Author: Eternity Lab

Broadband provider Openreach has announced it is proceeding with a major infrastructure upgrade to the UK village of Bramley in Surrey.

Like many rural locations, Bramley has struggled for years with poor connectivity, a situation made worse for a prolonged period after a fuel leak from a local petrol station plunged many into having no or glitchy internet.

Somewhat advantageously, Openreach had originally announced upgrades to the area’s ageing copper network in 2021, but the fuel leak subsequently contaminated parts of its network and forced the company to restrict access to its underground ducts for safety reasons. 

Over the past 18 months, Openreach has worked with environmental experts, local authorities and safety specialists to manage the risks posed by petrol vapours in its underground network. It deployed vapour extraction units, conducted safety assessments and introduced new protocols designed to protect the public.

Once the measures taken had reduced the risks to acceptable levels, Openreach reopened access to its underground network in Bramley, allowing its own teams and engineers from other companies such as independent broadband providers (altnets) to resume build and maintenance work on their networks. Openreach describes this current situation as marking a “significant milestone” in the recovery effort that paves the way for what it believes will be a “transformative” upgrade to the local network using full-fibre broadband.

In what is seen as a long-term solution for Bramley, Openreach’s network will deliver full-fibre to around 2,500 homes and businesses across the village, both inside and outside the previously restricted area. Openreach guarantees that the network will be far less prone to service issues caused by extreme weather and environmental impacts, making it a future-proof offering for the community’s connectivity needs.

“This has been a really frustrating situation for residents and businesses in Bramley, but we now see some light at the end of the tunnel,” said Openreach chief engineer Andy Whale. “We want to turn a bad situation good by not just repairing and restoring the damaged network that exists today, but by building something much faster, more reliable and longer lasting. This full-fibre upgrade is a long-term investment in Bramley’s future, supporting local people and businesses to move on from the disruption with a network they can rely on for decades. We hope it’ll help the local community and economy to recover, grow and thrive in a digitally connected future.”

Openreach has been maintaining connectivity in the area through a combination of remote fault fixes, temporary satellite hubs at key community locations and alternative network services.

Furthermore, the provider said its engineers were confident they can minimise disruption in the repair work by reusing existing underground ducts and telephone poles wherever possible, to minimise and avoid roadworks and closures. The company is also working closely with Bramley Parish Council and other local groups and stakeholders to make sure the community is informed and involved throughout the process.

“I can’t overstate what a positive difference full fibre roll-out will make for Bramley residents and businesses,” said Jane Austin, Waverley Borough councillor and chair of Bramley Parish Council. “Openreach have listened to our concerns about the prospect of potential disturbance with roll-out and they have come up with a plan to minimise disruption.

“We look forward to continuing our constructive working relationship so we can improve the Bramley area; our community is bouncing back even stronger than we were before.”

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The global fight for internet infrastructure control has heated up, driven by more international competition, increasing cyber attacks and instances of economic espionage. Following the Russia-Ukraine war and escalating US-China tensions, countries are now rushing to protect data flows and vulnerable critical infrastructure for the coming years. Rising concerns about dependence on foreign-controlled hosting, internet protocols (IPs) and peering are also emerging.

Furthermore, the increasing cost of internet connectivity, driven by the near depletion of IPv4 addresses, as well as the growing frequency of routing attacks such as Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) hijacks, have also heightened the need for countries in the European Union (EU) to focus on digital sovereignty. After years of outsourcing and bureaucracy, many are still in the draft strategy stage.

However, through a series of coordinated and innovative strategies – including IPv6 deployment, local control of IP space, private sector alignment and peering networks – Lithuania has been taking a highly proactive approach to future-proofing its internet infrastructure, improving digital sovereignty and national resilience.

How Lithuania is building internet infrastructure resilience

Lithuania’s post-Soviet past has played a significant role in shaping its bid for digital autonomy, which relies on viewing internet infrastructure as a state asset. A tech-first governance model combines public-private partnerships, infrastructure policy and national security.

Back in the early 2000s, the country was already investing significantly in nationwide digital identity, e-government services and secure infrastructure for public data. Now it is doubling down on IPv6 deployment at scale as part of a strategy to future-proof its internet infrastructure. And the country is actively trying to encourage full IPv6 adoption, when IPv6 adoption across Europe has been relatively slower so far.

This shift is likely to help decrease dependence on almost depleted IPv4 addresses, while securing long-term address availability. IPv6 networks are also more efficiently structured, with better redundancy and shorter routing paths, strengthening resistance to disruptions and failures.

“With globally unique addresses, IPv6 restores end-to-end connectivity, enabling more transparent communication and better performance. This eliminates the need for current complex workarounds like NAT due to IPv4 address limitations,” says Martin Butler, professor of digital transformation at Vlerick Business School. “This gives nations more control over their network infrastructure and supports the scale needed for future digital services.”

