Products

Here come the ITDevCoins: the new currency that rewards your professional growth!

Here come the ITDevCoins: the new currency that rewards your professional growth! If you are a developer, you know very well how important it is to stay updated, attend events, and use the right tools. Starting today, all of this has an extra value. We are thrilled to introduce an absolute novelty: ITDevCoin (ITDC)! ITDevCoins are our new loyalty points designed exclusively for the dev community. The more you learn, the more you participate, the more you buy… and the more you save on your daily work tools. What they are (and what they are NOT). ITDevCoins are loyalty points, not a cryptocurrency and not an investment. They have no monetary value outside of our program, are not convertible into cash, are not transferable to other accounts, and are used exclusively as a discount on our products and services. How do you earn ITDevCoin? Accumulating ITDC is super simple: on products participating in the program, you receive 1 ITDC for every €10 actually paid. The accumulation is calculated on the amount you pay in cash: the price portion covered by using your ITDCs does not generate new points. Important: the accumulation of ITDevCoin is explicitly stated on the offer of the individual product or service. If it is not expressly indicated, the product does not earn ITDevCoin. The typical occasions where you will find ITDevCoin are: Course purchases: invest in your skills and receive an immediate return in ITDC. New Embarcadero licenses: renew your toolset and fill up on ITDC. Participation in bit Time events: your presence matters! You earn points by participating in our events, including free ones. Sharing and feedback: share the speeches after leaving your review (keep an eye out for badges!). Developer services: in general, any purchase through bit Time Software or bit Time Professionals of courses, products, or services dedicated to the dev world will let you accumulate ITDevCoin. How do you use them? (And how much do you save?) How it works is super simple: you use the ITDevCoin you have accumulated to get an immediate discount. Each ITDevCoin gives you access to a €0.50 discount. You freely decide how many ITDCs to use on each purchase, up to a maximum number that depends on the product and is indicated for each item (you can find it in the table below and during the checkout phase). The values in the table represent the maximum applicable discount for each item. You can always choose to use fewer, based on the ITDCs you have available. Practical examples (maximum discount) Product / Service List Price Price using ITDC (max discount) Web API Course with Delphi and DMVCFramework € 490.00 € 417.50 + 145 ITDC Local LLMs and AI: From Foundations to Operations € 490.00 € 417.50 + 145 ITDC PostgreSQL for Developers € 599.00 € 511.50 + 175 ITDC Practical Application of OOP and Design Patterns € 799.00 € 681.50 + 235 ITDC Delphi Course – Part 1 € 590.00 € 502.50 + 175 ITDC Delphi Course – Part 2 € 590.00 € 502.50 + 175 ITDC Rapid Development of Modern Web Applications with Delphi € 590.00 € 502.50 + 175 ITDC Multithreading Techniques in Delphi € 299.00 € 256.50 + 85 ITDC HTMX, from zero to hero! € 590.00 € 502.50 + 175 ITDC Kanban Methodology € 299.00 € 256.50 + 85 ITDC C++Builder Enterprise Named User € 4,399.00 € 4,049.00 + 700 ITDC C++Builder Architect Named User € 7,149.00 € 6,579.00 + 1,140 ITDC Delphi Enterprise Named User € 4,399.00 € 4,049.00 + 700 ITDC Delphi Architect Named User € 7,149.00 € 6,579.00 + 1,140 ITDC RAD Studio Enterprise Named User € 5,499.00 € 5,061.50 + 875 ITDC Update Subscription C++Builder Enterprise € 1,038.96 € 956.46 + 165 ITDC Update Subscription C++Builder Architect € 1,558.96 € 1,436.46 + 245 ITDC Update Subscription Delphi Enterprise € 1,038.96 € 956.46 + 165 ITDC Update Subscription Delphi Architect € 1,558.96 € 1,436.46 + 245 ITDC Update Subscription RAD Studio Enterprise € 1,246.96 € 1,149.46 + 195 ITDC In short: the more you participate in the community’s life, the less your software and training will cost. Program Terms and Conditions Accumulation on actual spending. You earn 1 ITDC for every €10 actually paid in cash. The price portion covered by using your ITDCs does not generate new points. Non-combinable. ITDCs cannot be combined with other promotions or discounts, either during the accumulation phase or the utilization phase. Accumulation only if indicated. A product earns ITDevCoin only if explicitly stated on the offer. In the absence of an indication, by default, the product does not earn ITDevCoin. Utilization subject to exclusions. The use of ITDevCoin as a discount can also be excluded on certain products or services: any exclusion is indicated on the individual item. Expiration. Each accumulated ITDC has an expiration date of 2 years from the date of credit; beyond this period, it is lost. (Points closest to expiration are used first.) Personal and non-transferable. ITDCs are associated with your account and cannot be transferred, sold, or converted into cash. Accumulation per company. ITDevCoins are associated with the company making the purchase (the holder who pays), not the individual employee. If multiple people from the same company participate in courses or purchase products, the ITDevCoins flow into a single corporate balance, which can be used on subsequent purchases of different types and for the benefit of other people in the company. Example: a company accumulates ITDevCoin by purchasing a license and then uses them to discount a course intended for its developers. Non-transferable to third parties. The ITDevCoin balance cannot be transferred, sold, or assigned to other companies, nor converted into cash. Returns and refunds. In the event of a return or cancellation of a purchase, the ITDCs earned on that purchase are reversed; any ITDCs used for the discount will be re-credited to you. Point value. Each ITDevCoin gives you access to a €0.50 discount, usable exclusively within the ITDevCoin program. Frequently Asked Questions On what

