It’s been reported that Croydon is set to become the first place in the UK (and possibly the democratic world) to host permanent live facial recognition (LFR) cameras on its streets.

Two Fixed Units This Summer

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed the installation of two fixed units in the town centre this summer, the first fixed deployment of the technology in the UK.

What Is Live Facial Recognition and How Does It Work?

Live facial recognition (LFR) technology uses cameras to scan the faces of people passing through a defined area in real time. The images are instantly compared against a police watchlist, which may include suspects, wanted criminals, vulnerable individuals, and even victims of crime.

If a match is found, an alert is sent to nearby officers who are on standby and ready to make an arrest. If there is no match or the alert turns out to be a false positive, the captured image is deleted.

The Met insists the system is accurate, quoting a false match rate of less than one percent during its mobile van trials across London. However, as this tech becomes fixed and potentially more widespread, questions are being raised about its reliability, legality, and ethical implications.

Why Croydon, and Why Now?

Croydon has long struggled with violent crime. For example, the borough recorded more than 10,000 violent offences in a single year, making it one of London’s most crime-plagued areas. High-profile tragedies like the fatal stabbing of schoolgirl Elianne Andam outside the Whitgift Centre last year have amplified public concern.

It seems that this may well be the reason why the Met has chosen Croydon as the launch site for permanent LFR deployment. It’s been reported that the fixed cameras will be installed on North End and London Road (both busy pedestrianised streets) and mounted on lampposts and buildings. Crucially, the Met says the cameras will only be switched on when officers are present and ready to respond.

According to Superintendent Mitch Carr, the move will make LFR a “business as usual” policing tool, rather than relying on the availability of roving LFR vans. “It will give us much more flexibility around the days and times we can run the operations,” he told community leaders earlier this month.

What Are the Claimed Benefits?

The Met claims that the technology is already proving its worth. For example, last year, mobile facial recognition units reportedly led to over 500 arrests across London, including the identification of suspects wanted for stalking, domestic abuse and rape. In Croydon alone, about 200 arrests were linked to LFR use, including at least two alleged rapists.

Supporters argue that fixed cameras will enhance public safety and act as a powerful deterrent to criminals. Croydon South MP Chris Philp, who also serves as the Conservative Shadow Home Secretary, called the move a “logical next step”. In a recent interview with The Times he was quoted as saying: “Those few people opposing this technology need to explain why they don’t want wanted criminals to be arrested.” It’s been reported that for some residents, the technology is a welcome intervention.

But What Are the Critics Saying?

Despite the police’s reassurances, the move has ignited fierce opposition from privacy campaigners and civil liberties groups.

Big Brother Watch, a leading advocacy group, is particularly scathing. Its interim director, Rebecca Vincent, called the Croydon deployment “an alarming expansion of the surveillance state” and part of a “steady slide into a dystopian nightmare”.

She added: “It also underscores the urgent need for legislative safeguards on LFR, which to date has not been addressed in any parliamentary legislation.”

One of the key criticisms is the absence of clear regulation. There is no UK law specifically governing the use of LFR technology, meaning that police forces are left to write their own policies on how it should be used.

Big Brother Watch also points to real-world examples of things going wrong, i.e. cases of mistaken identity by the camera systems. For example, one such case involved Shaun Thompson, an anti-knife crime campaigner who was wrongly identified as a suspect at London Bridge station. He was detained for nearly 30 minutes despite presenting multiple forms of ID proving he was not the wanted individual.

Madeleine Stone, Senior Advocacy Officer at the group, said: “Everyone gets something wrong sometimes, but what happens when the algorithm gets it wrong? Who is responsible then?”

Even more concerning, critics say, is the makeup of the ‘police watchlists’. These reportedly include not only suspects but also victims and vulnerable individuals, thereby blurring the line between surveillance and profiling.

Legality and Oversight Still in Question

The introduction of permanent facial recognition cameras comes at a time when the legal framework around the technology remains unclear. For example, a House of Lords committee recently expressed “deep concern” over its unregulated use and campaigners have called for Parliament to intervene.

In contrast, the government seems to be doubling down. The current Labour administration recently launched a £20 million fund to expand LFR use across UK police forces.

Despite this political momentum, critics remain unconvinced. Big Brother Watch recently filed legal action in response to what it calls an “unprecedented expansion” of facial recognition surveillance in both public and private sectors.

The group has warned that the Cardiff trial during the Six Nations tournament, where over 160,000 people were scanned and no arrests made, shows that mass surveillance doesn’t always yield results. In that instance, temporary LFR cameras were deployed throughout the city centre, but the operation failed to identify any wanted suspects.

Is the Technology Effective or Just Theatrical?

The core question for many people remains whether permanent facial recognition cameras will genuinely help tackle crime or whether the move is more about public reassurance and political point-scoring, i.e. more of a theatrical gesture than a real, practical solution.

Press reports about the subject (e.g. in the Metro) highlight how some Croydon residents clearly welcome the technology, particularly after years of rising violent crime and high-profile incidents in the town centre. With concerns about gang activity, knife crime and anti-social behaviour dominating local conversation, it’s no surprise that many see any effort to increase safety as a step in the right direction.

However, doubts persist. In a borough where offenders often wear masks, balaclavas or hoodies to obscure their identities, it’s unclear how effective facial recognition will actually be in real-world conditions. Some commentators have also noted how the fixed locations of the new cameras may also work against them once people know where the cameras are, avoiding them could be as simple as taking a different route.

What This Could Mean For Your Business?

The decision to install permanent facial recognition cameras in Croydon isn’t just a local policing initiative – it’s the first real test of whether this kind of surveillance can be embedded into everyday British life. With no specific laws governing its use, and police forces writing their own rules, the move exposes a major gap in oversight that lawmakers have so far failed to address.

