Four of the world's biggest pornography websites are facing formal investigations around age verification in the European Union. European regulators will determine whether Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos are doing enough to to protect minors from harmful content, as required by the Digital Services Act (DSA). Preliminary investigations already found that the four sites aren’t complying with two elements of the DSA, both of which focus on younger internet users.First, the EU finds that the sites aren't providing appropriate measures to “ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors.” This includes the companies not going far enough for age-verification methods suitable enough to stop minors being able to access adult material. Many of these sites allow access by entering a date of birth, which can be easily faked.The European Commission is working with EU member states to develop a “white label age-verification app” to help provide better implementation to access adult material. It says it will then use the EU Digital Wallet by the end of 2026.The second element of the investigation is whether the companies are including "mitigation measures of any negative effects" on kids who do manage to access the sites. Recommended by Our EditorsAll four sites were all given “very large online platform” (VLOP) designation at different stages since 2023, which means they’re under strict guidance in the European market. As part of this announcement, the Commission also announced Stripchat will be losing its VLOP designation later this year after a drop in users for the last year. But even when the VLOP title is removed, the company will need to abide by rules to protect minors.“The online space should be a safe environment for children to learn and connect,” said Henna Virkkunen, EVP for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy at the European Commission. “Our priority is to protect minors and allow them to navigate safely online."In a statement, Pornhub parent company Aylo says it's "aware of the European Commission's investigation and are fully committed to ensuring the safety of minors online.""Our sites are fully RTA compliant as rated by the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP), and are strictly reserved for those of legal age only. We will always comply with the law, but we hope that governments around the world will implement laws that protect the safety and security of users," it adds. "We believe that the real solution for protecting minors and adults alike is to verify users’ ages at the point of access—the users’ devices—and for websites to deny or permit access to age-restricted materials based on that verification."Aylo makes the same argument in the US, where it has blocked access to its sites in states with age-verification laws, though a VPN should help you get around those bans. Requiring people to provide things like selfies with government IDs to verify their ages will only drive people to less scrupulous sites, which "put minors and your privacy at risk," it says.

The UK is deploying AI to keep a watchful eye on Arctic security threats from hostile states amid growing geopolitical tensions. This will be underscored by Foreign Secretary David Lammy during his visit to the region, which kicks off today.The deployment is seen as a signal of the UK’s commitment to leveraging technology to navigate an increasingly complex global security landscape. For Britain, what unfolds in the territories of two of its closest Arctic neighbours – Norway and Iceland – has direct and profound implications.The national security of the UK is linked to stability in the High North. The once remote and frozen expanse is changing, and with it, the security calculus for the UK.Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “The Arctic is becoming an increasingly important frontier for geopolitical competition and trade, and a key flank for European and UK security. “We cannot bolster the UK’s defence and deliver the Plan for Change without greater security in the Arctic. This is a region where Russia’s shadowfleet operates, threatening critical infrastructure like undersea cables to the UK and Europe, and helping fund Russia’s aggressive activity.”British and Norwegian naval vessels conduct vital joint patrols in the Arctic. These missions are at the sharp end of efforts to detect, deter, and manage the increasing subsea threats that loom over vital energy supplies, national infrastructure, and broader regional security.Russia’s Northern Fleet, in particular, presents a persistent challenge in these icy waters. This high-level engagement follows closely on the heels of the Prime Minister’s visit to Norway earlier this month for a Joint Expeditionary Force meeting, where further support for Ukraine was a key talking point with allies from the Baltic and Scandinavian states.During the Icelandic stop of his tour, Lammy will unveil a UK-Iceland tech partnership to boost Arctic security. This new scheme is designed to harness AI technologies for monitoring hostile activity across this vast and challenging region. It’s a forward-looking strategy, acknowledging that as the Arctic opens up, so too do the opportunities for those who might seek to exploit its vulnerabilities.As global temperatures climb and the ancient ice caps continue their retreat, previously impassable shipping routes are emerging. This is not just a matter for climate