Products

Flowenti at BPM 2026: The Italian process management platform heads to Toronto

Flowenti at BPM 2026: The Italian process management platform heads to Toronto The company is set to attend the 24th International Conference on Business Process Management, held at York University from September 27th through October 2nd. Flowenti announces its participation in the 24th International Conference on Business Process Management (BPM 2026), to be held at York University in Toronto, Canada, from September 27 to October 2, 2026. As one of the world’s most prestigious events for the Business Process Management community, the BPM conference has served as the leading global forum for researchers and practitioners for over twenty years, bringing together academics, industry experts, and innovators for a week of keynotes, scientific presentations, tutorials, workshops, and demos. Flowenti will be represented by its CEO and a delegation from the technical team, underscoring the company’s commitment to blending strategic vision with engineering excellence. This presence in Toronto is part of the international growth strategy for the platform, which was developed to support organizations in digitalizing and automating operational processes through a native BPMN 2.0 approach. The 2026 edition holds particular significance, marking only the second time since the conference’s inception that the event has taken place in North America. The program spans disciplines ranging from computer science and information systems to engineering and management, with a strong focus on real-world impact—an ideal setting for the dialogue between industry and research to which Flowenti intends to actively contribute. Participation will allow the team to engage in discussions on the frontiers of process mining, intelligent automation, and the integration of formal modeling with enterprise applications, further strengthening relationships within the international scientific community.

Architecturals

“It takes a long time because there’s a lot of data.” Is that really the case?

“It takes a long time because there’s a lot of data.” Is that really the case? At bit Time Professionals, we often provide consultancy for our clients, and this is one of the phrases we hear most: “It takes a long time because there’s a lot of data.” It’s the perfect excuse—the justification that closes every door and shuts down any attempt at improvement. We were called in for a complex project involving 8 distributed services. The heart of the system—the part managing connectivity—was taking 55 minutes to start up. The client told us: “It’s normal; the load is massive. It has to aggregate, index, and map relationships. There’s no other way.” But we didn’t settle for that. Because in engineering, “it takes a long time because there’s a lot of data” isn’t a diagnosis. It’s a surrender. We stopped listening to opinions and hooked up a profiler. We brought observability to the system: the ability to see exactly what happens line by line and millisecond by millisecond. We transformed a “black box” into a clear path where every inefficiency became visible and measurable. We discovered that the problem wasn’t the volume of data, but how the system handled it. When you stop “going by gut feeling” and start relying on numbers, the result changes: startup time plummeted from 55 minutes to 40 seconds. The client was stunned. Not because we had performed a miracle, but because we stopped accepting a lazy justification and used the scientific method to overturn a limitation that had lasted for years. Discover bit Time Professionals’ consultancy services.