If the technology proves effective, it could pave the way for wider adoption in other towns and cities, which would bring facial recognition into regular public and commercial spaces. For UK businesses, particularly those in high-footfall retail or transport hubs, that might mean closer partnerships with police or even the rollout of their own systems. However, this could raise fresh challenges around data protection, customer consent, and reputational risk, especially as public awareness of privacy rights continues to grow.

For residents and civil liberties groups, the concern is not just how the technology works, but also how it’s controlled, and who gets to decide where the limits lie. As Croydon essentially becomes the UK’s surveillance testbed, its experience will likely shape future policy, public trust, and the broader role of biometric surveillance in Britain’s urban life. Whether it’s a breakthrough or a step too far, the rest of the country is now watching closely.

A software provider to the NHS has been fined £3.07 million after serious security lapses allowed hackers to steal sensitive personal data in a 2022 ransomware attack.

A Breach With Real-World Impact

The penalty, issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), follows a detailed investigation into Advanced Computer Software Group Ltd. In August 2022, the company’s health and care subsidiary was targeted by cybercriminals linked to the LockBit ransomware group. The attackers exploited a customer account that lacked multi-factor authentication (MFA), gaining access to systems used across NHS services.

In total, the personal data of 79,404 individuals was compromised. This included extremely sensitive information such as care plans and (in 890 cases) detailed instructions for entering the homes of vulnerable patients receiving in-home care.

Examples of the seriousness of the effects of the attack include:

– The NHS 111 helpline was forced to revert to manual operations.

– Health professionals across the country were locked out of patient records for extended periods.

– Routine services were thrown into disarray, with some systems offline for weeks.

ICO Says “Fell Seriously Short”

The ICO concluded that Advanced Computer Software Group Ltd had failed to implement basic cybersecurity hygiene expected of an organisation handling high-risk data. While some systems were protected by MFA, coverage was patchy, leaving major entry points exposed. Investigators also found gaps in vulnerability scanning and weaknesses in the company’s patch management processes.

Information Commissioner John Edwards said Advanced’s security “fell seriously short of what we would expect from an organisation processing such a large volume of sensitive information.” He added: “People should never have to think twice about whether their medical records are in safe hands.”

Fine Halved From £6m to £3m

The ICO originally proposed a fine of £6.09 million but ultimately reduced the figure by half. The discount followed a voluntary settlement in which Advanced accepted the findings, agreed not to appeal, and worked closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the National Crime Agency (NCA), and NHS partners in the wake of the breach.

The regulator also acknowledged the company’s efforts to limit the damage and mitigate risks to affected individuals, which contributed to the final penalty being set at £3,076,320.

A Data Processor Under Pressure

As a data processor acting on behalf of healthcare providers, Advanced Computer Software Group Ltd was responsible for protecting information it handled but did not own. That legal duty, the ICO stressed, does not allow for shortcuts. The ICO highlighted how it was not enough to have security measures “in progress” but that they needed to be fully implemented, especially given the volume and sensitivity of the data involved.

This attack, enabled by a single unsecured login, revealed how thinly spread protections can lead to catastrophic consequences when threat actors find a gap.

More Than Just a Cyber Incident

It seems that the fallout in this case extended far beyond IT systems. For example, the data accessed by attackers contained private information used daily by carers, clinicians, and emergency staff. In some cases, the stolen data may have revealed access instructions to individuals’ homes, which is an unprecedented breach of trust and safety for those affected.

For many observers, this incident demonstrated how a breakdown in basic cyber hygiene can translate directly into disruption on the front lines of public health services.

One of the Largest Fines in Years

Advanced’s fine is the highest handed down by the ICO since TikTok was penalised in April 2023 and ranks among the regulator’s top six ever. It places the company alongside British Airways, Marriott, and Interserve in a growing list of high-profile data security failures.

What sets this case apart is the nature of the data compromised, i.e. health and care information linked to some of the most vulnerable people in society. It also highlights how private contractors embedded in public services now face the same scrutiny and accountability as frontline NHS bodies.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

The clear message from the ICO, illustrated by this case, is that partial protections are not enough. If you’re handling sensitive data, especially as a supplier to critical sectors, every point of access must be secured, monitored, and updated. Incomplete MFA rollout, unpatched vulnerabilities, and weak incident response planning all count as regulatory failures.

This case also highlights how regulators are now expecting more from third-party vendors, and public sector clients are unlikely to forgive repeat offenders. For procurement teams, cyber due diligence is no longer optional. It must include not only accreditations and policies, but proof that systems are fully hardened and actively monitored.

That said, Advanced’s experience shows that cooperation can actually reduce fines, but it doesn’t undo the reputational and operational damage. For suppliers across healthcare, education, and government services, the priority now is clear, i.e. secure the basics or risk losing everything.

Troy Hunt (creator of ‘Have I Been Pwned’) has confirmed his blog’s mailing list was compromised after he fell for a phishing attack mimicking Mailchimp.

Hunt says that while he was jet-lagged in London, he received a convincing phishing email prompting him to log into a fake Mailchimp site, mailchimp-sso.com. Hunt says he entered his login details and a one-time password, only realising the mistake moments later. Despite resetting his password swiftly, the attacker had already exported his mailing list from a New York IP address.

Around 16,000 email addresses were exposed, including over 7,500 belonging to users who had unsubscribed, a detail Hunt criticised, questioning why Mailchimp retains unsubscribed data. The stolen data also included IP addresses and rough location metadata.

Hunt admitted the phishing email was well-crafted, creating just enough urgency without sounding alarmist. “We all have moments of weakness and if the phish times just perfectly with that, well, here we are,” he wrote. Ironically, the incident happened the day after he’d been discussing passkey adoption with the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre.

He has since notified affected users and loaded the breach into Have I Been Pwned, reinforcing his long-held message about transparency and rapid disclosure in data breaches.

