Where have you been?

https://citizenlab.ca/research/analysis-of-penlinks-ad-based-geolocation-surveillance-tech/

Uncovering Webloc

Targeted and mass surveillance based on everyday consumer data from mobile apps and digital advertising has been referred to as advertising intelligence (ADINT). We refer to it as “ad-based surveillance technologies.” These technologies have proliferated alongside the personal data surveillance economy. They are poorly regulated and often sold by firms that operate without transparency, raising serious security, privacy, and civil liberties concerns – especially when used by authoritarian governments that lack proper oversight.

Response or arrogance?

https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/10/france-to-ditch-windows-for-linux-to-reduce-reliance-on-us-tech/

France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

France is trying to move on from Microsoft Windows. The country said it plans to move some of its government computers currently running Windows to the open source operating system Linux to further reduce its reliance on U.S. technology.

Wisdom?

https://thenextweb.com/news/estonia-eu-child-social-media-ban-opposition

Estonia is the rare EU country opposing bans on children’s social media use

In short: Estonia and Belgium are the only two EU member states to have declined the Jutland Declaration, an October 2025 pan-European commitment to restrict children’s access to social media. Estonia’s ministers argue that age-based bans are unenforceable, that children will find ways around them, and that the correct approach is to enforce the GDPR against the platforms themselves and invest in digital literacy rather than restricting young people’s participation in the information society.

Closer to AI as a real person?

https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-executive-suggests-ai-agents-buy-software-licenses-seats-2026-4

Microsoft exec suggests AI agents will need to buy software licenses, just like employees

Ashley Stewart's scoops are always worth reading. This week, she published a sharp piece on the AI threat to software, and how Microsoft, Salesforce, and others are responding.

Buried in the story was a deceptively simple question: does your AI agent count as an employee?

At a recent conference, Microsoft executive Rajesh Jha floated a provocative idea. In a future where companies deploy fleets of AI agents, those agents may need their own identities — logins, inboxes, and even seats inside software systems. If so, AI wouldn't shrink software revenue. It could expand it.