and EEA

Google has announced the expansion of its financial services advertiser verification programme to every country in the EU and European Economic Area, extending requirements aimed at reducing fraudulent financial advertising.

The rollout will cover 24 additional countries and builds on an existing programme already active in six EU member states and the United Kingdom.

Under the programme, advertisers seeking to promote financial products or services must complete an additional verification process showing that the relevant national regulator authorises them. Google said it will check credentials against official registries across the EU and EEA.

The requirements will be introduced in phases. Businesses will have 30 days to complete the process after notification, and unverified advertisers will have their financial services ads restricted until verification is completed.

Google said the additional requirements build on its wider advertiser identity verification programme, which it says already covers more than 98% of ads seen across the EU. The company also said its systems blocked or removed more than 1.6 billion ads in the EU last year.

The expansion comes amid continuing concern over online financial scams, including fraudulent ads that impersonate legitimate financial services providers or promote misleading investment products.

Why does it matter?

Financial scams increasingly rely on digital advertising to reach consumers at scale. Google’s expansion adds another gatekeeping layer for financial advertisers across Europe by linking ad eligibility to authorisation in official regulatory registers. The measure also shows how large platforms are being pushed, by regulators and reputational pressure, to take more responsibility for the trustworthiness of high-risk advertising categories such as finance.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Estonia proposes world-first digital IDs for AI agents

Estonia is moving forward with plans to create official digital identities for AI agents, a move that could make it the first country to establish a formal framework for AI systems acting on behalf of individuals and organisations. The proposal received backing from Prime Minister Kristen Michal following discussions within the Eesti.ai advisory board.

Under the proposed framework, AI agents would be granted limited and clearly defined permissions, enabling them to perform specific tasks such as preparing documents, handling administrative procedures and accessing designated information. Authorities say the framework would ensure that every action remains traceable, auditable and subject to clear human accountability.

Officials argue that digital identities for AI could prevent users from granting excessive access to personal data and services while supporting the growing use of AI across the economy. The initiative builds on Estonia’s long-established digital infrastructure, including digital identities, electronic signatures and secure data-sharing systems.

Alongside the AI identity project, Estonia is exploring a new testing environment for air and water drones in the Baltic Sea region and expanding programmes designed to improve AI literacy. Authorities are also working to strengthen Estonian-language AI models and support organisations in making informed decisions about AI adoption and deployment.

Why does it matter?

As AI agents become increasingly capable of performing administrative, professional and transactional tasks, questions about identity, authorisation and accountability are becoming central governance challenges. Estonia’s proposal seeks to create a formal mechanism for defining what an AI agent is allowed to do, who authorised those actions and who remains responsible for the outcomes.

The initiative also represents a potentially significant evolution of digital identity systems. If successful, Estonia could provide an early model for integrating AI agents into public services and the wider digital economy while preserving transparency, security and trust. The framework may influence future debates on AI governance, digital public infrastructure and the legal status of increasingly autonomous AI systems in other jurisdictions.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our chatbot!

EU agrees tougher child protection rules against AI-generated abuse

The agreement between the European Parliament and the Council updates legislation first adopted in 2011, reflecting the growing role of digital technologies and AI in facilitating abuse.

Under the revised directive, designing, adapting or distributing AI systems intended to generate child sexual abuse material would become a criminal offence. The updated rules would also cover deepfake abuse material, livestreamed child sexual abuse, sexual extortion, and the possession or distribution of instructions on how to commit such crimes.

The agreement also strengthens rules on consent. It clarifies that consent must be given voluntarily, cannot be inferred from silence, lack of resistance or a previous relationship, and can be withdrawn at any time.

Grooming offences would be expanded to cover situations involving coercion, threats or deception, including cases where offenders falsely present themselves as peers of the child.

Victim protection would also be strengthened through access to healthcare, legal aid, helplines, accommodation support and compensation mechanisms. The agreement also extends limitation periods, recognising that many victims need years or decades before reporting abuse.

The revised directive still requires formal adoption by the European Parliament and the Council before entering into force.

Why does it matter?

The agreement shows how EU criminal law is being adapted to AI-enabled and online forms of child sexual abuse. Criminalising AI systems designed to generate abusive material is especially significant because it targets not only harmful content but also the tools used to produce it. The revised directive also strengthens victim support and prosecution timelines, addressing the reality that many survivors report abuse years after it occurred.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Spain reports higher removal of online hate speech content

Spain’s Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia identified 31,003 pieces of hate speech and discriminatory content on social media in May 2026, according to its monthly monitoring report.

The Observatory, known as OBERAXE, said digital platforms removed 65% of notified content, up from 56% in April. TikTok, X and Instagram recorded the highest removal rates, while the Trusted Flagger route continued to perform better than ordinary user reporting.

Trusted Flagger notifications accounted for 53% of removed content, compared with 48% in April. Content reported through ordinary user channels reached a removal rate of 12%, up from 8% the previous month.

The report found that 73% of detected content presented targeted groups as a threat, while dehumanising and severely degrading messages increased sharply compared with April. It also recorded frequent use of aggressive language and growing reliance on images, videos, memes and coded expressions.

People from North Africa remained the main target of online hate speech, followed by African and Afro-descendant people and Roma people. Narratives linked to citizen insecurity accounted for the largest share of detected content, followed by content related to social benefits and access to public resources.

OBERAXE said continued cooperation with digital platforms is essential to improve detection, removal procedures and policies aimed at combating discrimination online.