Leasing out dormant IP addresses

Lithuania is taking strategic control of its IP address space by leasing out dormant IP addresses through private sector companies like IPXO. The company claims to have the world’s largest IPv4 leasing market, with more than 300 million leasable IPs across all regional internet registries (RIRs).

IPXO’s co-founder, Vincentas Grinius, believes that out of 4.3 billion IP addresses, 25% are not visible on the internet at all, with a considerable portion of the remainder being badly managed.

With globally unique addresses, IPv6 restores end-to-end connectivity, enabling more transparent communication and better performance Martin Butler, Vlerick Business School

“It’s not about the shortage, it’s about how efficiently that resource is utilised. A lot of enterprises have a legacy space that some of them forgot about. Some of them have legacy networks where they have a different system and they are locked within those,” he says.

“Our aim is to step into a deeper understanding of how we can defragment their networks and give them that single source of truth. It’s to help enterprises optimise their networks and remove the hurdle of multiple tools,” adds Grinius.

Butler emphasises that as countries strive to achieve greater digital sovereignty, controlling data flows and IP address space has become vital.

“Local routing policies enable governments and ISPs [internet service providers] to align their network operations with domestic laws, enhance visibility in critical sectors, and reduce dependency on foreign infrastructure. These actions strengthen resilience and help mitigate security risks such as route hijacking,” he says.

Not only can this generate additional revenue, but it could also reduce the need to lease address space from foreign companies, while curbing black market leasing and IP hijacking.

Another step is building up routing and peering infrastructure by enhancing BGP route filtering, growing internet exchange points and supporting domestic peering. This helps decrease latency, keep traffic local and control the risks of foreign routing dependency, which is vital for both national security and performance.

Simultaneously, Lithuania is developing top-tier response infrastructure through sector-specific cyber protocols and its National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-LT), in partnership with NRD Cyber Security. This allows the country to export CERT design, cyber security frameworks and routing strategies to other countries, further strengthening its cyber resilience leadership.

Apart from IPXO and NRD Cyber Security, the Lithuanian government consistently funds, supports and partners with several other private sector firms and business incubators, such as Hostinger, Tesonet, Telesoftas and Kaunas Tech Park.

By designing and operating domestic core stack services, these companies can significantly decrease the need for global hyperscalers, while being aligned with sovereign goals.

According to Eiviltas Paraščiakas, head of communications at Hostinger, one of the company’s main advantages over hyperscalers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud is speed. He said this unlocks lots of options, such as adapting to technology trends, delivering minimum viable products and experimenting with products.

He believes competitors would struggle to launch a product in a few weeks, as Hostinger did with its Horizons AI app platform, which simplifies web application development.

Kaunas Tech Park plays a key role in seeding and supporting Lithuania’s early-stage tech startups and scaleups. These work across cyber security, cloud-native and hosting technologies, the internet of things (IoT) and edge networking, among other areas. Through this collaborative system, Lithuania can scale up its digital infrastructure much faster than many of its EU peers.

What Europe could learn from Lithuania

One of the key takeaways from Lithuania’s internet infrastructure approach is that true sovereign digital resilience comes from first mastering control of the invisible but essential building blocks. Lithuania treats routing infrastructure, IP space, Domain Name System (DNS) and hosting as national and strategic assets, not just technical private sector tools. As such, the long-term resilience of these assets can be baked into the national digital agenda and routinely monitored and encouraged by the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation.

One of the key takeaways from Lithuania’s internet infrastructure approach is that true sovereign digital resilience comes from first mastering control of the invisible but essential building blocks

In contrast, several EU countries still outsource core infrastructure to foreign telecoms operators or hyperscalers. While their digital agendas are full of intention, they lag in implementation. Another lesson is to utilise dormant IP assets for leasing revenue, which can then be used for public infrastructure, research and development, and scientific ventures. This effectively reduces digital waste and decreases the internet’s carbon footprint.

Lithuania also demonstrates the benefits of fostering public-private tech partnerships with companies like IPXO, Tesonet, Hostinger and NRD Cyber Security. These firms highlight the multifold benefits of policy support, building products that strengthen national autonomy, like a global IP leasing marketplace, encrypted access and domestic hosting. By doing the same, the UK and EU could significantly reduce reliance on Chinese or US firms and enhance domestic internet infrastructure capabilities.

Lithuania’s strategy of exporting cyber resilience through sovereign infrastructure models could help other EU members and the UK develop themselves as global digital leaders as well. The country demonstrates the benefits of agility during initial-stage implementation of new internet infrastructure policies, through rapid deployment of IPv6 at scale, integrating national cyber architecture and changing registry policies. In addition, this could allow it to be much better equipped to deal with fast-evolving digital threats, unlike the UK, which is still bogged down by fragmented policies and red tape.

