Digital identities

Miljodata hack exposes data of nearly 15% of Swedish population

Swedish prosecutors have confirmed that a cyberattack on IT systems provider Miljodata exposed the personal data of 1.5 million people, nearly 15% of Sweden’s population. The attack occurred during the weekend of August 23–24.

Authorities said the stolen data has been leaked online and includes names, addresses, and contact details. Prosecutor Sandra Helgadottir said the group Datacarry has claimed responsibility, though no foreign state involvement is suspected.

Media in Sweden reported that the hackers demanded 1.5 bitcoin (around $170,000) to prevent the release of the data. Miljodata confirmed the information has now been published on the darknet.

The Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection has received over 250 breach notifications, with 164 municipalities and four regional authorities impacted. Employees in Gothenburg were among those affected, according to SVT.

Private companies, including Volvo, SAS, and GKN Aerospace, also reported compromised data. Investigators are working to identify the perpetrators as the breach’s scale continues to raise concerns nationwide.

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AI will kill middle-ground media, but raw content will thrive

Advertising is heading for a split future. By 2030, brands will run hyper-personalised AI campaigns or embrace raw human storytelling. Everything in between will vanish.

AI-driven advertising will go far beyond text-to-image gimmicks. These adaptive systems will combine social trends, search habits, and first-party data to create millions of real-time ad variations.

The opposite approach will lean into imperfection, featuring unpolished TikToks, founder-shot iPhone videos, and authentic and alive content. Audiences reward authenticity over carefully scripted, generic campaigns.

Mid-tier, polished, forgettable, creative work will be the first to fade away. AI can replicate it instantly, and audiences will scroll past it without noticing.

Marketers must now pick a side: feed AI with data and scale personalisation, or double down on community-driven, imperfect storytelling. The middle won’t survive.

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Meta set to unveil $800 smart glasses with display

Meta is set to unveil its first pair of smart glasses with a built-in display at its annual Connect conference in California.

Expected to be called Celeste, the glasses will debut at around $800 and feature a small digital display in the right lens for notifications. Analysts say the higher price point could limit adoption compared with Meta’s Ray-Ban line, which starts at $299.

Alongside the new glasses, Meta is also expected to launch its first wristband for hand-gesture control and an updated Ray-Ban line with better cameras, battery life and AI features. Developers will gain access to a new software kit to build device apps.

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UN to train governments in blockchain and AI

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) plans to launch a ‘Government Blockchain Academy’ next year to educate public sector officials on blockchain, AI, and other emerging technologies.

The initiative aims to help governments leverage tech for economic growth and sustainable development.

The academy will partner with the Exponential Science Foundation, a non-profit promoting blockchain and AI. Training will cover financial services, digital IDs, public procurement, smart contracts, and climate finance to help governments boost transparency, inclusion, and resilience.

UNDP officials highlighted that developing countries, including India, Pakistan, and Vietnam, are already among the leading adopters of crypto technology.

The academy will provide in-person and online courses, workshops, and forums to guide high-impact blockchain initiatives aligned with national priorities.

The programme follows last year’s UNDP blockchain academy, created in partnership with the Algorand Foundation, which trained over 22,000 staff members to support sustainable growth projects in participating countries.

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Japan-backed AI avatar to highlight climate risks at Osaka Expo

An AI avatar named Una will be presented at the UN pavilion during the 2025 World Expo in Osaka later in the month as part of efforts to promote climate action.

The anime-inspired character, developed with support from the Japanese government, will use 3D hologram technology to engage visitors from 29 September to 4 October.

Una was launched online in May and can respond automatically in multiple languages, including English and Japanese. She was created under the Pacific Green Transformation Project, which supports renewable energy initiatives such as electric vehicles in Samoa and hydropower in Vanuatu.

Her role is to share stories of Pacific island nations facing the impacts of rising sea levels and raise awareness about climate change.

Kanni Wignaraja, UN assistant secretary-general and regional director for Asia and the Pacific, described Una as a strong voice for threatened communities. Influenced by Japanese manga and anime, she is designed to act like a cultural ambassador who connects Pacific struggles with Japanese audiences.

Pacific sea levels have risen by more than 15 centimetres in some regions over the past three decades, leading to flooding, crop damage and migration fears. The risks are existential for nations like Tuvalu, with an average elevation of just two metres.

The UN hopes Una will encourage the public to support renewable energy adoption and climate resilience in vulnerable regions.

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AI search tools challenge Google’s dominance

AI tools are increasingly reshaping how people search online, with large language models like ChatGPT drawing millions away from traditional engines.

Montreal-based lawyer and consultant Anja-Sara Lahady says she now turns to ChatGPT instead of Google for everyday tasks such as meal ideas, interior decoration tips and drafting low-risk emails. She describes it as a second assistant rather than a replacement for legal reasoning.

ChatGPT’s weekly user base has surged to around 800 million, double the figure reported in 2025. Data shows that nearly 6% of desktop searches are already directed to language models, compared with barely half that rate a year ago.

