HOT OFF THE PRESS
WATCH THIS SPACE for burning issues and real-world events!
NEW posts every week on Wednesday related to topics in the Digital Society Guide.
Each post will be available for two months.
HOT OFF THE PRESS - Wed - 28 October, 2026
Burning Issue: Keeping up with the NEW terminology relating to digital technologies
NEW terminology is constantly emerging as new digital technologies and uses evolve.
The graphic shows a small sample of new words that are associated with digital technologies used in today's society.
The glossary in the link below covers a range of terminology for understanding digital well-being, online safety, and AI technology.
Browse the Article: Internet safety glossary created by Internet Matters.
https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/glossary/
- On the website, it states that "Internet Matters exists to make sure that positive action is taken to support children and young people’s online safety and wellbeing." How does the Internet safety glossary contribute to this goal?
- What additional words and definitions would you include on the website?
HOT OFF THE PRESS - Wed - 21 October, 2026
Burning Issue: Who are the tech giants shaping our world and our lives
Digital Society is not only about the impacts and implications arising from the use of digital technologies in our society, it is also about stakeholders. Those who are impacted and those who are behind those impacts.
Let's start a ‘WATCH’ list of the tech giants and their companies and how they are continuously re-shaping our world. It is not only who they are, but also what they think, what they say and what they are doing.
Read the Article: The dangers of letting tech billionaires shape our world
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2026/oct/19/musk-ukraine-ai-music
- Begin your own table to track tech billionaires, their position, company and what they think and how they influence our world. Make the first entries using information from the news article.
| Tech Giant | Position | Company | What do they think? / What actions have they taken? (Dates) |
| Elon Musk | |||
2. Add to your table these ‘Tech Giants’ and others as they emerge in future news items and developments
- Apple: John Ternus CEO/ formerly Tim Cook
- Microsoft: Satya Nadella CEO / Bill Gates
- Alphabet (Google): Sundar Pichai CEO
- NVIDIA: Jensen Huang CEO
- Meta (Facebook): Mark Zuckerberg CEO
- Amazon: Andy Jassy CEO/ founder Jeff Bezos
- Tesla: Elon Musk CEO
- OpenAI: Sam Altman CEO
4. Include the names of additional tech giants from the news article and photos below. The article makes the connection between digital technologies and politics.
Watch future news about what actions these persons are taking and what they believe. What impact do they have on the use of digital technologies and on our lives?
HOT OFF THE PRESS - Wed - 14 October, 2026
Burning Issue: It’s raining boxes: Amazon drone deliveries - a blessing or annoyance?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which governs US airspace, gave Amazon clearance to fly its 83 pound drones to deliver packages in the Richardson, Texas, area. The delivery can be made quickly, at times in 30 minutes or less. The cost of the Amazon delivery may be free or cost up to US$4.99. Amazon plans to expand the drone delivery service to 500 more cities across the USA by the end of 2026.
While this delivery service is welcomed by some residents in Richardson, it has been a major annoyance and cause of concern for others.
View:
Read the Article: It’s raining boxes: Amazon drones overwhelm a Texas suburb
Conduct Further Inquiries:
- Identify the relevant stakeholders and the positive and negative impacts for each stakeholder.
- It is necessary to understand the digital technologies and features related to the use of Amazon drones for delivery. What data collection and data transfer features are included in the drones?
- Follow-up by researching further into the use of drones for Amazon deliveries in Richardson, Texas, and different locations in the USA. What other commercial companies are using drone deliveries for groceries and other goods?
- How do local and government laws regulate their use?
Make Connections: 2.1 Change, 3.7 Robots and autonomous technologies, 4.2C Goods, services and currencies
HOT OFF THE PRESS - Wed - 07 October, 2026
Burning Issue: Smart glasses in Public Spaces
The Guardian reports that Norway plans a temporary ban on the use of smart glasses in public places, i.e. parks, beaches, museums, shopping centres, schools, daycare centres, healthcare facilities, gyms and public events. Private use would still be allowed.
This is in response to privacy issues related to the AI-recording capabilities of smart glasses (video clips, photos and audio recordings). Meta makes some of the popular versions of smart glasses for companies such as Ray-Ban and Oakley. The Meta smart glasses have a bright alert light on the front of the smart glasses that blinks whenever a photo or video is being taken. It cannot be disabled and the camera does not work if the camera is covered up or manipulated in anyway.
Read the Article: Norway plans temporary ban on smart glasses in some public places
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/norway-temporary-ban-smart-glasses-public-places
Conduct Further Inquiries:
- There are growing global concerns and measures that have been taken regarding the use of smart glasses in public places. Identify locations, concerns and measures that have been taken that are highlighted in the above article.
- It is important to understand the digital technologies and features embedded in smart glasses and how they work. Investigate online, and possibly by visiting a local retail store, one of the popular models of smart glasses. Identify the capabilities of the smart glasses and how they function. Note the data collection and data transfer capabilities. What other functions do smart glasses have?
- Follow-up by researching further in different global locations, the impacts and implications of smart glasses in public places and the laws that are regulating their use.
Make Connections: 2.7 Values and ethics, 3.5 Media, 3.6 Artificial Intelligence, 4.1 Cultural