BT report shows rise in cyber attacks on UK small firms

A BT report has found that 42% of small businesses in the UK suffered a cyberattack in the past year. The study also revealed that 67% of medium-sized firms were targeted, while many lacked basic security measures or staff training.

Phishing was named the most common threat, hitting 85% of businesses in the UK, and ransomware incidents have more than doubled. BT’s new training programme aims to help SMEs take practical steps to reduce risks, covering topics like AI threats, account takeovers and QR code scams.

Tris Morgan from BT highlighted that SMEs face serious risks from cyber attacks, which could threaten their survival. He stressed that security is a necessary foundation and can be achieved without vast resources.

The report follows wider warnings on AI-enabled cyber threats, with other studies showing that few firms feel prepared for these risks. BT’s training is part of its mission to help businesses grow confidently despite digital dangers.

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IGF and WSIS platforms must be strengthened, not replaced, say leaders

At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, stakeholders gathered to assess the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) role in the WSIS Plus 20 review process.

The session, moderated by Cynthia Lesufi of South Africa, invited input on the achievements and future direction of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), now marking its 20th year.

Speakers from Brazil, Australia, Korea, Germany, Japan, Cuba, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, and Bangladesh offered their national and regional insights.

There was strong consensus on maintaining and strengthening existing platforms like the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and WSIS Forum, rather than creating new mechanisms that might burden developing countries.

Renata Santoyo, representing Brazil’s telecommunications regulator ANATEL, affirmed ITU’s coordinating role: ‘The WSIS architecture remains valuable, and ITU has been instrumental in supporting its action lines.’

Australia’s William Lee echoed this, commending ITU’s work on integrating WSIS with the SDGs and the Global Digital Compact, and noted: ‘The digital divide is now less about access and more about usability.’

Korean vice chair of the ITU Council Working Group, Mina Seonmin Jun, stressed the continued inequality in her region: ‘One third of Asia-Pacific remains offline. WSIS must go beyond infrastructure and focus on equity.’

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Swantje Jager Lindemann from Germany backed extending the IGF mandate without renegotiation, saying: ‘The mandate is broad enough. What we need is better support and sustainable funding.’

Japan’s Yoichi Iida, former vice minister and now special advisor, also warned against reopening existing mandates, instead calling for a stronger IGF secretariat. ‘We must focus on inclusivity, not duplicating structures,’ he said.

ITU’s Gitanjali Sah outlined its leadership on WSIS action lines, noting the organisation’s collaboration with over 50 UN bodies. ‘2.6 billion people are still offline. Connectivity must be meaningful and inclusive,’ she said, highlighting ITU’s technical support on cybersecurity, capacity building, and standards.

Cuba’s representative stressed that the WSIS outcome documents remain fully valid and should be reaffirmed rather than rewritten. ‘Creating new mechanisms risks excluding countries with limited resources,’ they argued.

Local voices called for grassroots inclusion. Louvo Gray from the South African IGF asked, ‘How do we ensure marginalised voices from the Global South are truly heard?’ Ghana’s Kweku Enchi proposed tapping retired language teachers to bridge digital and generational divides.

Abdul Karim from Nigeria raised concerns about public access to the review documents. Sah confirmed that most contributions are published on the ITU website unless requested otherwise.

The UNDP representative reiterated UN-wide support for an inclusive WSIS review, while Mohamed Abdulla Konu of Bangladesh IGF pressed for developing countries’ voices to be meaningfully reflected.

Speakers agreed that the WSIS Plus 20 review is a key opportunity to refocus digital governance on inclusion, equity, and sustainability. The ITU will submit the compiled inputs to the UN General Assembly in December, while South Africa will include the session’s outcomes in its high-level report.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Tower of Babel reimagined: IGF 2025 experiment highlights language barriers in internet governance

At the 2025 Internet Governance Forum in Lillestrøm, Norway, an unconventional session titled ‘Tower of Babel Chaos’ challenged the norm of using English as the default language in global digital policy discussions. Moderator Virginia Paque, Senior Policy Editor of Diplo and the only native English speaker among the participants, suspended English as the session’s required language and encouraged attendees to define internet governance and interact in their own native tongues.

