News

Privacy and data protection

July 15, 2026 15 Jul'26
Made in Spain: Surveillance tech banned in EU booms in India

India is rolling out facial-recognition technology to monitor millions of its citizens, with much of the software coming from a Spanish company – but critics argue the government promise of public safety is not the main aim
July 14, 2026 14 Jul'26
Interview: Lucie Audibert, solicitor in MP Jess Asato’s Grok case

AWO solicitor Lucie Audibert speaks with Computer Weekly about representing Labour MP Jess Asato’s legal claim against xAI’s chatbot Grok, its nudification capabilities and how this case may define what liability for developers of AI tools look like
July 13, 2026 13 Jul'26
Cyber body Crest launches AI security charter

Crest’s industry-backed AI charter commits signatories to supporting responsible AI adoption and aims to foster trust in AI-enabled security services.
July 09, 2026 09 Jul'26
Cyber field doubts promise of Cyber Shield

The NCSC has shared more details of its national AI Cyber Shield initiative, but experts say the project faces serious delivery challenges

July 08, 2026 08 Jul'26
European Central Bank demands AI security ‘action plan’

European Central Bank gives banks deadline to outline their plans to defend against artificial intelligence-based security threats
July 07, 2026 07 Jul'26
Complaint urges ban on ‘unlawful’ Europol processing of personal data

Migration campaign group Front-Lex has filed a complaint to Europe’s data protection watchdog, calling for a ban on Europol’s data processing operations that do not comply with EU law, following an investigation by Computer Weekly, Solomon and ...
July 03, 2026 03 Jul'26
Europe’s sovereignty ambitions stall at the procurement desk

Nextcloud Summit in Munich shows that Europe’s sovereignty ambitions meet their real test not in the technology, but in the procurement decisions that will determine whether EU legislation changes anything on the ground
July 03, 2026 03 Jul'26
Breach of IBM-managed environment exposes personal data of 70,000 in Singapore

Unauthorised access to a development and testing environment managed by IBM has exposed the names, NRIC numbers and property addresses of about 70,000 people held by the Singapore Land Authority
July 02, 2026 02 Jul'26
Data dive: Kill switch and catch-up – can Europe close the sovereignty gap?

As the US demonstrates it can wield an AI ‘kill switch’, the EU and UK unleash a wave of sovereign tech measures. Can state-led industrial policy bridge a $2tn revenue chasm?
June 30, 2026 30 Jun'26
Singpass to roll out passkeys in fight against phishing scams

The passwordless feature will launch for iPhone users on 1 July 2026 with a device-bound model to avoid the security risks of cloud-synced passkeys

June 29, 2026 29 Jun'26
British public won’t tolerate cyber disruption any more

The British public’s tolerance for cyber disruption, particularly at high-profile organisations such as retailers, is wearing thin, according to a TalkTalk Business study
June 29, 2026 29 Jun'26
UK businesses fear stigma of ransomware

Data from the UK’s Report Fraud service reveals the scope of ransomware attacks is going underreported, with few businesses confident enough to identify themselves as victims
June 26, 2026 26 Jun'26
Former ICO boss found using ‘vulgar’ language with female staff

An independent investigation into UK’s former information commissioner John Edwards uncovers his use of ‘highly sexualised’ language with staff, days after his resignation
June 26, 2026 26 Jun'26
Metropolitan Police chief warns against law updates amid substantial tech expansion

The Metropolitan Police is to significantly expand use of AI, drones and facial recognition to ‘regain the advantage’ over criminals, but warns progress could be held back by legislation and data integration issues
June 25, 2026 25 Jun'26
Canvas breach hit 160 UK unis but caused limited damage

The April 2026 ShinyHunters breach of the Canvas learning management system caused downstream impacts at more than 150 higher education institutions in the UK, but the damage appears to have been limited
June 25, 2026 25 Jun'26
EU proposes tech-backed expansion of Europol policing agency

Enhanced powers to collect and share data are at the heart of EU plans to expand Europol, putting it at loggerheads with human rights groups
June 24, 2026 24 Jun'26
UK’s cultural institutions failing on cyber security, warns PAC

