Fiona Jackson

Bristol

Technology Reporter, UK and EMEA at TechRepublic

Tech reporter (UK and EMEA) @TechRepublic | Got a tip? Telegram- @Fiona_TR, Signal- @Fiona_TR.13

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Articles

UK AI Copyright Rules May Backfire, Causing Biased Models & Low Creator Returns

1 week ago | techrepublic.com | Fiona Jackson

Image: pichetw/Envato ElementsBarring companies like OpenAI, Google, and Meta from training AI on copyrighted material in the UK may undermine model quality and economic impact, policy experts warn. They say that it will lead to bias in model outputs, undermining their effectiveness, while rightsholders are unlikely to receive the level of compensation they anticipate.
Better 'Cyber Hygiene Among Small Businesses

1 week ago | techrepublic.com | Fiona Jackson

The proportion of businesses in the UK reporting cyber attacks and data breaches has dropped from 50% to 43% in the last year. A government study has attributed this to the “observed strengthening of cyber hygiene among small businesses.”The prevalence of cyber crime overall among UK businesses and charities of all sizes has remained consistent year-over-year, according to a recent government study.
Tech Tariff Exemptions Are Temporary, Looking at 'Whole Electronics Supply Chain'

1 week ago | techrepublic.com | Fiona Jackson

U.S. President Donald Trump and his team have stated that the reciprocal tariff exemptions on electronic products are temporary. The administration excluded smartphones, computers, semiconductors, and other tech items from the 125% tariff on Chinese imports on April 11. Trump said his team is taking a look at the “whole electronics supply chain” as part of upcoming tariff investigations in a post shared on Truth Social.
Windows CLFS Vulnerability Could Lead to ‘Widespread Deployment and Detonation of Ransomware'

2 weeks ago | techrepublic.com | Fiona Jackson

Microsoft has detected a zero-day vulnerability in the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) being exploited in the wild to deploy ransomware. Target industries include IT, real estate, finance, software, and retail, with companies based in the US, Spain, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-29824 and rated “important,” is present in the CLFS kernel driver. It allows an attacker who already has standard user access to a system to escalate their local privileges.
EU AI Rules Delay Tech Rollouts, But Civil Societies Says Safety Comes First

2 weeks ago | techrepublic.com | Fiona Jackson

Tech companies are adamant that the regulation of artificial intelligence in the E.U. is preventing its citizens from accessing the latest and greatest products. However, a number of civil society groups feel otherwise, maintaining that AI developers need to produce products that uphold their customers’ safety and privacy.
OpenAI and Google Reject UK Government’s AI Copyright Proposal

2 weeks ago | techrepublic.com | Fiona Jackson

Image: pichetw/Envato ElementsGoogle and OpenAI have rejected the U.K. government’s proposal aimed at balancing the use of online content for AI training with protecting artists’ rights to consent and compensation. The companies suggest that a broad exception for text and data mining (TDM) would be more beneficial for all stakeholders.
Meta Unveils Llama 4 AI Series Featuring New Expert-Based Architecture

2 weeks ago | techrepublic.com | Fiona Jackson

Image: MetaMeta unveiled on April 5 its new AI model series: Llama 4, which includes Llama 4 Maverick and Llama 4 Scout, tailored for conversation and processing large files, respectively, along with an unreleased “teacher” model called Llama 4 Behemoth. Llama 4 is Meta’s first series to adopt a “mixture of experts (MoE) architecture.” This approach activates only select parts of the neural network, referred to as the “experts,” to handle specific subtasks.
Trump’s Tariffs Hammer Big Tech as Apple, Meta, Amazon Shares Plunge

2 weeks ago | techrepublic.com | Fiona Jackson

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday a host of new tariffs that sent the stock prices of numerous tech giants plummeting. He applied individual “reciprocal” tariffs to several nations, equivalent to half of its trade deficit with the U.S., and a baseline 10% levy on all imports.
Major Manufacturing Shake-up: Intel Agrees to TSMC Takeover of Chip Foundries, Sources Say

2 weeks ago | techrepublic.com | Fiona Jackson

Intel foundry. Image: IntelIntel has tentatively agreed to let Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) take over some of its chipmaking facilities, according to The Information. TSMC will hold a 20% stake in the joint venture, contributing not cash, but value through sharing its chipmaking practices and training Intel staff, according to anonymous sources cited by the publication.
North Korean Hackers Disguised as IT Workers Targeting UK, European Companies

2 weeks ago | techrepublic.com | Fiona Jackson

North Korean hackers who disguise themselves as IT workers are applying for work in the U.K., according to Google Threat Intelligence Group. Success in the U.S. is declining due to rising awareness of their tactics, indictments, and right-to-work verification challenges, prompting them to turn elsewhere. The attackers pose as legitimate remote workers, looking to generate revenue, access sensitive company data, or perform espionage operations through employment.