Technology

Deloitte's ISAE 3000 audit at the end of 2025 found NordVPN's systems do not retain traffic-related metadata across its VPN services, marking the company's sixth independent no-logs verification.

Workers in rural India are labelling images, videos and documents for AI models, with an estimated workforce of at least 200,000 annotators; major tech firms have announced multi-billion-dollar data centre investments in the country.

The technology secretary anointed Barnsley as the UK's first 'tech town', and the article reports Microsoft, Google, Cisco and Adobe will help apply AI across schools, health services and local businesses in the area.

A new AI-only site called Moltbook launched last week and agents there have been posting about religion, language and their human creators; researchers say this kind of behaviour can arise from training data and agent interaction.

NASA's Artemis II will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby, the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since 1972. A dress rehearsal is scheduled after weather-related delays moved the earliest launch to Feb. 8, leaving Feb. 11 as the last feasible date this month.

A new 'Fuel Finder' scheme requires nearly 8,350 UK petrol forecourts to report price changes within 30 minutes so third-party apps can show current petrol and diesel prices, and operators who do not comply may face compliance notices or fines.

OpenClaw is a widely downloaded AI personal assistant that can act autonomously when given account access, and experts have raised concerns about security and unintended actions.

A man in his 20s was taken to hospital after a reported shooting at a property in Sutton Coldfield late on Saturday; police say the incident is believed to have been targeted and have launched an investigation.

About 50 volunteers in Quilicura ran a 12-hour human-operated chatbot that organizers say handled more than 20,000 requests, aiming to spotlight the water footprint tied to AI data centers in the Santiago region.

New Mexico accuses Meta of exposing children and teens to sexual exploitation on its platforms; jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in Santa Fe District Court.

A British student paralysed after an accident received a Neuralink brain implant at University College London Hospital as part of a national trial and can now operate a computer screen using thought.

Hundreds of rail enthusiasts rode the final V-set service from Lithgow to Central Station as the oldest electric trains in New South Wales were officially retired; one carriage will be kept for heritage and applications for the remaining 81 carriages are being assessed.

An analysis by Trainline says more than £80 million in delay compensation goes unclaimed each year because many online ticket buyers cannot access 'one-click' delay repay claims; Trainline has launched a petition asking the government to enable one-click claims for all online ticket purchases.

A former medical student paralysed from the neck down is among seven participants in the first UK clinical trial of Neuralink's brain-computer implant and says the device can move a computer cursor by thought.

NASA released interior images of the Orion capsule, which will carry four astronauts for a 10-day Artemis II mission and includes a compact lavatory and an exercise device.

Researchers at Chalmers University used machine learning to identify short-lived blood markers tied to early Parkinson's, and the team says the findings could lead to a clinical test within about five years.

A 15-year-old has pleaded guilty to the murder of 12-year-old Leo Ross, who died after an attack while walking home from school in Birmingham on 21 January 2025.

Vast plans to launch Haven-1 in 2026 and says it would be the world's first commercial space station if successful; the BBC Tech Life episode includes an interview with CEO Max Haot.

Zuckerberg told investors he expects AI-enabled glasses to become common, while Meta's Reality Labs reported a $6 billion loss for the last quarter.

A North Carolina man was arrested on Oct. 28 and charged with four counts of first-degree murder; prosecutors said on Dec. 18 they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted.

Waymo has been manually driving a fleet of about 24 cars around London to learn local features such as zebra crossings while awaiting secondary UK legislation; the Department for Transport intends a passenger piloting scheme this spring, subject to safety rules and local consent.

Ceredigion council is supporting the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign and is urging parents not to give smartphones to under-14s and to delay social media until 16; the guidance is voluntary and follows similar moves by Monmouthshire.

A 33-year-old man threatened to put ricin into Luton's water supply and has been jailed after reports he experimented with radioactive material in a garden shed.

Officials said Russian forces struck Ukraine overnight with a ballistic missile and many drones; two people were killed in the Kyiv region and other areas reported injuries and infrastructure damage.

Sam Altman is pushing OpenAI into large-scale datacentre and compute expansion, including announced plans for up to $1tn of investment and multibillion-dollar chip deals, while the company is spending heavily and remains years from profitability; at the same time OpenAI has increased political outreach and lobbying to shape the regulatory environment.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will offer short free AI modules for all UK adults, each under 20 minutes, and participants will earn a virtual AI foundations badge on completion.

Ten people are on trial at Winchester Crown Court over the death of Danny Cahalane after prosecutors say he was sprayed with sulphuric acid at his Plymouth home in February 2025; the trial is hearing witness statements and evidence linking the attack to alleged organised drug activity.

Microsoft released an open-source Quantum Development Kit that combines simulators, languages and workflows and can run locally or connect to remote quantum hardware while integrating with common developer tools.

Gallup reported that the total number of AI users held steady into Q4 2025 while daily and frequent use rose slightly; a separate Hitachi Vantara study says most firms are exploring AI but many face infrastructure and data gaps.

West Midlands Police's acting chief constable apologised to the local Jewish community after a decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans relied on AI-generated incorrect evidence; the force has paused staff access to Microsoft Copilot and an Independent Office for Police Conduct probe into the former chief constable's role is under way.