Products

Developing software can be beautiful, but…

Developing software can be beautiful, but… Editorial by Fabrizio Bitti In recent months, I have been reflecting on some news in software technology and generative artificial intelligence: Sora, an explosive technological product, lightning-fast growth, global hype… and then shut down within a few weeks. Each of us tried to make a video of our dog dancing tap, but every video cost nearly 2 dollars in electricity, and the company created a hole of millions in a couple of weeks just to watch the world’s dogs dance. It is not the first time, and it won’t be the last. But the point is not the individual product. The point is: how do you get to the point of creating something only to realize the direction was wrong? When you develop software today—whether it’s a mobile app, a SaaS platform, or a desktop product—the temptation is always the same: to do everything. New features, new products, new business lines, new integrations. AI, automation, marketplaces, social layers. Every week a different direction. When you show your product, those looking at it take what is there for granted, but point their finger at what is missing. In a typical meeting, what exists occupies a few seconds, while the focus remains only on what is missing. On paper, it looks like innovation. In reality, it is often dispersion. The problem is that every product has a real cost: development, infrastructure, maintenance, support, compliance. If you multiply initiatives without a clear strategy, you aren’t scaling—you are diluting. And when complexity exceeds the value generated, the system collapses. It doesn’t matter how advanced the technology is. Then there is a second, even subtler mistake: building too much on assets you don’t control. Third-party APIs, distribution platforms, external models, marketplaces. They are powerful accelerators, but they are not foundations. If your product depends critically on something that can change its rules, costs, or existence from one day to the next, you aren’t building a company. You are renting your core. And when the context changes—due to costs, policies, or strategy—you find yourself chasing, not leading. The lesson for those who develop software is simple and uncomfortable: It is not the launch speed that determines success, but sustainability. Even if timing remains important, it is not the factor that determines success. It is not the number of features, but the coherence of the product. It is not how much you integrate, but what you truly control. It is not about doing more, but doing better. Focus is not a limitation. It is a multiplier. It means choosing what not to do. It means protecting resources. It means building something that holds up even when the context changes. Because in the end, the problem isn’t that a product might fail. It happens. The problem is when it fails because you lost your direction. With different guidance, a coherent direction might have prevented that failure. And if today you are building, adding, expanding… the question to ask yourself is not “what else can we do?” But rather: “are we doing too much?” If the answer is yes, you already know what to do. Cut. Focus. Build well—no, build excellently.