For businesses, this incident is a reminder that even experts are vulnerable. Clear phishing awareness training, secure password management, and adoption of phishing-resistant technologies like passkeys are now essential steps in protecting sensitive data.

UK startup Phasecraft says its new THRIFT algorithm makes quantum simulations 10 times larger and longer, potentially unlocking major breakthroughs in materials, energy, and climate tech.

Breakthrough

Phasecraft, a Bristol- and London-based quantum computing startup, has announced what it calls the most significant leap yet in quantum simulation efficiency. Its new algorithm, THRIFT, allows simulations to run for ten times longer and at ten times the scale, a breakthrough that could accelerate discoveries in battery storage, sustainable materials, and climate-critical technologies.

Removes Limitations From Quantum Simulations

The advancement, published in Nature Communications, improves how quantum computers simulate complex physical systems. Unlike classical computers, which struggle to handle the vast number of possibilities within quantum mechanics, quantum computers are uniquely suited to model the changing behaviour of particles and molecules, but they’ve been limited by short run times and error-prone results. That’s what THRIFT aims to fix.

What Are Quantum Simulations And Why Do They Matter?

Quantum simulations are a way of using quantum computers to model how physical systems behave and change over time, especially at the atomic and molecular level. This includes things like how molecules interact in a new medicine, or how the internal structure of a battery changes as it charges and discharges. The value of such simulations is that they let scientists observe outcomes before running costly or time-consuming experiments in the real world.

Promising For Sustainability

The potential for more efficient quantum simulations is especially powerful for sustainability challenges. For example:

– Creating more efficient batteries by simulating materials at the quantum level.

– Designing catalysts for cleaner hydrogen production.

– Modelling carbon capture processes or low-impact construction materials.

However, until now, simulations on quantum hardware have been severely limited, often too small or too short to provide truly useful data.

What Makes Phasecraft’s ‘THRIFT’ Approach Different?

THRIFT, which stands for Trotter Heuristic Resource Improved Formulas for Time-dynamics, is Phasecraft’s new method for breaking down and simulating complex quantum systems more efficiently. The core idea lies in how quantum simulations evolve over time. Traditional methods divide these evolutions into small time steps using a “Trotter” formula. The problem is that they treat all interactions equally, which bloats the simulation and leads to unnecessary operations.

“Existing methods are slow, resource-intensive, and struggle to scale,” says Raul Santos, Lead Quantum Scientist at Phasecraft. “They use a high number of quantum gates to maintain accuracy, but this becomes impractical as the simulation grows.”

However, THRIFT counters these issues by prioritising the parts of the system that matter most. For example, some interactions evolve more slowly or contribute less to the overall behaviour of the system, so THRIFT allocates fewer computational resources to them. This streamlined process dramatically reduces the number of quantum operations required, cutting errors and allowing for much longer and more detailed simulations.

Simulations 10x Larger and 10x Longer

In trials, THRIFT improved estimates for a widely used benchmark in quantum physics, the one-dimensional transverse-field Ising model, achieving simulations 10x larger and 10x longer than with standard methods, without increasing circuit size or computational cost.

Built for Today’s Quantum Machines

One of the key strengths of THRIFT is that it works on today’s imperfect quantum computers and is not just designed for the powerful machines of the future. Quantum hardware is still ‘noisy’, meaning it’s prone to errors and has limited capacity. Phasecraft’s innovation, however, appears to be in designing software that maximises what’s possible even on current-generation devices.

“We’ve shown a 10x increase on today’s machines,” says Santos. “And we’d expect this to only get better as hardware advances and quantum computers become better at tolerating errors.”

Focusing On Working With Today’s Hardware

Rather than waiting for quantum hardware to mature, Phasecraft appears to be focusing on making the most of what’s available today. The hope is that this approach will put the company in a strong position as Big Tech continues to pour investment into next-generation quantum processors, including Google’s Willow chip, Microsoft’s Majorana platform, and Amazon’s Ocelot. As Phasecraft’s Raul Santos says: “This algorithm enhances efficiency on near-term devices, like those Google and Microsoft have announced,” and that “Any improvements in their performance can only enhance our approach.”

Real-World Impact

The theory is that the longer and more detailed the simulation, the better scientists can understand how a system behaves and ultimately design better materials and molecules. This means Phasecraft’s THRIFT breakthrough could open the door to real-world applications in areas where incremental efficiency gains could have massive sustainability impacts. For example, as Phasecraft CEO and co-founder Ashley Montanaro says:

“Work by Raul and the team has delivered the highest-performance quantum algorithms known for simulating some prominent and well-studied physical systems. This improvement will push us closer to real-world quantum applications in materials science, chemistry, and beyond.”

Examples of areas where it could make a real difference include:

– Energy Storage. More accurate simulations of battery chemistries could reduce the need for rare and environmentally damaging materials.

– Pharmaceuticals. Simulating molecular interactions more precisely could speed up drug development and reduce lab waste.

– Manufacturing. Discovering lighter or more durable materials through simulation can lower emissions across supply chains.

The point is that it’s not just about speed, but it’s about being able to run simulations that were previously impossible. This could fundamentally reshape how innovation happens in sectors critical to net-zero goals.

Challenges and Next Steps

Despite the reported progress, Phasecraft’s achievement doesn’t mean quantum simulations are ready for widespread commercial use just yet. THRIFT has so far been tested on a simplified benchmark, i.e. the Ising model which, while important, doesn’t fully represent the complexity of real-world systems.

There’s also the broader challenge of access. Running quantum simulations still requires deep technical expertise and partnerships with hardware providers. Although Phasecraft collaborates with companies like Google, IBM, and QuEra, the barrier to entry remains high for most organisations.