That move sparked both confusion and revelation as participants experienced firsthand the communicative fragmentation caused by linguistic diversity. The experiment led to the spontaneous clustering of speakers into language groups and highlighted the isolation of individuals whose languages—such as Maltese, Samoan, Cape Verdean Creole, and Chichewa—had no other representation.

Participants reported feelings ranging from curiosity to frustration, underlining the practical importance of shared language in international settings. Yet, some also discovered unexpected bridges through linguistic overlap or body language, hinting at the potential for cross-cultural communication even in chaotic conditions.

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AI emerged as a potential remedy. Ken Huang from Lingo AI noted that while AI can process thousands of languages, its effectiveness is currently limited by a lack of diverse datasets, making it default to English and other dominant tongues. Others emphasised that while technology offers hope—like real-time translation tools—it cannot guarantee equitable inclusion for all linguistic groups, particularly under-resourced languages.

The session ultimately balanced idealism with pragmatism. While many acknowledged the convenience of English as a global lingua franca, others argued for providing multiple language options with simultaneous interpretation, as practised by institutions like the UN.

The discussion underscored the political, cultural, and technological complexities of multilingualism in internet governance, and concluded with a shared recognition: fostering a more inclusive digital dialogue means embracing both innovation and linguistic diversity.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Google releases free Gemini CLI tool for developers

Google has introduced Gemini CLI, a free, open-source AI tool that connects developers directly to its Gemini AI models. The new agentic utility allows developers to request debugging, generate code, and run commands using natural language within their terminal environment.

Built as a lightweight interface, Gemini CLI provides a streamlined way to interact with Gemini. While its coding features stand out, Google says the tool handles content creation, deep research, and complex task management across various workflows.

Gemini CLI uses Gemini 2.5 Pro for coding and reasoning tasks by default. Still, it can also connect to other AI models, such as Imagen and Veo, for image and video generation. It supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and integrates with Gemini Code Assist.

Moreover, the tool is available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux, offering developers a free usage tier. Access through Vertex AI or AI Studio is available on a pay-as-you-go basis for advanced setups involving multiple agents or custom models.

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Meta wins copyright case over AI training

Meta has won a copyright lawsuit brought by a group of authors who accused the company of using their books without permission to train its Llama generative AI.

A US federal judge in San Francisco ruled the AI training was ‘transformative’ enough to qualify as fair use under copyright law.

Judge Vince Chhabria noted, however, that future claims could be more successful. He warned that using copyrighted books to build tools capable of flooding the market with competing works may not always be protected by fair use, especially when such tools generate vast profits.

The case involved pirated copies of books, including Sarah Silverman’s memoir ‘The Bedwetter’ and Junot Diaz’s award-winning novel ‘The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao’. Meta defended its approach, stating that open-source AI drives innovation and relies on fair use as a key legal principle.

Chhabria clarified that the ruling does not confirm the legality of Meta’s actions, only that the plaintiffs made weak arguments. He suggested that more substantial evidence and legal framing might lead to a different outcome in future cases.

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WhatsApp launches AI feature to sum up all the unread messages

WhatsApp has introduced a new feature using Meta AI to help users manage unread messages more easily. Named ‘Message Summaries’, the tool provides quick overviews of missed messages in individual and group chats, assisting users to catch up without scrolling through long threads.

The summaries are generated using Meta’s Private Processing technology, which operates inside a Trusted Execution Environment. The secure cloud-based system ensures that neither Meta nor WhatsApp — nor anyone else in the conversation — can access your messages or the AI-generated summaries.

According to WhatsApp, Message Summaries are entirely private. No one else in the chat can see the summary created for you. If someone attempts to interfere with the secure system, operations will stop immediately, or the change will be exposed using a built-in transparency check.

Meta has designed the system around three principles: secure data handling during processing and transmission, strict enforcement of protections against tampering, and provable transparency to track any breach attempt.

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Fake video claims Nigeria is sending troops to Israel

A video circulating on TikTok falsely claims that Nigeria has announced the deployment of troops to Israel. Since 17 June, the video has been shared more than 6,100 times and presents a fabricated news segment constructed from artificial intelligence-generated visuals and outdated footage.

No official Nigerian authority has made any such announcement regarding military involvement in the ongoing Middle East crisis.

The video, attributed to a fictitious media outlet called ‘TBC News’, combines visuals of soldiers and aircraft with simulated newsroom graphics. However, no broadcaster by that name exists, and the logo and branding do not correspond to any known or legitimate media source.