Cybersecurity, Products

NIS2, CRA, and SBOM: What Delphi 13 Can Truly Do for Your Compliance in 2026

NIS2, CRA, and SBOM: What Delphi 13 Can Truly Do for Your Compliance in 2026 A Correct Technical and Regulatory Guide for Delphi Developers If you develop software in Italy, 2026 is a pivotal year. The European cybersecurity regulatory landscape is now fully operational: the NIS2 Directive, transposed via Legislative Decree 138/2024, imposes concrete obligations on companies operating in critical sectors. Alongside this sits the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), an EU regulation introducing specific requirements for products with digital elements, including the mandatory production of a SBOM (Software Bill of Materials). For those working with Delphi, understanding exactly what these regulations require—and what the available tools can actually offer—is essential for making informed decisions. 1. NIS2 and CRA: Two Distinct Regulations, Complementary Goals A common mistake is confusing NIS2 and CRA. It is important to distinguish them: NIS2 (EU Directive 2022/2555) targets operators of essential and important services. It mandates risk management, incident notification, cybersecurity governance, and supply chain security. It does not prescribe specific technologies or explicitly mention SBOM as a requirement. Cyber Resilience Act (CRA, EU Regulation 2024/2847) targets manufacturers of products with digital elements. It is the CRA, not NIS2, that explicitly requires the production of an SBOM for software components. The CRA will be fully applicable in 2027, though vulnerability reporting obligations begin as early as September 2026. In practice, a Delphi developer providing software to critical sectors may need to comply with both: NIS2 as a supplier in the supply chain of an essential entity, and CRA as a manufacturer of a digital product. Therefore, an SBOM is a strongly recommended best practice for NIS2 and a direct legal obligation under the CRA. 2. SBOM: State of the Art for the Delphi Ecosystem Important Note: As of today (February 2026), RAD Studio 13 Florence does not include a native SBOM generation feature integrated directly into the IDE. Generating an SBOM in CycloneDX or SPDX format is available via third-party tools: DerScanner SCA + SBOM: Offered by Embarcadero in a promotional bundle with RAD Studio 13 licenses. This is an external tool, not a built-in compiler or IDE feature. Delphi Code Analyzer (delphiparser.com): A third-party commercial tool supporting Delphi code analysis (from Delphi 1 to 13) and SBOM generation in CycloneDX 1.5 format. This means that to produce an audit-ready SBOM, you must plan to integrate additional tools into your build process rather than relying on an “out of the box” function in Delphi 13. 3. The 2026 NIS2 Roadmap: Immediate Actions If your company falls within critical sectors (energy, healthcare, digital infrastructure, manufacturing, PA, etc.), the 2026 calendar allows for no delays: By February 28, 2026: Window open for registration or annual updates on the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) portal. From January 1, 2026: Obligation to notify CSIRT Italia of any “significant” incident, with a pre-notification within 24 hours. By October 2026: For entities notified in 2025, the minimum technical measures required by law must be fully operational. Sanctions: Up to €10 million or 2% of global turnover for essential entities; up to €7 million or 1.4% of turnover for important entities. NIS2 also stipulates direct liability for management bodies. 4. Why Delphi is an Ally for Compliance Native Compilation and Attack Surface Delphi applications are natively compiled into machine code, without dependencies on virtual machines or managed runtimes. This can simplify dependency management compared to ecosystems with vast package managers (npm, Maven, pip). However, honesty is required: the complexity of a Delphi application’s supply chain depends on the third-party components used (VCL/FMX, GetIt packages, commercial libraries). A Delphi project with many external dependencies can have a risk profile comparable to a Java or .NET application. Furthermore, native compilation introduces specific risks (buffer overflows, memory corruption) that managed runtimes mitigate natively. It should also be noted that modern .NET supports native AOT (Ahead-of-Time) compilation, making the comparison less stark than it once was. InterBase 15: Verified Security Features InterBase 15, released in Autumn 2025, introduces concrete, documented security features: AES-256 Encryption by default for data at-rest and in-transit. DES is no longer supported. Mandatory TLS 1.2+ for client-server communications. TLS 1.0 and 1.1 have been eliminated. OpenSSL 3.5 LTS as the cryptographic foundation. Optional FIPS 140-3 (Server Edition on Windows and Linux only). While FIPS 140-3 is a US standard, in the European NIS2 context, primary references remain ISO/IEC 27001 and ENISA frameworks. FIPS support is nonetheless a strong indicator of cryptographic maturity. SHA-256 password digest for password protection. Change Views™ for tracking data modifications, essential for audit trails. Separation of Duties (SYSDSO) with column-level encryption, implementing the principle of least privilege. The Practical Advantage of the RAD Studio 13 Bundle A concrete aspect deserving attention is the ecosystem of tools Embarcadero provides with a RAD Studio 13 license: InterBase 15 Developer Edition is included, providing all the security features of the Server Edition for development and testing. DerScanner SCA + SBOM is offered as a promotion for customers purchasing or upgrading to RAD Studio 13. GetIt with Versioning: RAD Studio 13 introduces support for versioning GetIt packages, allowing you to “pin” specific dependency versions. This facilitates build reproducibility and third-party component traceability. In practical terms, upgrading to RAD Studio 13 provides a modern encrypted database, an SBOM generation tool, and a versioned dependency management system in a single transaction. It’s not “automatic compliance,” but it significantly reduces the operational complexity required to achieve it. 5. Implementing Technical Measures in Delphi To make Delphi software compliant with NIS2 requirements, developers should focus on three pillars: Strong Authentication (MFA): NIS2 requires multi-factor authentication for critical access. In Delphi, you can integrate libraries like IPWorks Auth to implement OAuth, RADIUS, or Kerberos and manage X.509 certificates. Protected Communication: It is vital to support TLS 1.2 or higher and the latest OpenSSL versions, retiring obsolete protocols. InterBase 15 implements these requirements natively. Traceability and Audit: By leveraging InterBase Change Views™, developers can track who modified what, creating granular audit logs useful for managing significant incidents. 6. Supply