Energy use is another factor. While quantum computers promise efficiency gains in the long run, current machines require cryogenic cooling and specialised environments, which come with their own environmental footprint. For now, those costs must be weighed against the potential gains in simulation efficiency.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation?

In enabling longer, larger, and more efficient simulations on existing hardware, Phasecraft’s THRIFT algorithm essentially brings practical quantum applications closer, particularly in areas such as energy storage, materials design, and low-impact manufacturing.

For UK businesses and organisations, this could pave the way for faster development of green technologies, from energy storage systems and new materials to more efficient chemical processes. Companies working in advanced manufacturing, cleantech, and pharmaceuticals could benefit from earlier and more accurate testing and from reducing the risks and costs involved in developing sustainable solutions. As the UK looks to maintain its edge in science-led innovation, the ability to work with cutting-edge quantum tools, developed on home soil, could also become a valuable strategic asset.

In essence here, rather than simply accepting the limitations of current quantum hardware and waiting for future machines to deliver breakthroughs, Phasecraft’s work shows that smart software (grounded in real scientific insight) can start delivering value now. That approach could influence how other startups, institutions and governments think about the role of quantum technologies in addressing real-world challenges, from climate resilience to resource efficiency.

That said, there’s still a long way to go. Scaling these simulations to solve complex, real-world problems will require further advances in both algorithms and hardware. Access to quantum platforms remains limited, and widespread commercial adoption is still some way off. However, by closing the gap between theoretical potential and practical application, Phasecraft’s THRIFT algorithm brings quantum computing one step closer to playing a meaningful role in shaping a more sustainable future.

ChatGPT has recently made a dramatic difference to the images you can produce and this video provides five examples of how it can be used – impressive stuff!

[Note – To Watch This Video without glitches/interruptions, It may be best to download it first]

Did you know your phone can double up as a magnifying glass? If you don’t have your glasses to hand, this built-in feature lets you zoom in on labels, menus or instructions using your phone’s camera, perfect when you’re out and about.

How To Use It On iPhone:

– Open the Settings app.
– Tap ‘Accessibility’, then select ‘Magnifier’.
– Toggle it on — this adds the Magnifier app to your device.
– You can now open it from the Home Screen, App Library, or Control Centre.
– Or, go to ‘Accessibility Shortcut’, select ‘Magnifier’, and triple-click the side button (or Home button) to activate it.
– Use the on-screen slider to zoom in, turn on the torch for better lighting, or take a freeze-frame if the image is shaky.

How To Use It On Android:

Most Android phones don’t have a built-in magnifier app, but there are plenty of free camera-based magnifier apps available.

– Open the Google Play Store.
– Search for “Magnifying Glass” or “Magnifier + Flashlight”.
– Choose a well-reviewed app.
– Once installed, open the app and point your camera at the text or object.
– Use the zoom slider and built-in light to make things clearer. Some apps also let you freeze the image for a closer look.

Whether you’re reading tiny ingredients on packaging or checking small print on a form, this is one of the quickest ways to turn your phone into a real-world accessibility tool – no internet required.

In this week’s featured article, we look at how a false murder claim by ChatGPT has fuelled fresh concerns over AI accuracy and hallucinations.

A Father Falsely Accused by AI

In quite a shocking story, a Norwegian man has filed a formal complaint after ChatGPT falsely claimed he murdered two of his sons! The case, now lodged with Norway’s data protection authority (Datatilsynet), is raising serious questions about AI hallucinations and how companies like OpenAI are handling personal data.

Who Is Arve Hjalmar Holmen?

Arve Hjalmar Holmen, the man at the centre of the complaint, is what you might call a private citizen. He’s not a public figure, has no criminal record, and lives with his family in Trondheim (Norway) and yet when he typed his own name into ChatGPT last year, the chatbot responded with a chilling story.

Holmen alleges that ChatGPT claimed he had been convicted of killing two of his sons, attempting to murder a third, and had been sentenced to 21 years in prison! It even mentioned the tragic event “shocked the local community and the nation”. The only issue (and quite a large one) here is that it never happened.

Scared

Holmen is reported to have said that the fact that other people could read this bizarre output and believe it is true scared him.

Although the key claim was inaccurate, it seems that the AI’s fictional story didn’t come entirely out of thin air. For example, it correctly mentioned that Holmen lives in Trondheim and has three sons. The ages in the fabricated account also eerily mirrored the real age gap between his children.

It’s been reported that Holmen has said he tried to contact OpenAI, but received only a generic response. It seems therefore that frustratedly, he turned to noyb, a European digital rights group, which has now filed an official GDPR complaint on his behalf.

The Legal Challenge

The complaint accuses OpenAI of breaching Article 5(1)(d) of the GDPR, which requires organisations to ensure that personal data is accurate and kept up to date. Noyb argues that the company should delete the output and “fine-tune” its model to prevent further harm to Holmen’s reputation.

They are also calling for the Norwegian data authority to impose a fine. In the words of Joakim Söderberg, noyb’s legal officer: “You can’t just spread false information and in the end add a small disclaimer saying that everything you said may just not be true”.

What Are AI Hallucinations?

The Holmen case is the latest example of what the industry calls a “hallucination”, i.e. when an AI system makes something up and presents it as fact.

These errors are surprisingly common in large language models like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. For example, just last year, Gemini suggested people glue cheese to pizza and eat rocks for health reasons!

These so-called ‘hallucinations’ are a result of how these AI models work. For example, rather than “knowing” facts, they predict the most likely next word or phrase based on patterns in vast amounts of text. This can produce convincingly written (but totally inaccurate) results.

As Professor Simone Stumpf of the University of Glasgow explains: “Even if you are involved in the development of these systems… quite often, you do not know how they actually work, why they’re coming up with this particular information.”