The UK’s national museums and galleries have failed to heed the lessons of high-profile cyber attacks and remain highly vulnerable. The Public Accounts Committee is calling on DCMS to do more to help
June 24, 2026 24 Jun'26
Digital surveillance tech facilitates ‘arbitrary’ border abuses

Outsourcing migration processes to third countries via the transfer of powerful digital surveillance technologies is entrenching an ‘arbitrary and deterrent’ approach to border management that is hard to scrutinise and ultimately undermines the ...
June 23, 2026 23 Jun'26
Trump directs US government focus to quantum

In an Executive Order, president Trump directed the US government to work to establish a cohesive, collaborative approach to the development of quantum technology
June 22, 2026 22 Jun'26
AI-powered cyber attacks may be just months away, warn Five Eyes

Frontier AI models will pose a greater cyber security risk to governments and businesses than previously thought, putting them at risk within months
June 19, 2026 19 Jun'26
Civil society: Police facial recognition must be strictly limited

Digital rights groups map out ‘minimum, necessary’ human rights protections to be included in UK government’s upcoming legal framework for police facial recognition
June 19, 2026 19 Jun'26
Chilling effects of surveillance threaten democracy, UN finds

United Nations study finds the chilling effects of pervasive digital surveillance in modern life undermines an entire web of interconnected and interdependent human rights, representing a systemic threat to democratic norms and political ...
June 19, 2026 19 Jun'26
UK information commissioner John Edwards resigns after HR investigation

The UK’s information commissioner has resigned following an HR investigation, saying there were occasions when he exercised ‘poor judgement’ and made ‘inappropriate attempts at humour’
June 18, 2026 18 Jun'26
US suspension of Anthropic models prompts AI sovereignty calls

The US government’s control order to suspend access to Anthropic’s Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models raises concerns about the UK’s over-reliance on American tech
June 17, 2026 17 Jun'26
2026 World Cup billed as ‘largest entertainment attack surface in history’

With the tournament underway across North America, Palo Alto Networks warns that temporary supplier ecosystems, vulnerable municipal infrastructure and geopolitical tensions are creating risks for enterprises and fans
June 16, 2026 16 Jun'26
Scottish minister clarifies police facial-recognition approach

The Scottish government has confirmed its intention to ensure police use of facial recognition is lawful before deployments start taking place, unlike in England and Wales where the technology has been rolled out in a ‘legal vacuum’ without any ...
June 16, 2026 16 Jun'26
UK data regulator slammed over lack of action on complaints

The UK data regulator is being threatened with legal action after it was accused of ‘ignoring’ thousands of data protection complaints, with critics describing its new approach to complaint triage and investigation as akin to a ‘digital bin’ for the...
June 16, 2026 16 Jun'26
Amnesty calls for ban on AI risk-profiling systems

Amnesty International says AI-driven risk profiling systems are discriminatory and may lead to misleading results that violate international human rights law
June 10, 2026 10 Jun'26
ICO strips commissioner Edwards of responsibilities in HR inquiry

The UK’s information commissioner John Edwards has been temporarily stripped of his responsibilities in the wake of a workplace investigation
June 10, 2026 10 Jun'26
Dutch critical infrastructure lags Europe’s cloud sovereignty divide, SAP executive warns

France has an established sovereign cloud framework and Germany launched one earlier this year, whereas the Netherlands is still just building its policy foundation
June 10, 2026 10 Jun'26
The politicisation of Silicon Valley

Former UK deputy prime minister Nick Clegg speaks about his tenure at Meta and how the tech giants have turned to Maga
June 09, 2026 09 Jun'26
Microsoft smashes record for biggest ever Patch Tuesday update

Microsoft has obliterated the record for the largest ever Patch Tuesday drop, with its June 2026 update addressing approximately 200 flaws and three zero-days
June 08, 2026 08 Jun'26
Why voice is becoming India’s next payment frontier

India’s Unified Payments Interface has made mobile payments ubiquitous in the subcontinent. As the country gears up for voice-activated transactions, experts warn of new risks involving AI and audio deepfakes
June 08, 2026 08 Jun'26
Scale of Synnovis breach widens as Essex NHS Trust comes forward