AI

Junior programmers are no longer needed, the IT sector in India is collapsing, and Claude Cowork is claiming its first victims.

Junior developers are no longer needed, the IT sector in India is collapsing, and Claude Cowork is claiming its first victims. The Evolution of Claude Cowork and Market Impact Claude Cowork is a new tool from Anthropic based on the Claude language model, designed to act as a true “digital colleague.” It does not limit itself to answering questions or generating text, but is designed to perform daily operational tasks: searching and organizing files, creating reports from corporate documents, synthesizing internal emails and chats, preparing presentations, summarizing meetings, managing expense reports, converting files, and supporting professional workflows. In other words, it does not aim to perform generic activities for private users, but to replace or assist tasks typical of offices, professional firms, and IT departments. The Introduction of Sector-Specific Plug-ins The real news that has shaken the markets was the introduction of a series of sector-specific plug-ins (legal, finance, marketing, product management, data analysis, and others). These plug-ins are not separate models trained on proprietary databases, but configurations and workflows built on top of Claude that allow for the automation of specific tasks. For example, in the legal sector, the plug-in is capable of reviewing contracts, verifying regulatory compliance, drafting memoranda, preparing NDAs, and performing other activities normally entrusted to specialized software, outsourcing companies, or junior figures. Anthropic’s Strategic Shift and Market Reaction The crucial point is that Anthropic is no longer limited to providing a model via API upon which other companies build their own services, but is entering the market directly with ready-to-use solutions. In this way, it becomes a competitor to the same companies that were previously its customers. This shift generated immediate fears in the financial markets. Between February 4th and 5th, the Indian technology sector suffered a sharp crash: approximately $22 billion in market capitalization was lost, and the Nifty IT index recorded its worst decline in six years (over -6%). Outsourcing giants such as Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, and Wipro lost between 4% and 7%. But the effect was not limited to India: global companies like Adobe and Salesforce lost about 6-7%, Intuit 11%, while specialized companies like DocuSign, ServiceNow, Thomson Reuters, Relx, and Wolters Kluwer saw declines exceeding 10-15%. The U.S. S&P Software & Services index also suffered a significant drop. The Crisis of the Indian Outsourcing Model The reason India was hit so markedly concerns the structure of its IT industry, which is worth about $280 billion and is heavily based on outsourcing. Many Indian companies provide software development, maintenance, infrastructure management, data analysis, and technical support services to international clients. Their business model is labor-intensive: they employ large numbers of engineers and programmers, often junior, and revenues depend largely on billable hours. If tools like Claude Cowork reduce the need for large external teams for coding, testing, or data management activities, the entire economic balance of the sector is called into question. Impact on Employment and Junior Roles The fear concerns not only companies but also employment. Junior figures or those in training are the most exposed: new graduates hired to perform basic tasks in software development, quality control, document processing, or administrative support. Data shows that the slowdown in hiring is already underway: in the United States, large tech companies are hiring over 50% fewer new graduates compared to 2019, while in several European countries, job openings for junior tech roles decreased by up to 35% in 2024. Large Indian groups have also slowed workforce growth in recent years. Beyond software development, fields such as paralegal work and all professions related to the review and management of structured documents are also considered at risk. If an AI agent can analyze hundreds of contracts in minutes, the need for personnel dedicated to these activities could be drastically reduced. Anthropic’s Growth and Future Outlook Meanwhile, Anthropic is among the primary beneficiaries of this transformation. A large part of its revenue comes from the business market, and Claude Code has already reached approximately one billion dollars in annual revenue. The company’s valuation has grown rapidly and could rise to approximately $350 billion in the new funding round. Other companies in the AI sector, such as Palantir with Hivemind and other developers of autonomous agents, are following a similar direction, reinforcing the automation of complex professional tasks. The episode has reignited the debate over how much generative artificial intelligence can impact the labor market in the coming years. According to some industry estimates, between 10% and 20% of jobs in fields such as technology, finance, law, and consulting could be transformed or eliminated within 5-10 years. The most evident signs, at least for now, concern entry-level positions and repetitive activities, which represent the first ground for technological replacement.