scientists; it’s redrawing geopolitical maps. The Arctic is fast becoming an arena of increased competition, with nations eyeing newly accessible reserves of gas, oil, and precious minerals. Unsurprisingly, this scramble for resources is cranking up security concerns.Adding another layer of complexity, areas near the Arctic are being actively used by Russia’s fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. Putin’s vessels are crucial to his “High North” strategy, carving paths for tankers that, in turn, help to bankroll his illegal war in Ukraine.Such operations cast a long shadow, threatening not only maritime security but also the delicate Arctic environment. Reports suggest Putin has been forced to rely on “dodgy and decaying vessels,” which frequently suffer breakdowns and increase the risk of devastating oil spills.The UK’s defence partnership with Norway is deeply rooted, with British troops undertaking vital Arctic training in the country for over half a century. This enduring collaboration is now being elevated through an agreement to fortify the security of both nations.“It’s more important than ever that we work with our allies in the High North, like Norway and Iceland, to enhance our ability to patrol and protect these waters,” added Lammy.“That’s why we have today announced new UK funding to work more closely with Iceland, using AI to bolster our ability to monitor and detect hostile state activity in the Arctic.”Throughout his Arctic tour, the Foreign Secretary will be emphasising the UK’s role in securing NATO’s northern flank. This includes the often unseen but hugely significant task of protecting the region’s critical undersea infrastructure – the cables and pipelines that are the lifelines for stable energy supplies and telecoms for the UK and much of Europe.These targeted Arctic security initiatives are part and parcel of a broader, robust enhancement of the UK’s overall defence posture. Earlier this year, the Prime Minister announced the most significant sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War. This will see UK defence expenditure climb to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027, with a clear ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament, contingent on economic and fiscal conditions.The significance of maritime security and the Arctic is also recognised in the UK’s ambitious new Security and Defence Partnership with the EU, agreed last week. This pact commits both sides to closer collaboration to make Europe a safer place.In today’s interconnected world, security, climate action, and international collaboration are inextricably linked. The turn to AI isn’t just a tech upgrade; it’s a strategic necessity.(Photo by Annie Spratt)Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

The Trump administration’s recent decision to bar international students from attending Harvard University was less a policy decision than an act of war. The White House had hoped its opening salvo against the nation’s oldest university would yield the kind of immediate capitulation offered by Columbia University. When Harvard chose to fight back instead, Trump decided to hit the university where it hurts most. The administration’s actions are illegal and were immediately stayed by a federal judge. But that won’t prevent real harm to students and higher learning. While Harvard has a famously selective undergraduate college, most of the university’s students are in graduate or professional school, and more than a third of those older students arrive from other countries. Overall, more than a quarter of Harvard’s 25,000 students come from outside the United States, a percentage that has steadily grown over time. The proportion of Harvard’s international students has increased 38 percent since 2006. Even if the courts continue to block this move, it will be difficult for anyone to study there knowing they might be deported or imprisoned by a hostile regime — even if they’re the future queen of Belgium. And an exodus of international students will end up harming universities far beyond Harvard, as well as American research and innovation itself. The question looming over higher education is whether the international student ban is merely the next escalation of the Trump administration’s apocalyptic campaign against a handful of elite institutions (as seen by the administration’s announcement Tuesday that it would cancel its remaining federal contracts with Harvard) — or the beginning of a broader attempt to apply “America First” protectionist principles to one the nation’s most valuable and successful export goods: higher learning. The rapid growth of international college students in the 21st century represents exactly the kind of global cooperation the isolationists in the White House would love to destroy. International students helped buoy American universities after the Great RecessionIn recent decades, international enrollment has shaped, and in some places transformed, higher learning across the country. According to the State Department, the number of annual F-1 student visas issued to international students nearly tripled from 216,000 in 2003 to 644,000 in 2015. And while many nations sent more students to America during that time, the story of international college enrollment over the last two decades has been dominated by a single country: the People’s Republic of China. In 1997, roughly 12,000 F-1 visas were issued to Chinese students; this was only a third of the number issued to the two biggest student senders that year, South Korea and Japan. Chinese enrollment started to accelerate in the early aughts and then exploded: 114,000 by 2010; 190,000 in 2012; and a peak of 274,000 in 2015. The change was driven by profound social and economic shifts within China. Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution essentially shut down university enrollment for a decade. When it ended in 1976, there was a huge backlog of college students who graduated in the 1980s into the economic liberalization of Deng Xiaoping. Many of them prospered and had children — often only one — who came of age in the early 2000s. Attending an American university was a status marker and an opportunity to become a global citizen. At the same time, many colleges were newly hungry for international enrollment. The Great Recession savaged college finances. State governments slashed funding for public universities while families had less money to pay tuition at private colleges. Public universities offer lower prices to state residents and private schools typically discount their sticker-price tuition by more than 50 percent through grants and scholarships. But those rules only apply to Americans. Recruiting so-called full-pay international students became a key strategy for shoring up the bottom line. Colleges weren’t always judicious in managing the influx of students from overseas. Purdue University enrolled so many Chinese students so quickly that in 2013 one of them noted that a main benefit of traveling 7,000 miles to West Lafayette, Indiana, was improving his language skills — by talking to students from other regions of China. That same year, an administrator at a second-tier private college in Philadelphia told me that the college tried to keep enrollment from any one country below a certain threshold “or else we’d have to build them a student center or something.” While federal law prohibits colleges from paying recruiters based on the number of students they sign up, this, too, only applies within American borders. International students sometimes pay middlemen large sums to help them navigate the huge and varied global college landscape. While many are legitimate, some are prone to falsehoods and fraud. At the same time, colleges also used the new influx of students to expand course offerings, build strong connections overseas, and diversify their academic communities. One of the great educational benefits of going to college is learning among people from different experiences and backgrounds. There has likely never been a better place to do that than an American college campus in the 21st century. The most talented international students helped drive American economic productivity and research supremacy to new heights. F-1 visas declined sharply in 2016, in part because of an administrative change that allowed Chinese students to receive five-year visas instead of reapplying every year. But the market itself was also shifting. The Chinese government invested enormous sums to build the capacity of its own national research universities, giving students better options to stay home. Geopolitical tensions were growing, and American voters chose to elect a rabidly xenophobic president in Donald Trump. Covid radically depressed international enrollment in 2020, but even after the recovery, Chinese F-1 visas in 2023 were only a third of the 2015 peak. Colleges managed by recruiting students from other countries to take their place. India crossed 100,000 student visa for the first time in 2022. At the turn of the century, fewer than 1,000 Vietnamese students studied in America. Today, Vietnam is our fourth-largest source of international students, more than Japan, Mexico, Germany, or Brazil. Enrollment from Ghana has quintupled in the last 10 years.A catastrophe for American science and innovationIf the Trump administration expands its scorched-earth student visa strategy beyond Harvard, it won’t just be the liberal enclaves and snooty college towns that suffer. Communities across the country will feel the hurt, urban and rural, in red states and blue. Some colleges might tip into bankruptcy. Others will make fewer hires and produce fewer graduates for local employers. Even before the visa ban, the government of Norway set aside money to lure away American scholars whose research has been devastated by deep Trump administration cuts to scientific research. Other countries are sure to follow. And if international students stop coming to the US, it will be a catastrophe for American leadership in science and technology. World-class research universities are magnets for global talent. Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a worldwide center of medical breakthroughs because Harvard and its neighbor MIT attract some of the smartest people in the world, who often stay in the United States to found new companies and conduct research. The same dynamic drives technology innovation around Stanford and UC Berkeley in Silicon Valley, and in university towns nationwide. If you or a loved one benefited from a new cancer treatment, there’s a good chance the person who saved your life came to America on the kind of student visa the Trump administration is trying to destroy. Like printing the global reserve currency or having a good relationship with Canada, getting the pick of international students is one of those incredibly valuable things that Americans won’t fully appreciate until someone is stupid enough to throw it away. In 2021, JD Vance told a group of movement conservatives that “we have to honestly and aggressively attack the universities in this country.” The administration has more than made good on his word, in part because the electorate is rapidly reorganizing around education attainment, with college graduates clustering in the Democratic party and nongraduates moving to the Republican side. Trump and his minions see elite colleges and universities as enemy fortresses in the culture wars, training grounds for the opposition that must be razed and broken.Modern colleges look like the future that MAGA forces most fear. Visitors to campus today see students from scores of global communities, speaking multiple languages and practicing different cultural traditions. Places where people from other countries are welcome, and no single race, nationality, or religion reigns supreme. People like JD Vance are so terrified by this vision that they would rather destroy America’s world-leading higher education system and terrorize hundreds of thousands of people who are in this country legally and only want to learn. See More:

Materials Hub eliminates barriers to ethical sourcing across AEC firms, owners, and manufacturers  Acelab announces the launch of its impactful Design for Freedom Tracking solution within the Materials Hub platform, creating the industry’s first AI-powered system that transforms ethical sourcing from aspiration to reality for architecture and design professionals of all levels. (Courtesy Acelab) Making the Invisible Visible: A new era in Ethical Material selection The Materials Hub platform directly addresses the urgent need for responsible building materials by seamlessly integrating Design for Freedom principles into everyday workflows, making ethical considerations impossible to overlook. Acelab executives Vardhan Mehta and Dave Lemont unveiled this transformative technology at the fourth Annual Design for Freedom Summit on March 27 held at Grace Farms in New Canaan, Connecticut. “Our partnership with Acelab and the launch of the Materials Hub is a groundbreaking step in our shared commitment to eliminate forced and child labor from the building materials supply chain,” said Sharon Prince, CEO and founder of Grace Farms Foundation. “Together, we are addressing a critical challenge to advancing ethical supply chains by enabling design professionals to source materials that are less at risk of labor exploitation. By making ethical material selection accessible and practical for architects and designers everywhere, we’re creating meaningful industry-wide change toward a more humane built environment.” “The industry has been held back by disconnected, labor-intensive processes that require firms to manage complex spreadsheets and conduct time-consuming research to verify ethical compliance,” said Vardhan Mehta, cofounder and CEO of Acelab. “Our AI-powered solution bridges the critical gap between the 10 percent of the A&D industry that understands forced labor risks and the 90 percent that needs actionable guidance. Materials Hub makes the invisible visible, ensuring that ethical considerations are displayed alongside performance, cost, and aesthetic decisions—creating a complete picture that transforms how materials are selected.” (Courtesy Acelab) Seamless workflow integration: from complex to intuitive The intuitive Design for Freedom tracking system automatically integrates with project initialization, featuring: Intelligent templates with built-in Design for Freedom reporting standards Real-time certification data enabling instant ethical filtering Ready-to-implement product category schedules aligned with Design for Freedom principles AI-powered risk assessment that flags high-risk locations and materials This frictionless approach eliminates the traditional barriers that have prevented widespread adoption, replacing manual processes that required professionals to: Juggle multiple disconnected spreadsheets Conduct time-intensive product code research Navigate complex variables to determine ethical compliance “Materials Hub places ethical labor considerations directly alongside performance and sustainability metrics, making it impossible to evaluate materials without seeing the full picture of their human impact,” Mehta emphasized. “We’ve translated complex supply chain data into clear, actionable insights through our AI platform, democratizing access to this critical information for all design professionals—not just specialists.” (Courtesy Acelab) Democratizing ethical design across the industry “By eliminating the friction points that have traditionally limited participation in Design for Freedom, Acelab is transforming ethical sourcing from a specialized program into an industry standard,” said Dave Lemont, Acelab’s executive chairman and former CEO of Revit. “Our platform demonstrates the tangible business advantages of ethical materials—showing how DFF guidelines benefit not only vulnerable workers but also strengthen project timelines, risk management, and client relationships.” Acelab’s groundbreaking technology delivers three transformative market solutions: Eliminates practical barriers to ethical material selection Creates unprecedented access to ethical sourcing tools for firms of all sizes Accelerates industry-wide adoption of ethical standards through intuitive