The challenges ahead

Yet even though Lithuania is making significant strides in internet infrastructure resilience, some hurdles remain. Butler points out that local IP space control and sovereign routing policies have their drawbacks: “Excessive centralisation or opaque filtering can undermine the internet’s open, distributed nature. Mandating that traffic stay within borders may reduce efficiency, increase latency and risk fragmentation outcomes that weaken rather than strengthen digital infrastructure.”

Yet despite impressive roll-out, Lithuanian IPv6 adoption across enterprise networks, consumer ISPs and regional governments is still somewhat patchy. This is mainly because several services and devices still depend heavily on IPv4.

Awareness of the benefits of IP address leasing is also slow, with Grinius noting: “It took us a lot of effort to educate the market that leasing is good and safe, if you have a safe environment to do that. A lot of the companies or government institutions, non-governmental organisations, have that old thinking, where you can’t do anything with the IP addresses within the third-party networks. We tried to change that because technologies are advancing, things are introduced faster and faster.”

With the country mainly relying on a few major firms, such as IPXO and Hostinger, for internet infrastructure, there is also a systemic risk in case of strategy changes or consolidation. A lack of domestic hyperscalers also means that some critical workloads still depend on foreign infrastructure, which can slow full digital sovereignty.

Similarly, Lithuania’s talent pool is currently seeing a high amount of brain drain to countries including the UK, Germany and the US, which often offer better salaries. This can have far-reaching impacts on sovereign infrastructure projects.

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We live in a world of cutting-edge consumer tech, where internet-connected phones can interact with car infotainment systems. Apple CarPlay is a feature-loaded tool in vehicular automation, giving you access to everything from hands-free calls and messaging to instant playlist action via Apple Music. Oftentimes, though, it’s the simple things that make the biggest impact, which is why we’re going to teach you how to make your very own startup sound for Apple CarPlay.

This isn’t the most challenging process on the planet, but it involves some journeying to parts of your iPhone you may not even know existed. Maybe one day Apple will come up with a feature or setting that lets you create a custom tone without all the backdoor exploration we’re about to dive into. But for now, we must contend with the current state of both iOS and CarPlay.

Luckily, the only two tools you’ll need for the job are your iPhone and a computer with access to YouTube-ripping software, if you plan on grabbing your custom sound-byte from an uploaded video.

How to Make a CarPlay Startup Sound

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First and foremost, you’ll need to decide what audio file is going to grace the custom CarPlay automation we’re about to build. As long as you’re working with a universal format like an MP3 or MP4, both your iPhone and CarPlay system shouldn’t have any issues with compatibility. And your audio snippet can be anything from the first 10 seconds of a favorite song to a humorous announcement you recorded yourself in GarageBand. You can even use a YouTube MP3 converter to capture audio from YouTube videos.

When you’ve settled on your audio clip, you’ll need to upload the track to your iPhone. Whatever the means of uploading (e.g., grabbed from iCloud, emailed to yourself and downloaded with the iOS Mail app, etc.), once the clip is on your iPhone, you’ll be able to locate it in the Files app.

With your audio ready, go ahead and launch the Shortcuts app, then tap Automation > New Automation > CarPlay. On the next screen, you’ll need to toggle on both the Connects and Run Immediately options, then tap Next. Tap New Blank Automation, then select Files from the Actions list.

On the next screen of options, you’ll want to choose File, then tap File again (the word in the search field) to select the custom audio clip you created earlier. Now just tap Done, grab your iPhone, run out to your car, and fire it up. Once iOS and CarPlay shake hands, your custom startup sound should play.

How to Create Other CarPlay Automations

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When you went to choose the Files app from the list of CarPlay Actions, you may have noticed there are a lot of other apps and services to choose from. You can program your iPhone to tell CarPlay to do all kinds of things when the infotainment portal boots up, from automatically sending a text message to your worst enemy to auto-launching the Maps app. You’ll also be able to filter these executables in the Actions menu by tapping Scripting, Controls, Location, Media, etc.

iOS will even let you create custom automations for when CarPlay powers down and unlinks from your iPhone. This might come in handy for workflow tools you know you’re going to use on your iPhone as soon as you arrive at the office, like Notes or the Google Drive app.

While we wish the A to B for this CarPlay automation creator feature were a bit more intuitive, the fact that Apple lets you personalize this part of your infotainment experience at all is pretty awesome in our opinion.

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A survey from Aryaka has revealed that not only are overstretched IT teams currently facing performance issues, growing security threats, and the complexity of too many suppliers and tools, their problems are about to get worse with artificial intelligence (AI).

The study, The state of network security in business and professional services, surveyed over 100 senior IT and infrastructure leaders working in the industry and looked at how IT leaders are balancing cloud agility, security visibility and risk through generative AI (GenAI). It noted that as business services organisations pivot toward digital-first operations – offering finance, legal, consulting and HR services delivered through the cloud and remote work – they face intensifying network and security demands. New attack surfaces are emerging, applications are decentralising and IT teams are being pushed to scale with limited resources.

