Global Digital Governance

The Migration and Technology Monitor and Heinrich Böll Foundation are hosting a Nairobi gathering to bridge divides, share research, and shape policy. Half the attendees are Global North scholars; half are MTM Fellows with lived migration or occupation experience.

Trump’s tariff hike on Brazil targets its digital sovereignty, pressuring it to ease Big Tech regulations. Backed by tech giants and Bolsonaro allies, the move drew backlash from Brazil’s government and civil society defending democratic control over tech platforms.

AI's transformative potential intersects with significant risks already manifesting globally, with notable impacts in Global Majority countries. The path forward requires recognizing that climate action and responsible AI development are not competing priorities but interconnected challenges that demand integrated solutions.

An international coalition has formed around Digital Public Infrastructure – services that empower citizens and drive local innovation. Could a Euro Stack help the EU break with the market logic of Big Tech and increase its geopolitical autonomy from the US?

Digital policy is now a global priority, like security and climate change. The 2024 UN Summit of the Future brings the Global Majority into internet and AI governance. The UN Convention on Cybercrime may do the same for cybersecurity. But centralization at the UN may undermine human rights.

The upcoming European Parliament elections are set to be a critical test in the fight against disinformation. With new regulations and AI challenges, how will Europe ensure election integrity?

The European Union should work together with partners in Africa to secure electoral systems against cyberattacks and to prevent the spread of false and misleading information. This is also in line with European interests and values.

Governments worldwide have been adopting national AI strategies to guide the design of policies for enhancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) development. Through these strategies, many countries have expressed AI’s potential for helping combat environmental degradation, but almost none have reflected on the role of strategies in reducing AI’s own environmental impacts. This article discusses this trend and reflects on how public policies could help make AI development and deployment less impactful.

Canadian Bill C-11 and Bill C-18 aim to promote domestic content on digital platforms and support the struggling news industry. Controversies around these bills highlight challenges in digital regulation and their implications for global digital governance.

Governments around the world are trying to tackle “Big Tech”, and in Canada, the government has rolled out a package of digital legislation: Bill C-11 and C-18. But it isn’t without controversy.

The AI Act has finally overcome its latest hurdle in the European Union’s legislative procedure after its adoption by the European Parliament. However, a void in its final version draws attention to the weakening of obligations aimed at reducing AI’s environmental impacts, despite the technology’s severe impacts on local communities, fauna and flora, both within and beyond European borders, particularly in the Majority World. This commentary investigates the opportunities missed by EU bodies to address such impacts during the AI Act debates.

President Biden issued an Executive Order on artificial intelligence that, while different in form and enforcement authority from the EU’s AI Act, targets many of the current risks of the technology. With policies in effect soon, the EU and US have the chance to work together.

Suits against Google, Amazon rely on court proceedings in the absence of antitrust legislation for the digital age

The US effort lags Europe in the transparency of companies’ personal data use

Fines, potential court action for violators possible under Europe's model

The US is looking at how to prevent systemic dangers from the emerging technology

The EU’s draft law on AI regulation leaves key questions unanswered, US policymakers say.

Trade groups and legal experts seek clarity on whether transferring data would hurt trade secrets or collide with privacy rules

A satellite image-based investigation by Vertical52 reveals the extent of child labor in illegal mines in India that produce mica, a critical mineral for the tech industry.

The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act aims to regulate emerging applications of AI in accordance with “EU values”. But for the most concerning of all such potential applications, the line between regulation and prohibition can be a tricky one to draw.