Podcasts about digital sovereignty

The hosts discuss a favorite scene from the 1981 film Caveman before introducing Project Synapse, their weekly show on AI and new technology. They cover a hectic week in AI news, including talk of SpaceX buying Cursor for $60B, Cursor's role as an AI-enabled IDE using multiple models, and concerns over token costs and profitability. They describe Anthropic taking Fable offline after a government order cutting off foreign nationals, raising fears about reliance on U.S.-based AI and digital sovereignty, and note Europe's renewed push toward open-source alternatives. They highlight open-source and lower-cost models such as Mistral, DeepSeek, and GLM 5.2, Google's strategy of free tools and local processing, and a DeepMind paper "From AGI to ASI." The episode ends with Midjourney's announced non-radiation full-body scanner concept and spa rollout plans for 2027. Find the links we talked about on our Discord Server. This is the link to you our Discord server  https://discord.gg/e9476SGMsz 00:00 Caveman Music Discovery 01:57 Show Intro and Hosts 03:03 SpaceX Buys Cursor 07:23 Is Cursor Still Best 09:18 Fable AI Vanishes 11:20 Government Shutdown Fallout 13:57 Digital Sovereignty Wakeup 18:09 Open Source Reality Check 20:23 Economics Detour Debate 22:30 Governments Back Open Source 27:00 Mistral DeepSeek Shift 29:51 Google Gives AI Away 31:35 Avatars Tokens and X 32:54 Local Models Slow Iteration 33:58 Local AI Smart Speakers 34:40 Chrome Model Backlash 35:20 BitTorrent Style Inference 37:43 Distrust And Data Centers 38:19 Small Models And Transformers 39:45 Google AI Tool Rundown 41:17 DeepMind From AGI To ASI 45:40 Beyond Transformers Next Minds 48:19 AI Splintering And Niches 49:20 Diffusion And SubQ Attention 54:39 Forking And Competition 57:26 Monopolies And CEO Culture 01:02:30 Midjourney Medical Scanner 01:08:59 Innovation Hopeful Wrap

