Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has been using ChatGPT to seek advice on media appearances and to define technical terms related to his role.
His records, obtained by New Scientist through freedom of information laws, reveal that he asked the AI tool for recommendations on which podcasts to feature and for explanations of terms like ‘digital inclusion’ and ‘anti-matter.’
ChatGPT suggested The Infinite Monkey Cage and The Naked Scientists due to their broad reach and scientific focus.
Kyle also inquired why small and medium-sized businesses in the UK have been slow to adopt AI. The chatbot pointed to factors such as a lack of awareness about government initiatives, funding limitations, and concerns over data protection regulations like GDPR.
While AI adoption remains a challenge, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has praised its potential, arguing that the UK government should embrace AI more to improve efficiency.
Despite Kyle’s enthusiasm for AI, he has faced criticism for allegedly prioritising the interests of Big Tech over Britain’s creative industries. Concerns have been raised over a proposed policy that could allow tech firms to train AI on copyrighted material without permission unless creators opt out.
His department defended his use of AI, stating that while he utilises the tool, it does not replace expert advice from officials.
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Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded that the mobile browser market, led by Apple and Google, is not functioning effectively for consumers and businesses. The findings support the regulator’s decision to launch an investigation into the sector earlier this year.
Concerns are largely focused on Apple’s policies regarding internet access through its Safari browser, which dominates its devices with an 88% market share. Google’s Chrome browser holds a 77% share on Android devices.
The UK CMA’s independent inquiry group suggested that if Apple and Google are found to have ‘strategic market status’ (SMS), regulatory interventions may be necessary to encourage competition. These could include measures allowing rival browsers to introduce new features.
Apple has defended its approach, arguing that proposed remedies could undermine security and user experience, while Google highlighted Android’s openness in fostering competition and innovation.
The investigation forms part of a broader effort to assess competition in mobile ecosystems, with final decisions expected later this year.
The inquiry group’s chair, Margot Daly, stated that limited competition between mobile browsers is stifling innovation, reinforcing the need for regulatory action.
The CMA’s ongoing probe into the dominance of Apple and Google aims to ensure a fairer and more competitive digital marketplace.
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The UK government, through the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), has commissioned research to evaluate best practices for managing risks associated with open-source software (OSS). The study assesses existing guidance on OSS security and resilience, examines its effectiveness across sectors, and provides recommendations for strengthening software supply chain security. That research is part of the government’s wider work to improve the UK’s cyber defences and protect and grow the economy.
The report outlines key recommendations for organisations using OSS, including:
Establishing an internal OSS policy to manage the adoption of OSS components.
Creating a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) to track OSS components and their dependencies.
Continuously monitoring the software supply chain with software composition analysis (SCA) tools to identify vulnerabilities and licensing issues.
Actively engaging with the OSS community to attract talent, foster innovation, enhance reputation, and ensure a sustainable ecosystem.
Using automation tools to streamline OSS management processes, particularly for smaller organisations, as a cost-effective alternative to manual practices.
The report also highlights the need for further research and policy development in areas such as scale-appropriate best practice guidance, industry-specific OSS management frameworks, standardised metrics for evaluating OSS component maturity, and the impact of community engagement on OSS quality and security.
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IBM secured a legal victory in the UK on March 10, 2025, after the High Court ruled in its favour against LzLabs. The lawsuit, which IBM filed against the Swiss-based company and its owner, John Moores, centred on accusations of stealing trade secrets. IBM claimed LzLabs’ UK subsidiary, Winsopia, misused its mainframe computer licence to reverse-engineer IBM’s proprietary software.
The court sided with IBM, agreeing that Winsopia had violated the terms of its licence agreement. Judge Finola O’Farrell concluded that LzLabs and Moores had unlawfully facilitated these breaches. Although LzLabs defended its actions, arguing that its software was developed independently over many years, the court ruled that the company had acted inappropriately.
This ruling is seen as a major win for IBM, reinforcing the value of its technological investments. The case, which will proceed to a hearing to determine potential damages, reflects the company’s commitment to protecting its intellectual property. LzLabs and Moores did not immediately comment on the decision.
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Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced its focus will be on interventions that directly affect UK consumers and businesses. The regulator will release a ‘roadmap’ to guide Big Tech companies, clarifying which issues it plans to prioritise and which it may deprioritise. The roadmap will also outline potential future interventions if companies are designated as having strategic market status, including tech giants like Google and Apple.
CEO Sarah Cardell emphasised that the CMA would act with a ‘more nuanced approach’ to promote competition while fostering business growth. With new powers to investigate firms with significant turnover in the UK, the CMA will continue its work to ensure fairness and transparency in the digital markets. The first roadmaps for investigations into search engines and mobile platforms are set to be released in June and July 2025.
