Global Scans · Standards · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Improving standards are likely to be driven more by business and technological improvement than governments in the future. The latter will be under severe pressure to cut bureaucracy, speed policy making and improve their nation's productivity performance.

• [New] By 2027, agentic systems will have to meet certain standards. / USA Barchart.com
• [New] If NASA's acoustic measurements demonstrate that the X-59's sonic thump falls within community-acceptable noise thresholds, the FAA and the International Civil Aviation Organization could revise standards that have been frozen since the Concorde era. / USA TheDefenseWatch.com
• [New] China will further upgrade the green manufacturing level of PV modules, increase the use of recycled materials, improve waste assessment standards, and testing and inspection methods. Center for Strategic and International Studies
• [New] The Federal Communications Commission will vote on new rules to ensure integrity, security, and reciprocity in electronic device testing. Benton Foundation
• [New] The Commission would vote on an order to modernize its satellite spectrum-sharing rules - a change that could unlock more than $2 billion in economic benefits for the American people and up to seven-fold more capacity for space-based broadband services. Benton Foundation
• [New] Automation is expected to drive economic growth, increase productivity, and improve living standards around the world. DeepUseCase
• [New] In the United States, the FTC issued preliminary guidance in March warning that agentic systems making consumer-facing decisions must maintain explainability standards - a technically challenging requirement that has sent compliance teams scrambling. Verodate
• [New] NASA's Space Launch System will conduct its second crewed mission, while newer heavy-lift vehicles like Blue Origin's New Glenn and Rocket Lab's Neutron are expected to enter operational service with initial flights. Grokipedia
• [New] The latest concrete milestone: Android 17 will integrate PQC digital signature protection using ML-DSA, aligned with the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology's published post-quantum standards. Security Boulevard
• [New] The EU's regulatory environment concerning data privacy (GDPR), product safety, and circular economy principles will significantly influence product design and business models, potentially setting de facto global standards. IndexBox Inc.
• [New] Predictive Analysis: Iran will likely conduct demonstrative missile or drone strikes against US naval assets in the Persian Gulf as a deterrent signal, given the explicit public threat to Kharg Island and the documented troop buildup. Drone Warfare
• [New] The development of AI, the gain of productivity that we hope for, is difficult to reconcile with fragmentation in terms of standards, licensing and access. Mirage News
• [New] Supporting the safe adoption of innovation will require updating Federal Aviation Administration processes for certifying novel aircraft designs, developing performance-based standards for flight-critical functions, and improving data collection and analysis to detect potential safety issues. NAE Website
• [New] Italy's Competition Authority opened a sector inquiry into quantum computing, examining barriers to entry linked to proprietary standards and the risk of quantum technologies being absorbed into existing dominant cloud ecosystems. Tech Policy Press
• [New] Independent verification is becoming essential and will drive demand for ISO/IEC 42001 certification, one of the world's first international standards for AI management systems. Theta Lake
• [New] Congress directed the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop an AI Risk Management Framework that organizations, public and private, could employ to ensure they use AI systems in a trustworthy manner. U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner
• [New] Keeping tabs on developments in EU law - including through the UK Mission to the EU - will also be essential as divergence could occur when EU rules change without the UK following suit. Encompass
• [New] Leverage Change: Countries that anchor their data governance frameworks to WDO standards will be structurally aligned with Beijing's preferred architecture, reducing interoperability with US and allied systems over time. Xinanigans
• [New] Expectation: Beijing will use the WDO to advance data governance standards favorable to state-mediated data flows over liberal data architecture, targeting Global South members as the primary adoption constituency. Xinanigans
• [New] Forward-looking custodians are piloting quantum-resistant key migration roadmaps aligned with NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography standards expected in late 2026. Cobo
• [New] On the consumer protection side, the FTC is expected to continue evaluating the conduct of technology companies from a consumer protection perspective, including in the areas of privacy and data security practices, auto-renewal and subscription billing, AI capabilities, and algorithmic systems. JD Supra
• [New] China Mobile will continue to promote China's full-stack AI technologies and standards to the world, covering the entire chain of computing foundations, large models, and industrial applications. WebWire

Last updated: 16 April 2026