In addition, it highlighted how professional services firms are grappling with significant new networking and security challenges as they transition towards digital-first operations. Specifically, as companies are increasingly delivering services through the cloud and ramping up software as a service (SaaS) adoption to support remote and hybrid work, such decentralised, complex, cloud-based environments are harder to secure than traditional environments, introducing a range of new attack surfaces.

Resource-constrained IT teams are struggling to protect apps and infrastructure in these settings, which can grow quickly in scale, while looking to ensure consistent service quality across cloud-native applications and client-facing platforms.

Survey respondents said their top strategic networking and security priority was improving application and SaaS performance (72%), followed by gaining network and security observability (68%), and simplifying operations and reducing IT burden (48%). These priorities, said Aryaka, underscore that the sector is optimising for user experience and operational agility.

However, the survey also found that day-to-day networking and security hurdles are making it difficult to accomplish these strategic goals.

Overall, complexity and staffing gaps have created blind spots for services firms that affect both performance and protection. When asked about top networking and security challenges, respondents identified securing SaaS and public cloud apps (66%); managing remote user access and latency (58%); operating with limited internal IT staff (54%); managing too many suppliers/support contracts (46%); and gaps in performance and threat visibility (43%).

To make matters worse, the survey noted, organisations were failing to prioritise edge security. Despite the rise of SaaS and remote work, only 38% of business services leaders view edge security as “mission-critical”.

Edge-layer protections – such as zero trust network access, secure web gateway and next-generation firewall technologies – were seen as often fragmented or under-deployed. Just over three-fifths (62%) of companies reported data leakage from SasS platforms and 49% reported unmonitored shadow IT activity.

“Professional services firms are under immense pressure to deliver seamless digital experiences while protecting an extremely sophisticated and decentralised environment,” said Ken Rutsky, chief marketing officer at Aryaka. “This survey confirms what we’re hearing from the market every day: IT teams are overwhelmed by SaaS technology sprawl, latency issues and managing disparate security solutions. At Aryaka, we’re helping these organisations modernise with a unified approach that simplifies operations, boosts performance and strengthens security from the edge to cloud and back.”

Deploying secure access service edge (SASE) offerings was seen as a way to solve these network performance and security issues by 44% of respondents who were planning to adopt SASE in the next 12 months.

Just over a third of business services firms were actively evaluating or implementing GenAI, well ahead of peers in manufacturing, transportation and logistics. However, the survey found that most teams were underprepared for the corresponding performance and security implications.

The survey also found budget, bandwidth and bureaucracy as the leading blockers to network modernisation. Some 39% cited budget limitations; 32% noted internal IT resource constraints; and 21% highlighted fear of disrupting legacy environments.

In a call to action, Aryaka said that to stay competitive, business service leaders should adopt four key pillars, namely: advance observability across cloud, SaaS and AI; secure the edge with zero trust controls; converge with SASE; and adopt flexible delivery models.

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AST SpaceMobile has unveiled aggressive plans to expand its space-based communication portfolio, confirming a fully-funded plan to send 45 to 60 satellites into orbit by 2026 to support continuous service in the US, Europe, Japan and other strategic markets, including the US Government.

AST SpaceMobile said it is on a mission to build the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by everyday smartphones for commercial and government applications.

This comes just over two years since AST and its partners completed what was claimed at the time to be the first-ever space-based voice call to an unmodified phone, in April 2023. The company claimed another landmark with the initial 4G download above 10Mbps in June 2023, and then the first-ever 5G voice call in September 2023.

In May 2024, it announced a strategic partnership with Verizon, with a commitment of $100m to target 100% coverage of the continental US on premium 850MHz spectrum, with two major US mobile operators to provide direct-to-cellular connectivity.

In January 2025, AST SpaceMobile and comms provider Vodafone Group revealed they had completed the first-ever space-based video call using 4G/5G smartphones over a satellite built to offer a full mobile broadband experience from an area in Wales with no terrestrial mobile coverage.

The company currently has six satellites in orbit – five fully operational and one test satellite – for both commercial and government applications.

In its business update and results for the second quarter to 30 June 2025, the company posted revenues of $1.16bn for the three-month period, up 28% year-on-year. Half-year revenues were $1.874bn, rising by 34% compared with the first six months of the previous financial year. As expected for an expanding business, operating expenses grew on an annual basis in both the quarter (up 18% to $73.95m) and the half year (up 15% to $137.63m.

In terms of highlights for the second quarter, the company noted that it has completed the assembly of microns for phased arrays of eight Block 2 BlueBird satellites and is on target to complete 40 satellites equivalent of microns by early 2026 to support full voice, data and video space-based cellular broadband services.

