Kids aren’t using VPNs to watch porn and skirt social media bans, VPN firms say July 13, 2026 Only around one per cent of children use virtual private networks (VPNs) to access age-restricted content, research commissioned by VPN providers suggests, as the industry awaits a key announcement from government this week over how the under-16 social media ban will be enforced. A YouGov survey commissioned by the VPN Trust Initiative, founded by NordVPN, [...]
Rory Sutherland joins Adam Smith Institute as senior fellow July 13, 2026 Advertising executive Rory Sutherland has joined free-market think tank the Adam Smith Institute as a senior fellow, strengthening the organisation’s efforts to promote behavioural economics and free-market policy as the UK grapples with sluggish growth. Sutherland, vice chairman of advertising giant Ogilvy and one of Britain’s best-known marketing figures, will advise the Institute on how [...]
Vodafone shares jump as French telecoms tycoon becomes top shareholder July 10, 2026 Vodafone shares surged almost 11 per cent on Friday after French telecoms billionaire Xavier Niel bought a £4.4bn stake in the FTSE 100 group from UAE-backed e& and became its largest shareholder. The deal will see Niel’s investment vehicle, Vega, acquire e&‘s entire 16.2 per cent stake for 112.5p a share – a 15 per [...]
‘The problems didn’t begin with John Edwards’: Pressure grows for wider data watchdog overhaul July 9, 2026 John Edwards’ resignation was meant to draw a line under the workplace misconduct scandal that engulfed Britain’s data watchdog. Instead, it has shifted scrutiny onto the leadership that surrounded him – and of the regulator’s record long before he stepped down. Tech secretary Liz Kendall told MPs on Wednesday she was “appalled” to learn Edwards [...]
Kendall blasts ‘unacceptably slow’ online safety laws as VPN loophole grows July 8, 2026 Liz Kendall has admitted parliament is moving “unacceptably slow” on regulating online platforms, as ministers face questions over whether teenagers will simply use VPNs to dodge the UK’s incoming under-16 social media ban. Speaking to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee on Wednesday, the tech secretary said the eight-year journey from the first ideas behind [...]
Nscale taps lenders for $900m to fuel AI data centre splurge July 7, 2026 British data centre builder Nscale has landed a $900m (£673m) credit line from some of Wall Street’s biggest banks to fuel its global expansion, even as investors increasingly scrutinise the sector’s breakneck spending. The London-headquartered company said the financing will support the construction of new AI data centres across Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific as [...]
Kemi Badenoch: AI firms ‘won’t come here’ if Britain overregulates July 7, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has warned Britain risks driving away the next generation of AI giants unless it lowers industrial energy costs or fixes London’s capital markets, arguing the UK cannot regulate its way to becoming a global tech leader. Speaking at the Politics UK Summit in Westminster on Monday evening, the Conservative leader said Britain was [...]
Darktrace says Anthropic was right to pause Mythos on ‘security and safety’ grounds July 7, 2026 Darktrace has backed Anthropic’s temporary restrictions on its most advanced AI models, arguing the move was about safety rather than shutting Britain out of its frontier model. Nicole Carignan, Darktrace’s SVP of AI and security strategy, told City AM the short-lived curb on Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable models should not be read as a straightforward [...]
Patent cliff fuels Novartis’ $1.5bn swoop for London biotech July 6, 2026 Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has agreed to buy London-based biotech Myricx Bio for up to $1.5bn (£1.1bn) as global drugmakers continue deploying billions into promising biotech firms ahead of an estimated $450bn wave of patent expiries over the next decade. The deal will see Novartis pay $1.1bn upfront, with a further $400m tied to development [...]
FCA eyes tougher AI rules as Brits turn to chatbots for financial advice July 6, 2026 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has called for greater powers to regulate artificial intelligence after warning the UK’s financial rulebook must evolve to keep pace with the number of consumers turning to chatbots for advice on their money. In a new review published on Monday, the watchdog said AI will become “a defining force” in [...]