A version of this essay has been published by Open Magazine at https://openthemagazine.com/world/india-will-collapse-without-digital-sovereignty-and-pax-indica-lessons-from-hormuzBy now it is clear that the Iran War (or West Asia War) has been a disaster to all concerned, including the principals as well as assorted passersby. The massive amounts spent by the US (at last count $25 billion) are at least articulated; the bill for the enormous infrastructural and human suffering inflicted on Gulf states, in the theater of war, must be greater, by definition.The collateral damages suffered by the rest of the world from the cessation of trade through the Straits of Hormuz will presumably run into the trillions of dollars. As one of the worst affected, India, which imports 90% of its hydrocarbons from the Gulf, not to mention other essential items such as urea (for fertilizer), sulfuric acid, helium, etc., is on track to take a massive hit. As an article in The Economic Times said, “India must brace for broad-based economic shock”.Indian exports of up to $50 billion are also affected, especially agricultural products including perishable foodstuffs, but also gems and jewellery, electronics, textiles and garments. Some of this can be diverted via Oman and the UAE's Fujairah port, but much of it passes through the Straits of Hormuz and is potentially blocked and/or stranded at sea.The Hormuz closure is a body blow to India's economy. What can and will India do about it? The Indian State has a habit of rising to the challenge only when there is a crisis, while vegetating otherwise. The 1991 economic crisis is a case in point; the sanctions following “The Buddha is smiling”, and the denial of cryogenic rocket engines and supercomputers are other examples where the nation rallied. So were covid vaccines. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention.Turning a threat into an opportunityIf I were to be an optimist, I could say that the current crisis is actually an opportunity. In fact, a major opportunity. My reading of the Iran War is that it is President Trump's strategic tit-for-tat against China for denying him rare earths and cutting off soybean purchases. In return Trump decided to deny China access to oil by closing access to Venezuela and Iran. Whether this will work, or whether the G2 condominium (read ‘surrender') will prevail, is unclear.But that is, in a sense, background noise that needs to be managed. India needs to focus on its own issues, of which I see several as critical, and the solution in general is to become Atmanirbhar, self-reliant, and from that, to create an Anti-Fragile nation:* National security/defense* Food security* Energy security* Digital security/narrative control* Trade securityThe first three do not need an explanation: they are obvious. Internal and external security are pre-requisites for any successful society. If India's hard-won food security can be threatened by external threats, then there needs to be some deep introspection. Energy security means diversification, both of hydrocarbon sources, and of types of energy, including renewables, nuclear, biomass, coal-based, and so on.Malign narratives and digital sovereigntyNarrative control is something that the Indian State has failed at so far; it is laughably easy to create hate speech against Indians and India (as has been demonstrated freely by any number of players, starting from the MAGA crowd, to Audrey Truschke to a”Cockroach Janata Party” and some nitwit Norwegian journalist in just the last fortnight) and there are no consequences to the culprits. It's enough to make me pine for Lee Kuan Yew's aggressive legal battles against the media.It's one thing if it were only a problem with foreigners, but with the massive spread of social media, and in particular generativeAI, it is becoming a serious domestic issue. Since India is an avid consumer of social media, and because generativeAI is trained on things like Wikipedia, X, Whatsapp and Google content, biased and motivated material becomes ensconced as The Truth. I have written about narrative warfare and manufacturing consent.This used to be a one-way tsunami of (mis)-information by legacy media, but now there is also the opposite: the wholesale and free vacuuming-up of Indian data (whatever happened to “data is the new oil”?). The “Great Firewall of China” both kept out foreign BIg Tech applications and prevented their plundering Chinese data: is that the way to go?Manufactured narratives are intended for regime change: all the color revolutions today are hatched with massive bot-farms funded by some combination of Deep State, CCP, ISI, Qatar etc. (for example the alleged Gen-Z uprisings that rocked Nepal, drove Sheikh Hasina out of Bangladesh). Thus muzzling malign narratives, and ensuring data security, are imperative.Even Singapore is not immune: it had to block anti-India narratives that likely originated from Chinese sources.A particularly striking example of narrative warfare is the virtual hate speech inducted into Wikipedia by deeply prejudiced anonymous editors. Ashley Rindsberg, who exposed the mighty New York Times' biases in his book The Gray Lady Winked, provides many examples of this.Of note to Indians and Hindus is his recent substack titled “Wikipedia's India War” where he identifies just four editors as having created most of the content condemning the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) in ‘Wikivoice', i.e. the allegedly neutral perspective of Wikipedia. They are, on the contrary, shown to be highly one-sided.As Rindsberg mentions, Wikipedia being central to generativeAI, the damage is baked into the world-view of all AI applications. Truly Orwellian. Says Rindsberg: “four… anonymous accounts can have an enormous impact on what millions of people believe to be the truth.” “Over four years (2021-2025), editors systematically erased HAF's identity as an American civil rights group, transforming its Wikipedia page into a heavily curated dossier of accusations.”Trade, and how the Spice Route was far superior to the Silk RoadFinally, something that is becoming increasingly important: ensuring freedom of trade. This is more than just freedom of navigation, although I find it instructive that Emperor Rajendra Chola sent a huge fleet 1,001 years ago simply to open up the Straits of Malacca. India can make an active attempt to regain primacy in Indian Ocean trade, the whole Pax indica idea.Here is another example of the power of narrative: we have been led to believe that the Silk Road to China was some major highway of commerce between ancient Rome and ancient China, but it was a term coined only in 1877 by the German Ferdinand von Richthofen. There was no highway. A large caravan might take six months, and with 500 camels traversing treacherous deserts and braving bandits, it might carry a maximum of 100 tons. That is puny.In comparison, on the Spice Route, a single stitched ship from Muziris could carry 400 tons of ivory, pepper, silk, tigers and elephants; and the historian Strabo around 1 CE talks about fleets of 250 ships going from Alexandria to India on a six-week monsoon-powered journey. That is 100,000 tons of merchandise. No wonder Pliny the Elder complained that Rome's treasuries were being emptied of gold by India.Simple question: where are hoards of ancient Roman coins found in Asia? Answer: not along the Silk Road. The hoards are in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.Today, it is possible for India to aspire to port-led development of trade, especially with the major ports at Trivandrum (Vizhinjam), Maharashtra (Vadhavan), and Great Nicobar (Galathea Bay). The underlying ‘software' of India's millennia-old trade competency was a ‘multi-protocol switch' as I pointed out, and today's India Stack can replicate that. Then there is the need for a blue-water navy: muscle to provide security on the Hormuz to Malacca sea-lanes.So there is a vision. How can India get there? This is where policy matters, as I discussed with policy expert Anuj Gupta. Policy, especially industrial policy, has had a bad reputation in certain circles because it was deemed to violate the virginal purity of classical capitalism. However, in a recent U-turn, even the World Bank admitted that industrial policy may not be all that bad, after all: the success of Japan, the Asian Tigers, and China can't be ignored.That leads to the question of why policy in India has produced mediocre outcomes, what is different now, and where the best use of policy might be.Industrial Policy: What went wrong in the past?There are many problems here. To begin with, the Soviet model, which Nehruvians swore by, was, in hindsight, a dead end. Second, there is the problem of governance: post-Independence bureaucrats have awkwardly borne the legacy of imperial hauteur and the needs of a developing society. Third, until recently, the bare necessities (food, electricity, road access) were not available to many citizens, and GDP growth was not their priority.There is also the culture of jugaad: of clever ways in which you overcome constraints through frugal improvisation and seat-of-the-pants making-do. This is fine for one-off things (e.g. converting a tractor trailer into a makeshift transport vehicle because your truck broke down), but it does not make for efficient and replicable industrial products. As The Economic Times said recently, it is time to junk jugaad. Quality has to become ingrained in people's minds.The issue of governance is significant: the bureaucracy and the judiciary have both under-performed, politicians, as everywhere, have been venal. It is said that China's growth can be attributed to the fact that its babus are engineers, and therefore with engineering ruthlessness move in straight lines. The US' babus are lawyers, and India's are humanities graduates. Well, engineers are not very good at second-order effects (eg. China's lurch from one-child policy to demographic collapse), but a little bit of ruthlessness is probably good.What is going reasonably well?There are a few modest success stories: for example, in electronics manufacturing or assembly. The PLIs (and DLIs) have produced the desired effort, with clusters of excellence where global suppliers have also set up shop (as they did earlier for the automobile industry in, say, Sriperumpudur). The fact that a lot of iPhones in the US are now imported from India is laudable, even though it may be derided as “screwdriver jobs”. That's where one starts the move up the value chain.The current semiconductor policy is a big hope, especially after the landmark agreement by the Dutch firm ASML with Tata Electronics in Dholera, Gujarat. Given that ASML has a near-monopoly position in Deep Ultraviolet Lithography (DUV) this is a major boost to India's chip ambitions. My recent conversation with AMD CTO Suraj Rengarajan went into India's chances to realize its ambitions.A recent announcement from Trivandrum-based fabless startup NetraSemi (a recipient of DLI) of the commercial availability of its edge AI chips is a landmark.Next is the newly announced plan for energy security revolving around both coal gasification and intensive offshore exploration. These fall squarely into the Atmanirbhar category: India simply cannot afford to have its energy held hostage by distant nations. It also needs distinctly Indian innovation.The Samudra Manthan initiative is also showing some promise. At least one out of three deep-water wells in the Andaman Sea (SriVijaya Puram-3) are reported to be showing the availability of natural gas, although it will take 5-10 years for this to be commercially available.What should the future look like for India's Industrial Policies?This of course is the hard question. Here is my personal perspective, and I accept that reasonable people may disagree. I think three areas need to be focused on, and will pay large dividends.* Drones and swarming software* Social media and AI stack* Maritime Trade and Blue-Water NavyI admit that these are not the only worthwhile industrial policies. Another is for copper, which would reverse the catastrophic effects of the closure of the Sterlite plant in Thoothukkudi, as the metal is an increasingly important component in electronics, data centers, etc., and far from being self-sufficient earlier, India now imports 50% of its needs. Another area of interest in quantum computing.There are also failures from which the right lessons need to be learned. The policy for EV batteries has apparently failed: according to Swarajya magazine, India has not been able to escape from near-total dependence on imported Chinese batteries.Drone swarmsI wrote recently that drones may well herald a step-change in warfare. For the moment, though, they are searching for their niche in offensive/defensive warfare. Drone hardware is already a well-trodden path with Chinese and other nations dominating it, although with IdeaForge, Paras, Garuda, IoTechworld Avigation etc., India is also making progress there. And India is indeed buying the hardware, $2 billion-worth, according to the Economic Times.But I believe the real game is in drone swarms. AI-based control software (similar to HiveMind) that would allow an entire swarm to act autonomously, just like a murmuration of starlings, would be the gold standard to aim for. Such a self-managing swarm would be virtually impossible to defend against, and I think India should put in place a PLI to support it, leveraging software capability in the country.Of course, drones are not just for military purposes, but also for commercial uses including things like logistics and agricultural use, such as precision delivery of fertilizer and pesticide to crops (as Garuda demonstrates). An Indian initiative that supports both drone hardware, and especially drone software, would be a potential winner.Digital Sovereignty: Social media and AI stackThere is a raging battle over which part of the AI stack India needs to invest in. As an old Unix hand, I believe the foundational model is not where the differentiation is. In analogy with Linux (the open-source Unix variant that was popularized by Linus Torvalds and an army of volunteers), there is little value in re-writing the operating system, but one can differentiate by building on top of it, or by judiciously choosing certain modules of it.Besides, the cost of building an entirely new foundational model would be astronomical and would consume the entire budget of IndiaAI Mission.Thus, my personal opinion is that the foundational model (especially when, it is believed, there are more or less open-source models available for free, e.g. Llama, DeepSeek) is not where India should expend its precious R&D resources, but on the layers of the stack above it. It is the data that matters, as Larry Ellison apparently suggests too.But there is the interesting counter-example of Sarvam AI which is producing its own sovereign model: multi-lingual and presumably otherwise tuned to Indian needs. The question is whether this can survive when hundreds of billions worth of capital investment are going to the US Big Tech companies and their Chinese rivals. The sad history of Koo, a Twitter rival, comes to mind. So does Arattai, a Whatsapp rival, whose popularity has waned. .A well-thought-through industrial policy on generativeAI is therefore essential. The status quo ante is unsustainable; given the fact that Sarvam has also found it difficult to raise funds in the US, it is worth pondering whether a China-style massive subsidy is the answer. And where should it go, into foundational models or into the layers of the stack above it? The answer is “both”, but with priority to the latter.Here is where I would prioritize investments, in order:* Vertical applications in specific domains: e.g. defense, healthcare, agriculture, governance (particularly in the judiciary and in ease of doing business in the bureaucracy)* Fine-tuning and customization: for the needs of the Indian context, e.g. multi-linguality under Bhashini* Compute infrastructure: GPUs, sovereign and protected indian datasets* Sovereign Small-Language Models such as Sarvam AIAs mentioned above, at the moment India's data is being sucked up for free by US Big Tech. In addition, there is the real danger that Indic Knowledge Systems will be mined and digested, as has happened to yoga, pranayama, etc., which have been given Western analogs and nomenclature, as in Pilates, ‘coherent breathing' etc.These two problems are connected, and both need to be tackled in parallel. Social media is being weaponized against India, and this is magnified by the legacy media in a positive feedback loop. Three examples: one was the rage against Adani based on the dubious research of Hindenburg, which then went under; the second is Bloomberg's reckless accusation about gold reserves being sold by the RBI, which they were forced to retract, but social media and Wikipedia will remember it; the third is the meteoric (media) rise of the Cockroach Janata Party.Trade using major ports, Digital Public Infrastructure and a blue water navyUsing trade for competitive advantage is an age-old tactic. The trade tiffs between the US and China are examples of this: we are witnessing war by other means. Many nations are getting into this act, and India does have some advantages, partly based on geography. Maritime trade is likely to continue to be the key, which makes naval chokepoints the big story, but not the only story to watch out for.The major aspects of maritime trade include infrastructure, the digital “multi-protocol switch”, and security. On the one hand, India is developing not only major container ports, and the road/rail links to get to them, and the industrial goods to ship out through them, but also a serious shipbuilding industry, which was one of India's historical strengths. Then it used to be stitched wooden ships (teak beams lashed together with coconut rope). Now it's modern steel ships.There are the big, efficient new ports, which can now turn ships around with Singapore-like efficiency; the proposed third aircraft carrier group which will make it possible to patrol the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal at the time; the Air-Independent Propulsion diesel submarines and nuclear submarines that can monitor (and if necessary, deny) narrow straits; the sale of supersonic Brahmos cruise missiles to the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia (and Cyprus) that create ship-denial zones: all this is muscle.And the final piece, the ‘software' for trade, the “multi-protocol switch”. This last is complicated. Its value is underestimated by many. But this is what enables friction-less transactions between various unrelated parties. The India Stack and the Digital Public Infrastructure can be utilized to provide such a facility. But it is complex enough to need significant study as to what is possible, and how to roll it out.Second-order effectsIn closing, it is worth considering some of what the (unintended) consequences of these proposals may be. Let us note that the G2 has no interest in allowing India to grow and make it a G3. They will do everything in their power to kneecap India, by all means possible.There is also a certain derision for India in some circles. Here is a generic western opinion on why China got rich, and India didn't. Well, the author doesn't consider the second-order effects of the wholesale destruction of Chinese civilization: that is a tradeoff Indians may not prefer for themselves. We all know how China's well-intentioned One Child Policy turned into demographic collapse within a few years. Besides, as The Economist asks, “China is innovative. Its economy is a mess. Which will win out?”This is why I think planning for these second-order effects is important. We tend to ignore them because they seem counterintuitive or unlikely, but Nassim Taleb has sensitized us to how low-probability Black Swan events can have grave consequences.As an example, attempting digital sovereignty may have unwelcome side-effects: Big Tech have the first-mover advantage and network effects and there are increasing returns to scale. They will surely make it hard for a new player to break in. Besides, the large investments in data centers and GCCs that they are making in India would make it very difficult for them to be ejected with a “Great Indian Firewall”.Even taxing their capture of Indian data will be complicated; not to mention that they have demonstrated that they can happily violate copyright laws with no consequence; therefore they will find ways to chew up and spit out Indian Knowledge Systems, and essentially re-colonize India. Digital colonialism is not a threat, it is a reality today, and it is a consequence of the relatively open Indian system.In addition, there is a malign group, the “barbarians within” as Arnold Toynbee once put it, who are ready to sacrifice Indian sovereignty for a pittance.Given all this, it will be very difficult to put in place serious measures to gain digital independence; and the narrative-peddling is likely to gain further momentum: just consider the caste allegations that have haunted BAPS in the US (despite the cases being dismissed by the US DoJ), the Cisco Systems case where, again, the case was dismissed, but the narrative continues, and the persistent efforts in various US states to turn caste into a weapon to bludgeon Indians.Another sensitive issue is that of the multi-protocol switch for trade. While from an Indian point of view, it eases trade and harks back to a Golden Age of Indic maritime commerce, but that will be viewed elsewhere very differently, for instance by the US as an attempt to de-dollarize. The US has jealousy guarded – with very good reasons that we will not go into here – the dollar's reserve currency status.We have also seen what happened to those who attempt to hurt the dollar's primacy: in 1985, the Plaza Accord devalued the dollar, and that was a body blow to Japan's economy, which has not recovered its mojo to this day. Later, Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi both had ideas about replacing the petro-dollar with, respectively, the Euro and a new pan-African gold-backed currency. We know what happened to them.If the India Stack multi-protocol switch is perceived as an alternative to the US dollar, there may be grave consequences. Therefore, it should be conceived and deployed only as an adjunct to it and to the almighty SWIFT settlement system.ConclusionIndia is at a crossroads now. Even though the Hormuz closure is a serious problem, if it plays its cards right, adversity can be turned into opportunity across a variety of perspectives. The key is Atmanirbhar, self-reliance. If India can now implement a crash program of industrial policy, and at the same time overcome an ingrained Third-World tendency to cut corners, it can finally break free of the years of underperformance, what I called the Nehruvian Penalty in 2004.It is possible, but there are caveats: unforeseen consequences. Hic sunt dracones. Here be dragons. Be afraid. Be very afraid.3700 words, 7 June 2026This is episode 192 of the Shadow Warrior podcast. Here is a companion AI-generated slideshow. (Note that the borders of India are not necessarily depicted correctly here, because it is generated by an AI, notebookLM.google.com) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