Furthermore, it has planned orbital launches every one to two months on average in 2025 and 2026, with the goal being to launch 45 to 60 satellites in that time. The company’s FM1 satellite is expected to be ready to ship in August 2025, with a mutually determined launch date thereafter, becoming AST SpaceMobile’s seventh satellite in orbit.

The update also revealed that it is preparing to deploy nationwide intermittent service in the US by the end of 2025, followed by the UK, Japan and Canada in the first quarter of 2026, and has continued expectations for revenue of between $50m and $75m in the second half of 2025 from government and commercial customers.

The firm also expanded its spectrum strategy during the second quarter, with an agreement to acquire 60MHz of global S-Band spectrum priority rights, augmenting its existing 3GPP cellular spectrum strategy to strengthen its position within the wireless ecosystem by further growing subscriber capacity and bringing additional services to targeted markets around the world. It also received court approval for L-Band definitive documentation, providing long-term access to up to 45MHz of L-Band, premium lower mid-band spectrum, in the US and Canada, subject to regulatory approvals.

AST SpaceMobile believes its S-Band and L-Band spectrum strategies further enable a true broadband experience directly from space to everyday smartphones, with up to 120Mbps peak data speeds.

One of the key programmes going forward is advanced commercialisation efforts with the expansion of partnerships, derived from agreements with more than 50 mobile network operators globally, which have nearly three billion subscribers, while receiving additional US Government contract awards.

SatCo, the AST SpaceMobile and Vodafone jointly owned European distribution entity created in March 2025, is said to have received expressions of interest from network operators in 21 of 27 European Union member states for a sovereign direct-to-device mobile broadband satellite service.

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Apple is arguably the most recognizable tech company in the world today. Known for its cutting-edge innovation, minimalist design that appeals across generations, and a reputation for high-quality products, Apple has grown far beyond its role as a hardware maker. In recent years, it has become a cultural icon with a devoted global fan base that treats every iPhone or MacBook product launch as a major event.

Sleek, simple, and instantly recognizable, Apple’s logo became one of the most recognizable symbols in the world. Many people still don’t know the meaning behind the logo or how it came to be, and there are lots of fun facts, myths, and speculation surrounding this image of a bitten apple. Was it inspired by the tragic fate of Alan Turing? Is it a reference to Isaac Newton? Or is it simply a well-executed piece of graphic design? Well it turns out the origins of the Apple logo are far simpler, so let’s separate fact from fiction.

Speculation behind the ‘Apple’ namesake

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Apple’s very first logo originated in 1976, and it featured Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. This image is the company’s nod to the anecdote Newton shared with his biographer: He was sitting under a tree when an apple fell, inspiring his thoughts on gravity. For generations, this anecdote was used to describe innovation, new ideas, and the “Aha!” moment. It’s no wonder a company that’s all about innovating technology would choose to depict this exact moment from a great scientist’s life as its logo.

Some people even go so far as to believe that it was Isaac Newton who inspired the company’s name, “Apple.” However, Steve Jobs revealed to his biographer Walter Isaacson that he came up with the name while being on a fruitarian diet and visiting an apple orchard. At the moment, Apple was the most inspiring name he could come up with. It was later that his partner, Steve Wozniak, came up with the link to Isaac Newton and the falling apple, and decided to use it as a logo.

Another popular interpretation of Apple’s logo is that it represents the biblical story of Adam and Eve. According to the tale, the first humans ate the forbidden fruit, often depicted as an apple, from the Tree of Knowledge. Some believe Steve Jobs intended to draw a connection between his company and this symbol of enlightenment. While the idea is intriguing, both Apple and the logo’s designer, Rob Janoff, have denied this interpretation.

The Alan Turing connection

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One of the most widely circulated myths about Apple’s logo is that it’s a tribute to Alan Turing, the father of modern computing science. Turing was a brilliant mathematician who helped crack Nazi communication codes during World War II. Many people believe his death inspired Apple’s logo.

In 1952, Alan Turing was prosecuted for “gross indecency” due to his homosexuality, which was illegal in the UK at the time. Rather than serve a prison sentence, he agreed to undergo hormonal treatment intended to suppress his sexual orientation. In reality, the procedure amounted to chemical castration. Two years later, Turing died from cyanide poisoning, with a half-eaten apple found beside his bed. Whether his death was a deliberate act of suicide or a tragic accident remains uncertain to this day.

When the new Apple logo was revealed in 1977, it reminded people of Alan Turing’s death. The new logo was a simple pictogram of an apple with a bite missing. As if to confirm the connection with Alan Turing, the new Apple logo was rainbow colored and resembled the Pride flag. But in reality, the rainbow stripes were there to indicate the launch of the new color display Macintosh. As for the Alan Turing connection, Apple’s logo designer Rob Janoff admits it’s one of his favorite stories. But it’s just that, a story.