technology “By partnering with industry leaders to aggregate and validate ethical supply chain data, we’re creating unprecedented transparency in material selection,” said Mehta. “Materials Hub ensures that even smaller practices without dedicated sustainability teams can confidently specify materials aligned with Design for Freedom principles, leveling the playing field across the industry.” Nora Rizzo, Ethical Materials director at Grace Farms, noted: “What Acelab has created is a game-changer for practitioners at the forefront of material selection. Before Materials Hub, incorporating ethical considerations required extensive knowledge, research, and resources that most firms simply couldn’t access. Now, every architect, designer, and owner can make informed decisions about forced labor risks as they evaluate products holistically. This open-source technology transforms what was once an overwhelming challenge into an integral part of our daily workflow.” Note: Acelab’s Materials Hub platform also integrates with other key sustainability initiatives including the AIA Materials Pledge and mindful MATERIALS Common Materials Framework, creating a comprehensive platform for holistic, ethical design practices. About Acelab: Materials Hub is an all-in-one platform empowering architecture and design firms to seamlessly research, select, and document material decisions. It centralizes knowledge, optimizes research with AI-powered search, streamlines decision-making through improved collaboration, and simplifies documentation through automation. Learn more at acelabusa.com. About Grace Farms: Grace Farms is a cultural and humanitarian center in New Canaan, Connecticut that brings together people across sectors to explore nature, arts, justice, community, and faith at the SANAA-designed River building, on 80 acres of publicly accessible natural landscape. Its humanitarian work to end modern slavery and foster more grace and peace in the local and global community includes leading the Design for Freedom movement. Launched in 2020 by Grace Farms’s CEO and founder Sharon Prince, Design for Freedom reimagines architecture by raising awareness and inspiring responses to disrupt forced labor in the building materials supply chain. The Design for Freedom Working Group comprises more than 100 leaders who together are spearheading a radical paradigm shift and mobilizing the full ecosystem of the built environment. This collaborative approach to comprehensively address humanitarian issues and generate new outcomes is reflected across all the initiatives and spaces of Grace Farms. Learn more at gracefarms.org.

Architizer’s Vision Awards are back! The global awards program honors the world’s best architectural concepts, ideas and imagery. Start your entry today, and take advantage of the Main Entry prices! As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the creative industries, Architizer’s Vision Awards jury reflects the design world’s most forward-thinking voices. This year’s panel includes pioneering architects, educators, researchers, and visual storytellers at the forefront of generative design. From fostering ethical innovation in global practice to exploring the cultural implications of machine intelligence, each juror brings a unique perspective on how AI, computation, and creativity intersect. Start Vision Awards Entry Collectively, they represent a paradigm shift in architecture — one in which designers are not just users of new technologies, but active participants in defining their purpose. Their influence spans continents and disciplines, proving that the tools of tomorrow can still be wielded with vision, intention, and humanity. Niknaz Aftahi Founder of aecplustech Niknaz Aftahi is the CEO and founder of aec+tech, an all-in-one innovation platform and community that connects professionals in Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AEC/O) with cutting-edge tools and technologies. Before launching aec+tech, Niknaz worked as both a design professional and a design technology director at architecture firms in the Bay Area, California. Niknaz is passionate about advancing technology and innovation in the AEC space and is a frequent speaker at national and international AEC-tech events. She serves on the AIA San Francisco Design Technology Committee and is a member of the AIA’s first-ever AI Task Force, a national initiative exploring how artificial intelligence will shape the future of architecture and the built environment. In addition to her work in tech, Niknaz is committed to educational equity. She has developed and taught online architecture courses for Baháʼí students in Iran, who continue to be denied access to higher education in their home country. Ismail Seleit AI Influencer, Foster + Partners Ismail Seleit is a design architect at the industry-leading Foster and Partners, specializing in design technology. With extensive experience in architecture and computational design, Ismail has contributed to diverse projects, ranging from design competitions to the realization of buildings on various scales. Actively supporting design teams, Ismail leverages his expertise in BIM and Computational Design to navigate complex challenges. His primary focus is on enabling project teams to achieve efficient, informed, and collaborative design outcomes. Collaborating across departments, Ismail works to implement innovative methodologies to manage the design process from urban planning