The introduction of Digital Tribulations, a series of intellectual interviews on the developments of digital sovereignty in Latin America, can be read here. The entire series can be found here.
The European Union is at it again, with regulations that not only threaten the privacy rights of Europeans but also set a dangerous global precedent due to the Brussels effect. On 9 July 2026, the European Parliament managed to extend “Chat Control 1.0,” a major exemption to European privacy laws that allows platforms to voluntarily scan private chats, despite the majority of MEPs voting against it.
Lebanon is on the verge of creating a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Technology. The government has been pushing to advance the draft law quickly, but Parliament just decided to slow things down, referring the proposal to joint parliamentary committees for deeper review.
We think that’s the right call, and we want to explain why.
Lebanon’s digital landscape has grown more volatile with every year of crisis. Financial collapse, a rise of disinformation, the spread of hate speech, and the ongoing pressures of instability have all left their mark on how people in Lebanon experience the internet. Several cases of disinformation have been documented by SMEX’s digital safety Helpdesk, highlighting the escalating online threats and increase in hate speech.
2026年世界互联网大会数字丝路发展论坛数字丝路电子商务合作与发展论坛于7月22日下午在陕西西安举行。本次论坛由世界互联网大会电子商务专业委员会主办，陕西省商务厅、陕西省互联网信息办公室协办。近百名来自政府、国际组织、大会会员单位、电子商务专委会成员及电商企业代表参会。
论坛以“AI时代电商的机遇与实践”为主题，围绕人工智能时代电子商务发展机遇、数字贸易创新实践、中小企业数字化转型等议题展开交流，为推动数字丝路建设、促进全球数字经济合作提供了务实方案与合作路径。薛虹教授以“Agentic Commerce: A Legal Guide for Digital Silk Road MSMEs”为题作主题演讲，深入探讨了中小企业在丝路电商中应用人工智能体涉及的主要法律风险及应当策略。薛教授的研究受到了来自非洲、印度尼西亚等与会各方的高度重视与欢迎。
其他与会嘉宾就电子商务区域合作、跨境电商贸易规则治理、数字丝路制度建设等发表演讲，并在圆桌对话中探讨了全球南方电商普惠路径与中小企业AI应用实践议题，为推动数字丝路建设、促进全球数字经济合作提供了务实方案。
SkyCommons Observatory released, protecting our BrainCommons, a responsible AI chatbot, shared learnings at UN Big Data, preparing for the Open Technology Symposium, and more.
The post New frontiers for open knowledge – OKFN Newsletter July 2026 first appeared on Open Knowledge Blog.
After reading about, experiencing and analysing the current technical and regulatory landscape of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), and speaking with technologists, policy makers, legal scholars, and data experts, we encapsulated our learnings into eight recommendations for how to shape the ‘tech we want’ for our brain commons. Share your feedback with us here. 1. Understand the...
Governments around the world are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to improve policymaking. But when and how they should be used has become the subject of much debate.
Recently, the matter came to the fore when South Africa’s draft national artificial intelligence (AI) policy had to be withdrawn after it was found that the reference list included fictitious sources.
Imagine describing access to government data as a ‘boda boda’ (public transportation) ride.
That exercise kicked off “Sandboxing the future: experimentation for inclusive data systems,” a session organized by the Datasphere Initiative and GPSDD at the Global Data Festival in Nairobi. This 90-minute co-creation lab convened policymakers, civil society, and researchers to examine operational sandboxes as controlled, collaborative environments for testing technical standards, governance frameworks, and data access agreements.
Leishmanien sind einzellige Krankheitserreger, die in den Tropen und Subtropen, aber auch in den Ländern rund ums Mittelmeer vorkommen. Durch den Stich von Sandmücken können sie auf Menschen, aber auch auf Hunde und andere Tiere übertragen werden. Manche Leishmanien verursachen an der Einstichstelle Hautgeschwüre, andere befallen hauptsächlich Leber und Milz, was unbehandelt in mehr als 95 Prozent der Fälle tödlich endet.
Warum manche dieser Parasiten lokal begrenzt bleiben und andere sich im Körper ausbreiten, ist eine der ungelösten Fragen der Infektionsbiologie.
By Elonnai Hickok, Jhalak Kakkar, and Jason Pielemeier, Multistakeholder Approaches to Participation in AI Governance – MAP-AI I. Assessing the UN’s First Steps on AI Governance The inaugural UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance (UNGDAI) took place on July 6–7, 2026, in Geneva. Mandated by the Global Digital Compact, the UNGDAI brought together over 2,000 regional […]
Recently, the law for an AI and IT Ministry was sent back to committees after failing to pass a vote in parliament. Meanwhile, the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) is leading some of the digital transformation work in Lebanon, and there is a structural conflict of interest happening, as I’ve heard from different sources inside the government.
Am Bayerischen Forschungsinstitut für Digitale Transformation (bidt) der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (BAdW) sind drei neue interne Forschungsprojekte gestartet. Sie widmen sich im Forschungsbereich „Wirtschaft und Arbeit“ unterschiedlichen Aspekten der digitalen Transformation: Während ein Projekt mit einem datenbasierten Monitoring einen umfassenden Überblick über die digitale Arbeitswelt in Bayern schafft, untersucht ein weiteres die Auswirkungen von Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) auf Tätigkeiten und Berufsbilder in IT und Engineering.
The Institute of Network Cultures is proud to present the first publication of its last intern at HvA, Noah Pellikaan, produced at INC in the first half of 2026:
Kardiomyopathien sind eine Gruppe von meist erblichen, seltenen Herzkrankheiten, bei denen die Struktur des Herzmuskelgewebes gestört ist. Das schränkt die Pumpkraft des Herzens ein; es kommt zu Atemnot, geringerer körperlicher Leistungsfähigkeit und weiteren typischen Beschwerden einer Herzschwäche.
Author: Richardus Krisna Dewandaru Editor: Ayom Mratita
La inteligencia artificial dejó de ser un tema exclusivo del sector tecnológico para convertirse en un eje de las discusiones sobre desarrollo sostenible. Esa fue una de las principales conclusiones de la participación de Elena Estavillo, CEO de Centro-i, en la Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) 2026, uno de los encuentros internacionales más relevantes en materia de sostenibilidad y cooperación global.