On June 12, the US government forced Anthropic to shut off its most powerful AI models Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for every foreign national on earth, citing national security. The trigger was a claimed jailbreak. The fallout was immediate. India, which had only just gained access to Mythos through Project Glasswing, was suddenly cut off. Host Anirban Chowdhury talks to Dr Rumman Chowdhury, co-founder CEO of Humane Intelligence and Nikhil Narendran, partner at TMT Trilegal and president of ITechLaw Association about if AI access the new arms race? What does this mean for Indian startups, critical infrastructure and digital sovereignty? And when Indian data trained these models, but Indian users can't use them, who really owns artificial intelligence?Listen in.You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like:ET Deep Dive: Swipe Left on Reality,India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help?, Tanay Kothari Wants To Kill The Keyboard, From Doer to Director: The LinkedIn Playbook for the AI Agea, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks and much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mentor Sessions Ep. 076: The Giant Surveillance Map Canada Wants to Build on Every Citizen, Encryption Backdoors Coming to Bill C-22, and What Bitcoiners Must Know | Dr. Michael GeistCanada's Bill C-22 would force companies to retain your metadata for up to 12 months, potentially mandate encryption backdoors, and could push Signal out of Canada entirely — and it affects Five Eyes allies including Americans.In this episode, legal scholar and digital rights expert Professor Michael Geist breaks down exactly what's in Bill C-22 (Canada's lawful access legislation), why mandatory metadata retention is far more invasive than the government admits, and how the bill contradicts Canada's own stated commitment to privacy rights. You'll learn why Signal has said it cannot operate under these requirements, how Five Eyes intelligence sharing means American data could be swept into this net, and what ordinary Canadians can actually do before Parliament reconvenes in September 2026. You'll also see how Canada's "AI for All" strategy is in direct tension with its surveillance ambitions — and why Professor Geist says you can't create a fundamental right to privacy in the morning and mandate metadata collection in the afternoon.⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 - Intro1:03 - Professor Michael Geist on Bill C-221:57 - Lawful Access and the Surveillance Debate3:22 - Bill C-22 Metadata Retention and Encryption6:17 - Why Metadata Reveals More Than Content8:01 - Police Use Case for Mass Metadata9:24 - Evidence Justifying New Surveillance Powers11:19 - Bill C-22 Supreme Court Challenge Risk12:47 - Five Eyes Data Sharing Concerns14:27 - Global Surveillance Laws in Australia and UK18:12 - Signal Threatens to Exit Canada19:54 - Economic Risks to Canadian Tech Sector20:53 - Privacy Rights Versus Metadata Mandates22:36 - How Canadians Can Push Back on Bill C-2226:47 - Canada's AI for All Strategy Explained31:16 - Digital Sovereignty and Foreign Data Centers37:16 - Gaps in the AI Strategy39:25 - Social Media Age Verification Rules43:39 - Final Thoughts From Professor Geist

There's no big headline to point to here, but several small data points and policy decisions all point to one thing: Europe wants to build its own digital infrastructure. That could have profound implications for the mega tech companies in the US, but it could also mean opportunities in helping Europe build out a digital infrastructure for AI and autonomy. Plus, what to make of the Shiller CAPE ratio and how to use cash positions. Tyler Crowe, Matt Frankel, and Lou Whiteman discuss: - Apple fighting with the EU about Siri AI - What happens to big tech when Europe wants its own tech - Companies that could benefit from a European digital infrastructure boom - What's the CAPE ratio and why is it flashing warning signals? - In highly valued markets, should investors look at defensive stocks? - What's the best place to park your cash “on the sidelines”? Companies discussed: AAPL, ASML, AMZN, GOOG, AMAT, META, VRT, PWR, FIX, CSCO SBGSY, WM, NEE, BRK.B Host: Tyler Crowe Guests: Matt Frankel, Lou Whiteman Engineer: Dan Boyd Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The EU unveils its digital sovereignty plan, an American law firm pays a $20 million ransom, authorities take down millions of email and social media scam accounts, and a new DoS bug can crash servers within seconds. Show notes Risky Bulletin: The EU debuts digital sovereignty plan

As the EU publishes its digital sovereignty plans, we've come up with a little techno-utopian package of our own. Our guest throughout is tech and solar-punk author Cory Doctorow: join us as we explore queer social media take-backs, French AIs, Finish super-computers, Croatian Wikipedia and all the reasons why this might just be the moment in which things start to change for the better.

Law enforcement cracks down on illegal streamers The European Commission releases digital sovereignty plan The startup costs for US cyber force Get the show notes here: https://cisoseries.com/cybersecurity-news-illegal-streamers-eu-digital-sovereignty-cost-of-a-cyber-force/  Huge thanks to our episode sponsor, Vanta Your team just added its 67th AI tool. And unfortunately, also your 67th security blind spot.   The good news: The Vanta  [rhymes with Santa] Agent works like a GRC engineer in the background, finding every app your team uses, scoring the risk, and drafting fixes for you.   Vanta is the platform used by over sixteen thousand fast-moving companies like Ramp, Cursor, and Harvey who are shaping the future with AI, AND staying ahead of AI risk.   Get started at vanta.com/headlines. 

Can businesses embrace AI without surrendering control over their data, technology choices, and future direction? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sit down with Sachin Agrawal, Managing Director of Zoho UK, to discuss one of the biggest challenges facing organizations today. As AI adoption accelerates, many leaders are finding themselves caught between the pressure to innovate and the responsibility to maintain trust, transparency, and control. Sachin shares his perspective on what separates successful AI adoption from costly experimentation. Drawing on his experience leading Zoho's growth in the UK, he explains why organizations achieving the best results are focusing on clearly defined business outcomes rather than chasing headlines or reacting to fear of missing out. We discuss how AI is already improving customer service, sales operations, application development, and decision-making, while also highlighting the importance of digital maturity as a foundation for meaningful AI success. A major theme throughout our conversation is the growing concern around black-box AI systems. Sachin explains why transparency, explainability, and contextual intelligence are becoming increasingly important for businesses operating in regulated environments. We explore how organizations can build trust by keeping AI close to the systems where their data already resides, thereby creating more auditable, accountable outcomes. The discussion also turns to digital sovereignty, a topic that has rapidly moved from technical teams into boardroom conversations. Sachin outlines the different dimensions of sovereignty, including data residency, infrastructure, model choice, intelligence ownership, and vendor flexibility. As geopolitical tensions, regulatory expectations, and concerns about technology concentration grow, organizations are taking a closer look at how dependent they want to become on a small number of technology providers. We also examine whether AI will strengthen the dominance of major technology firms or create new opportunities for diverse software providers. Sachin argues that while the largest players may own much of the underlying infrastructure, customers are increasingly focused on practical outcomes, transparency, and flexibility rather than simply choosing the biggest platform. Along the way, we discuss cloud fragmentation, governance, responsible AI adoption, data privacy, and the importance of challenging AI rather than unquestioningly trusting its outputs. Sachin offers practical advice for leaders who want to balance innovation with accountability while maintaining independence in an increasingly interconnected technology environment. As AI continues to reshape business software and digital operations, how can organizations remain agile without sacrificing control? And what role will digital sovereignty play in determining who succeeds in the next era of enterprise technology?

In this episode of On The Line, host Jen Gerson sits down with James McLeod of the Canadian Shield Institute to discuss one of the most talked-about — and least understood — concepts in Canadian public policy: digital sovereignty.This episode of On The Line is brought to you by BioCanRX. Nearly half of all Canadians will get a cancer diagnosis in their lives. Canadian scientists are moving fast to come up with better treatments to help these people. But it's not just about science, it's about the logistics of implementing it.  BioCanRx is a federally funded, not-for-profit Canadian research network that specializes in bringing Canadian cancer immunotherapy research from the lab all the way to patients in clinical trials in Canada. Since launching in 2015, they've funded 16 clinical trials and treated more than 400 patients across Canada, all with made-in-Canada technologies.What is immunotherapy? Most immune systems successfully eliminate threats every day –– including our own cells when they mutate in ways they shouldn't. But when our mutating cells find a way to trick our immune systems, things can start getting out of control. That's usually when we apply the label "cancer." Immunotherapy is about modifying or supporting your immune system so cancer can't evade it. Stay tuned this summer to learn more about what Canadian research is doing to fight cancer. Go to BioCanRX.com to learn more.The word “sovereignty” has become a fixture of Canadian political debate in recent years, particularly in response to economic pressure and even annexation rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump. But what does sovereignty actually mean in a world where much of Canada's digital infrastructure, cloud computing, social media, and online services are controlled by American companies and governed by American laws?McLeod walks Gerson through the realities of living in a digital ecosystem largely built and operated south of the border. They discuss the vulnerabilities that creates for Canada, the limits of what governments can realistically do to regain control, and the difficult trade-offs involved in pursuing greater independence over data, privacy, and critical digital infrastructure.This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada's forest industry is a national economic anchor rooted in hundreds of communities across the country. The Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force was created to chart a path toward a stronger, more competitive, and more resilient sector. That means practical federal action on long-standing priorities: stronger supply chains, better productivity, more homes, and regional resilience. Learn more at FPAC.ca.The conversation also explores what a Canadian digital sovereignty strategy might actually look like in practice. Can Canada build more domestic capacity? Should it? And what kinds of regulatory and policy tools are available to a middle power trying to assert greater control in a digital world dominated by American technology giants?It's a timely discussion about privacy, security, national resilience, and what sovereignty means in the twenty-first century. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca and be sure to like and subscribe. We'll be back on Friday with another episode of The Line Podcast.#OnTheLine #DigitalSovereignty #Canada #Technology #Privacy #CyberSecurity #DataPrivacy #CanadianPolitics #JenGerson #JamesMcLeod

