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UN experts raise concerns over online pornography platforms and digital intermediaries

UN human rights experts have raised concerns about the role of online pornography platforms, payment providers, and internet companies in enabling and monetising sexual exploitation and non-consensual content involving women and girls.

In a statement released in Geneva, the experts focused on Pornhub and its parent company Aylo Holdings, while also referencing broader concerns involving user-generated pornography platforms, payment networks, and search and technology companies linked to online distribution systems.

The experts said businesses involved in digital content ecosystems should not avoid responsibility where their services contribute to human rights violations. They called for stronger safeguards, including mandatory third-party age and consent verification systems for user-generated pornography platforms.

The statement urged the governments of the United States and Canada to pursue stronger regulatory and legal responses. According to experts, Canada acknowledged the need to modernise privacy legislation and to strengthen accountability requirements for digital platforms that host harmful content.

The experts also raised concerns about the burden placed on victims seeking the removal of non-consensual intimate content. They said victims are often required to repeatedly report abusive material that may continue circulating online even after complaints are filed.

The statement called for stronger moderation and monitoring systems, alongside obligations for platforms to remove violent, abusive, and non-consensual content involving both adults and children.

The experts acknowledged that Aylo has introduced changes to moderation and verification practices in recent years. However, they argued that these measures followed legal action, public pressure, and investigations linked to online exploitation and failures in content verification.

The statement referenced a deferred prosecution agreement reached in the United States in 2023 involving Aylo. Under the agreement, the company accepted financial penalties, compensation measures, and external monitoring arrangements. The experts expressed concern that the arrangement may not provide full corporate accountability for harms linked to the platform’s operations.

The communication also noted ongoing engagement with companies, including Mastercard, Visa, Google, Meta, and Microsoft, regarding their role in digital infrastructure, payment systems, and traffic distribution connected to online pornography platforms.

The statement was issued by Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, and Ana Brian Nougrères, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy. The experts serve independently under the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures framework.

Why does it matter?

The discussion reflects wider international debates over platform accountability, online safety, content moderation, digital payments infrastructure, and the role of technology companies in addressing harmful and non-consensual online content.

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UN invites leaders for AI governance dialogue

The co-chairs of the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance have invited member states and stakeholders to express interest in co-chairing thematic discussions during the meeting, which will take place in Geneva on 6–7 July 2026 alongside the ITU AI for Good Global Summit under UN General Assembly resolution 79/325.

The discussions will be organised around four themes: the social, economic, ethical, cultural, linguistic, and technical implications of AI; bridging AI divides through capacity-building and digital access; safe, secure, and trustworthy AI, including interoperability between governance approaches; and human rights issues such as transparency, accountability, and human oversight.

Each thematic session will be jointly chaired by one member state and one stakeholder representative, with the aim of fostering multistakeholder exchanges on experiences, best practices, and policy cooperation. Governments are asked to nominate high-level representatives, while stakeholders are encouraged to nominate senior experts relevant to the selected theme.

Selected co-chairs will support dialogue design, facilitate exchanges, and contribute to inclusive and balanced participation.

According to the UN, the initiative aims to bring together diverse perspectives from governments, industry, academia and civil society. The process is intended to strengthen collaboration and inform future AI governance approaches.

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UN experts warn of growing risks from digital surveillance and AI misuse

UN human rights experts have raised concerns about the global expansion of digital surveillance technologies and their impact on fundamental freedoms, warning that current practices risk undermining democratic participation and civic space.

In a joint statement, the experts said that surveillance tools are increasingly used in ways that may be incompatible with international human rights standards. They noted that such technologies are often deployed against civil society, journalists, political opposition, and minority groups, contributing to what they described as a ‘chilling effect’ on freedom of expression and dissent.

The experts highlighted the growing use of advanced technologies, including AI, in areas such as law enforcement, counter-terrorism, and border management. They said that, without adequate legal safeguards, these tools can enable large-scale monitoring, predictive profiling, and the amplification of bias, potentially leading to disproportionate targeting of individuals and groups.

According to the statement, digital surveillance systems are part of broader ecosystems that involve collaboration among governments, private companies, and data intermediaries. These interconnected systems can expand state surveillance capabilities and increase the complexity of assessing their impact on human rights.

The experts also pointed to the role of legal frameworks, noting that broadly defined laws on national security, extremism, and cybercrime may contribute to the misuse of surveillance technologies. Such measures, they said, can affect the work of civil society organisations and other actors operating in the public sphere.

