5 h. ago The EU has let US tech giants run riot. Diluting our data law will only entrench their power | Johnny Ryan and Georg Riekeles

The GDPR is Europe’s defence against digital oligarchy, child harm and foreign political interference. Deregulation plans are misguidedEurope is hurtling toward digital vassalage. Under Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, EU laws to tackle tech giants have been either not applied or delayed, for fear of offending Donald Trump. Now leaked documents reveal that the European Commission plans to gut a central part of Europe’s digital rulebook. This will hurt Europe’s innovators and hand the future of Europe’s tech sovereignty to US firms.Once Europe’s most hyped law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is now on the chopping block. Powerful forces within the European Commission, supported by the German government, hope that deregulation will boost Europe’s tech sector, particularly AI. This is a grave mistake.Johnny Ryan is director of Enforce, a unit of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties. Georg Riekeles is the associate director of the European Policy ...

Science

7 h. ago Borderline ambiguity: How Google Maps removes disputed Western Sahara border for Morocco users

The tech giant has released a statement acknowledging the use of different border displays between Western Sahara and MoroccoThe dotted lines illustrating the border between Western Sahara and Morocco, indicating the former’s disputed territory status, have never been visible to people using Google Maps in the latter.After media reports last week highlighted the discrepancy, tying it to the UN security council endorsing the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara, the tech company released a statement acknowledging it has always displayed the border differently depending on the search region. Continue reading...

Politics

22 h. ago Google issues serious warning to anyone with a smartphone or laptop

The tech giant has delivered an urgent warning to internet users

Events

3 d. ago YouTube cashes in on Joey Barton’s poison after his ‘offensive’ posts conviction

We can reveal the tech giant has been running adverts on Barton’s videos – including one in which he claimed TV pundit Eni Aluko ‘shouldn’t be talking about the men’s game’

Politics

1 week ago Tech giant reduces £47 air fryer to £13 that's 'perfect' for Christmas cooking

"Very impressed with the air fryer, used it a few times now and all dishes have been a success!"

Society

1 week ago Meta reports mixed financial results amid spree of AI hiring and spending

Tech company brings in record quarterly revenue but major tax bill dampens earnings per shareMeta reported mixed financial results for the third quarter of 2025. The company brought in record quarterly revenue but reported a major tax bill that dampened earnings per share, the company announced on Wednesday. The financial results come as Meta ends a multibillion-dollar hiring spree focused on artificial intelligence talent.The tech giant earned $51.24bn in quarterly revenue, beating Wall Street expectations and the company’s own projections for third-quarter sales. However, it reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.05, far below Wall Street expectations of $6.70 in EPS. The major drop was due to a one-time non-cash income tax charge of $15.93bn. The EPS would have been $7.25 without this one-time charge, the company said. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago Revealed: Israel demanded Google and Amazon use secret ‘wink’ to sidestep legal orders

The tech giants agreed to extraordinary terms to clinch a lucrative contract with the Israeli government, documents showWhen Google and Amazon negotiated a major $1.2bn cloud-computing deal in 2021, their customer – the Israeli government – had an unusual demand: agree to use a secret code as part of an arrangement that would become known as the “winking mechanism”.The demand, which would require Google and Amazon to effectively sidestep legal obligations in countries around the world, was born out of Israel’s concerns that data it moves into the global corporations’ cloud platforms could end up in the hands of foreign law enforcement authorities. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Apple tops $100bn in services revenue even as legal risks grow

Tech giant’s high-margin unit has doubled in size over the past five years

Events

2 w. ago Microsoft sued for allegedly misleading millions of Australians with its AI pricing

Tech giant faces hefty fines from consumer watchdog for allegedly trying to convince customers to pay more than needed for their Microsoft 365 subscriptionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen Microsoft told customers it was jacking up the price by 45% for its office suite, it gave them two options: accept the price for the product – and it’s AI add-ons – or cancel.According to Australia’s consumer watchdog, the tech giant allegedly failed to share that a third option was available – pay the same lower price and opt out of the AI, named Copilot, in Microsoft 365. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Amazon, Apple and Google are helping to pay for Trump’s $300m ballroom as donor list revealed

Big Tech giants helping to bankroll president’s $300m White House project, full list of sponsors reveals

Politics

2 w. ago Amazon, Apple and Google are helping pay for Trump’s $300m ballroom as donor list revealed

Big Tech giants helping to bankroll president’s $300m White House project, full list of sponsors reveals

Politics

2 w. ago OpenAI to store data on British soil for first time under Government deal

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy will set out plans to allow firms to host information on ‘sovereign servers’ run by the tech giant.

Politics

2 w. ago Google and Apple may be forced to change app stores after watchdog’s ruling

The two tech giants currently dominate the market

Politics

2 w. ago Apple and Google may face action over mobile phone dominance, says UK watchdog

The Competition and Markets Authority said the two tech giants had substantial and entrenched market power with their platforms.

Technology

3 w. ago I tested Apple’s new MacBook Pro M5 – and there’s an unexpected change

The tech giant’s new processor makes an impressive laptop even better

Politics

3 w. ago Amazon workers claim 'kill switch' triggered massive outage that took down 'half the internet'

Amazon employees claimed they were left in the dark during the outage that took down half the internet on Monday, fueling speculations that the tech giant triggered a 'kill switch.'

Events

3 w. ago Amazon workers claim 'kill switch' triggered during massive outage that took down 'half the internet'

Amazon employees claimed they were left in the dark during the outage that took down half the internet on Monday, fueling speculations that the tech giant triggered a 'kill switch.'

Events

3 w. ago ‘Significant exposure’: Amazon Web Services outage exposed UK state’s £1.7bn reliance on tech giant

Cloud computing disruption highlights risk of deepening ties despite warnings from UK’s own regulators, including the TreasuryAmazon chief executive Andy Jassy beamed as he met Keir Starmer in Downing Street’s garden to announce £40bn of UK investments in June. Starmer was equally effusive, gushing: “This deal shows that our plan for change is working –bringing in investment, driving growth, and putting more money in people’s pockets.”Four months later, and the tech company was left scrambling to fix a devastating global outage on Monday that left thousands of businesses in limbo – and shed light on the UK government’s reliance on its cloud computing business, Amazon Web Services (AWS). Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Overconsumption and ruin: before and after images predict how tech could harm our planet

From Venice to the Iguaza Falls, an exhibition in London illustrates the hidden cost of our gadgets and devicesArtists have created visualisations of the impact of the climate crisis on some of the world’s most recognisable landscapes using scientific modelling, in a project to highlight the environmental effects of tech consumption.Venice in Italy, the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil, and the Seine River in Paris were among the locations explored to depict the potential impact of the climate crisis by the end of the century. The results are on display at an exhibition in London. Continue reading...

Science

3 w. ago Overconsumption and ruin: before and after images visualise how tech could harm our planet

From Venice to the Iguazu Falls, an exhibition in London illustrates the hidden cost of our gadgets and devicesArtists have created visualisations of the impact of the climate crisis on some of the world’s most recognisable landscapes, in a project to highlight the environmental effects of tech consumption.Venice in Italy, the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil, and the Seine River in Paris were among the locations used to explore to potential impacts of the climate crisis by the end of the century. The results are on display at an exhibition in London. Continue reading...

Science