Upon closer inspection, several anomalies suggest the use of generative AI. The news presenter’s appearance subtly shifts throughout the segment — with clothing changes, facial inconsistencies, and robotic voiceovers indicating non-authentic production.

Similarly, the footage of military activity lacks credible visual markers. For example, a purported official briefing displays a coat of arms inconsistent with Nigeria’s national emblems, and no standard flags or insignia are typically present at such events.

While two brief aircraft clips appear authentic — originally filmed during a May airshow in Lagos — the remainder seems digitally altered or artificially generated.

In reality, Nigerian officials have issued intense public criticism of Israel’s recent military actions in Iran and have not indicated any intent to provide military support to Israel.

The video in question, therefore, significantly distorts Nigeria’s diplomatic position and risks exacerbating tensions during an already sensitive period in international affairs.

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UNESCO and ICANN lead push for multilingual and inclusive internet governance

At the 2025 Internet Governance Forum in Lillestrøm, Norway, experts gathered to discuss how to involve diverse communities—especially indigenous and underrepresented groups—better in the technical governance of the internet. The session, led by Niger’s Anne Rachel Inne, emphasised that meaningful participation requires more than token inclusion; it demands structural reforms and practical engagement tools.

Central to the dialogue was the role of multilingualism, which UNESCO’s Guilherme Canela de Souza described as both a right and a necessity for true digital inclusion. ICANN’s Theresa Swinehart spotlighted ‘Universal Acceptance’ as a tangible step toward digital equality, ensuring that domain names and email addresses work in all languages and scripts.

Real-world examples, like hackathons with university students in Bahrain, showcased how digital cooperation can bridge technical skills and community needs. Meanwhile, Valts Ernstreits from Latvia shared how international engagement helped elevate the status of the Livonian language at home, proving that global advocacy can yield local policy wins.

The workshop addressed persistent challenges to inclusion: from bureaucratic hurdles that exclude indigenous communities to the lack of connections between technical and policy realms. Panellists agreed that real change hinges on collaboration, mentorship, and tools that meet people where they are, like WhatsApp groups and local capacity-building networks.

Participants also highlighted UNESCO’s roadmap for multilingualism and ICANN’s upcoming domain name support program as critical opportunities for further action. In a solution-oriented close, speakers urged continued efforts to make digital spaces more representative.

They underscored the need for long-term investment in community-driven infrastructure and policies that reflect the internet’s global diversity. The message was clear: equitable internet governance can only be achieved when all voices—across languages, regions, and technical backgrounds—are heard and empowered.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Taiwan leads in AI election defence efforts

Taiwan has been chosen to lead a new coalition formed by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to strengthen democratic resilience against AI-driven disinformation. The AI Advisory Group on Elections will unite policymakers and experts to address AI’s role in protecting fair elections.

The island’s experience has made it a key voice in global AI governance as it counters sophisticated disinformation campaigns linked to authoritarian regimes. Taiwan’s Cyber Ambassador, Audrey Tang, stressed that AI must serve the greater good and help build accountable digital societies.

Taiwan has developed rapid response and civic fact-checking tools that many democracies now look to adopt. These measures helped ensure the integrity of its recent elections despite unprecedented levels of AI-generated disinformation and cyberattacks.

Global democracies are urged to learn from Taiwan’s playbook as threats evolve, and the influence of AI on elections grows. Taiwan’s success shows that resilience can be achieved without sacrificing civil liberties.

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Bosch calls for balanced AI rules in Europe

Bosch CEO Stefan Hartung has cautioned that Europe could slow its progress in AI by imposing too many regulations. Speaking at a tech conference in Stuttgart, he argued that strict and unclear rules make the region less attractive for innovation.

Bosch, which holds the most significant number of AI patents in Europe, plans to invest 2.5 billion euros in AI development by the end of 2027. The company is focusing on AI solutions for autonomous vehicles and industrial efficiency.

Hartung urged lawmakers to focus on essential regulations rather than attempting to control every aspect of technological progress. He warned that over-regulation could hinder Europe’s global competitiveness, particularly as the US and the EU ramp up AI investments.

The warning follows significant funding announcements, with the US committing up to 500 billion dollars and the EU planning to mobilise 200 billion euros for AI infrastructure.

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