CMA moves to put Microsoft and Copilot under watch
The CMA has proposed strategic market status for Microsoft's business software, from Windows and Teams to Copilot. Consultation runs to 13 November; a decision is due by February 2027.
Topic
Policy
Regulators, government and the rules shaping tech in the UK and beyond.
UK backs all 44 AI healthcare rules. Now the hard bit
The government has accepted every recommendation from the MHRA's doctor-led AI commission, promising lifelong monitoring of NHS AI tools and faster supervised access. The detail arrives from December.
Ofcom's first Meta probe is about paperwork, not peril
Ofcom is investigating whether Meta risk-assessed Instagram's disappearing Instants feature before launch. It's a test of process, not a ruling that the feature is unsafe, and every UK platform should take note.
£320k, 500,000 faces, no arrests: BTP's face scan trial
British Transport Police scanned over 500,000 faces at London stations in a £320,786 facial recognition trial. It produced one alert, which was wrong. Now it's been extended.
Palantir hires Tom Watson as NHS break clause nears
Palantir has hired Labour's former deputy leader Tom Watson just as its £330m NHS data platform contract heads for a February break clause. Critics see a revolving door. Palantir says he's there to build.
Discord guesses your age now, unless you're in the UK
Discord now estimates most users' ages from account activity instead of asking for ID. The UK is excluded, so British users still face the stricter Online Safety Act checks.
UK crypto firms now need a licence. The queue opens
From 30 September, crypto exchanges, custodians and stablecoin issuers can apply to the FCA to keep serving UK customers. Old registrations won't carry over, and the rules bite in October 2027.
The Environment Agency's new AI reads the rules, not rivers
The Environment Agency is piloting an AI assistant for officers who assess sewage discharge permits in England. It's a search tool for guidance, not a decision-maker, and the pilot is about septic tanks, not water firms.
Ofcom can fine the internet. Getting paid is harder
Ofcom has handed out more than £7m in Online Safety Act fines. By its own admission most haven't been paid, and 4chan's lawyer is replying with pictures of hamsters.
Burnham wants Britain to be AI's honest broker. Again
In his first UN speech, Andy Burnham promised a new centre to fight AI-powered disinformation and pitched Britain as the world's honest broker on AI rules. Hours earlier, Donald Trump had rejected the idea.