The headlines say Russia's shadow fleet is cutting cables. The experts say most faults come from clumsy ship anchors. Ninety-nine percent of global internet traffic runs across the ocean floor, and the conversation about what threatens it is mostly wrong.In this episode of Threat Talks, Peter van Burgel, CEO of AMS-IX, sits down with Ernst Noorman, Cyber Ambassador at Large for the Netherlands and member of the ITU Advisory Board on Submarine Cable Resilience, to separate geopolitical noise from engineering reality, and explain what actually puts global internet connectivity at risk.Timestamps00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:55 The ITU Advisory Board on Submarine Cable Resilience 00:05:04 Shadow Fleets, Geopolitics, and the Sabotage Myth 00:10:30 Shunts, Faults, and What Actually Breaks Cables 00:15:47 Why Satellite Cannot Replace Submarine Cables 00:17:06 Digital Sovereignty and the Big Tech Cable Takeover 00:28:16 What Every CEO Should Put on the AgendaKey Topics Covered•             Why most submarine cable faults come from anchors, fishing nets, and natural events, not state actors•             How aging repair ships and bureaucratic permitting barriers make restoration slow in most of the world•             Why satellite (including Starlink) cannot replace subsea fiber at any meaningful scale•             How big tech dominance over new cable investment creates digital sovereignty risks for governments and large organizations•             What NIS2 means for CEO accountability on digital infrastructure resilienceRelated ON2IT Content & Referenced ResourcesITU Advisory Board on Submarine Cable Resilience: https://www.itu.int/digital-resilience/submarine-cables/advisory-body/ ICPC (International Cable Protection Committee): https://www.iscpc.org Dutch Cybersecurity Council / CEO manual on NIS2: https://www.cybersecuritycouncil.nl Dutch Cybersecurity Act (NIS2 implementation): https://www.dutchncca.nl/the-cybersecurity-actThreat Talks: https://threat-talks.com/russia-cutting-cables-whos-protecting-it/ ON2IT (Zero Trust as a Service): https://on2it.net AMS-IX: https://www.ams-ix.net/amsSubscribe to Threat Talks and turn on notifications for deep dives into the world's most active cyber threats and hands-on exploitation techniques.

At a moment some are calling the “Mythos Moment” for artificial intelligence, the conversation around technology is shifting in real time. In this episode of Tools and Weapons, Brad Smith sits down with former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, now working at the center of global AI policy and innovation, to explore what happens when breakthroughs move faster than the systems built to govern them. The discussion looks at the risks that could define this era, the policy choices shaping global AI development, and what leaders must do now to build trust while enabling innovation. From cyber threats to economic disruption, this conversation examines what it will take to navigate one of the most consequential technology moments in decades. Listen to the full episode and join the conversation about how we shape the future of AI responsibly.

Interview with Xin Yan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sign, a sovereign-grade digital infrastructure for national systems of money, identity, and capital. By Selva Ozelli Esq., CPA, Author of "Sustainably Investing in Digital Assets Globally" Xin Yan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sign, a sovereign-grade digital infrastructure for national systems of money, identity, and capital. Under his leadership, Sign has raised a total of $55 million. Other major backers include YZi Labs, IDG Capital, Sequoia and Circle. Trends to watch with Xin Yan An electrical engineer by profession, before co founding Sign in 2021, Xin served as an investor at Huobi Group. What started as an e-signature tool (EthSign) Sign has expanded into Sign Protocol, an omni-chain attestation protocol, and TokenTable, a platform for managing and distributing tokenized assets that bridge the gap between traditional legal agreements and blockchain technology. Yan advocates digital identity and sovereign technology, arguing that the next stage of blockchain adoption will be driven by real-world utility and revenue rather than just speculation. He often refers to the community and movement surrounding the protocol as the "Orange Dynasty". Xin's work currently centers on digital sovereignty, onchain verification, and building infrastructure for nation-states, including digital IDs and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Yan is actively working with governments (e.g., in the UAE and Sierra Leone) to implement blockchain-enabled national infrastructure. Tell us about your educational and professional journey leading up to co-founding Sign. I was an electronic engineer by training, secured over 10 patents at school before dive-dropping into crypto by building my own mining rigs. That hands-on experience led me to a leading VC, where I spent three years as an investment manager and engineer backing cornerstone projects like Polkadot and Avalanche. In 2021, I combined that technical grit with my VC insights to co-found Sign. Tell us about Sign Sign builds secure infrastructure for digital money, identity, and capital. Sign has five years of production deployments and has reached a valuation of $1.3billion. Its systems support governments and regulated institutions in delivering secure, large-scale digital transformation, reaching more than 50 million people in production. Sign works with countries like UAE, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, Barbados and Sierra Leone. Most recently, Sign partnered with the Blockchain Center Abu Dhabi and has raised over $55M across three funding rounds. Your work at Sign currently centers on digital sovereignty, on-chain verification, and building infrastructure for nation-states, including digital IDs and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Which countries are you actively working with? Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, Barbados and Sierra Leone The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a leading global cryptocurrency hub, currently ranked third globally in crypto adoption behind only Singapore and Hong Kong. Its status is defined by a "pro-innovation" regulatory environment, zero personal income tax on crypto gains, and the presence of over 1,800 crypto companies as of early 2026. The UAE's central bank digital currency (CBDC) project, known as the Digital Dirham, has transitioned from an experimental pilot to a formal legal reality as of early 2026 with the Digital Dirham officially recognized as legal tender under Federal Decree-Law No. 6 of 2025. Managed by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), this initiative is a core pillar of the nation's multi-year Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FIT) program. How is Sign involved with UAE's CBCD project? Sign and ADBC recently partnered to accelerate sovereign blockchain infrastructure in Abu Dhabi. In 2026, the tokenization of the world financial market is rapidly advancing through stablecoins and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), which function as programmable, on-chain cash for ...

OPINION: The digital sovereignty of the Filipino vote | May 20, 2026Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net Follow us: Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein #TheManilaTimes #KeepUpWithTheTimes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can cloud infrastructure be owned and governed by the people, and not just Big Tech? Friederike von Franqué, policy advisor at Wikimedia Germany, reveals how feminist principles and decentralized infrastructure are transforming the internet from a corporate service into a public commons.In this episode, we explore Friederike's work with Wikimedia Germany. From the energy-intensive data centers of Frankfurt to Stockholm's municipally owned fibre infrastructure, we examine the struggle to build technology that prioritizes the common good over corporate profit. Friederike explains why hyperscalers are not always the solution, and why we need environmental accountability and community-driven design.This conversation pulls back the curtain on the hidden data systems powering our lives, offering a provocative roadmap for a more equitable and sustainable digital future.Reading List:Friederike von Franque website"Enough of the Billionaires and Their Big Tech. 'Frugal Tech' Will Build Us All a Better World": An article by Eleanor Drage.Wikimedia Foundation / Wikimedia Germany“Wikipedia Is Running On Its Own Metal: The Power and Limits of Self-Hosted Infrastructure”by Wikimedia Europe Data centres are reshaping the global investment landscape by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo

Mike talks with the German Federal Center for Digital Sovereignty's Head of Open Source Product & Delivery about Digital Sovereignty and the process of divesting the German state from American technology products.–Become a Never Post member at https://www.neverpo.st/ for an ad-free version of the show and bonus content. We're also offering an Independent Media Collective bundle, where you can subscribe to us, Aftermath, Rogue, and Rascal all at once for a sweet, sweet deal — 30 days, complete member access to all four platforms, for $12. – Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voicemail Drop us a voice memo via airtable Or email us at theneverpost at gmail dot com –News Links Brazil Bans 27 Prediction Platforms MSN on Brazilian ban Brazil tightens rules to curb 'bet-like' products Soldier charged in $400K Polymarket bet Kalshi, Polymarket lobby as insider trading, betting eyed by Congress RedNote after the 'TikTok refugee' moment Judge rules in favor of Indiana man in ICE tracking app lawsuit Co-Writing with AI Mor Naaman and Advait Baht on bsky Aadam Jacobs Collective  98% of IT leaders want digital sovereignty  Exclusive: US orders diplomats to fight data sovereignty initiatives –ZenDis, and Digital Sovereignty https://www.zendis.de/ https://www.opendesk.eu/en –Never Post's producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show's host is Mike Rugnetta.Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure and is distributed by Radiotopia

Ask Claude a question, Google a query, order from Amazon, chat with mates on WhatsApp, tune in to Youtube. And where ever you do it from, you'll never be somehow not in America. Because Britain, like Europe is dependent on US tech and as the AI revolution unfolds, governments are increasingly worried about it. The new buzz phrase is digital sovereignty. But what does that mean? Is it even feasible? And can the UK and the Europe take back control? David Aaronovitch talks to:Stanley Pignal, Europe editor at The Economist Cecilia Rikap, Associate Professor in Economics and Head of Research at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose Seb Johnson, founder of Scaling Europe, a media company focused on European TechPresenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound engineer: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

In this episode of CGE Radio, host J. Richard Jones sits down with Craig McLellan, Founder & CEO of ThinkOn, one of Canada's leading voices in secure cloud infrastructure, sovereign data protection, and resilient digital systems. As organizations increasingly rely on global cloud platforms, AI tools, and cross-border data services, a critical question emerges: Who truly controls your data? Craig explains why data sovereignty has become a strategic business issue—not just for governments, but for every Canadian organization that depends on digital infrastructure. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in technology innovation and security, Craig breaks down the growing importance of maintaining lawful authority, operational continuity, and strategic independence over data, systems, and digital assets. He also explores the broader concept of digital sovereignty, including how infrastructure, software, networks, storage, algorithms, metadata, tokens, and encryption keys all play a role in protecting national and organizational interests. Listeners will gain practical insights into how businesses can balance innovation with control, leverage cloud technology responsibly, and ask the right questions before handing critical information to vendors or third-party platforms. About the Guest: Craig McLellan is the Founder and CEO of ThinkOn, a Canadian-owned cloud services provider recognized for leadership in sovereign cloud infrastructure and secure data protection. Under his leadership, ThinkOn has been named one of Canada's fastest-growing companies by Deloitte's Technology Fast 50™ and The Globe and Mail's Report on Business, and was recognized by Broadcom as Sovereign Cloud Provider for the Americas. In This Episode, We Explore: What data sovereignty really means for everyday business owners Why Canada's digital independence matters now more than ever The hidden risks of storing data with hyperscalers like AWS and Azure AI sovereignty risks when proprietary data enters third-party models Why metadata, tokens, and encryption keys matter as much as the data itself How to balance sovereignty with the benefits of global cloud infrastructure What to ask vendors before signing SaaS or cloud contracts How different national approaches to digital sovereignty impact global business