The CMA’s strategy aligns with a pro-business direction, as the UK government aims to boost investor confidence while maintaining competitive markets. This initiative follows the appointment of Doug Gurr, former head of Amazon UK, as interim chair, signaling the government’s commitment to balancing regulation with economic growth.
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NHS is investigating allegations that a software flaw at private medical services company Medefer left patient data vulnerable to hacking.
The flaw, discovered in November, affected Medefer’s internal patient record system in the UK, which handles 1,500 NHS referrals monthly.
A software engineer who found the issue believes the vulnerability may have existed for six years, but Medefer denies this claim, stating no data has been compromised.
The engineer discovered that unprotected application programming interfaces (APIs) could have allowed outsiders to access sensitive patient information.
While Medefer has insisted that there is no evidence of any breach, they have commissioned an external security agency to review their systems. The agency confirmed that no breach was found, and the company asserts that the flaw was fixed within 48 hours of being discovered.
Cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about the potential risks posed by the flaw, emphasising that a proper investigation should have been conducted immediately.
Medefer reported the issue to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC), both of which found no further action necessary. However, experts suggest that a more thorough response could have been beneficial given the sensitive nature of the data involved.
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Social media platform X is experiencing widespread outages in the US and the UK, with thousands of users reporting issues, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.
Reports indicate over 21,000 incidents in the US and more than 10,800 in the UK, suggesting significant disruptions.
Downdetector, which gathers status reports from various sources, noted that the actual number of affected users may be higher.
Many have turned to other platforms to discuss the outage, but X has not yet responded to requests for comment.
The cause of the disruption remains unclear, and there is no official timeline for when full service will be restored. Users continue to face difficulties accessing the platform, impacting communication and social media activity globally.
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The UK government has removed encryption advice from its official web pages, shortly after requesting backdoor access to encrypted data stored on Apple’s iCloud service.
The change was noticed by security expert Alec Muffett, who highlighted in a blog post that the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) no longer recommends encryption for high-risk individuals.
Previously, the NCSC had advised the use of encryption tools such as Apple’s Advanced Data Protection (ADP) for secure iCloud backups, which provide end-to-end encryption to ensure only the user has access to their data.
However, the webpage now redirects to a different page with no mention of encryption, instead recommending Apple’s Lockdown Mode—a security feature designed to limit access to certain phone functions.
Muffett pointed out that the original advice is no longer available on government sites, though it can still be accessed via the Wayback Machine.
This development follows reports that the UK government requested Apple to build a backdoor to access encrypted iCloud data.
In response, Apple removed the ADP feature for new users in the UK and stated that existing users would eventually need to disable it. Apple is reportedly challenging the UK’s data access order in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT).
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The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded its investigation into Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI, deciding not to move forward with a merger probe.
The decision comes after the CMA found that Microsoft does not hold enough control over OpenAI, a key factor in triggering a merger review. The companies’ collaboration began in 2019, when Microsoft invested $1 billion in the AI startup.
Despite this, the CMA stated that Microsoft’s influence had not evolved to the level of de facto control required for further scrutiny.
This marks the end of the UK’s formal investigation into the deal, although the CMA clarified that its decision should not be interpreted as a dismissal of potential competition concerns related to the partnership.
While the investigation is closed, the CMA has been increasingly active in examining major tech company acquisitions, particularly those involving AI startups.
Microsoft welcomed the CMA’s decision, asserting that their ongoing partnership with OpenAI fosters innovation and competition in AI development.
Meanwhile, the CMA continues to monitor the tech sector, with broader powers to investigate companies deemed to hold ‘strategic market status’.
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Blackstone’s ambitious $13 billion ‘hyperscale’ data centre project in North East England has been given the green light by Northumberland County Council. The plan, which spans 540,000 square metres, was approved after a unanimous vote and is expected to represent an investment of up to £10 billion. The data centre will provide essential data storage and cloud computing services to businesses, addressing the rising demand in sectors such as AI.
The development is expected to generate substantial economic benefits, including up to 1,200 long-term construction jobs and hundreds of operational roles once the centre is running. Additionally, it could support up to 2,700 indirect jobs. As part of the agreement, Blackstone will contribute to a £110 million fund that will help drive growth along the Northumberland Line, a new railway route opened in December 2024.
This development follows the collapse of a previous plan to use the site for a Britishvolt facility, after the UK startup’s failure last year. With demand for data centres escalating, particularly due to AI advancements, this project is poised to play a crucial role in meeting growing technological needs across Europe.
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