Reality check by the Apple logo’s original designer

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In a 2009 interview with CreativeBits, Janoff reflected on all the famous myths and speculations about Apple’s logo he designed. He immediately dismissed the Isaac Newton and biblical interpretations, though he admitted that the Alan Turing story was his favorite. Still, as poetic as it may be, the Turing connection is just a myth. Janoff claims that at the time he created the Apple logo, he had never even heard of the brilliant mathematician who cracked the Nazi code.

More often than not, the truth is simple and rarely poetic. Janoff explained that neither Steve Jobs nor anyone else at the company gave him detailed direction about the branding they wanted. He had full creative freedom to design the logo, and following modern design trends, he opted for a clean, minimalist depiction of an apple.

But what about the missing bite? Janoff says he added the bite mark to ensure the logo was recognizable as an apple, not a cherry or another similarly shaped fruit. That small detail is what makes the logo unmistakably an apple. After completing the design, a colleague pointed out the pun between “byte,” the unit of digital information, and “bite.” Janoff hadn’t intended the play on words, but he happily embraced it as a lucky coincidence.

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The effectiveness of the European data protection framework depends on two essential pillars:  robust individual rights and the institutional independence of the authority enforcing them. This principle is laid down in Article 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, which requires that compliance with data protection rules must be subject to control by an independent authority. Without such independence, the rights laid down by EU law for all citizens cannot be guaranteed.

The requirement of complete independence of the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) is enshrined in Article 55 of the Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, the so-called GDPR for EU institutions. The Court of Justice of the EU has clarified this principle in key rulings including C-518/07 Commission v Germany; C-614/10 Commission v Austria; and C-288/12 Commission v Hungary. These judgments establish that independence entails both freedom from influence external to the oversight authority, whether direct or indirect, and the exclusion of conflict of interests, such as supervising matters previously dealt with as a controlled entity in a different institutional capacity.

Consequently, the appointment procedure must meet the highest standards of transparency and procedural robustness and integrity.

Independence of the EDPS at risk

Current developments in the EDPS selection process raise serious concerns. Under Article 53 of the GDPR for EU institutions, the EU Commission, acting as data controller, leads the pre-selection procedure and proposes a shortlist of candidates. The European Parliament and the Council then appoint the EDPS by common accord. However, concerns have been raised regarding the transparency and impartiality of this procedure.

 An open letter signed by renowned academics argues that the pre-selection procedure may have been steered to favour a particular candidate who previously held management positions, serving as Head of Unit for the Commission’s Data Transfers Unit, and senior roles in the Cabinet of the Commissioner for Justice. A formal complaint has been submitted to the European Ombudsman and an investigation is ongoing.

 Further irregularities emerged during the European Parliament’s vote. The LIBE Committee in the European Parliament initially voted on four shortlisted candidates, but subsequently held a second vote restricted to two. While the first vote was conducted on an individual MEP basis, the second was carried out based on political group positions. This deviation injects a level of partisanship, which is incompatible with the principle of impartiality.

 While these issues may not necessarily render the appointment procedure unlawful, they point to serious procedural shortcomings with potentially significant constitutional implications. What is at stake is public trust, which demands not only formal compliance with the law, but also a higher standard of integrity, impartiality and transparency.

Eligibility criteria must be clear and rigorous, screening for conflicts of interest must be systematic, and the composition of the selection panel must itself be free of political entanglements. Decisions must be published in a timely and accessible manner, enabling public scrutiny. These are constitutional imperatives grounded in the principle of good administration.

Why the EDPS independence matters

 The EDPS oversees the processing of personal data by EU institutions and agencies, including Europol, Frontex and the EU Agency for Asylum. These entities are supervised by the EDPS for risks to the rights and freedoms associated with such processing. It is not the factual independence of the EDPS that matters, but also the perception of its autonomy by the public and civil society. This is especially relevant regarding the gaps in the oversight mechanism of EU agencies.

 For example, the recently adopted AI Act reinforces the EDPS’s supervisory role under Art. 70(9). It is now responsible for supervising the use of AI systems by institutions such as Europol. The EDPS will assess not only compliance with data protection, but also broader fundamental rights implications. Public confidence in these agencies also depends on the EDPS being perceived as independent and effective in its supervisory role. A lack of perceived independence could weaken the EDPS’s ability to issue impartial opinions on Commission proposals or to scrutinise data processing practices in its agencies.

 A call to restore independence

 To prevent a drift towards a unitary theory of the executive power and the erosion of constitutional checks and balances and, ultimately the foundation of rights and freedoms in the European Union, the European Parliament must ensure that the selected European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) is completely independent. This requires excluding candidates who have held management roles in entities subject to EDPS supervision.

 It is highly recommended to reinstate the procedure of voting by individual MEPs rather than by political groups. If necessary, the entire appointment procedure should be restarted.

