KPMG Netherlands has allegedly become the latest target of the Nova ransomware group, following claims that sensitive data was accessed and exfiltrated.
The incident was reported by ransomware monitoring services on 23 January 2026, with attackers claiming the breach occurred on the same day.
Nova has reportedly issued a ten-day deadline for contact and ransom negotiations, a tactic commonly used by ransomware groups to pressure large organisations.
The group has established a reputation for targeting professional services firms and financial sector entities that manage high-value and confidential client information.
Threat intelligence sources indicate that Nova operates a distributed command and control infrastructure across the Tor network, alongside multiple leak platforms used to publish stolen data. Analysis suggests a standardised backend deployment, pointing to a mature and organised ransomware operation.
KPMG has not publicly confirmed the alleged breach at the time of writing. Clients and stakeholders are advised to follow official communications for clarity on potential exposure, response measures and remediation steps as investigations continue.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
WhatsApp has been formally designated a Very Large Online Platform under the EU Digital Services Act, triggering the bloc’s most stringent digital oversight regime.
The classification follows confirmation that the messaging service has exceeded 51 million monthly users in the EU, triggering enhanced regulatory scrutiny.
As a VLOP, WhatsApp must take active steps to limit the spread of disinformation and reduce risks linked to the manipulation of public debate. The platform is also expected to strengthen safeguards for users’ mental health, with particular attention placed on the protection of minors and younger audiences.
The European Commission will oversee compliance directly and may impose financial penalties of up to 6 percent of WhatsApp’s global annual turnover if violations are identified. The company has until mid-May to align its systems, policies and risk assessments with the DSA’s requirements.
WhatsApp joins a growing list of major platforms already subject to similar obligations, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X. The move reflects the Commission’s broader effort to apply the Digital Services Act across social media, messaging services and content platforms linked to systemic online risks.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
France has unveiled a new push to reduce Europe’s dependence on US and Chinese technology suppliers, placing digital sovereignty back at the centre of the EU policy debates.
Speaking in Paris, France’s minister for AI and digital affairs, Anne Le Hénanff, presented initiatives to expose and address the structural reliance on non-EU technologies across public administrations and private companies.
Central to the strategy is the creation of a Digital Sovereignty Observatory, which will map foreign technology dependencies and assess organisational exposure to geopolitical and supply-chain risks.
The body, led by former Europe minister Clément Beaune, is intended to provide the evidence base needed for coordinated action rather than symbolic declarations of autonomy.
France is also advancing a Digital Resilience Index, expected to publish its first findings in early 2026. The index will measure reliance on foreign digital services and products, identifying vulnerabilities linked to cloud infrastructure, AI, cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
Industry data suggests Europe’s dependence on external tech providers costs the continent hundreds of billions of euros annually.
Paris is using the initiative to renew calls for a European preference in public-sector digital procurement and for a standard EU definition of European digital services.
Such proposals remain contentious among member states, yet France argues they are essential for restoring strategic control over critical digital infrastructure.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Microsoft has unveiled Maia 200, a next-generation AI inference accelerator built to boost performance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness at scale. Built on TSMC’s 3-nanometre process, the chip boosts speed, efficiency, and memory throughput for advanced AI models.
The new accelerator will power Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure across Azure, Microsoft Foundry, and Microsoft 365 Copilot, including workloads for OpenAI’s latest GPT-5.2 models.
Internal teams will use Maia 200 for synthetic data generation and reinforcement learning, accelerating AI development. Maia 200 is being rolled out in Microsoft’s US Central data centre region, with further deployments planned across additional global locations.
A preview version of the Maia software development kit is also being released, offering developers access to PyTorch integration, optimised compilers, and low-level programming tools to fine-tune AI models across heterogeneous computing environments.
The system introduces a redesigned networking and memory architecture optimised for high-bandwidth data movement and large-scale inference clusters.
Microsoft says the platform delivers significant improvements in performance per dollar, scalability, and power efficiency, positioning Maia 200 as a cornerstone of its long-term AI infrastructure strategy.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Apple is preparing a major AI upgrade for Siri powered by Google’s Gemini models, expected in the second half of February, according to Bloomberg. The update will run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure using high-end Mac chips.
The iOS 26.4 release is set to introduce ‘World Knowledge Answers’, enabling Siri to provide web-based summaries with citations similar to ChatGPT and Perplexity. Deeper integration across core apps such as Mail, Photos, Music, TV, and Xcode is also planned.
Expanded voice controls are expected to let users search for and edit photos by spoken description, as well as generate emails based on calendar activity. Bloomberg also reported Apple is paying Google around $1 billion annually to access Gemini’s underlying AI technology.
Market reaction to the news pushed Apple shares higher, while Alphabet stock also rose following confirmation of the partnership. A spokesperson for Apple declined to comment on the reported developments.
