Grok's safety meltdown, EU figures stand behind DSA and red-teaming office snacks
Hello and welcome to the Everything in Moderation's Week in Review. It's written by me, Ben Whitelaw and supported by members like you. Happy new to all EiM subscribers.
2026 may prove me wrong but the first EiM edition of the year has historically been a good barometer of what's come in the subsequent 12 months. In 2025 (EiM #276), it was Meta’s abandonment of T&S, the increasingly important role of safety tech vendors and growing EU ire towards X/Twitter (which we saw play out in December) while in 2024 (EiM #229) it was slow US lawmaking and AI’s emerging T&S issues.
So what does this year’s opener suggest? To me, it's a world where AI systems become the primary cause of user safety; where governments shift from consultation to intervention (not always successfully); and where internet users continue to disagree — often loudly — about whether speech or safety should reign supreme. EiM plans to follow how those tensions show up in law, product decisions, and the everyday work of T&S teams.
I’m still working through EiM’s goals for 2026 and plan to share more in the coming weeks. But if you or your organisation want to partner on project, sponsor a future edition or share a stage in 2026, drop me a line.
T&S Insider, EiM's Monday newsletter helmed by the experienced T&S pro Alice Hunsberger, will be back in your inbox next week. As ever, if you want to tailor your newsletter preferences, you can do so via Your Account. Here's your first roundup of 2026 – BW
Last year, Tech Coalition members deepened industry-wide collaboration to protect children online. Through shared tools, safety innovation, and working groups, members spent nearly 1,000 hours collaborating to tackle persistent and emerging forms of online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
This collective effort is strengthening industry’s ability to detect harm faster, share critical insights, and drive practical solutions at scale.
Policies
New and emerging internet policy and online speech regulation
The architects of the EU’s Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act have written a punchy essay in response to the US’ decision to ban five Europeans, including former commissioner Thierry Breton (EiM #259), from entering the country. The most interesting part of the piece, published by Project Syndicate, is the assertion that Europeans have been “captured by big-tech platforms” which poses “risks that can no longer ignore”. Expect the digital sovereignty verbal sparring— as well as the investment into European startups — to further ramp up this year.
As of January 1st, Malaysia’s own Online Safety Act will impose new duties on the largest social media and internet messaging platforms in the country after the likes of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, X/Twitter and YouTube all failed to obtain the necessary license last year. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has subsequently opted-in any platform with more than 8 million users to fulfil obligations including preventing CSAM, financial frauds and scams but also what it calls “obscene / lewd” and “indecent” content. The South China Morning Post has more details.