 The EDPS is tasked with providing formal opinions to the Commission on the impact of its legislative proposals on fundamental rights related to privacy and to the protection of personal data. Its independence is vital to ensure impartial legislative advice and scrutiny of future legislative initiatives. Such legislative proposals must be grounded in evidence, informed by in-depth and accurate impact assessments on civil rights, societal and environmental sustainability, and include civil society consultation.

 By ensuring the transparency, independence, and accountability of the EDPS appointment process, the EU not only protects fundamental rights, but also reinforces the authority of the EDPS and the legitimacy of the European project. Strong data protection and privacy, democratic oversight and the rule of law are foundational commitments of the Union.

Aída Ponce Del Castillo is a senior researcher at the Foresight Unit at the European Trade Union Institute

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More girls chose to take A-level computing this year, despite fewer students taking the subject overall.

The number of girls who took A-level computing increased by 3.5% this year, compared with 2024, meaning girls accounted for 18.6% of computing entrants in 2025.

But the overall number of students choosing to take computing A-levels declined by 2.8% this year, after a number of years of increased interest in the subject – meaning a drop in the number of boys choosing the subject this year.

Ian Thomas, chief operating officer at IT service provider Node4, said: “It is disappointing to see that the number of students studying computing has fallen by 2.8% this year, especially as 93% of mid-market organisations in the UK report they are experiencing an IT skills shortage.”

There is currently a technology skills gap in the UK, and many have pointed a finger at the UK’s computing curriculum not fully developing the skillset children need for a future career in tech, as well as failing to encourage children, especially girls, to pursue careers in technology.

Many parents claim children aren’t learning to code as part of the computing curriculum, and children often misunderstand what is involved in a technology career – these could be just some of the reasons young people are shying away from the subject.

Thomas highlighted: “It is essential that educational institutions nurture the interest young people naturally have for technology. Today’s students have grown up with technology, with mobile phones and computers readily available, and more often than not, they are the ones called upon to help with IT issues at home.

“However, this passion isn’t converting into chosen career paths. This suggests that there is a disconnect between school curriculums and real-world technological developments, which is failing to engage the younger generations.”

The number of students taking science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects has dropped in general this year. While maths, further maths and physics all saw an increase in candidates taking exams this year, the increases were far smaller than we saw last year.

But the sixth-year increase in the number of girls choosing to take computing at A-level is a positive trend. The number of girls taking A-level computing in the UK has been rising each year, from 1,797 in 2020, to 2,031 in 2021, 2,352 in 2022, 2,765 in 2023, 3,556 in 2024, and now 3,679 in 2025.

I’m excited that young women are seizing their future in greater numbers – especially in areas like AI where diversity is vital to ensure decisions and outcomes are good for everyone. We need this momentum to accelerate Julia Adamson, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT also found the number of women choosing computing at degree level increased this year.

Julia Adamson, BCS executive director for education and public benefit, said: “I’m excited that young women are seizing their future in greater numbers – especially in areas like AI [artificial intelligence] where diversity is vital to ensure decisions and outcomes are good for everyone. We need this momentum to accelerate.”

Grade attainment for A-level computing rose again this year, with girls – as usual – achieving higher grades than boys. Some 7.1% of female candidates achieved A* in the subject, compared with 5.7% of male candidates.

Girls performed better than boys at every grade attainment level: 72.4% of female students achieved at least a C grade, compared with 69.7% of male students; 52% of female students achieved at least a B grade, while only 48.1% of male students achieved at least a B; and 28% of female students achieved at least an A grade, compared with 24.5% of male students.

Overall, 70.2% of students who took the computing exam achieved at least a C grade, 48.9% achieved at least a B grade, and slightly more than a quarter achieved at least an A, showing an increase in attainment of higher grades this year when compared with last year.

While those taking exams performed well, many have shown concern over the slowing uptake of STEM subjects this year, as well as the drop in A-level computing candidates, especially in the wake of rapidly developing technology such as AI, which requires an increasing number of skilled and diverse workers to ensure this technology serves everyone.

Heather Dawe, chief data scientist, UK, and head of responsible AI at digital transformation company, UST, said: “It’s promising to see the number of young women taking A-level computing increase year-on-year, reflecting real progress in closing the gender gap through inclusive education and early STEM programmes.

“More women in tech will bring a diversity of perspectives that drive innovation and result in fairer, more inclusive digital technologies for everyone. At the same time, the overall decline in candidates highlights the need for further action to ensure everyone can benefit from and contribute to the digital age.

“Schools, governments and industry alike need to examine the latest data to identify the gaps and take the necessary steps to strengthen the UK’s tech ecosystem as a whole.”

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Scammers continue to come up with new ways to pull one over on unsuspecting victims. One of the latest Gmail scams that is now making the rounds starts like many other scams do — by getting a call from a suspicious number.

According to reports from news sites like Local 12, Gmail users have reported receiving phone calls from people claiming to work for Google, complete with a caller ID that says the same. Once they have the users on the line, the caller informs them that the their Google account has been compromised in some way.