to product scale. Simultaneously, Ismail engages in applied research, exploring new opportunities for implementing cutting-edge design workflows. His research specifically focuses into the integration of generative AI image-generating tools, with a keen interest in the combination of Stable Diffusion and ControlNet. This unique approach offers various techniques for generating controlled image compositions based on diverse user-defined inputs. Beyond his architectural pursuits, Ismail is an ambient-electronic music producer, with a focus on film scores. He has composed and produced soundtracks for architectural short films and contributed to the music and sound design of various independent films. Ismail’s passion for creative thinking, coupled with his dedication to design problem-solving, continues to drive his multifaceted and innovative endeavors. Hamza Shaikh Creative AI Lead at Gensler Hamza Shaikh is a creative AI leader at Gensler, pioneering a human-first approach to generative artificial intelligence in design. With a multidisciplinary background as a digital artist, architect and published author, he brings a proven track record of driving creative innovation at scale. His work focuses on integrating AI into the design process and storytelling, ensuring that emerging technologies enhance rather than replace human creativity and design. June Chow Principal Architect and Founder of JUN Architect Licensed architect based in Malaysia and AI specialist with expertise in Generative AI for architecture, urban design, and conceptual visualization. Trainer and consultant for architectural firms and academic institutions on AI-driven design workflows. Speaker at local and global forums and workshops on AI in architecture. Active on LinkedIn as one of the top 100 AI Creators. Andy Shaw Architect and Managing Partner at AMA Design, Chair of RIBA Gulf Chapter Andy Shaw RIBA is an architect based in Dubai. Andy is passionate about how combining innovative technology such as AI and sustainable design can improve the built environment for all citizens. He is the Managing Partner at AMA, a boutique design studio, designers of the landmark ‘Yacht Club’ in Dubai Harbour, the Nobu Hotel and Residences in Abu Dhabi, and over 2000 homes for the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority. He is currently working on large urban PIF projects in Riyadh, KSA and new hotel resorts and housing communities in the UAE. He is the Chair of the RIBA Gulf Chapter, from 2019 till 2025, helping to grow the design community and create events including the regionally focused Sustainability Series, and led the team delivering the Sustainability – Past, Present and Future exhibition in London and Dubai during COP28. He has been using AI technology to further the design process in the studio, and has his AI generated work featured in the RIBA Journal and Building Design Magazine. He has lectured about AI and city design at the Big 5, various tech conferences and run panels and workshops in Design Week, INDEX and Everything Architecture focused on AI and the future of construction industry. He is active online and in practice promoting architecture for the benefit of all the community of designers and citizens. Follow Andy on Instagram. Hassan Ragab Media Artist / Interdisciplinary designer / Architect at HSNRGB Hassan is an interdisciplinary designer, architect and conceptual artist exploring the intersection of art, technology, and humanity. His work delves into themes of identity, heritage, and the evolving role of creativity in a rapidly changing world. Combining generative AI with traditional design processes, he challenges conventional aesthetics while raising questions about the societal and cultural implications of technology. Driven by a desire to provoke thought and inspire dialogue, Hassan’s practice focuses on using innovation as a tool to reimagine how we perceive ourselves and the environments we create. Social Media Handles (@hsnrgb) via Instagram, LinkedIn, X and Bluesky, Marcelo Coehlo Director of MIT Design Intelligence Lab Marcelo Coelho is director of the MIT Design Intelligence Lab and faculty at the MIT Department of Architecture. Spanning a wide range of media, processes, and scales, his work explores how we embody and physically interact with computation, creating new forms of expression and collaboration between human and machine intelligence. Marcelo’s work has been exhibited internationally, including places such as the Rio 2016 Paralympic Ceremonies, Times Square, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and Ars Electronica, and can be found in museums, private collections, and billions of products sold all over the world. Recognition for this work includes two Prix Ars Electronica awards, Design Miami/ Designer of the Future Award, Red Dot Design Award, and Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Award. Marcelo holds a doctorate degree from the MIT Media Lab and is also a Design Tech Innovation Fellow at Cornell University. He teaches graduate and undergraduate studios in industrial design, human-computer interaction, and artificial intelligence. Architizer’s Vision Awards are back! The global awards program honors the world’s best architectural concepts, ideas and imagery. Start your entry today, and take advantage of the Main Entry prices! The post Creative Code: 7 Multi-Hyphenates Guiding This Year’s Vision Awards Jury appeared first on Journal.