While expanding regulatory requirements have been pushing developments in digital sovereignty, increasing levels of geopolitical concerns are driving greater urgency in improving control of digital assets. Andreas Prins, global head of sovereignty solutions for SUSE joins host Eric Hanselman to look at how organizations need to shift their thinking to leverage all of the benefits that sovereignty initiatives offer. We've seen study results that show that enterprises see sovereignty as a path to better workload and data portability. To make this work effectively, they need to consider the full technology stack that supports their digital environments. Understanding the controls available to manage sovereignty goals is an important first step, but it's just as important to look at how applications and data can be pulled out of any environment, if the need arises. Understanding the effort to exit can highlight dependencies that could hinder a path to improved sovereignty. Focusing exclusively on sovereignty can also miss another important benefit – improvements in business resilience. By starting with resilience, organizations can link together security and sovereignty with operational concerns. The result can be more efficient and effective technology operations that go beyond fulfilling simple regulatory requirements and help to build stronger businesses. More S&P Global Content: Next in Tech | Ep. 261: Mobile World Congress Review Next in Tech | Ep. 249: AWS re:Invent Conference Are we the data? Data ownership and control dynamics in the GenAI age   For S&P Global subscribers: Data governance and privacy practices poised to support enterprise AI Survey Data Hub – Voice of the Enterprise: Data & Analytics, Data Governance & Privacy 2026 Generative AI Market Monitor & Forecast   Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Andreas Prins Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith  

Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of MonstersWelcome back to After Order - a series from Macrodose and the Alameda Institute - exploring power, sovereignty, and crisis in today's unstable world.In this week's episode, we turn to Digital Sovereignty in the age of Big Tech. What does it mean that the infrastructures underpinning our everyday lives - from search and cloud computing to communication and logistics - are owned and controlled by a tiny handful of Silicon Valley elites? What does that concentration of power mean for democracy, for states, and for the possibility of political autonomy in the digital age? And what, if anything, can we do about it?Joining host James Meadway to explore these questions are Cecilia Rikap and Paolo Gerbaudo. Cecilia is Professor of Economics and Head of Research at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London. Paolo is Senior Researcher at the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology at the Complutense University of Madrid, and author of The Great Recoil: Politics after Populism and Pandemic.In 2025, Cecilia and Paolo co-authored a major report for the Alameda Institute titled Reclaiming Digital Sovereignty: A Roadmap to Build a Digital Stack for People and the Planet. The report sets out a bold vision: to treat digital infrastructure as a public good - one that is democratically governed, ecologically sustainable, and oriented toward social need rather than private profit.Their argument centres on a simple but far-reaching claim, that digital infrastructure is not just technical - it's geopolitical. From the dominance of US Big Tech to the rise of Chinese platform ecosystems, control over data, computation, and networks has rapidly become a fundamental and contested terrain of global power.But if that's true, then the challenge is not just to critique existing systems - it's to build new ones. What would it take to construct a public-interest digital stack? Who has the capacity to do it? And how do you navigate a world shaped both by corporate monopolies and intensifying geopolitical competition?In a moment where sovereignty is increasingly exercised through platforms and protocols, this question becomes unavoidable. So what would it mean to reclaim digital infrastructure?All that and more, in today's After Order.

Can Europe attain digital sovereignty? What are the limits of the EU's regulatory power? Is the dichotomy between sovereignty and a colony unavoidable? And what is Europe's digital grand strategy? Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Dr José Ignacio Torreblanca, a Senior Adviser and Distinguished Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Tune in the for their talk! Watch the video recording of the conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IJWM2LHVSo This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with the Movimento Liberal Social and the Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of. Read the article: https://ecfr.eu/article/referees-dont-win-games-europe-and-the-digital-great-game/

Digital sovereignty is quickly becoming a major issue in Canada – basically, who controls our data, our systems, and our digital lives. A new federal paper warns that even when our information feels “local,” it can still be subject to foreign laws and global tech dependencies. Tech analyst Carmi Levy spoke to Trudie Mason.

We speak with Oskar J. Gstrein, Associate Professor 'Human Dignity in the Digital Age' at University of Groningen. We cover how Data Autonomy, Strategic Autonomy and Digital Sovereignty are related and how Europe - in particular European Universities - can improve their position when trying to achieve these goals.Links:https://www.rug.nl/staff/o.j.gstrein/?lang=en

Microsoft has several digital sovereignty offerings, but are they right -- and realistic -- for your org? Directions' analyst Greg DeMichillie shares his thoughts with Mary Jo Foley.

Join host Kieran Devlin from UC Today for this video on The Rise of Digital Sovereignty and What It Means for UC Tech Dominance. He is joined by an all-star panel of industry experts: Jon Arnold (Principal, J. Arnold & Associates), Craig Durr (Chief Analyst), and Dom Black (Director of Research, Cavell Group).In this episode, the panel tackles the "elephant in the room" for 2026: Digital Sovereignty. With France standardizing on state-backed platforms and moving away from US giants like Microsoft and Zoom, are we seeing the end of the global UC monolith? The group also dissects Zoho's latest strategic moves in the SaaS market and provides a temperature check on the device landscape following a record-breaking ISE.Is your enterprise data actually safe, or just "compliant"? This month, we dig deep into the geopolitical shifts forcing IT leaders to rethink their cloud strategies.What is discussed in this episode: Digital Sovereignty Is Escalating Governments are starting to redraw the rules around where data lives and who controls it. Could regulation quietly force enterprises to rethink their entire collaboration stack?Zoho's Quiet Power Play While others chase AI headlines, Zoho is reshaping SaaS economics in a way that could ripple through the entire channel. Is their strategy about to disrupt how software risk and pricing are handled?ISE 2026's Biggest Signal Something fundamental has changed on the show floor. Meeting rooms are evolving fast, and the companies controlling workplace data may end up owning the future of the office.

Bri Teresi, host of 'Free The Money' and a prominent crypto influencer, shares the biggest misunderstandings about cryptocurrency in mainstream media and consumer behavior, along with the biggest challenges faced by content creators today. Topics include: the risks of platform dependency and censorship; the importance of self-custody and owning one's own crypto keys; financial sovereignty and freedom from banks; and the need for better education in crypto to reduce scams and speculative investments. Key Takeaways:  Emerging laws in California, and how they'll affect crypto asset custody Why we can't have a free society without cash and distributed systems The role of privacy coins and privacy tech in empowering users Creator horror stories: shadow banning, censorship, and deleted accounts How AI is transforming content creation, and the risks involved Gender dynamics and increasing female participation in crypto The potential of decentralized social media networks Guest Bio: Bri Teresi is the host of Free The Money, a show focused on finance, cryptocurrency, and personal liberties. As a model and golf influencer, Bri bridges lifestyle and financial education, making complex topics accessible to a wider audience. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About this Show: The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all! Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together. The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API. Music by: Ari Dvorin Produced by: Sam Laliberte  

Europe is rolling out new cyber rules that shape how companies build products, manage risk, and run supply chains. Dr. Tommaso De Zan, Associate Director at Access Partnership, breaks down the EU's growing regulations set, explains where businesses face friction and overlap, and shows how leaders can prepare before enforcement hits. Watch or listen to the episode, and read the blog to see what these regulations mean in practice.

This week we cover an Immutable Gentoo-derived distro, the release of KDE 6.6, Blender 5.1 and PipeWire 1.6. Then Intel hires more Linux developers, with a very specific gaming-centric experience wishlist, and the kernel 6.19.3 minor update is out, fixing some serious issues. For tips we have whosthere for network device discovery, rate-mirrors for exploring update mirror speeds, system-ac-power for detecting power and battery state, and unzip for .zip handling. You can find the show notes at https://bit.ly/4rCL0ZK and enjoy! Host: Jonathan Bennett Co-Hosts: Jeff Massie, Rob Campbell, and Ken McDonald Download or subscribe to Untitled Linux Show at https://twit.tv/shows/untitled-linux-show Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

This week we cover an Immutable Gentoo-derived distro, the release of KDE 6.6, Blender 5.1 and PipeWire 1.6. Then Intel hires more Linux developers, with a very specific gaming-centric experience wishlist, and the kernel 6.19.3 minor update is out, fixing some serious issues. For tips we have whosthere for network device discovery, rate-mirrors for exploring update mirror speeds, system-ac-power for detecting power and battery state, and unzip for .zip handling. You can find the show notes at https://bit.ly/4rCL0ZK and enjoy! Host: Jonathan Bennett Co-Hosts: Jeff Massie, Rob Campbell, and Ken McDonald Download or subscribe to Untitled Linux Show at https://twit.tv/shows/untitled-linux-show Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Digital sovereignty has quietly become one of the most urgent requirements in the tech sector. Once a matter for policy debate, this is now a critical business issue and as much a matter of resilience as one of compliance.Indeed while we've spoken about the need for digital sovereignty before, recent geopolitical developments have cast the debate in far starker light. With European governments and businesses leaning heavily into digital sovereignty, it's clear there's an emerging race to secure critical workloads.Just how important will digital sovereignty be in 2026?In this episode, Jane and Rory discuss all things digital sovereignty – how it's being realized, the scale of the transformation, and how we could see things play out.Read more:Sovereign infrastructure spend to triple in Europe as fifth of workloads stay localWhat is a sovereign cloud?Sovereign cloud services are now the “bare minimum” expected by customers, and hyperscalers are scrambling to meet demandWhat the new AWS European Sovereign Cloud means for enterprisesWhat the new Microsoft Sovereign Cloud push means for European customersCIOs wrestle with Europe's new digital sovereignty approachCan the UK achieve AI sovereignty?