To address these challenges, the experts called for stronger safeguards, including clearer limits on surveillance practices, risk-based regulation of AI systems, and improved oversight mechanisms. They emphasised the importance of human rights impact assessments throughout the lifecycle of digital technologies, as well as the need for accountability and access to remedies in cases of harm.

Why does it matter?

The statement also highlighted the importance of data protection, system testing, and validation to reduce risks associated with digital surveillance tools. It called on governments to align national legislation with international human rights standards and ensure independent oversight of surveillance activities.

The experts further suggested that international cooperation may be needed to address cross-border implications, including the potential development of a binding international framework governing digital surveillance technologies.

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UN prepares first Global Dialogue on AI governance ahead of Geneva meeting

The United Nations is advancing preparations for the first Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance, set to take place in Geneva on 6–7 July 2026 alongside the AI for Good Summit.

Speaking at a UN Geneva press briefing, Egriselda López, Permanent Representative of El Salvador and co-chair of the Dialogue, said the initiative was established by UN member states as a universal forum to discuss AI governance. The process is intended to bring together governments and stakeholders with the aim of producing tangible outcomes.

López said the initial meeting will be structured around thematic clusters, including one focusing on AI opportunities and implications and another addressing the digital divide. She added that consultations with member states and stakeholders are ongoing to ensure an inclusive format for the discussions.

Rein Tammsaar, Permanent Representative of Estonia and co-chair of the Dialogue, said the forum aims to connect existing AI initiatives and best practices from around the world. He stressed the importance of interoperability and coordination, noting that the Dialogue seeks to create synergies rather than duplicate existing efforts.

According to Tammsaar, additional thematic areas will include interoperability, safety, and human rights. While human rights are expected to be a cross-cutting issue, stakeholders have also called for it to be addressed as a standalone theme.

Amandeep Gill, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, described the initiative as part of a broader approach to ensuring that AI benefits humanity as a whole. He said the Dialogue is designed as a ‘dialogue of dialogues’, enabling governments, experts and other stakeholders to exchange knowledge in a rapidly evolving technological environment.

Gill also highlighted the role of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, which is expected to present its findings at the Geneva meeting. He noted that global capacity to both use and govern AI remains uneven, underlining the need to address disparities between countries.

Officials emphasised that the Dialogue is intended to complement existing initiatives rather than centralise governance efforts. It will focus on issues such as safety and human rights, while discussions on military uses of AI fall outside its mandate.

A second Global Dialogue on AI Governance meeting is planned for May 2027 in New York, as part of ongoing efforts to develop a more coordinated and inclusive global approach to AI governance.

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Report on Geneva 2027 AI Summit preparations available

A report outlining initial consultations for the Geneva 2027 AI Summit has been submitted to the Swiss government following a preparatory event held during GenAI Zürich 2026.

The report consolidates inputs from an invite-only roundtable held on 1 April 2026 and written submissions collected through an open call. It was prepared by ICT4Peace and GenAI Zürich to support Switzerland’s planning for the summit.

According to the organisers, the roundtable brought together participants from government, academia, industry, civil society, and international organisations. It was co-moderated by Daniel Stauffacher, founder of ICT4Peace, Ambassador Thomas Schneider, Vice-Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (BAKOM), and Ambassador Markus Reubi, project lead for the Geneva 2027 AI Summit at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

In addition to the roundtable, the report includes written contributions submitted through an online consultation process, with organisers noting that 55 submissions were received, including 52 with substantive responses.

The report presents a synthesis of themes and proposals related to the objectives and potential outcomes of the Geneva 2027 AI Summit. According to the organisers, the analysis is based on recurring themes and areas of convergence identified during the consultation process, rather than a statistically representative survey.

Discussions were conducted under the Chatham House Rule, and the report does not attribute comments to individual participants.

The findings were submitted to the Swiss government’s Platform Tripartite on 13 April 2026 to inform further preparations for the summit.

Switzerland is scheduled to host the next global AI Summit in 2027 in Geneva, following previous summits held in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea, France, and India.

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Geneva Cyber Week to bring diplomacy, cyber policy, and AI security debates together

The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs will co-host Geneva Cyber Week from 4 to 8 May 2026, bringing policymakers, diplomats, technical experts, industry leaders, academics, and civil society representatives to venues across Geneva and online for a week of discussions on cyber stability, resilience, governance, digitalisation, and the security implications of emerging technologies, including AI.