Architecturals, Products

Stop Chasing Bugs with ExeWatch

Stop Chasing Bugs with ExeWatch Protect Your Time and Increase Profits: Delphi Telemetry That Eliminates Blind Debugging Every time a client reports an error you cannot reproduce, you are losing both money and authority. ExeWatch is the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) solution built to give you back total control over your technology stack. In today’s software market, reliability is not an option—it is a business necessity. Waiting for a user to report a crash means you are managing an emergency, not a product. With ExeWatch, the paradigm shifts: you become proactive, solve bugs silently, and drastically reduce technical support costs, protecting your profit margins through advanced monitoring. Defeating Blind Debugging: NIST and IBM Data on Efficiency The most frustrating and costly problem for a developer is the inability to reproduce a reported error. Research conducted by authoritative bodies such as NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) and IBM confirms a harsh reality for those not using professional telemetry tools: Compromised Time-to-Fix: Up to 75% of bug resolution time is wasted simply trying to reconstruct the scenario that led to the crash (the so-called “blind debugging”). The Cost of Reactivity: Identifying and fixing a bug only after a customer report can cost up to 30 times more than resolving it in earlier stages, due to time spent on support tickets and “blind” technical investigations. ExeWatch eliminates this bottleneck by instantly providing the data that IBM research identifies as critical for reducing the Mean Time to Repair (MTTR). From Craftsmanship to Software Industry: Scalability and Efficiency It is time to move beyond the limits of reactive monitoring. Management based on user feedback (“if it crashes, let me know”) is inefficient, expensive, and risks your corporate reputation. ExeWatch transitions you toward an industrialized management of your software projects: a system where the software monitors itself and allows you to resolve issues before the customer ever pays the price. It is not just a technical tool; it is the essential infrastructure for any software company aiming for scalability. AI-Powered Anomaly Detection and Intelligent Monitoring ExeWatch is more than a simple log collector. It integrates Anomaly Detection algorithms that analyze error timing and frequency in real-time. Preventive Alerting: If response times for a Windows Service or a Linux Daemon suddenly degrade, ExeWatch alerts you before a total system hang occurs. Silent Detection: It intercepts behavioral anomalies that escape manual testing, allowing you to deploy a patch before the end-user even notices a slowdown. Hardware Intelligence: Evolutionary Telemetry for VCL, FMX, and Server Unlike generic web trackers, ExeWatch analyzes the hardware and OS context every time the application starts: Client Evolution: Track in real-time which machines have updated their OS or have obsolete hardware (RAM, CPU) that impacts performance. Version Control Tracking: Instantly monitor the global distribution of your releases. You know exactly which version is running on every client. Total Infrastructure: Native support for Delphi applications (VCL/FMX), Application Servers, Windows Services, and Linux Daemons. Omnichannel Authority: Delphi Meets JavaScript While ExeWatch is the leader in Delphi telemetry, its architecture includes an optimized JavaScript SDK. This allows you to monitor hybrid ecosystems (desktop software and web portals) from a single unified dashboard, ensuring a holistic view of your entire software suite. Immediate ROI: 5-Minute Integration Integrating ExeWatch takes only 5 minutes and does not impact software performance. It is an investment that pays for itself with the very first email or phone call you DO NOT receive, because you have already anticipated and solved the problem in the background. Hobby Plan: Free forever, ideal for personal projects and startups. Pro & Business: Enterprise features, multi-tenancy, and Anomaly Detection for established companies. The ExeWatch Challenge: Try Proactive Monitoring for Free Don’t just take our word for it: put your code to the test. Accept the challenge: integrate ExeWatch into your most critical project today using the Free Hobby Plan. We challenge you to discover at least one anomaly you were previously unaware of within a week. If ExeWatch intercepts even a single critical crash before your client does, you will have changed your way of doing business forever. Stop chasing bugs. Start dominating solutions. ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE: ACTIVATE EXEWATCH FOR FREE NOW