OpenAI’s Response

OpenAI has acknowledged the incident but says it relates to an older version of ChatGPT. The company says it has since rolled out a new model with internet search capabilities, which it says improves accuracy.

However, the original conversation remains in OpenAI’s system, and critics say more needs to be done to prevent such reputational damage in the future.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

This story raises a pressing question, i.e. how much trust can individuals and businesses place in today’s most powerful tech platforms? We see how AI can cause very real harm through inaccuracies that feel all too plausible.

For individuals like Arve Hjalmar Holmen, the (alleged) damage caused by false AI-generated content is deeply personal, but the implications extend far beyond a single case. As generative AI becomes increasingly embedded in everything from customer service to search engines, the risks around misinformation, defamation, and lack of accountability are growing more serious. For regulators and privacy advocates, this case could become a key reference point in the broader push to bring AI development in line with data protection laws, especially in Europe, where the GDPR offers some of the strongest safeguards.

Google Cloud has just signed one of the biggest cybersecurity deals in history with a bold $32 billion all-cash agreement to acquire Wiz, a fast-growing cloud security firm.

Awaiting Approval

The deal, still subject to regulatory approval, signals Google’s most aggressive move yet to close the gap with rivals Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, while doubling down on multicloud and AI-driven cybersecurity.

Who Is Wiz and Why Does It Matter?

Wiz, founded in 2020 by former Microsoft cloud executives, has quickly become one of the most talked-about players in cloud security. The company offers an agentless, user-friendly platform that helps organisations identify and remediate security risks across all major cloud providers, including AWS, Azure, Oracle Cloud, and yes, Google Cloud too.

Rather than waiting for breaches to occur, Wiz scans cloud environments continuously, maps out all assets and their connections, and flags high-risk vulnerabilities in real-time. Its promise is straightforward: understand your entire cloud environment, see where the threats are, and fix them before attackers can exploit them.

For example, if a developer accidentally leaves a storage bucket open to the internet or misconfigures a sensitive workload, Wiz alerts security teams, and even helps them prioritise the most critical risks. This “code-to-cloud” view has made it hugely popular with everyone from nimble start-ups to sprawling enterprise IT teams and public sector bodies.

Results

The results speak for themselves. For example, in just under five years, Wiz has reached an estimated $700 million annual revenue run rate, with projections it would have crossed $1 billion within a year. That makes it one of the fastest-growing software companies in history (and a highly attractive acquisition target).

Why Is Google Buying Wiz Now?

Google Cloud may be strong on paper, with top-tier infrastructure, AI expertise, and a solid security record. However, it remains a distant third in the cloud infrastructure race, trailing AWS (30 per cent global market share) and Microsoft Azure (21 per cent) by a wide margin. Google Cloud sits at around 12 per cent (Statista).

This acquisition by Google Cloud is designed to change that. By bringing Wiz into the fold, Google is looking to supercharge its credibility with enterprise customers and respond to two urgent trends in tech:

1. The surge in multicloud use. Most large organisations now use a mix of cloud providers for different workloads. That makes managing security even harder — and makes a vendor-agnostic platform like Wiz essential.

2. The rising cybersecurity threat landscape. As more businesses go digital and deploy AI-driven systems, the complexity of defending modern IT environments is exploding. Wiz offers a way to simplify that defence — and make it more proactive.

In a recent blog post, Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, summed it up clearly: “Multicloud is something our customers want… Our commitment to multicloud means that new IT projects an organisation does with Google Cloud can work with their existing IT investments.”

Kurian also noted that AI is accelerating this trend: “AI architectures typically see large enterprises pool data from multiple places… This means multicloud protection is more critical than security for a centralised cache of data.”

Multicloud or Bust

Interestingly, Google is not planning to make Wiz a Google Cloud-only tool, and that’s no accident.

Wiz’s success has been built on its neutrality. Many of its customers don’t even use Google Cloud. If Google were to make Wiz exclusive, it could easily drive those users into the arms of competitors. That’s the most likely reason why the company has gone to great lengths to reassure customers that Wiz will continue to work seamlessly across all major cloud platforms.

In fact, as part of the deal, Google and Wiz have even earmarked an additional $1 billion retention package to keep key staff and leadership in place (including CEO Assaf Rappaport) and ensure continuity for clients.

As Wiz’s Rappaport puts it: “Wiz and Google Cloud are fully committed to continue supporting and protecting customers across all major clouds, helping keep them safe and secure wherever they operate.”

For Google, this “multicloud-first” positioning also helps defuse potential antitrust concerns. The deal comes at a time when Big Tech M&A activity is being watched closely by regulators in both the US and Europe. Emphasising openness, competition, and customer choice could make the acquisition easier to push through.

What’s in It for Google Cloud Customers?

From a business standpoint, the deal could be seen as a major play to strengthen Google Cloud’s value proposition to enterprise and government buyers. By integrating Wiz into its broader portfolio, alongside Mandiant, Google Security Operations, and its AI threat intelligence tools, Google hopes to create a unified, AI-optimised security platform that:

– Helps customers detect, prevent and respond to cloud threats faster.

– Lowers the cost and complexity of managing security across hybrid and multicloud environments.

– Boosts productivity of cybersecurity teams with automated tools and AI-powered agents.

– Provides “measurable defence” by helping teams test and validate their own security controls.

Example

As an example of how this could work, a large bank (e.g. using AWS for customer-facing apps, Azure for internal services, and Google Cloud for AI modelling) can now use Wiz to monitor all those environments from a single dashboard. That unified approach, backed by Google’s infrastructure and AI muscle, is what the tech giant hopes will make its cloud platform more attractive.

Wiz’s tools will also remain available via the Google Cloud Marketplace and other partner channels, giving system integrators and resellers access to a much broader toolkit for customers.