Academics such as Professor Feng Li argue that users favour AI tools because they reduce cognitive effort by providing clear summaries instead of multiple links. However, he warns that verification remains essential due to factual errors.

Google insists its search activity continues to expand, supported by AI Overviews and AI Mode, which offer more conversational and tailored answers.

Yet, testimony in a US antitrust case revealed that Google searches on Apple devices via Safari declined for the first time in two decades, underlining the competitive pressure from AI.

The rise of language models is also forcing a shift in digital marketing. Agencies report that LLMs highlight trusted websites, press releases and established media rather than social media content.

This change may influence consumer habits, with evidence suggesting that referrals from AI systems often lead to higher-quality sales conversions. For many users, AI now represents a faster and more personal route to decisions on products, travel or professional tasks.

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Millions of customer records stolen in Kering luxury brand data breach

Kering has confirmed a data breach affecting several of its luxury brands, including Gucci, Balenciaga, Brioni, and Alexander McQueen, after unauthorised access to its Salesforce systems compromised millions of customer records.

Hacking group ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility, alleging it exfiltrated 43.5 million records from Gucci and nearly 13 million from the other brands. The stolen data includes names, email addresses, dates of birth, sales histories, and home addresses.

Kering stated that the incident occurred in June 2025 and did not compromise bank or credit card details or national identifiers. The company has reported the breach to the relevant regulators and is notifying the affected customers.

Evidence shared by ShinyHunters suggests Balenciaga made an initial ransom payment of €500,000 before negotiations broke down. The group released sample data and chat logs to support its claims.

ShinyHunters has exploited Salesforce weaknesses in previous attacks targeting luxury, travel, and financial firms. Questions remain about the total number of affected customers and the potential exposure of other Kering brands.

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Industry leaders urge careful AI use in research projects

The 2026 Adwanted Media Research Awards will feature a new category for Best Use of AI in Research Projects, reflecting the growing importance of this technology in the industry.

Head judge Denise Turner of IPA said AI should be viewed as a tool to expedite workflows, not replace human insight, emphasising that researchers remain essential to interpreting results and posing the right questions.

Route CEO Euan Mackay said AI enables digital twins, synthetic data, and clean-room integrations, shifting researchers’ roles from survey design to auditing and ensuring data integrity in an AI-driven environment.

OMD’s Laura Rowe highlighted AI’s ability to rapidly process raw data, transcribe qualitative research, and extend insights across strategy and planning — provided ethical oversight remains in place.

ITV’s Neil Mortensen called this the start of a ‘gold rush’, urging the industry to use AI to automate tedious tasks while preserving rigorous methods and enabling more time for deep analysis.

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Banana AI saree trend pushes Google Gemini to the top

A few months after Ghibli-style AI images went viral, a new Instagram trend is sweeping users: 1990s Bollywood-style saree portraits generated through Google’s Gemini Nano Banana tool.

Known as the ‘Banana AI saree’ edit, the feature allows users to turn ordinary selfies into nostalgic retro-style images. The edits evoke classic cinema with chiffon sarees, grainy textures, bold make-up, and jasmine-adorned hair, often styled under golden sunlight for a vintage glow.

The tool has quickly become a social media hit. Users can experiment with sarees, retro sherwanis, or even traditional dhotis by adjusting prompts to personalise their look. The trend follows earlier viral edits such as hyper-realistic 3D figurine portraits.

With its popularity soaring, Google Gemini has now topped the Apple App Store’s free apps chart in both India and the US, outpacing competitors like ChatGPT and Grok. Google DeepMind’s chief, Demis Hassabis, praised the Gemini team, calling it ‘just the start’.

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German state pushes digital sovereignty

The northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein is pushing ahead with an ambitious plan to replace Microsoft software in its public administration with open-source alternatives.

With around 30,000 civil servants, a workforce comparable to the European Commission, the region has already migrated most staff to new systems. It expects to cut its Office licences by more than two-thirds before the end of the month.

Instead of relying on Word, Outlook or SharePoint, staff are switching to LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Open Xchange and Nextcloud. A Linux pilot is also underway, testing the replacement of Windows itself.

The digital minister, Dirk Schrödter, admitted the schedule is tight but said that 24,000 employees are already using the new setup. By 2029, only a handful of Microsoft licences should remain, kept for compatibility with federal services.

A transition that has not been free of challenges. Some judges have called for a return to Outlook, citing outages, while larger providers such as SAP have proven difficult to adapt.

Still, Schrödter argued the investment is about sovereignty rather than cost-cutting, comparing Europe’s reliance on Big Tech to its dependence on Russian gas before 2022. He urged Brussels to prioritise open-source solutions in procurement rules to reduce dependence on foreign tech giants.

Although Schleswig-Holstein is a relatively small region, its programme has already influenced wider German and European initiatives.

Similar efforts, including Germany’s OpenDesk project, have gained traction in France, Italy and the Netherlands, with several governments now watching the experiment closely.

Schrödter said the state’s progress surprises many observers, but he believes it shows how public administrations can regain control of their digital infrastructure.

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