Cybersecurity

User Identity Theft on Discord

User Identity Theft on Discord In October 2025, Discord, the popular communication platform for millions of users, suffered a serious personal data theft that ignited a deep debate on online user security and privacy. The alarm came directly from the company, which confirmed that the cyber attack did not hit Discord’s main servers but occurred through an external vendor tasked with managing customer service and Trust & Safety support. The attack was identified and made public in the first days of October 2025, specifically on October 5, when Discord began notifying users potentially involved in the breach. The hackers managed to obtain an impressive amount of data—about 1.5 terabytes—including approximately 70,000 images belonging to users who had contacted customer support. Among the stolen data were sensitive personal details such as names, usernames, email addresses, and contact information like mobile phone numbers. Particularly concerning was the compromise of the last four digits of credit cards and, most importantly, photographs and scans of identity documents used by users for age verification, as required by regulations in some countries like the UK under the Online Safety Act. These documents are essential for proving users are of legal age, and their exposure represents a significant risk of identity theft and fraud. According to Discord, the attack was primarily for extortion, with the cyber criminals attempting to blackmail the company by threatening to disclose the stolen data. Fortunately, the company managed to block the compromised vendor’s access to its ticketing systems and promptly initiated collaboration with the competent authorities to identify those responsible for the attack. Discord also reassured users that no data related to personal messages, private chats, or servers was touched, as these are stored on separate, more protected infrastructures. Discord itself raised the alarm about the data theft through official communications, including detailed emails to affected users, explaining precisely what information had been exposed and suggesting actions to take to protect against possible scams or abuse. The platform emphasized the importance of maintaining high vigilance regarding digital security, even in relationships with external vendors, as critical flaws can open up precisely through these indirect channels. This event has reignited the debate on the complexity of security in large technological platforms which, while investing significant resources to protect their main systems, must deploy equal attention in managing partnerships and accessory services. The management of age and digital identity verification is particularly sensitive and requires rigorous security protocols precisely because it involves highly confidential data. In conclusion, the Discord data theft highlighted how cybersecurity is a continuous and complex process that must consider all links in the service chain. For users, it is crucial to adopt personal security measures like enabling two-factor authentication and avoiding sharing sensitive documents outside of official channels, while for companies, the challenge is to ensure robust protections even in dealings with external partners and vendors. Discord has already begun to act in this direction by collaborating with authorities and strengthening its internal controls to prevent future incidents of this kind.