A $32 Billion Price Tag (And Plenty of Pressure)

At $32 billion, the acquisition is the largest in Google’s history, and one of the biggest cybersecurity deals ever made. To put that into perspective, it’s more than 3x the price Google paid for Motorola Mobility in 2012, and well above the $5.4 billion Amazon spent acquiring MGM Studios in 2022.

It’s also far above Wiz’s most recent private valuation, which was reportedly around $10 billion. So why the premium?

Partly, it reflects the sheer scale of the opportunity. Cloud security is one of the fastest-growing segments in enterprise IT. According to Gartner, global spending on cloud security is expected to top $18 billion in 2025, up from $13.5 billion in 2023.

Google sees Wiz not just as a product, but as a platform, and one that could become the default choice for securing modern cloud-native and AI-driven systems. The acquisition could give Google a critical edge as AI becomes more embedded in everything from healthcare to finance to national infrastructure.

However, it also raises expectations. With such a steep price tag, the pressure will now be really on Google to show real returns not just in terms of revenue, but in market share gains and customer trust.

What This Means for the Rest of the Cloud Market

For competitors like AWS and Microsoft, the acquisition of Wiz is a clear signal that Google is not backing down in the cloud wars. It’s a bet on openness, AI integration, and simplified security, and it’s likely to accelerate innovation across the industry.

However, some analysts have warned that integrating Wiz successfully won’t be easy. Cultural clashes, product overlaps, and customer scepticism could all pose challenges. There are also questions around whether Wiz’s lean, start-up-style pace can be maintained under the umbrella of a tech giant like Google.

Still, if Google can pull it off, the payoff could be significant. As cyber threats grow more sophisticated and cloud environments become ever more complex, customers will be looking for solutions that just work, regardless of where their data lives. That’s essentially the promise Google is betting $32 billion on.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

By snapping up one of the most agile and highly regarded multicloud security firms on the market, Google has positioned itself to offer something that many enterprise customers have long been asking for, i.e. a single, unified security platform that doesn’t demand vendor lock-in and can evolve with their increasingly complex IT environments.

For Google, this is about more than plugging a gap in its offering. It’s a strategic move to become a serious contender for the next wave of cloud growth, where AI, hybrid systems, and multicloud deployments are the norm. If it can successfully integrate Wiz and maintain the platform’s independence and speed of innovation, it may finally start to close the distance between itself and the cloud giants that have dominated the space for years.

For UK businesses, from financial institutions and healthcare providers to the growing ecosystem of digital-native start-ups, the benefits could be substantial. Many are already juggling data across multiple platforms, wrestling with compliance demands like GDPR, and navigating increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. A more integrated, intelligent and cloud-agnostic security solution could offer much-needed simplification, cost efficiency, and peace of mind. At the same time, UK-based security consultancies, MSPs and technology partners may find new opportunities through the Google Cloud Marketplace and expanded integrations with Wiz’s tools.

However, the deal is not without its challenges. Regulatory scrutiny remains a looming question, and customers will be watching closely to see whether Google can truly preserve Wiz’s independence in practice. There’s also the risk that the sheer scale of the acquisition could dilute what made Wiz successful in the first place: its speed, focus, and user-friendly approach.

All that said, in a market crying out for more flexible, AI-ready security solutions, this acquisition may be exactly the kind of move Google needed. Whether it pays off, and whether customers, partners and regulators will buy into Google’s multicloud pitch, remains to be seen. One thing, however, is clear – the race to secure the cloud just entered a new phase, and Google has firmly placed its bet.

In a new internal report, Cheshire East Council says it could save as much as £60 million over the next five years by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI).

Smart Technology Shift

The report highlights how AI could transform everything from customer service to social care, while tackling the authority’s ongoing financial struggles. The plan is part of a broader shift across UK councils to use smart technology to plug budget gaps, improve services, and cut red tape.

Why AI And Why Now?

Cheshire East, like many other UK local authorities, is under serious financial pressure. Its leaders have already warned of an eye-watering £25.3 million funding gap for the 2025–26 financial year. To help cover its day-to-day spending, the council has now secured exceptional financial support from central government for the second year running – essentially permission to borrow to stay afloat.

It seems, therefore, that against this challenging backdrop, the idea of using AI to deliver better services for less money is fast becoming not just an idea, but a necessity.

The council’s internal report, which is due to be discussed by the corporate policy committee, outlines a bold “transformation plan”. It suggests that artificial intelligence could be used across several departments to make services faster, more accurate and far less reliant on overstretched staff.

Where AI Could Make The Biggest Difference

The report identifies three key areas where AI could deliver the biggest impact: customer service, adult social care and children’s services. For example:

– Customer contact centres. The council wants to reduce the number of calls handled by humans by introducing AI-powered virtual assistants and chatbots. These tools can handle routine queries and direct people to the right services automatically, thereby cutting wait times and staffing costs.

– Adult Social Care. AI could streamline assessments and care planning, especially for complex cases. Tools could help staff identify needs earlier, coordinate support more efficiently and reduce duplication of work, thereby freeing up social workers to focus on people rather than paperwork.

– Children’s Services. The council thinks that AI might also help with tasks like processing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) more quickly. The report suggests this could reduce waiting times for families and cut costs by finding more suitable (and often less expensive) placements for children earlier in the process.

In total, the report suggests that the estimated savings from using AI could range between £40 million and £60 million over a five-year period. The report also highlights how, after that, annual savings of up to £14 million could continue. As the report says, “These benefits will be realised through improved service delivery, reduced costs, and enhanced operational efficiency”.

Not The Only Council Using AI

Cheshire East isn’t the only authority turning to AI to help solve deep-rooted challenges. Across the UK, other councils are trialling a wide range of AI-driven tools and platforms, with some already reporting significant savings and improved outcomes. Some examples include:

– London Borough of Sutton is using smart sensors on everyday appliances (like fridges and kettles) to help monitor elderly residents living independently. If someone doesn’t make a cup of tea in the morning or open the fridge, carers get an alert. It’s a simple but effective way to spot problems early and avoid emergency call-outs.