The European Union is already suing X claiming authority to regulate speech far beyond its borders — including U.S. elections. Now Germany is asserting the right to interfere in Hungary's election because they don't like Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. At the center of the fight? Speech. Algorithms. Control. The EU wants access to internal systems, monitoring authority over content moderation, and the ability to enforce European “hate speech” standards worldwide. That includes criticism of open borders, immigration policy, or cultural issues. Meanwhile, critics point to actions taken during the Joe Biden administration involving federal pressure on social platforms to moderate certain accounts. Is this about safety? Or is this about political control? Today's episode breaks down: Germany's legal claims over Hungarian elections The EU's legal battle with X Digital censorship expanding beyond borders What it could mean for U.S. elections in 2026 and 2028 Rising political tensions across France and Germany If online speech determines modern campaigns, who controls the platform controls the battlefield.

Join Karen Horrocks and Stephen Musgrave as they introduce the upcoming non-profit summit at DrupalCon 2026 in Chicago. In this comprehensive fireside chat, they explore how AI can be integrated to serve a nonprofit's mission, plus the dos and don'ts of AI implementation. Hear insights from leading nonprofit professionals, learn about the variety of breakout sessions available, and discover the benefits of Kubernetes for maximizing ROI. Whether you're a developer, content editor, or a strategic planner, this session is crucial for understanding the future of nonprofit operations with cutting-edge technology. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/cafe015 Topics Introduction Meet Karen & Stephen Karen's Journey to Nonprofit Work Deep Dive into Drupal and Nonprofit Websites Capella's Approach to Continuous Improvement Nonprofit Summit Overview Exploring Summit Themes: AI and Resiliency Digital Sovereignty and Ethical Considerations Additional Breakout Sessions and Topics Community Engagement and Registration Details Conclusion and Final Thoughts Stephen Musgrave Stephen (he/him) is a co-founder, partner and Lead Technologist at Capellic, an agency that build and maintains websites for non-profits. Stephen is bullish on keeping things simple – not simplistic. His goal is to maximize the return on investment and minimize the overhead in maintaining the stack for the long term. Stephen has been working with the web for over 30 years. He was initially drawn to the magic of using code to create web art, added in his love for relational databases, and has spent his career building websites with an unwavering commitment to structured content. When Stephen isn't at his desk, he's often running to and swimming in Barton Springs Pool, getting a bit too wound-up at Austin FC games, and playing Legos with his little one. Karen Horrocks Karen (she/her, karen11 on drupal.org and Drupal Slack) is a Web and Database Developer for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit dedicated to saving and improving human and animal lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. Karen began her career as a government contractor at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center developing websites to distribute satellite data to the public. She moved to the nonprofit world when the Physicians Committee, an organization that she supports and follows, posted a job opening for a web developer. She has worked at the Physicians Committee for over 10 years creating websites that provide our members with the information and tools to move to a plant-based diet. Karen is a co-moderator of NTEN's Nonprofit Drupal Community. She spoke on a panel at the 2019 Nonprofit Summit at DrupalCon Seattle and is helping to organize the 2026 Nonprofit Summit at DrupalCon Chicago. Resources Nonprofit Summit Agenda: https://events.drupal.org/chicago2026/session/summit-non-profit-guests-must-pre-register Register for the Summit (within the DrupalCon workflow): https://events.drupal.org/chicago2026/registration Funding Open Source for Digital Sovereignty: https://dri.es/funding-open-source-for-digital-sovereignty NTEN's Drupal Community of Practice Zoom call (1p ET on third Thursday of the month except August and December): https://www.nten.org/drupal/notes Nonprofit Drupal Slack Channel: #nonprofits on Drupal Slack Guests Karen Horrocks - karen11 www.pcrm.org Stephen Musgrave - capellic capellic.com

In this episode of Shift, investor and innovation leader John Ruffolo offers a bold, forward‑looking take on the forces reshaping Canada's economic future and the massive opportunity ahead. From digital sovereignty and the evolving implications of the U.S. Cloud Act to strengthening industrial strategy and anchoring homegrown innovation, Ruffolo highlights why now is the moment for Canada to rethink how it builds wealth and scale its brightest ideas.Candid, optimistic, and deeply pragmatic, this conversation offers a roadmap for how Canada can seize this moment and build world‑leading companies on its own soil. A must‑listen for executives, investors, and builders shaping Canada's next chapter.

Josh talk to the founder and CEO of Nextcloud, Frank Karlitschek about digital sovereignty. There's a lot of attention lately around digital sovereignty and often that conversation also includes Nextcloud. Frank tells us all about how Nextcloud works, how it can be used to free your data, and has some great insight into what decentralization already looks like and what it could look like soon. The show notes and blog post for this episode can be found at https://opensourcesecurity.io/2026/2026-02-nextcloud-frank-karlitschek/

In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, we sit down with Joel Kashaija, a cybersecurity insider and ethical hacker working at the frontlines of digital risk in Africa to unpack why most people, businesses, and even governments misunderstand online security. From smartphones and public Wi-Fi to VPNs, SIM cards, the dark web, and corporate cyber-espionage, this conversation cuts through myths to explain how cyber threats really work — and why Africa's future depends on getting digital security right. Sponsors:Threat Informat - https://threatinformant.io/Join our Patreon to enjoy ad-free viewing https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheLongFormPod or support us via our MTN Mobile Money Code 95462 or directly to our phone number: +250795462739 Visit Sanny Ntayombya's Official Website: https://sannyntayombya.com

We take a listener question about digital sovereignty, tariffs and UK/EU independence from large US cloud providers, also Brian reaches out to the Melbourne, AUS listeners. SHOW: 998SHOW TRANSCRIPT: The Cloudcast #998 TranscriptSHOW VIDEO: https://youtube.com/@TheCloudcastNET CLOUD NEWS OF THE WEEK: http://bit.ly/cloudcast-cnotwCHECK OUT OUR NEW PODCAST: "CLOUDCAST BASICS"SHOW NOTESAWS European Sovereign Cloud Azure European Sovereign ServicesGoogle Cloud Sovereign CloudRed Hat Digital SovereigntyBroadcom Digital SovereigntyOracle Digital SovereigntyDigital Sovereignty in Europe, What's the Plan B? (IDC)Digital Commons EDIC Established (2025)EU AI Act“Sovereign Clouds and the Digital Sovereignty Imperative: Europe's Quest for Digital Independence” (IDC #EUR149098122, December 2022)The Evolution of Digital Sovereignty: Moving Beyond Data and Cloud” (Rahiel Nasir, IDC, January 13, 2023)THE FUNDAMENTALS OF DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY What is the definition of Digital Sovereignty? What about Digital Assurance? Sovereignty from who or what? What laws are you attempting to comply with? How are they audited or measured? Data Sovereignty - Maintaining control over how data is collected, classified, processed and stored to ensure that data regulations are metTechnical Sovereignty - Running workloads without dependence on a provider's infrastructure or software, and protected from all extra-territorial interference and scrutiny.Operational Sovereignty - Visibility and control over provider operations from provisioning and performance management, to monitoring of physical and digital access, to the infrastructure.Assurance Sovereignty -Ability to independently verify and assure the integrity, security, and reliability of digital systems and processes including resilience of critical services.FEEDBACK?Email: show at the cloudcast dot netTwitter/X: @cloudcastpodBlueSky: @cloudcastpod.bsky.socialInstagram: @cloudcastpodTikTok: @cloudcastpod

Apple's $2B AI move, Meta's new subscriptions, and a landmark social media court case could reshape the tech we all use. From facial-expression AI to ad-free Facebook, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece break it down with expert insight.This episode of Double Tap Mainstream dives into the tech stories making headlines. Apple has quietly made its second-largest acquisition, buying the AI audio start-up Q.AI, a company developing facial-expression and “silent speech” recognition that could change how we interact with iPhones, AirPods, and Vision Pro. Meta is testing paid subscriptions for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, offering ad-free experiences and AI-powered features—raising questions about privacy, value, and the future of its popular Ray-Ban smart glasses. Later, internet law expert Jess Miers joins to unpack a landmark Los Angeles court case accusing social media platforms like Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap of harmful app design. Could infinite scroll, autoplay, and notifications be legally considered addictive and dangerous? And if so, will this force a global redesign of social media? Plus, Steven and Shaun explore how countries like France and Canada are building local tech ecosystems to reduce reliance on US services—signalling the rise of digital sovereignty. Find Double Tap online: YouTube, Double Tap Website---Follow on:YouTube: https://www.doubletaponair.com/youtubeX (formerly Twitter): https://www.doubletaponair.com/xInstagram: https://www.doubletaponair.com/instagramTikTok: https://www.doubletaponair.com/tiktokThreads: https://www.doubletaponair.com/threadsFacebook: https://www.doubletaponair.com/facebookLinkedIn: https://www.doubletaponair.com/linkedin Subscribe to the Podcast:Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/appleSpotify: https://www.doubletaponair.com/spotifyRSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcastiHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart About Double TapHosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited. "Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