Returning after its inaugural edition, the event is being positioned as a response to a more fragile cyber and geopolitical environment. Held under the theme ‘Advancing Global Cooperation in Cyberspace’, Geneva Cyber Week 2026 comes at a moment of mounting cyber insecurity, intensifying geopolitical tension, and rapid technological change, with organisers framing the gathering as a space for more practical cooperation across diplomatic, technical, operational, and policy communities.

“Cybersecurity is no longer a niche technical issue; it is a strategic policy challenge with implications for international peace, economic stability and public trust. At a moment of growing fragmentation and accelerating technological change, Geneva Cyber Week brings together the communities that need to be in the room — diplomatic, technical, operational and policy — to move from shared concern to practical cooperation,” said Dr Giacomo Persi Paoli, Head of Security and Technology Programme at UNIDIR.

The programme will feature nearly 90 events and reinforce Geneva’s role as a centre for cyber diplomacy, international cooperation, and digital governance. Scheduled sessions include UNIDIR’s Cyber Stability Conference, Peak Incident Response organised by the Swiss CSIRT Forum, Digital International Geneva, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity, and a Council of Europe session titled ‘Artificial Intelligence, Cybercrime and Electronic Evidence: Risks, Opportunities, and Global Cooperation’.

The week will also include partner-led panels, workshops, simulations, exhibitions, and networking events to connect specialist communities that do not always work in the same room. That broader structure reflects an effort to treat cyber issues not only as a technical or security matter but also as a governance, trust-building, and international-coordination challenge.

“At a time when digital threats know no borders, fostering inclusive discussions is essential to building trust, advancing common norms, and promoting a secure and open cyberspace for all. International Geneva provides an unparalleled multilateral environment to address these cybersecurity challenges collectively. Geneva Cyber Week’s diverse programme embodies this collaborative spirit,” said Marina Wyss Ross, Deputy Head of International Security Division and Chief of Section for Arms Control, Disarmament and Cybersecurity at the Swiss FDFA.

Across the city, Geneva will also mark the week visually, including flags on the Mont Blanc Bridge and special illumination of the Jet d’Eau on Monday evening. But beyond the symbolism, the event’s significance lies in how it seeks to bring cyber diplomacy, incident response, governance debates, and emerging technology risks into the same international conversation.

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ICT4Peace hosts workshop to support preparations for Geneva 2027 AI Summit

ICT4Peace hosted a launch event at the GenAI Zürich 2026 conference to support preparations for the Geneva 2027 AI Summit, which Switzerland is set to host.

The event was organised at the invitation of the Swiss government and brought together around 40 participants from government, business, academia, and civil society to discuss potential objectives and outcomes for the summit.

The workshop was moderated by Ambassador Thomas Schneider, Vice-Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (BAKOM), and Ambassador Markus Reubi, Project Lead for the Geneva 2027 AI Summit at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA). Breakout sessions were facilitated by Katharina “Nina” Frey (ICAIN, ETH Zurich) and Daniel Dobos (Swisscom).

Daniel Stauffacher, founder of ICT4Peace, organised and hosted the event, which took place on 1 April.

Participants discussed a set of guiding questions aimed at shaping the focus and outcomes of the 2027 summit. These included identifying areas where international dialogue and cooperation are needed, defining potential political and practical outcomes, and exploring Switzerland’s strengths in facilitating multistakeholder engagement.

The discussions also addressed identifying potential partners and addressing areas of disagreement around specific policy objectives, as well as developing concrete tools and solutions that could be presented as Swiss contributions at the summit.

Participants were invited to provide input on issues such as inclusivity, coordination across initiatives, and the role of diverse stakeholders in shaping the summit process.

According to the organisers, the outcomes of the workshop will be compiled and submitted to the Swiss government at a Platform Tripartite meeting scheduled for 13 April in Bern.

The Geneva 2027 AI Summit will follow previous global AI summits hosted by the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea, France, and India.

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Why Geneva’s AI week matters more than a single summit

Geneva will host far more than another technology summit in July 2026. Over the course of a single week, the city will bring together three processes that are usually treated as separate tracks: ITU’s ‘AI for Good Global Summit‘, the inaugural ‘Global Dialogue on AI Governance‘ under UN auspices, and the ‘WSIS Forum 2026‘.

Swiss authorities have already laid out a timetable that shows how closely these strands are now aligned. The Global Dialogue on AI Governance is scheduled for 6 and 7 July, AI for Good will run from 7 to 10 July, and the WSIS Forum will take place from 6 to 10 July.