– Blackpool Council has started using AI-equipped vehicles to detect potholes before they become serious hazards. The technology can map the condition of roads in real-time, allowing for proactive maintenance and fewer costly insurance claims.

– Coventry City Council, working with energy provider E.ON, has launched a 15-year smart energy partnership. AI-enabled drones carry out thermal imaging surveys to detect where heat is escaping from homes – allowing residents to insulate more effectively and cut energy bills.

– Dorset Council is piloting AI-driven acoustic monitoring in care homes. These devices alert staff to unusual noises at night, helping them check on residents without disturbing them unnecessarily. It’s already led to faster response times and better care planning.

Government Is Backing The Shift

The UK government is actively encouraging councils and other public bodies to adopt AI. As part of its wider “Plan for Change”, ministers want to see up to £45 billion in efficiency savings across public services, with AI being central to that goal.

One example is the introduction of tools like “Humphrey”, an AI assistant developed to support civil servants with admin tasks such as summarising documents and generating reports.

In health and social care, the Department of Health and Social Care is also investing in AI pilots through the Digitising Social Care Programme. These trials, including those in Dorset, are seen as a way to test what works and scale it up quickly.

What Are The Risks?

Despite the promise of AI, it’s not without controversy. For example, there are concerns about how personal data will be used (privacy), especially in sensitive areas like social care and children’s services. Councils must, therefore, tread carefully to ensure they comply with data protection laws and maintain public trust.

There’s also the issue of accuracy. AI systems are only as good as the data they’re trained on. If the data is incomplete or biased (or there are ‘AI hallucinations’ – AI making things up), the outcomes can be misleading, with potentially serious consequences when it comes to making decisions about vulnerable people.

There’s also the question of AI’s impact on jobs. For example, if AI can automate many routine tasks, it may lead to reduced staffing levels in some departments. That could mean job losses, or at the very least, significant changes to how council employees work.

That said, many people in UK local authorities are aware that AI is just one tool that can help and is not the answer to all the problems they face. For example, as one local government technology expert put it: “AI is not a silver bullet. It has the potential to support better services and reduce costs – but only if it’s implemented carefully, with real oversight and a focus on outcomes.”

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

While the promise of AI-driven efficiency might once have felt like a distant ambition, it seems it’s now becoming a practical solution to the very real financial strain facing councils across the UK. However, Cheshire East’s plan to wholeheartedly embrace AI isn’t just a tech upgrade but is more of a survival strategy. By rethinking how services are delivered and where time and money are being lost, the council is hoping to modernise its operations in ways that could have lasting benefits for both staff and residents.

For UK businesses, especially those operating in the tech and digital services sectors, councils embracing AI could mean new business opportunities. For example, as councils look to adopt AI, they will need software developers, data analysts, compliance consultants and implementation partners, thereby opening the door to greater public sector collaboration. More broadly, the move towards AI in local government could also raise the bar in terms of customer experience and data use, pushing businesses to adopt similar innovations to stay competitive and relevant.

The Cheshire East example shows how AI is no longer just the preserve of private tech giants. It’s entering town halls, social work offices, and call centres and is quietly reshaping the machinery of local government. If done properly, it could usher in a new era of smarter, leaner public services. However, councils must proceed with care, ensuring that the benefits of AI are fairly distributed and that those who rely on public services continue to feel supported, not sidelined.

New fibre optic sensing technology is being deployed under the Baltic Sea to detect and deter sabotage attempts on Europe’s critical subsea data cables.

Subsea Cables Carry the World’s Internet

Many people may not know that nearly all global internet traffic depends on cables running across the seabed. Although these are slender fibre optic lines, often just a few centimetres thick, they actually carry around 99 per cent of intercontinental data! As such, these cables link whole countries, power financial markets, and support global communications infrastructure.

For example, the seabed beneath the Baltic Sea is criss-crossed by dozens of these connections, linking Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany. These cables are essential to both internet access and the flow of electricity from offshore renewables.

However, these undersea cables are exposed and vulnerable to damage, e.g. from anchors or fishing gear, or even from deliberate sabotage, as tensions rise in the region.

Unexplained Cable Damage Has Triggered a Response

Several recent incidents have put the vulnerability of the subsea cables in the Baltic firmly in the spotlight. In late 2023 and early 2024, multiple data and power cables were damaged in unexplained circumstances. Although investigations are still ongoing, European leaders have taken the incidents seriously.

The EU’s New Initiative To Protect The Cables

In February 2025, the European Commission launched a new initiative to protect subsea infrastructure, warning that cable disruptions “risk causing severe interruptions to essential services” across the EU. The strategy sets out new funding, detection systems, mapping efforts and plans for smarter, more secure cables.

The NATO-led “Baltic Sentry” mission, using drones, warships and aircraft to patrol the sea, was also launched in response. However, with thousands of kilometres of seabed to monitor, authorities have found it necessary to turn to a new kind of defence, i.e. smart sensor cables that can detect threats in real-time.

How Fibre Optic Cables Can ‘Hear’ Underwater Activity

The idea is deceptively simple, i.e. use existing fibre optic cables to listen for disturbances. This is made possible by a technique called Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). In short, light pulses are sent down a fibre optic line. When that line is disturbed (by vibrations, movement or temperature changes) it alters the light signal, which can then be analysed.

Examples of what these fibre optic sensor cables can detect include:

– Divers, drones or submersibles near the cable.

– Anchors being dropped or dragged along the seabed.

– Vessels passing overhead, including their size, speed and direction.

– Dredging, tunnelling or unauthorised seabed activity.