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust has become the latest NHS body to confirm data on its patients was stolen in a 2024 ransomware attack on lab services partner Synnovis
June 08, 2026 08 Jun'26
Gulf enterprises face the resilience gap ransomware is exposing

Ransomware pressure and stricter resilience expectations are exposing a gap that Gulf enterprises have not fully confronted
June 05, 2026 05 Jun'26
UAE launches national cryptography discovery platform to accelerate post-quantum security transition

Partnership between the UAE Cyber Security Council and QuantumGate aims to provide nationwide visibility of cryptographic assets, helping critical infrastructure operators to prepare for the emerging risks posed by quantum computing
June 04, 2026 04 Jun'26
Capita launched civil service pension scheme site without ‘basic’ web security

Outsourcer went live with its troubled civil service pensions administration without a basic Domain Name System security feature
June 03, 2026 03 Jun'26
Subpostmaster federation hit by ransomware attack

National Federation of Subpostmasters suffered a ransomware attack in April after hackers exploited a bug in the web hosting software it uses
June 02, 2026 02 Jun'26
Scottish residents granted permission for group action against Capita

People of Scotland given the go-ahead on group proceedings regarding the 2023 Capita cyber breach, in which the personal information of millions of people was stolen from Capita systems after a major cyber attack
May 29, 2026 29 May'26
MEPs urge European Commission to take action over Europol’s shadow IT

MEPs have written to the European Commission calling for action following revelations that Europol and Frontex processed, stored and transferred personal data in ways that raise serious concerns about compliance with EU law
May 28, 2026 28 May'26
Carnival cruise line confirmed as latest ShinyHunters victim

Travel company Carnival Corporation confirms the extent of an April 2026 supply chain breach that was claimed by ShinyHunters
May 27, 2026 27 May'26
UKtech50 2026: Vote for the most influential person in UK technology

Our judges have selected the top 50 leaders from a long list of top-class nominees – now it’s your chance to tell us who you think is the most influential person in UK technology
May 26, 2026 26 May'26
UKtech50 2026: The longlist of the UK’s influential tech leaders

Each year, Computer Weekly launches a search for the most influential people in UK IT, asking the tech community who it thinks should be in the top 50 – here is the longlist of everyone nominated for 2026
May 25, 2026 25 May'26
AI safety cannot wait for a ‘Chernobyl moment’, experts warn

As AI becomes increasingly capable, tech leaders at Singapore’s ATxSummit urge governments and industry to build safety and accountability into AI systems before a major disaster strikes
May 22, 2026 22 May'26
Google AI engineer claims dismissal for opposing tech sales to Israel

‘Our work on AI was sold to facilitate genocide’: Artificial intelligence engineer claims Google unfairly sacked them for internally criticising the company’s decision to continue supplying technology to the Israeli military, despite credible claims...
May 20, 2026 20 May'26
Spanish police ‘systematically’ hid cryptophone intercepts from courts, claims ex chief

Former Spanish police chief, on trial for drug trafficking, claims UK and Colombian police assisted in creating fictitious intelligence reports to hide use of intercept from encrypted phone networks Sky ECC and Anom
May 20, 2026 20 May'26
Bulgaria fires up Google Cloud for national cyber security

The Bulgarian national systems integrator, BIS, has deployed Google Cloud’s Cybershield government security service as part of a national federated SOC deployment
May 19, 2026 19 May'26
Government digital ID launch was a fiasco, report finds

Back-to-front policy and a rushed launch destroyed public confidence, as Home Affairs Committee is sceptical government has capacity to implement the digital ID programme
May 19, 2026 19 May'26
Home Office sitting on data about scale of eVisa errors

The Home Office holds data on the scale of errors and software issues with its electronic visa system, but is yet to release the information
May 14, 2026 14 May'26
King’s Speech paves the way for digital ID

The speech outlined plans for a Digital Access to Services Bill, establishing a legal framework for the use of digital identity, which has received mixed responses