The scammers then offer to send a code or reset link to the user’s phone, claiming that it will reset the compromised account. Many times, these links can even mimic the actual links you might receive from one of these technology companies when dealing with account issues. But you shouldn’t trust them, because once you click on them and sign in, you’ll have given the scammers open access to your Gmail account. We’ve seen similar attempts to access consumer accounts being used across Apple devices, too.

Google is unlikely to ever call you

DenPhotos/Shutterstock

The scam here relies on the fact that many people won’t be immediately suspicious if a company like Google is supposedly trying to call them directly. And while you can link your phone number to your Gmail account, the chances that Google will ever actually call you about anything are slim to none. Instead, the system will usually rely on automated processes like emails or text messages. But, even then, you should be mindful of the links you trust, as scammers are always looking for unsuspecting clicks to get them access to your account.

Instead of humoring unsolicited calls like this, cybersecurity experts say you should just hang up and not click on any unsolicited external links that are sent to you. Additionally, you can always make use of Google’s advanced account protection features and utilize two-factor authentication settings or apps to help keep your account even more secure. Google has been making two-factor authentication easy to setup for years now, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t have your account secure already.

One cybersecurity expert made an especially helpful point: Try calling Google or Microsoft and getting a human on the phone. It’s next to impossible, and typically requires speaking to multiple robots first. If it’s that hard to get in touch with a real person when you actually want to speak to someone, what are the chances Google, or any other tech company, is reaching out to speak to you in person? Zero.

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Intel’s woes have continued this week, after its CEO met with US president Donald Trump.

Trump previously called for the resignation of its CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, following on from a letter sent by Arkansas senator Tom Cotton to Intel’s board of directors chairman, Frank Yeary.

In the letter, Cotton expressed concern over Tan’s investments and ties to semiconductor firms that are reportedly linked to the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army.

This led to a Trump post on Truth Social stating: “The CEO of Intel is highly conflicted and must resign immediately. There is no other solution to this problem.”

But on 11 August, the US administration had what Intel described as “a candid and constructive discussion” on the company’s commitment to strengthening US technology and manufacturing leadership.

“We appreciate the President’s strong leadership to advance these critical priorities and look forward to working closely with him and his administration as we restore this great American company,” Intel said after the meeting.

However, although Intel has publicly said its board of directors, and CEO Tan, are “deeply committed to advancing US national and economic security interests and are aligned with the Trump’s America First agenda”, former Intel chief Craig Barrett believes Tan’s business strategy will not lift Intel’s business outlook.

Foundry loss

In February 2024, the company unveiled its foundry business, which produces semiconductors for external customers such as Microsoft. At the time, Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said Microsoft had chosen a chip design it planned to produce on the Intel 18A (1.8nm) process.

“We are in the midst of a very exciting platform shift that will fundamentally transform productivity for every individual organization and the entire industry,” he said. “To achieve this vision, we need a reliable supply of the most advanced, high-performance and high-quality semiconductors. That’s why we are so excited to work with Intel Foundry, and why we have chosen a chip design that we plan to produce on Intel 18A process.”

During the company’s second quarter of 2025 earnings call, Tan announced the company would no longer be developing manufacturing in Germany and Poland, and would “slow the pace of construction” in Ohio. “We will grow our capacity based solely on the volume commitments and deploy CapEx in lockstep with the tangible milestones and not before,” he said. 

In a letter sent to Intel employees, Tan said the company would reduce the workforce by 15% to 75,000 people.

With regards to the Intel foundry business, he wrote: “Going forward, our investment in Intel 14A will be based on confirmed customer commitments. There are no more blank cheques. Every investment must make economic sense. We will build what our customers need, when they need it, and earn their trust through consistent execution.”

Although the chipmaker has invested billions of dollars in domestic US semiconductor research, and development and manufacturing, including a new manufacturing facility in Arizona, Barrett questioned Intel’s investment decisions. In an article he wrote for Fortune, Barrett called Tan’s strategy of not investing in new technology – such as the next iterations of its semiconductor manufacturing, the Intel 14A (1.4 nm) process – until customer sign-up “a joke”.

Fund Intel

Barrett called on Intel’s customers such as Nvidia, Apple and Google, which mainly use TSMC to manufacture their semiconductors, to consider the importance of establishing a second source. He went on to suggest that Intel’s eight main customers should each cough up $5bn to fund the development and deployment of advanced manufacturing processes to support the chipmaker.

The new chip manufacturing process has caught the attention of some industry watchers who believe it may provide a way for Intel to win business from TSMC, such as in the manufacturing of the next generation of Apple M silicon and some Nvidia graphics processing units.

The company’s roadmap shows that Intel 14A will be available in the first half of 2026, and industry reports suggest that semiconductors made on the 14A process should start shipping in 2027.

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