British shoppers turn to AI as London high street sales falter As our beloved high streets grapple with rising business costs, decaying consumer confidence and yet another bout of tax uncertainty, AI agents are reshaping how consumers shop. A report published by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) warns that that so-called ‘agentic AI’, a quasi-autonomous form of artificial intelligence, could shift from novelty to norm within [...]
ICO urges transparency as AI transforms UK recruitment Tech AI is rapidly reshaping recruitment in the UK, yielding companies unprecedented efficiency gains; however, regulators are warning that these benefits must be balanced with fairness and transparency to maintain public trust. William Malcolm, executive director of regulatory risk and innovation at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), explained at Tuesday’s AI regulation summit: “We want organisations [...]
FCA doubles down on AI testing over regulation Tech The UK’s financial regulator has doubled down on its decision not to draft new AI-specific laws, insisting that the best way to manage the tech’s momentous rise is through testing and collaboration rather than rushing to legislate. Speaking at the City & Financial Global AI regulation summit, Charlotte Clark CBE, the Financial Conduct Authority’s director [...]
Jaguar Land Rover issues cyber attack update amid data breach September 10, 2025 Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has admitted that data may have been compromised in a cyber attack that has paralysed its global operations since 2 September, forcing shutdowns at factories and dealerships across the UK and abroad. The UK’s biggest carmaker said in a statement: “We now believe that some data has been affected and we [...]
Big Brother: Can your employer monitor your whereabouts? September 1, 2025 As businesses grapple with the current economic challenges, the support measures previously offered to employees during the pandemic are being tightened. However, as companies adopt more stringent monitoring practices, the question arises: where is the line drawn between necessary oversight and the invasion of employee privacy? Headlines have been lighting up over the last year [...]
Government under fire as data breach review finally goes public August 29, 2025 The government has released a long-delayed review of its own data handling practices, following pressure from MPs, which raises questions about the ability of Whitehall to safeguard sensitive information. This review comes at a time when digital transformation is intended to reshape public services. The Information Security Review, carried out in 2023 but withheld from [...]
HMRC must disclose AI involvement in tax decisions August 8, 2025 A court has ruled that HMRC must disclose if it uses artificial intelligence (AI) in key decisions relating to granting research and development tax credits. Tom Elsbury, a tax expert who founded the specialist tax relief software platform Novel, lodged a Freedom of Information (FOI) request back in December 2023. But according to Judge Alexandra [...]
23andMe handed huge fine days after rescue June 17, 2025 Testing firm 23andMe has been fined more than £2m for failing to protect the sensitive personal and genetic data of more than 155,000 UK customers, in what regulators described as a “profoundly damaging” breach. The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Officer (ICO) has fined the company £2.31m following a joint investigation with its Canadian counterpart, the Office [...]
Gone phishing: the rise of retail cyber crime in three charts June 2, 2025 In the past month alone, cyber attacks have gone from occasional headlines to near-daily national news fixtures. Marks and Spencer’s, Co-op, Harrods – along with international names like Dior and Coinbase – have all recently fallen victim to cyber incidents. Retailers in particular have found themselves in the cross hairs, and while not every incident [...]
NHS software firm fined over highly sensitive data breach March 27, 2025 A major NHS software provider has been fined £3m after a cyber attack exposed the personal data of nearly 80,000 people – including home entry details and medical records for vulnerable patients. The information comissioner’s office (ICO) ruled that Advanced Computer Software Group had “seriously inadequate” security measures, allowing hackers to infiltrate its systems in [...]