France's decision to discontinue American collaboration platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams for government use—replacing them with the domestically developed Vizio platform—signals a shift toward digital sovereignty and data control within regulated jurisdictions. This move, formalized as part of France's Suite Numerique and to be implemented by 2027, highlights the increasing fragmentation of technology policy where national governments assert authority over platform selection and sensitive data handling. The development underscores operational risk for MSPs and IT service providers as assumptions of technology homogeneity across regions become unreliable.Supporting these shifts, South Korea enacted the world's first comprehensive AI legislation, requiring mandatory labeling of AI-generated content and risk assessments for high-impact systems, such as those in hiring and healthcare. According to the transcript, 98% of AI startups in South Korea report they are not prepared for compliance. Both developments reveal a pattern: early regulatory efforts tend to produce vague requirements, unclear enforcement, and real operational complexity. Providers operating in multiple jurisdictions must now anticipate compliance fragmentation and increased overhead as regulatory regimes diverge.Additional analysis focused on the continued evolution of the managed services stack, particularly through the lens of AI and workflow automation. Companies like Thrive are investing in enterprise platforms that embed AI-driven reasoning within workflow tools, shifting coordination away from traditional PSA ticketing systems. Meanwhile, integrations such as Quark Cyber with ScalePad's Lifecycle Manager X, and new partnerships between ServiceNow, TeamViewer, Anthropic, and OpenAI, illustrate a market splitting between providers focused on standardization and those managing more complex, enterprise-like environments. Microsoft's financial results further highlighted this trend, with record capital expenditure on AI infrastructure and increased reliance on proprietary chips to reduce dependency on external vendors like Nvidia and OpenAI.For MSPs, these developments raise practical governance and accountability questions. Shifts in regulatory authority and technology platforms create increased risk exposure for providers that do not proactively manage cross-jurisdictional compliance and secure defaults. Vendors are tightening control over platforms as AI becomes central to product architecture, often prioritizing internal risk management over shared upside with partners. Providers that fail to enforce robust data governance, understand cost drift, or plan for architectural lock-in are positioned less as strategic advisors and more as absorbers of client and vendor risk.Four things to know today00:00 France's Platform Ban and South Korea's AI Law Show Regulation Catching Up to Technology04:23 AI Is Reshaping the MSP Tool Stack as Thrive, ServiceNow, and ScalePad Take Different Paths07:37 Microsoft's SMTP AUTH Delay and CISA's AI Slip Show the Risk of Optional Security ControlsAND10:26 Earnings Show Microsoft Turning AI From Feature to Infrastructure as Partner Risk GrowsSponsored by: TimeZest 

On this edition of Free City Radio we hear from Brazilian educator and author Henrique Parra in Sao Paulo. Henrique raises a key and important critique surrounding the urgency of understanding and engaging with the demand for digital sovereignty. In the context of Brazil this is important, as US based tech giants want to impose and influence politics in Brazil, this equals repression. Recently Henrique supported the publication of an important paper: THE DIGITAL AND THE SOUTH: QUESTIONINGS Thank you to Mariana Marcassa for your support in making this connection. This interview program is supported in 2025 by the Social Justice Centre at Concordia University. The music track is Passage by Anarchist Mountains. Free City Radio is hosted and produced by Stefan Christoff and broadcasts on: CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal - Wednesdays at 11am CJLO 1690 AM in Montreal - Thursdays 8am CKUW 95.9 FM in Winnipeg - Tuesdays 8am, Fridays 1:30pm CFRC 101.9 FM in Kingston - Wednesdays 11:30am CFUV 101.9 FM in Victoria - Saturdays 7am Met Radio 1280 AM in Toronto - Fridays at 5:30am CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa - Tuesdays at 2pm CJSF 90.1 FM in Vancouver - Thursdays at 4:30pm CHMA 106.9 FM in Sackville, New Brunswick - Tuesdays at 10am

Have you ever given thought to the possibility that the suppliers of your core business technology, brands like Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP, might simply turn you off with no warning? It sounds fanciful, absurd, a black swan event so far beyond any reasonable risk matrix as to be unworthy of consideration. Yet it happened this year, 2025, to a major oil company in the world's most populous country. What was once unimaginable is now here, and with it, lessons for every oil and gas organization, indeed every company, about the new risks in the digital landscape. ⚒️ Additional Tools & Resources:

This episode explains how BSI builds for data, AI agents, and digital sovereignty. Markus Brunold shares the company mission, cloud and AI model choices, and how human roles and AI agents work together. Hear concrete examples and product thinking for regulated industries like financial services. About Markus Brunold Markus Brunold is CEO of BSI Software and is responsible for the company's long-term business development. With the BSI Customer Suite, BSI Software offers the only European holistic CRM and CX solution that deeply integrates AI while guaranteeing data protection, sovereignty, and flexibility. For Markus, customer centricity is the guiding principle of his entrepreneurial activities. BSI Software is a market leader in its key industries, combining deep industry knowledge with technological excellence. Resources  BSI Software: https://www.bsi-software.com/en Please, hit the follow button and leave your feedback: Apple Podcast: https://www.cxgoalkeeper.com/apple Spotify: https://www.cxgoalkeeper.com/spotify Follow Gregorio Uglioni on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorio-uglioni/ Gregorio Uglioni is a seasoned transformation leader with over 15 years of experience shaping business and digital change, consistently delivering service excellence and measurable impact. As an Associate Partner at Forward, he is recognized for his strategic vision, operational expertise, and ability to drive sustainable growth. A respected keynote speaker and host of the well-known global podcast Business Transformation Pitch with the CX Goalkeeper, Gregorio energizes and inspires organizations worldwide with his customer-centric approach to innovation.

Gabriele Columbro, managing director of the Linux Foundation Europe, discusses the differences in the open-source landscape between Europe, China and the US. Stressing that the open-source landscape is the last favorable ground for global innovation in the current geo-political landscape. Read a transcript of this interview: https://bit.ly/4rFIhPu Subscribe to the Software Architects' Newsletter for your monthly guide to the essential news and experience from industry peers on emerging patterns and technologies: https://www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter Upcoming Events: QCon AI New York 2025 (December 16-17, 2025) - SOLD OUT! https://ai.qconferences.com/ QCon London 2026 (March 16-19, 2026) QCon London equips senior engineers, architects, and technical leaders with trusted, practical insights to lead the change in software development. Get real-world solutions and leadership strategies from senior software practitioners defining current trends and solving today's toughest software challenges. https://qconlondon.com/ QCon AI Boston 2026 (June 1-2, 2026) Learn how real teams are accelerating the entire software lifecycle with AI. https://boston.qcon.ai The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly inspiration to drive innovation and build great teams from senior software leaders. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: - The InfoQ Podcast https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/ - Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture - Generally AI: https://www.infoq.com/generally-ai-podcast/ Follow InfoQ: - Mastodon: https://techhub.social/@infoq - X: https://x.com/InfoQ?from=@ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/infoq/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InfoQdotcom# - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infoqdotcom/?hl=en - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/infoq - Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/infoq.com Write for InfoQ: Learn and share the changes and innovations in professional software development. - Join a community of experts. - Increase your visibility. - Grow your career. https://www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq

In this episode of Cybersecurity Today, host Jim Love is joined by Tammy Harper, a senior threat intelligence researcher at Flare, to explore the future landscape of cybercrime. The conversation delves into various aspects like the evolution of underground markets, state-backed cyber sanctuaries, and decentralized escrow systems. Harper presents insights on extortion as a service, the implications of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, and the potential impact of quantum computing on encryption. The episode also discusses the changing nature of digital sovereignty and its effects on cybersecurity. This thorough examination offers a glimpse into the challenges and transformations in the world of cyber threats. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction 01:14 Overview of Tammy Harper's Work 01:56 Future of Cybercrime: Key Pillars 03:43 The Underground Economy 08:18 Decentralization of Underground Forums 17:28 State-Backed Sanctuaries and Cybercrime Tourism 24:01 Extortion as a Service (EAS) 31:37 Affiliate Programs in Cybercrime 34:41 Usernames and Credibility in Cybercrime 36:25 Recruitment and the Perfect Storm 37:22 Money Mules and Financial Crimes 38:45 Ransomware Negotiators and Trust Issues 41:22 Artificial Intelligence in Cybercrime 49:16 Quantum Computing and Encryption 58:55 Digital Sovereignty and the Future of Cybercrime 01:05:48 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In this episode of The Crazy Wisdom Podcast, Stewart Alsop talks with Jacob Hall and Kyriakos Skiouris, co-founders of Agingo, about the evolution of blockchain from linear ledgers to volumetric, multi-agent architectures. Together they explore how concepts like sovereignty, auditability, and immutability can redefine trust, governance, and digital agency in both human and artificial systems. The conversation touches on blockchain's philosophical and technical frontiers—what an “AGI for blockchain” might mean, why immutability will matter in the age of AI, and how decentralization could restore autonomy without chaos. You can learn more about Agingo and their upcoming talks at agingo.com and reach them via support@agingo.com.Check out this GPT we trained on the conversationTimestamps00:00 Stewart Alsop welcomes Jacob Hall and Kyriakos Skiouris of Agingo, setting the stage for a conversation on blockchain as a paradigm shift beyond crypto.05:00 They explore trust, contracts, and the difference between real-world agreements and smart contracts, questioning how sovereignty depends on auditability.10:00 The guests reflect on Bitcoin's origins, Satoshi's intent, and the ideological fractures that shaped crypto's culture and early altruism.15:00 They discuss manipulation, value, and how blockchain technology parallels alchemy—transforming belief into perceived value.20:00 The idea of social imaginaries emerges, using everyday systems like traffic lanes as metaphors for collective trust and order.25:00 The talk moves toward digital etiquette, communication decay, and the cultural lag behind technological acceleration.30:00 Agingo introduces the concept of volumetric blockchain, multi-agent validation, and four-dimensional nanochains replacing linear ledgers.35:00 They unpack volumetric security, the tesseract metaphor, and blockchain as a living system mirroring consciousness.40:00 Discussion turns to blockchain as language and history, linking immutability, perception, and meaning.45:00 Business use cases arise—tokenized films, compliance, and real-world asset representation on decentralized infrastructure.50:00 They imagine blockchain as infrastructure for AGI, distributed systems modeled after nature's intelligence.55:00 Closing reflections on centralization, sovereignty, and the need for open, non-binary conversations about trust and autonomy in the digital age.Key InsightsBlockchain's next evolution is volumetric, not linear. Jacob Hall and Kyriakos Skiouris argue that traditional blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum are “choo-choo trains”—linear systems limited by their own history. Agingo's model introduces volumetric blockchain, where multiple agents and dimensions of time operate simultaneously, allowing for more secure, adaptive, and physics-like computation.Sovereignty depends on auditability at speed. True digital sovereignty, they suggest, isn't just owning your data but being able to verify it instantly. If you can't audit a transaction or vote in real time, you've lost control of it. Fast, transparent auditability becomes the foundation of autonomy and trust in digital systems.Language, contracts, and blockchains are all ledgers of meaning. The conversation reframes contracts as linguistic and symbolic structures—records of shared trust. Blockchain, in this light, is not just code but a living language that keeps history intact and immutable, anchoring truth in a world of mutable data.Bitcoin's promise was idealistic, but its structure is fragile. Hall recalls the early altruism of the Bitcoin community, contrasting it with the dogmatic, profit-driven culture that followed. The failure to evolve past linear design and ideological rigidity mirrors historical schisms in religion and governance.Immutability will become essential in the AI era. As AI systems learn to rewrite their own data, humans will crave immutable records. Blockchain's permanence provides a safeguard against subtle, undetectable shifts in digital reality—an anchor for truth as models become more autonomous.Volumetric systems mirror consciousness. Their design mimics the distributed, multi-agent nature of the human brain. Just as neurons work in parallel, a volumetric blockchain processes data through overlapping agents that validate one another, creating a kind of digital nervous system with emergent intelligence.Decentralization must include cultural and ethical intelligence. True progress, they conclude, isn't just technical—it's cultural. Without new forms of etiquette, communication, and mutual respect, decentralization risks reproducing the same hierarchies it seeks to replace. Blockchain's next leap must integrate human values with technological sovereignty.

