UK orders Apple to give access to encrypted iCloud backups October 1, 2025 The UK government has ordered Apple to give law enforcement access to encrypted iCloud backups of British users, escalating a long-running dispute over data privacy and surveillance powers. The move, first reported by the Financial Times, follows a failed attempt earlier this year to demand global access, which triggered a sharp backlash from Washington. In [...]
Treasury invests £63m in cloud services amid public sector overhaul October 1, 2025 HM Treasury has spent more than £63.6m on cloud services over the past three years, showing a decisive shift toward fully cloud-based IT infrastructure. The department has eliminated on-premise systems entirely, reflecting a broader digital transformation agenda across public spending and tax policy. According to the State of Digital Government Review, around 60 per cent [...]
Sora: OpenAI targets Tiktok with AI social media platform October 1, 2025 OpenAI has taken an ambitious step into the social media market with the launch of ‘Sora’, its new app designed for users to generate and share AI-generated video content. Coupled with the roll-out of Sora 2, its new audio-visual software model, the platform aims to shift AI from a mere productivity tool, into a space [...]
eBay launches £3m AI programme for UK SMEs October 1, 2025 E-commerce giant eBay has unveiled a major initiative aimed at helping UK small businesses harness the power of AI and compete with larger enterprises. The company’s new programme, ‘AI activate’, is a £3m investment that will provide up to 10,000 small enterprises with fully funded access to OpenAI-powered tools and tailored training to boost productivity [...]
Trump’s film tariffs could be a real test for the UK’s creative economy September 30, 2025 The UK’s film and television sector is a significant component of the national economy, and its future is now a central topic in transatlantic trade talks. US President Donald Trump has proposed a 100 per cent tariff on films produced outside the United States, a move he says is aimed at reversing what he calls [...]
Microsoft pushes AI agents in cyber security amid growing threats September 30, 2025 Microsoft has unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its Sentinel platform, pitching it as an “AI-ready security platform” designed to meet the speed and scale of modern cyber attacks. The tech heavyweight says its new data lake and AI agents will give security teams the ability to act in real time, blocking phishing attempts or compromised [...]
Asahi cyberattack halts domestic operations amid ongoing investigation September 30, 2025 Japan’s largest brewer, Asahi Group Holdings, remains unable to resume production at its domestic factories following a cyberattack on Monday, with the firm unable to provide a timeline for when normal operations might resume. “Asahi Group Holdings is currently experiencing a system failure caused by a cyberattack, affecting operations in Japan,” it said in a [...]
Government urged to prioritise UK tech amid US investment surge September 30, 2025 UK cloud provider Civo has launched its ‘tech sovereignty agenda’, urging the government to place greater emphasis on domestic technology amid an unprecedented wave of investment from US tech giants. The agenda calls for a reassessment of the UK’s approach to innovation, advocating for a balance between benefiting from global technology while ensuring that critical [...]
Trump threatens 100 per cent tariff on UK films to ‘protect Hollywood’ September 29, 2025 President Donald Trump has renewed his threat to impose a 100 per cent tariff on “any and all” films produced outside the USA, a move that has sparked concern across the British film industry. In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump criticised foreign movie production as “stealing candy from a baby”, and accused [...]
Will the ‘Brit card’ ID redefine privacy in the UK? September 29, 2025 Just last week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans for a new digital ID system, or so-called ‘Brit card’, aimed to provide UK citizens and legal residents with a smartphone-based identity card. By the end of the current parliament in 2029, digital ID is set to become mandatory for ‘right to work’ checks. The government [...]