Why does it matter?

The report shows how hate speech monitoring is becoming part of platform governance and anti-discrimination policy. Spain’s data suggest that trusted reporting channels can improve removal rates, but the scale and persistence of hostile narratives show the limits of reactive moderation. The findings also raise wider questions about transparency, platform accountability and how governments can address online hate while protecting freedom of expression.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Eurostat report highlights online hate speech exposure in the EU

More than half of young internet users in the EU encountered hostile or degrading online content in 2025, according to Eurostat data published to mark the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.

Eurostat said 54.0% of internet users aged 25 to 34 and 53.7% of those aged 16 to 24 had encountered hostile or degrading messages during the previous three months. Exposure declined with age, falling to 46.4% among people aged 35 to 44, 38.9% among those aged 45 to 54, 32.8% among those aged 55 to 64, and 28.1% among people aged 65 to 74.

Among internet users aged 16 to 24, young women reported higher exposure than young men, at 57.2% compared with 50.4%. Eurostat said the pattern was observed across all types of hostile or degrading messages.

For both young women and young men, the most commonly reported hostile messages related to political or social views and racial or ethnic origin. The largest gender gaps were recorded for messages concerning sexual orientation, sex and disability.

Eurostat said hostile or degrading content may be directed at respondents or at other people, and can include messages, comments, photos, memes, videos and other online material.

The findings underline the scale of online hostility facing younger internet users in the EU and the continuing challenge for policymakers, platforms and civil society organisations working on digital safety and content governance.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

IWF backs Pope Leo XIV call for responsible AI development

The Internet Watch Foundation has welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s reflections on AI, arguing that AI systems must be developed with stronger safeguards to protect children from abuse.

In a blog post, the IWF said the Pope’s message that technology should serve the common good and remain subject to human judgement and accountability reflects the risks its analysts are already seeing online.

The organisation warned that AI is being used to generate highly realistic child sexual abuse images and videos at scale. It said the number of AI-generated child sexual abuse videos identified by the IWF in 2025 increased by more than 260%, with nearly two-thirds falling into the most severe category of abuse.

The IWF also raised concerns about AI-nudification tools, which can generate realistic sexualised images of children and other individuals. Following the Child Dignity in the Artificial Intelligence Era conference in Rome, the organisation joined more than 100 organisations and individuals in supporting calls for a global ban on such tools.

The IWF said AI safety should be built into products from the earliest stages of development. Through its Safety by Design work, the organisation is calling for companies to assess, test and mitigate risks before AI systems reach the public.

It also called for stronger regulation, global alignment and enforceable safety-by-design standards to prevent the creation and spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

Why does it matter?

The IWF’s warning shows how generative AI is creating urgent child protection risks, especially through realistic synthetic abuse material and nudification tools. The issue is no longer only content moderation after harm occurs; it increasingly concerns model design, testing, deployment and accountability before AI systems reach users. That makes safety by design, developer responsibility and international coordination central to AI governance.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

OECD says governments need stronger delivery capacity for digital transformation

The OECD says governments have made progress in building the foundations of digital government, but must now focus on turning those foundations into measurable benefits for people and businesses.

In its Digital Government Outlook 2026, the OECD says governments are operating under pressure from rapid technological change, fiscal constraints, rising public expectations and the growing adoption of AI. The report argues that digital technologies and data are now essential to public-sector performance, resilience, and trust.

The Outlook draws on the 2025 OECD Digital Government Index and the Open, Useful and Re-usable Data Index. It covers 36 OECD members and eight accession candidate countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Indonesia, Peru, Thailand, and Romania.

The report finds that OECD countries have strengthened key digital foundations, including shared infrastructure, interoperable systems, digital identity, cloud services and open data frameworks. The average Digital Government Index score rose from 0.61 in 2023 to 0.70 in 2025, while the OURdata Index increased from 0.48 to 0.53.

However, the OECD says progress remains uneven. Countries tend to perform better in setting strategic direction and policy frameworks than in implementation and monitoring. The report says governments often have strategies and enabling mechanisms in place but struggle to embed them in day-to-day operations, workflows and accountability systems.

AI adoption is one of the main areas where this gap is visible. The OECD says AI is already used in at least one area of government in almost every OECD country, and most countries have strategies, oversight bodies, and training programmes. Yet only 28% of OECD countries systematically assess the financial and non-financial impacts of AI use in government.

The report also points to gaps in digital skills and investment evaluation. Only six OECD countries have a dedicated strategy for developing digital skills among civil servants, while just one in four systematically evaluates whether completed digital projects delivered their intended results.

The OECD says the next phase of digital government should focus on wider adoption of interoperable systems, stronger data governance, more strategic investment and skills development, trustworthy AI at scale, and more joined-up, user-centred public services. The OECD argues that governments must move beyond fragmented digital initiatives and embed digital technologies, data and AI into everyday public-sector operations.

Why does it matter?

The report suggests that the challenge facing digital government is no longer primarily technological. Many governments have already established digital identities, cloud infrastructure, interoperable systems and data frameworks. The next challenge is ensuring these foundations translate into better public services, greater efficiency and stronger public trust.

The findings also highlight a growing implementation gap in areas such as AI. While governments are increasingly adopting AI tools and digital technologies, many lack the skills, evaluation frameworks and governance mechanisms needed to measure outcomes and scale successful initiatives. As a result, the effectiveness of future digital government reforms may depend less on technology adoption and more on institutional capacity and execution.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!