During tests, it’s been found that such acoustic sensing systems could detect a diver simply brushing the cable. In one demonstration, a buried cable was even able to pick up nearby footsteps and even a distant gunshot.

Cross-Referenced

The information from the cable can be cross-referenced with satellite images or vessel tracking data to confirm whether suspicious activity is occurring. In practice, it becomes a silent surveillance network lying on the seabed, detecting threats without giving away its presence.

Who’s Building These Systems And Where Are They Being Used?

Several companies are already rolling out this technology, with Germany’s AP Sensing and the Netherlands-based Optics11 leading the charge.

AP Sensing’s solution uses Distributed Fibre Optic Sensing (DFOS) to monitor telecoms cables, power lines and gas pipelines. The company says its system can provide real-time alerts and pinpoint exactly where a disturbance is occurring, even differentiating between routine vessel traffic and potential intrusions.

Although AP Sensing has confirmed that its systems are in place on some cable routes in the North Sea, it has not disclosed specific locations for security reasons. However, the Baltic is a clear focus area for future deployments.

Optics11 is developing systems that can be laid independently of the main cables. The company says these could act as early-warning sensors in strategic zones, e.g. 100km from a critical port or around key gas pipelines.

How The Sensors Are Deployed

Both AP Sensing and Optics11 say that these sensor systems can be deployed without laying new cables. Instead, they rely on something called “dark fibre” which are unused strands within existing fibre optic cables that were installed for future capacity. These dormant fibres can be activated and connected to specialist monitoring equipment on land, turning them into sensing lines without disturbing the cable itself.

If no dark fibre is available, the system can (sometimes) use spare channels on active fibres. In either case, the main undersea cables stay where they are, i.e. there’s no need to slide anything new into the seabed. It’s the light signals running through the fibre that are doing the ‘listening’.

A New Line of Defence – But It Has Limits

While the technology appears to be powerful, it isn’t perfect. For example, one of the key limitations is range. In most cases, disturbances must occur within a few hundred metres of the fibre to be reliably detected, so interrogators (the specialist devices that analyse the signals) must be installed roughly every 100km to keep the system functioning. This, unfortunately, makes full coverage expensive, especially across long distances or in deep water.

Another challenge is what happens after a disturbance is detected. For example, detecting a diver or anchor is useful but without a rapid response capability, there’s still a risk of damage before any intervention can take place.

Also, even the most physically robust cables are not immune. According to Swedish cable manufacturer Hexatronic, although lines are reinforced with metal armouring and thick protective layers, even these can be severed by a deliberate dragging of a ship’s anchor, especially at shallow depths.

Why the Baltic Sea Is Europe’s Top Priority Right Now

The Baltic region has become a focal point for infrastructure protection, and not by coincidence. For example, its shallow waters, heavy commercial traffic and its strategic proximity to Russia all make the area particularly vulnerable. Many of the recent cable damage incidents (and subsequent investigations) have occurred here, prompting coordinated action. In response, the European Commission has laid out a wide-ranging plan that includes:

– Mapping all subsea cables across EU waters by the end of 2025.

– Launching a “Cable Security Toolbox” of protective measures.

– Funding new smart cables with inbuilt sensing capabilities.

– Creating a list of critical “Cable Projects of European Interest”.

– Increasing repair capacity and backup systems to minimise downtime.

These efforts are being coordinated with NATO activities and national security strategies. The EU’s 2025 roadmap also links in with the NIS2 cybersecurity directive and the Critical Entities Resilience (CER) directive, two major legal frameworks designed to harden infrastructure against hybrid threats.

China Introduces a Powerful Deep-Sea Cable Cutter

Whilst this is all happening, China has unveiled a powerful deep-sea cable cutter capable of severing heavily protected undersea lines at depths up to 4,000 meters—beyond existing operational ranges.

Developed by the China Ship Scientific Research Centre and the State Key Laboratory of Deep-sea Manned Vehicles, it can be fitted to both crewed and uncrewed submersibles like Fendouzhe and Haidou. Originally intended for civilian salvage and seabed mining, its dual-use potential could alarm nations reliant on undersea communication cables that carry 95 percent of global data.

This is the first official disclosure of a device that could disrupt critical maritime infrastructure.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

With geopolitical tensions rising and critical infrastructure increasingly targeted, fibre optic sensing offers a promising (and highly practical) way to spot trouble early. By transforming existing cables into silent surveillance tools, Europe may be beginning to close a dangerous blind spot beneath the waves.

However, as with most emerging technologies, this isn’t a silver bullet. Sensor systems still rely on swift responses from coastguards or military forces to intervene if sabotage is suspected. Their coverage is limited by distance, their deployment by cost. Even the most advanced system can only alert, it can’t physically stop damage from being done in the first place. That said, the strength of this technology lies in its ability to provide that vital early warning, buying time when it matters most.

For the UK, this move towards smarter cable monitoring is not just a continental concern. For example, Britain’s own subsea networks connect it to Europe, North America and beyond, underpinning the data economy, financial services and everyday digital life. UK telecoms providers and energy firms will likely need to follow developments in the Baltic closely, both to understand the risks and to assess the potential of retrofitting their own infrastructure with acoustic sensing capabilities.

At the same time, the opportunity for UK-based firms specialising in cyber-physical systems, marine engineering or signal analytics could be significant. As the EU ramps up investment in cable resilience and NATO deepens its interest in subsea surveillance, demand for this kind of expertise will grow across both civil and defence sectors.

The wider lesson from the Baltic, therefore, is that the digital world doesn’t float in the cloud but it sits on the seabed. As governments, companies and regulators begin to grasp just how critical and exposed that infrastructure really is, technologies like fibre optic sensing are likely to become part of a much broader push to harden Europe’s digital backbone. The challenge now is ensuring that detection leads to action, and that security keeps pace with the threat.