Brazil
In Brazil’s 2026 presidential runoff, incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his supporters accused Meta of systematically favouring far-right opponent Flávio Bolsonaro. The controversy escalated after Mr Lula was temporarily barred for nearly 24 hours from boosting feed posts on Instagram, whilst Mr Bolsonaro’s digital campaign operated normally. Lula’s campaign formally petitioned the TSE, arguing that Meta engaged in algorithmic bias and foreign political pressure. In response, Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) ordered Meta to ensure equal operational treatment between the candidates under threat of fines. On 16 October, Meta dismissed the accusations as unfounded, attributing the disparities to automated anti-fraud mechanisms, prompt safeguards, and a wider global data outage. In a formal submission to the TSE on 20 October, Meta denied allegations of partisan bias in the presidential election runoff between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, asserting that its platforms treat both candidacies equally and without discrimination. – Digital Watch Observatory UN warns Meta’s restrictions harm elections
Democratic Republic of the Congo
As the deadly Ebola disease outbreak reached an eighth province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), investigators pursued all leads on Thursday to assess the risk of the disease spreading in Nigeria. Authorities in Abuja confirmed their first case of infection in an individual arriving from Uganda, which borders the worst-hit provinces in DRC. “The source of exposure is still not known and the travel history of the patient is being pieced together now in terms of her movement from Uganda up to Nigeria,” said Dr Patrick Otim, from the UN World Health Organization (WHO)’s Emergency Response programme, in an online update. “This is rapidly evolving. As we get more information, we’ll try to determine where she was exposed. And then it’s at that point where we can say whether there is any transmission happening”. Nigeria is the fifth country this year after DRC, France, Uganda and Kenya to confirm the presence of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus. The original DRC outbreak was declared in mid-May where it has led to more than 4,600 deaths and a total of 9,552 confirmed infections. Around six in 10 of these deaths have occurred outside health centres, indicating the continuing difficulty of halting community transmission. The latest DRC province to confirm infections is Nord Ubangi, which borders Central African Republic, where ongoing armed violence continues to uproot thousands of people, increasing the difficulty of halting transmission. – UN News DR Congo: Ebola responders under pressure as outbreak expands
France
A patient in France has died after being infected with Shamonda virus, the first recorded human case of the disease. The virus is mainly found in livestock, especially cattle, sheep, goats, horses and alpacas. It is thought to be spread by the bites of midges – tiny biting flies – though the World Health Organization (WHO) has said further studies are needed to understand how it is transmitted. There are currently no commercially available vaccines against Shamonda virus, according to the internationally recognised World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). – UN News First human case of Shamonda virus reported in France as patient dies
Nepal
The deadly flash flood that tore through Nepal in August is a “defining moment” for both the country and the international community, according to the head of the UN field agency which builds roads, schools and clinics in crisis zones. UN Project Services chief, Jorge Moreira da Silva, briefed journalists in New York by videolink after joining teams from UNOPS in Nepal, describing the glacier collapse on 26 August as one of the most destructive and deadliest climate disasters ever. Survivors told him of a wall of water more than 100 metres high, travelling at 180 kilometres per hour, which devastated 60 kilometres of valley in a matter of seconds. “We are not dealing with a normal flood,” he said. – UN News Nepal’s deadly glacier flood a ‘defining moment’ for the international community
Russia – Ukraine
A Russian-made satellite called Kosmos 2612 got very close to ICEYE-X36 last week, a commercial Earth-observation satellite that may support countries like Ukraine. CNN reports it may have come within less than a mile. Orbital monitoring company LeoLabs says the behavior is consistent with rendezvous and proximity operations, meaning maneuvers designed to bring two spacecraft together. “A rare move by a Russian-made satellite may have brought it within less than a mile of a commercial Earth-observation satellite that may be used to provide national security services to countries such as Ukraine.” states CNN. “It’s not clear what, exactly, the Russian satellite, called Kosmos 2612 or Cosmos 2612, intended to accomplish with its close approach. But the behavior was consistent with rendezvous and proximity operations, or maneuvers carried out in orbit that are designed to bring two spacecraft together, said orbital monitoring services company LeoLabs, which tracks space junk and activity in Earth orbit, in a statement.” – Security Affairs Russian Satellite Makes a Close Approach To A Commercial Radar Satellite Used by Ukraine
Tech World
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has released its report on children’s privacy and safety online, following a stakeholder conference held in Johannesburg on 28 March 2026. The report, Children’s Rights to Privacy and Safety on Online Platforms: Legislative Gaps and the Case for Reform, examines whether South Africa’s existing legal framework is keeping pace with the risks children face on digital platforms. – Digital Watch Observatory South Africa calls for stronger child online safety laws
During the October plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) which took place on October 21 and 22, attendees conducted a debate on European technological sovereignty which brought up questions about industrial competitiveness, economic resilience, and control over critical digital infrastructure. The EESC highlighted that the European Union needed to strengthen its capabilities in strategic technologies like AI and semiconductors as well as develop its digital workforce. – Digital Watch Observatory European technological sovereignty debated by EESC
The Council of the European Union agreed its position on the Digital Omnibus proposal on 21 October 2026. The proposals, which are part of the Omnibus VII legislative package, aim to simplify certain rules on data protection, privacy and cybersecurity while maintaining strong protection for personal data. They cover data protection, cookies, data sharing and incident reporting, seeking to make the EU’s digital rules clearer and easier for businesses, public administrations and citizens to apply. Negotiations will begin once the European Parliament adopts its position. – Digital Watch Observatory EU Council agrees position on digital rulebook changes
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has published a new action plan to strengthen carbon emissions management across the industrial and information technology sectors between 2026 and 2030. The plan includes the development of zero-carbon computing facilities alongside factories and industrial parks, bringing digital infrastructure into the country’s broader decarbonisation framework. – Digital Watch Observatory China targets zero-carbon computing facilities
The World Bank Group has launched its first digital strategy, bringing together its public- and private-sector financing, investment and policy advice to help developing countries expand digital access, strengthen skills and create employment opportunities. The strategy identifies four priorities: improving connectivity, making devices and data more affordable, expanding digital services and skills, and building countries’ readiness to adopt AI. – Digital Watch Observatory – World Bank unveils digital strategy for jobs and AI
The UK’s Environment Agency has called for greater transparency and stronger consideration of water efficiency in datacentre development, warning that existing monitoring arrangements provide an incomplete picture of the sector’s water consumption. In written evidence submitted to Parliament, the agency said data centres are not required to report site-level water use to the regulator and suggested that major non-household water consumers should publish their consumption and efficiency measures. – Digital Watch Observatory UK agency calls for data-centre water reporting
Cybersecurity, Surveillance
CISA, the FBI, the US Secret Service, Germany’s Landeskriminalamt Rheinland-Pfalz, and two UK law enforcement agencies jointly published an advisory this week on SafePay, a ransomware group they describe as one of the most active operations currently running. The group has breached at least 600 organizations across critical infrastructure sectors since August 2024, spanning North America, South America, Europe, and Australia. “Since August 2024, SafePay ransomware group’s operations have affected a wide range of businesses and critical infrastructure in North America, South America, Europe, and Australia. SafePay ransomware was among the most active ransomware groups in 2026. The SafePay threat actors have impacted at least 600 separate victims from multiple critical infrastructure sectors.” reads the joint advisory, “The authoring agencies encourage organizations to implement the recommendations in the Mitigations section of this advisory to reduce the likelihood and impact of SafePay ransomware incidents.” – Security Affairs FBI and CISA Warn of SafePay Ransomware Attacks on 600 Organizations
