Digital Citizens (Week 02 | 2026): Digital espionage and rogue AI

Welcome, Digital Citizens! 👋

The new year has barely begun and already(!) the leading tech stories relate to invisible vulnerabilities and privacy. AI also features heavily - for both good and not-so-good reasons, which we will explore further. All of these have the potential to impact our online (and offline) lives considerably, as we get deeper into 2026. The questions we’ll be looking to answer are: how do we protect our data, preserve our psychological wellbeing and remain as productive as possible, while using systems we don’t fully control?

In this week's edition:

• 🚨 Data leak reveals state-sponsored cyber weapons
• Grok AI child safety concerns
• ACCA ends remote exams in the UK amid rising AI cheating concerns
• YouTube drowning in AI “slop”
• Europe’s cyber chief: “we’ve lost the internet”
• Helping others for a few hours each week slows cognitive decline
• Question of the week

🚨 Data leak reveals state-sponsored cyber weapons

A data leak by Chinese cyber security firm, Knownsec, has revealed a plethora of digital espionage tools being to covertly gather data from numerous targets across the globe. The leaked data shows Knownsec’s operations go far beyond those a regular cybersecurity provider - or even a regular government contractor - would provide. Instead, the sheer volume of data being gathered and the nature of the entities being targeted, suggests a close association with China’s government and military. The software being developed by the firm includes remote surveillance tools, capable of bypassing common anti-virus solutions, and an email-monitoring platform.

The Chinese foreign ministry has denied any involvement but this is not the first time such an incident has hit the headlines. A similar leak of hacked files surfaced in 2024, showing extensive surveillance of both domestic targets and foreign citizens. You can read the full report on the latest data leak here: Knownsec Data Breach: A Trove of Espionage Tradecraft with an Insider Narrative.

How can we protect ourselves?

Stories such as this are undoubtedly concerning to individuals and organisations. Although we might be tempted to take a fatalistic view and think “everything is compromised anyway so why try to protective ourselves”, this could not be farther from the truth. There is still a great deal we can do to keep our personal and business data safe.

For most people, following established cyber security standards and widely accepted advice (starting with the basics like using multi-factor authentication, ensuring our devices are kept up to date etc.) greatly improves our cybersecurity posture. There will always be an element of risk involved with everything we do online. But as long as we appreciate that risk, stay informed about the latest threats, and take steps to protect ourselves, we will be well positioned to avoid major issues.

Grok AI child safety concerns

Elon Musk's AI company xAI is facing international backlash and potential legal repercussions after its chatbot, Grok, was found to be able to generate indecent images of minors. This echoes similar reports of the AI agent being used to generate deep-fake pornographic images of users without their consent. Concerns have been raised before about Grok’s ability to generate images, seemingly without any safeguards.

ACCA ends remote exams in the UK amid rising AI cheating concerns

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) — the largest accounting body worldwide — has announced it will stop offering remote exams from March 2026 due to widespread cheating, made possible by AI tools. This decision follows an ongoing struggle to police remote assessments effectively.

While this announcement raises important questions about assessment integrity, it also risks reducing access to flexible learning and opportunities for career advancement.

YouTube drowning in AI “slop”

A story gaining traction in the past week is a report by Kapwing that between 21% - 33% of YouTube’s feed may consist of low quality AI-Generated videos, described as ‘AI slop’. This forms part of a wider trend of increasing amounts of AI content being published on the web.

I’m inclined to believe that human-generated content will be more highly valued in future. In future, in plan to publish an AI Transparency Policy for content shared on byronjohn.com and the Digital Citizens newsletter. The purpose of such a policy is to outline exactly when and how AI is used (if at all!) to help compile, create or edit content. I would certainly encourage all businesses and creators to do the same. Our relationships with our readers and our customers are built on trust, so we should honour that trust by being as honest and transparent as possible.

Europe’s cyber chief: “we’ve lost the internet”

Belgium’s cybersecurity chief stated in an interview with the Financial Times that Europe has effectively “lost the internet”. He argues that key digital infrastructure and data flows are controlled elsewhere, leaving European governments and citizens exposed. Although he does hasten to add that this is not an imminent cyber security risk, in and of itself, it has the potential to hamper innovation and reduce European involvement in the development of key technologies.

For most ordinary users, rhetoric like this can heighten a sense of geopolitical anxiety around technology, reinforcing the idea that our digital lives are shaped by distant powers with misaligned values. It might be unrealistic to think we can keep our data solely within our own country (or continent). However, with a little bit of effort, it is possible to find service providers whose values align more closely with our own - and are located nearer to us geographically.

Helping others for a few hours each week slows cognitive decline

New research from the University of Texas and University of Massachusetts, finds that spending just a few hours each week helping others is associated with significantly slower cognitive decline. As little as 2-4 hours a week can make a difference, whether that is structured volunteering, informally helping a neighbour or becoming involved in community projects. The researchers make the case that building community connections and helping others are public health issues that need greater attention. For Digital Citizens spending more and more time online, this research is a reminder that maintaining social connections is essential for our wellbeing.

Question of the week

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Thank you for reading.

Stay curious, stay critical - and stay connected!

All the best,

Byron