That overlap is more than a matter of scheduling. A more important signal lies in the fact that the same city will briefly host three different approaches to the global AI debate. The first is the innovation and demonstration layer. AI for Good has long brought together companies, researchers, startups, and international organisations to explore practical uses of AI across healthcare and education, as well as climate and development.

AI for Good and a UN governance dialogue will bring policy and technology discussions together in Geneva.

Recent trade coverage suggests that the 2026 edition will again combine live demonstrations, standards discussions, national strategies, and skills-related conversations, making the summit more than a conventional conference. It is increasingly becoming a showcase for both technological ambition and the policy language surrounding it.

The second layer is diplomatic. The Global Dialogue on AI Governance, which will be held in Geneva for the first time, carries far more weight than a ceremonial UN gathering. As CSIS has argued, the forum should be read as a sign of broader realignment in global AI politics, especially in relation to the US, China, and countries in the Global South.

The questions at stake go beyond safe and responsible AI development. They also include the interoperability of national regulatory approaches, the capacity of developing countries to engage with AI governance, and the distribution of political influence in shaping future rules.

The third layer is developmental and institutional. The WSIS Forum has long served as a platform for debates on the information society, digital cooperation, and development policy. It’s running in parallel to AI for Good, and the new UN dialogue shows that AI is no longer a subject that can remain confined to technical or commercial circles. Instead, AI is being folded more directly into wider debates on inclusion, digital capacity, development, and international cooperation.

That is what makes Geneva’s July calendar noteworthy. The significance lies not simply in the fact that three events are happening at once, but in what their convergence represents. For a few days, technology showcases, multilateral governance talks, and long-running digital development agendas will be forced into the same conversation.

If earlier AI debates could still be treated as separate tracks, July 2026 suggests they are beginning to merge. That convergence may prove to be the more important story.

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AI for Good Global Summit 2026 puts Geneva at centre of global AI policy

Geneva is set to become a focal point of global AI discussions this July, as innovation, governance, and international cooperation converge in a single, tightly packed week of events. The AI for Good Global Summit, organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), will run from 7 to 10 July 2026 at Palexpo, immediately following the inaugural UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, scheduled for 6 and 7 July.

The timing and co-location of these events signal a broader shift in how AI is being approached globally. Technical development, policy design, and international coordination are no longer progressing on separate tracks. In Geneva, they are unfolding in parallel.

Live demonstrations of emerging technologies such as agentic AI, edge AI, robotics, brain-computer interfaces, and quantum systems will take place alongside multistakeholder discussions on standards, safety, misinformation, infrastructure, and the growing energy demands of AI systems.

The Global Dialogue on AI Governance, mandated by the UN General Assembly and supported by a joint secretariat including the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, ITU, UNESCO, and the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET), will provide a dedicated space for governments and stakeholders to exchange perspectives on the rules and frameworks shaping AI deployment.

Running back-to-back with AI for Good, the dialogue reflects the growing recognition that governance cannot follow innovation at a distance but must evolve alongside it.

Meanwhile, the AI for Good Global Summit will focus on translating technological advances into practical applications. The programme will feature global innovation competitions, startup showcases, and an extensive exhibition floor with national pavilions and UN-led initiatives.

Demonstrations will highlight AI use cases across healthcare, education, food security, disaster risk reduction, and misinformation, with particular emphasis on solutions relevant to developing countries.

Capacity-building efforts will also play a central role, with training sessions, workshops, and youth-focused initiatives delivered in partnership with organisations such as the AI Skills Coalition.

Co-convened by Switzerland and supported by more than 50 UN partners, the events build on Geneva’s longstanding position as a hub for international dialogue. With over 11,000 participants from 169 countries attending last year’s AI for Good Global Summit and World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) events, the 2026 edition is expected to expand its global reach further.

More importantly, it reflects an emerging model of AI diplomacy, where innovation, governance, and development priorities are addressed together, shaping not only how AI is built but also how it is understood, governed, and integrated into societies worldwide.

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ITU to host AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will organise the AI for Good Global Summit from 7 to 10 July 2026 at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland, according to an official announcement by the Swiss authorities.

On 6 and 7 July, the United Nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance will take place ahead of the summit. The dialogue is convened within the framework of a UN General Assembly resolution and will bring together policymakers, experts, and representatives of civil society to discuss approaches to AI governance.

The events will be held in parallel with the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum (from 6 to 10 July), which focuses on issues related to digital cooperation and the development of the information society.

According to the official announcement, the co-location of these events is intended to facilitate exchanges between technical and policy communities working on AI and digital governance.

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