Latest Politics News

Microsoft has announced legal action seeking to disrupt a major cybercrime digital network that uses more than a million zombie computers to loot bank accounts and spread ransomware, which experts consider a major threat to the US presidential election.

A strategy to make the UK a “global champion of data” has been set out, putting it at the heart of the country’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Data Strategy includes five priority missions the Government must take to capitalise on the opportunities data offers, including unlocking the value of data across the economy, securing a pro-growth and trusted data regime, transforming government’s use of data to drive efficiency and improve public services, ensuring the security and resilience of the infrastructure on which data relies and championing the international flow of data.

The US Department of Defence (DoD) has reaffirmed its decision to award Microsoft with a major military cloud contract in the latest blow to Amazon’s attempts to overturn the award.

In March, the DoD said it would launch a reevaluation of its decision to address Amazon’s claims the JEDI award was based on politics instead of the merit of the respective cloud provider’s proposals.

Chinese tech giant Huawei’s equipment will be stripped from the UK’s 5G network by 2027, adding millions to the cost and delaying the delivery of the high-speed mobile network.

The National Security Council took the decision – which will increase tensions with Beijing – after the impact of US sanctions raised concerns about Huawei’s continued involvement in the UK’s 5G infrastructure.

TikTok will stop operations in Hong Kong in the wake of a sweeping national security law in the former British colony.

The short-form video app’s planned departure from Hong Kong comes amid concerns from various social media platforms and messaging apps including Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Google and Twitter over the possibility of providing user data to Hong Kong authorities.

The type of video streaming or advertising platform used by a website could be used as a marker to expose those producing fake news, researchers claim.

While website owners host the pages, the videos and advertising end is usually served by a third party.

Boris Johnson approved the Chinese company having a limited stake in the UK’s 5G development in January. Chinese hi-tech company Huawei has defended its role in the development of 5G in the UK. The move comes after a Tory backbench attack on the company’s involvement in the roll-out of the advanced system in the UK.

Companies whose worldwide revenues from digital activities exceed £500 million, with more than £25 million of the revenues from UK users, will fall under the digital services tax. It is expected to bring in an extra £65 million this year.With firms across the Atlantic including Google, Amazon and Facebook set to be the main targets of the tax, US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin has previously warned the US could retaliate with tariffs on UK-made cars. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, he said President Donald Trump would raise the issue personally with Boris Johnson.

Amazon wants to depose US President Donald Trump over the tech company’s losing bid for a 10 billion dollar (£7.7 billion) military contract. The Pentagon awarded the cloud computing project to Microsoft in October. Amazon later sued, arguing that Mr Trump’s interference and bias against the company harmed Amazon’s chances of winning the contract.

The boss of BT has welcomed the Government’s “clarity” over its decision to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei access to the UK’s 5G phone network infrastructure.

Philip Jansen said the decision will have “an impact of around £500 million over the next five years”, and admitted that current trading has been weaker than expected.

Boris Johnson has paved the way for Chinese firm Huawei to have a limited role in the UK’s 5G network, in a move that will set up a diplomatic clash with the US. The National Security Council chaired by the Prime Minister on Tuesday decided that “high-risk vendors” should be permitted to play a peripheral role in the network. But advice issued to telecoms operators by the National Cyber Security Centre said such vendors should be barred from all safety-related and critical networks.

An EU proposal to temporarily ban facial recognition technology has divided opinion in the upper echelons of the techsphere, with leaders from Google and Microsoft offering divergent responses to the proposed bill.

Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai was quick to back the proposal, that leaked online this week, over concerns the technology could be misused. Meanwhile, Microsoft President and chief legal officer Brad Smith said an outright ban would be a step too far and called for a more measured response.