Europe created regulatory frameworks, including the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act, in attempt to reassert control, but these laws have recently faced backlash from the Trump administration. In this episode of the TechTank podcast, Courtney Radsch speaks with Marietje Schaake about these challenges and the digital sovereignty debate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There has been a lot of talk about Canadian sovereignty ever since the election of Donald Trump. And that sovereignty talk extends to the digital realm too. Last month, nearly 70 public figures and experts sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney demanding he take sovereignty in the digital space more seriously. The government is currently working on that, with plans to build a sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure. These projects would have major implications for Canada's data security and economy.Globe business reporter Joe Castaldo and innovation reporter Pippa Norman explain why building sovereign digital companies is not as straightforward as it might seem.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Broadcasting from Florence and Los Angeles, I Had One of Those Conversations...You know the kind—where you start discussing one thing and suddenly realize you're mapping the entire landscape of how different societies approach technology. That's exactly what happened when Rob Black and I connected across the Atlantic for the pilot episode of ITSPmagazine Europe: The Transatlantic Broadcast.Rob was calling from what he optimistically described as "sunny" West Sussex (complete with biblical downpours and Four Seasons weather in one afternoon), while I enjoyed actual California sunshine. But this geographic distance perfectly captured what we were launching: a genuine exploration of how European perspectives on cybersecurity, technology, and society differ from—and complement—American approaches.The conversation emerged from something we'd discovered at InfoSecurity Europe earlier this year. After recording several episodes together with Sean Martin, we realized we'd stumbled onto something crucial: most global technology discourse happens through an American lens, even when discussing fundamentally European challenges. Digital sovereignty isn't just a policy buzzword in Brussels—it represents a completely different philosophy about how democratic societies should interact with technology.Rob Black: Bridging Defense Research and Digital RealityRob brings credentials that perfectly embody the European approach to cybersecurity—one that integrates geopolitics, human sciences, and operational reality in ways that purely technical perspectives miss. As UK Cyber Citizen of the Year 2024, he's recognized for contributions that span UK Ministry of Defense research on human elements in cyber operations, international relations theory, and hands-on work with university students developing next-generation cybersecurity leadership skills.But what struck me during our pilot wasn't his impressive background—it was his ability to connect macro-level geopolitical cyber operations with the daily impossible decisions that Chief Information Security Officers across Europe face. These leaders don't see themselves as combatants in a digital war, but they're absolutely operating on front lines where nation-state actors, criminal enterprises, and hybrid threats converge.Rob's international relations expertise adds crucial context that American cybersecurity discourse often overlooks. We're witnessing cyber operations as extensions of statecraft—the ongoing conflict in Ukraine demonstrates how narrative battles and digital infrastructure attacks interweave with kinetic warfare. European nations are developing their own approaches to cyber deterrence, often fundamentally different from American strategies.European Values Embedded in Technology ChoicesWhat emerged from our conversation was something I've observed but rarely heard articulated so clearly: Europe approaches technology governance through distinctly different cultural and philosophical frameworks than America. This isn't just about regulation—though the EU's leadership from GDPR through the AI Act certainly shapes global standards. It's about fundamental values embedded in technological choices.Rob highlighted algorithmic bias as a perfect example. When AI systems are developed primarily in Silicon Valley, they embed specific cultural assumptions and training data that may not reflect European experiences, values, or diverse linguistic traditions. The implications cascade across everything from hiring algorithms to content moderation to criminal justice applications.We discussed how this connects to broader patterns of technological adoption. I'd recently written about how the transistor radio revolution of the 1960s paralleled today's smartphone-driven transformation—both technologies were designed for specific purposes but adopted by users in ways inventors never anticipated. The transistor radio became a tool of cultural rebellion; smartphones became instruments of both connection and surveillance.But here's what's different now: the stakes are global, the pace is accelerated, and the platforms are controlled by a handful of American and Chinese companies. European voices in these conversations aren't just valuable—they're essential for understanding how different democratic societies can maintain their values while embracing technological transformation.The Sociological Dimensions Technology Discourse MissesMy background in political science and sociology of communication keeps pulling me toward questions that pure technologists might skip: How do different European cultures interpret privacy rights differently? Why do Nordic countries approach digital government services so differently than Mediterranean nations? What happens when AI training data reflects primarily Anglo-American cultural assumptions but gets deployed across 27 EU member states with distinct languages and traditions?Rob's perspective adds the geopolitical layer that's often missing from cybersecurity conversations. We're not just discussing technical vulnerabilities—we're examining how different societies organize themselves digitally, how they balance individual privacy against collective security, and how they maintain democratic values while defending against authoritarian digital influence operations.Perhaps most importantly, we're both convinced that the next generation of European cybersecurity leaders needs fundamentally different skills than previous generations. Technical expertise remains crucial, but they also need to communicate complex risks to non-technical decision-makers, operate comfortably with uncertainty rather than seeking perfect solutions, and understand that cybersecurity decisions are ultimately political decisions about what kind of society we want to maintain.Why European Perspectives Matter GloballyEurope represents 27 different nations with distinct histories, languages, and approaches to technology governance, yet they're increasingly coordinating digital policies through EU frameworks. This complexity is fascinating and the implications are global. When Europe implements new AI regulations or data protection standards, Silicon Valley adjusts its practices worldwide.But European perspectives are too often filtered through American media or reduced to regulatory footnotes in technology publications. We wanted to create space for European voices to explain their approaches in their own terms—not as responses to American innovation, but as distinct philosophical and practical approaches to technology's role in democratic society.Rob pointed out something crucial during our conversation: we're living through a moment where "every concept that we've thought about in terms of how humans react to each other and how they react to the world around them now needs to be reconsidered in light of how humans react through a computer mediated existence." This isn't abstract philosophizing—it's the practical challenge facing policymakers, educators, and security professionals across Europe.Building Transatlantic Understanding, Not DivisionThe "Transatlantic Broadcast" name reflects our core mission: connecting perspectives across borders rather than reinforcing them. Technology challenges—from cybersecurity threats to AI governance to digital rights—don't respect national boundaries. Solutions require understanding how different democratic societies approach these challenges while maintaining their distinct values and traditions.Rob and I come from different backgrounds—his focused on defense research and international relations, mine on communication theory and sociological analysis—but we share curiosity about how technology shapes society and how society shapes technology in return. Sean Martin brings the American cybersecurity industry perspective that completes our analytical triangle.Cross-Border Collaboration for European Digital FutureThis pilot episode represents just the beginning of what we hope becomes a sustained conversation. We're planning discussions with European academics developing new frameworks for digital rights, policymakers implementing AI governance across member states, industry leaders building privacy-first alternatives to Silicon Valley platforms, and civil society advocates working to ensure technology serves democratic values.We want to understand how digital transformation looks different across European cultures, how regulatory approaches evolve through multi-stakeholder processes, and how European innovation develops characteristics that reflect distinctly European values and approaches to technological development.The Invitation to Continue This ConversationBroadcasting from our respective sides of the Atlantic, we're extending an invitation to join this ongoing dialogue. Whether you're developing cybersecurity policy in Brussels, building startups in Berlin, teaching digital literacy in Barcelona, or researching AI ethics in Amsterdam, your perspective contributes to understanding how democratic societies can thrive in an increasingly digital world.European voices aren't afterthoughts in global technology discourse—they're fundamental contributors to understanding how diverse democratic societies can maintain their values while embracing technological change. This conversation needs academic researchers, policy practitioners, industry innovators, and engaged citizens from across Europe and beyond.If this resonates with your own observations about technology's role in society, subscribe to follow our journey as we explore these themes with guests from across Europe and the transatlantic technology community.And if you want to dig deeper into these questions or share your own perspective on European approaches to cybersecurity and technology governance, I'd love to continue the conversation directly. Get in touch with us on Linkedin! Marco CiappelliBroadcasting from Los Angeles (USA) & Florence (IT)On Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-ciappelliRob BlackBroadcasting from London (UK)On Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-black-30440819Sean MartinBroadcasting from New York City (USA)On Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imsmartinThe transatlantic conversation about technology, society, and democratic values starts now.

Paris Marx is joined by Cecilia Rikap to discuss how countries' dependence on US tech companies is harming them and why they need to get serious about digital sovereignty.Cecilia Rikap is Associate Professor in Economics at University College London and Head of Research at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.Tech Won't Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson.Also mentioned in this episode:Cecilia (and Paris!) worked on a report offering a roadmap to reclaiming digital sovereignty.The UK Labour Party forced the chair of the Competition and Markets Authority to step down earlier this year to promote its pro-growth agenda.A Microsoft executive told a French Senate committee that it could not guarantee data sovereignty if the US government requested information stored on its servers in Europe.Alexandre de Moraes is the Brazilian judge pushing back against big tech.The US is sanctioning judges from the ICC (as well as Alexandre de Moraes)Support the show

Paris Marx is joined by Cecilia Rikap to discuss how countries' dependence on US tech companies is harming them and why they need to get serious about digital sovereignty.Cecilia Rikap is Associate Professor in Economics at University College London and Head of Research at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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