AI

Italy in the Front Line: Global AI Regulation Amidst Races and Legal Responsibilities

Italy in the Front Line: Global AI Regulation Amidst Races and Legal Responsibilities The world is moving fast in the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), but the real race is the one for its regulation. With the European AI Act coming into force in August 2024, the Old Continent has positioned itself as a pioneer, establishing a unique regulatory framework. However, the real news comes from Italy, which is distinguishing itself internationally for the speed and comprehensiveness of its implementing measures. The European AI Act: A Gradual and Thoughtful Approach The AI Act is the first regulation in the world to establish harmonized rules for Artificial Intelligence. Effective from August 1, 2024, the regulation adopts a risk-based approach, which imposes more stringent obligations on AI systems considered “high-risk.” The European legislator opted for a gradual application of the restrictions. This extended timeframe was designed to grant Member States the necessary time to incorporate the regulations into their respective national legal systems, while simultaneously ensuring that companies and developers have time to adapt. Italy and Spain: The First to Translate Obligation into Law Despite the progressive nature of the AI Act, some Member States have demonstrated remarkable readiness. Italy and Spain have emerged as the first countries in the Union to adopt national legislation aimed at implementing the regulation. Between the two, the Italian move stands out for its regulatory depth. The Italian law is presented as the most complete so far, going beyond the simple transposition of European directives and establishing clear lines of obligations and responsibilities. The point of greatest impact is the introduction of criminal penalties, a legal deterrent that underlines the seriousness with which Italy intends to address the risks arising from the improper use of AI. The Global Context: Solitary China, Stalled United States While Europe has assumed leadership in regulation, the landscape outside the continent is decidedly more fragmented and lagging. Currently, at the national regulation level, only China has introduced a law for the control and management of Artificial Intelligence, reflecting a centralized and rigorous control model. The United States, on the contrary, has not yet developed a federal regulatory framework for AI. Although some individual states have introduced mild transparency obligations for the use of AI in certain sectors, a cohesive national strategy is lacking. This absence creates a less binding regulatory environment, often criticized for not sufficiently protecting citizens and consumers. Looking to the Future: The Challenge of Responsibility The Italian approach, with the introduction of criminal penalties and specific obligations, marks a clear direction: innovation must go hand in hand with responsibility. As AI continues to transform the economy and society, the European experience, and the Italian one in particular, serves as a model for the rest of the world. The real test for all nations will be to ensure that AI is developed and used in an ethical, transparent, and safe manner, without stifling the potential of this revolutionary technology.

AI

Little Programmers Grow Up

Little Programmers Grow Up I’m Fabrizio Bitti, CEO of bit Time Software, but today I’m not speaking to you as an entrepreneur. I’m speaking to you as a father. Father of Alessandro, ten years old, passionate about technology and already determined to understand “how things work.” Not just to use them. A desire that, as a programmer, I can only encourage. For a few months now, Alessandro has been taking an online Python course on Kodland. One lesson a week with a live teacher, plus a well-designed platform that guides him step-by-step along a solid path. I’ve observed him since the first lesson: he always logs in early, adjusts his headphones, opens his notebook. He’s curious, attentive, and most importantly, happy. And for a parent, that’s everything. It’s not just about code. It’s the context that makes the difference. Alongside him are kids his age with whom he shares a passion for programming. A close-knit small group, guided by a real teacher with whom he has built a relationship of trust. There are no animations or special effects, but a clear and concrete progression. One step at a time, as every language should be learned, not just computer languages. Yesterday, for example, Alessandro was explaining to me what dictionaries are and how key-value associations work. For me, who has lived the world of software from the inside for over twenty years, seeing my son write his first lines of code is an emotional experience. Not because I dream of a future as an engineer for him (he’ll decide that), but because I know that, whatever path he chooses, the ability to think logically and creatively together will be decisive. The world awaiting him will certainly be steeped in technology, automation, and artificial intelligence. But I firmly believe that the creativity of a passionate programmer – a human being capable of inventing, adapting, and imagining – will never be replaceable. Online platforms like Kodland are one of the best ways I’ve seen to cultivate this kind of talent. Without forcing it. Without illusions. But with real tools. Today, I can calmly say that I am happy. Happy as a parent. And happy as a programmer, father of a young programmer. Fabrizio BittiCEO, bit Time Software  

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