Looking ahead, Apple is developing a chatbot-style assistant known internally as ‘Campos’ to eventually replace the current Siri interface. The system would analyse on-screen activity, suggest actions, and expand device control across future operating systems.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Google’s health-related search results increasingly draw on YouTube rather than hospitals, government agencies, or academic institutions, as new research reveals how AI Overviews select citation sources in automated results.
An analysis by SEO platform SE Ranking reviewed more than 50,000 German-language health queries and found AI Overviews appeared on over 82% of searches, making healthcare one of the most AI-influenced information categories on Google.
Across all cited sources, YouTube ranked first by a wide margin, accounting for more than 20,000 references and surpassing medical publishers, hospital websites, and public health authorities.
Academic journals and research institutions accounted for less than 1% of citations, while national and international government health bodies accounted for under 0.5%, highlighting a sharp imbalance in source authority.
Researchers warn that when platform-scale content outweighs evidence-based medical sources, the risk extends beyond misinformation to long-term erosion of trust in AI-powered search systems.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
UK banks are blocking or delaying close to 40% of payments to cryptocurrency exchanges, sharply increasing customer friction and slowing market growth, according to a new industry report.
Around 80% of surveyed exchanges reported rising payment disruptions, while 70% described the banking environment as increasingly hostile, discouraging investment, hiring, and product launches in the UK.
The survey of major platforms, including Coinbase, Kraken, and Gemini, reveals widespread and opaque restrictions across bank transfers and card payments. One exchange reported nearly £1 billion in declined transactions last year, citing unclear rejection reasons despite FCA registration.
Several high-street and digital banks maintain outright blocks, while others impose strict transaction caps. The UK Cryptoasset Business Council warned that blanket debanking practices could breach existing regulations, including those on payment services, consumer protection, and competition.
The council urged the FCA and government to enforce a risk-based approach, expand data sharing, and remove unnecessary barriers as the UK finalises its long-term crypto framework.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Gmail experienced widespread email filtering issues on Saturday, sending spam into primary inboxes and mislabelling legitimate messages as suspicious, according to Google’s Workspace status dashboard.
Problems began around 5 a.m. Pacific time, with users reporting disrupted inbox categories, unexpected spam warnings and delays in email delivery. Many said promotional and social emails appeared in primary folders, while trusted senders were flagged as potential threats.
Google acknowledged the malfunction throughout the day, noting ongoing efforts to restore normal service as complaints spread across social media platforms.
By Saturday evening, the company confirmed the issue had been fully resolved for all users, although some misclassified messages and spam warnings may remain visible for emails received before the fix.
Google said it is conducting an internal investigation and will publish a detailed incident analysis to explain what caused the disruption.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
The Stargate UAE data centre project is expected to cost more than $30 billion, underscoring the scale of the Emirates’ investment in AI infrastructure.
Speaking at the Machines Can Think summit in Abu Dhabi, UAE Minister of State for AI described the project as a centrepiece of the UAE’s efforts to expand global cooperation on AI infrastructure.
Designed as a flagship development, Stargate UAE reflects the country’s ambition to lead in AI infrastructure. Spanning 19.2 square kilometres in Abu Dhabi, the campus will be built in phases, with the first phase due in the third quarter of 2026.
Beyond domestic capacity, the UAE is positioning Stargate UAE as a platform to support the sovereign AI and data sovereignty needs of other countries.
Officials emphasised that the initiative aims to provide non-profit-oriented AI options that nations can adapt, train, and build upon in response to rising global concerns about the control of data and AI systems.
The project is supported by the UAE’s expanding capabilities in large language model development, including Jais and K2 Think.
Stargate UAE is being developed by Khazna Data Centres, part of Abu Dhabi-based AI group G42, in partnership with global technology companies including OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, SoftBank, and South Korea, reinforcing its role as a globally collaborative AI infrastructure initiative.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
The state of Georgia is emerging as the focal point of a growing backlash against the rapid expansion of data centres powering the US’ AI boom.
Lawmakers in several states are now considering statewide bans, as concerns over energy consumption, water use and local disruption move to the centre of economic and environmental debate.
A bill introduced in Georgia would impose a moratorium on new data centre construction until March next year, giving state and municipal authorities time to establish more explicit regulatory rules.
The proposal arrives after Georgia’s utility regulator approved plans for an additional 10 gigawatts of electricity generation, primarily driven by data centre demand and expected to rely heavily on fossil fuels.
Local resistance has intensified as the Atlanta metropolitan area led the country in data centre construction last year, prompting multiple municipalities to impose their own temporary bans.
Critics argue that rapid development has pushed up electricity bills, strained water supplies and delivered fewer tax benefits than promised. At the same time, utility companies retain incentives to expand generation rather than improve grid efficiency.
The issue has taken on broader political significance as Georgia prepares for key elections that will affect utility oversight.
Supporters of the moratorium frame the pause as a chance for public scrutiny and democratic accountability, while backers of the industry warn that blanket restrictions risk undermining investment, jobs and long-term technological competitiveness.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
