UK enterprises are placing themselves at serious risk by misunderstanding their cloud service providers’ backup provisions, according to research by 4sl. Its survey of 200 large UK enterprises showed that the majority of senior IT decision-makers believe their cloud service providers retain backup data for much longer than they actually do.

Casta Spes Technologies has unveiled a robotic security vehicle with security and inspection solutions across multiple sectors, including agriculture, energy and construction. Named ZIVA, the multi-terrain robot saves 92 per cent on the cost of a manned patrol by combining autonomous navigation with multiple software add-ons, such as licence plate recognition and threat classification. It was designed to reduce the cost and time associated with false alarms, using dynamic and flexible nature to cover blind spots, a major drawback of static cameras.

The NHS has come above both central and local government in terms of public trust for how it uses personal data. The Open Data Institute (ODI) and YouGov surveyed 2,000 adults, finding 59 per cent trust the NHS to be ethical in its use of their data - the only sector to score more than 50 per cent - although this was a decline since a survey focused on healthcare data in early 2018, when the NHS was trusted by 64 per cent.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is launching an initiative with Microsoft aimed at encouraging tech companies to solve public policy challenges in London. The Civic Innovation Challenge will invite companies to come up technology-driven solutions to problems such as countering violent extremism online, delivering more affordable housing and making freight across the capital more efficient.

Goldman Sachs is facing a probe by the New York financial authorities following online claims that the algorithms it uses to set credit limits for the Apple Card are gender-biased. New York’s Department for Financial Services confirmed it has launched an investigation after Bloomberg News reported that tech entrepreneur David Heinemeier Hansson posted a series of Tweets alleging he had been offered a credit limit 20 times higher than his wife when they applied for the card, despite her having a higher credit score.

The proportion of UK universities achieving Cyber Essentials certification has almost trebled in a year, according to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Figures released by the cyber security arm of GCHQ also revealed that three-quarters of higher educational providers now have dedicated staff for cyber security.

The UK and Europe need to work together very closely to tackle cyber security, regardless of the eventual Brexit outcome, according to the European Commission’s chief negotiator. Speaking at the Amazon Web Summit conference in Lisbon, Michel Barnier stated that any new agreement between the EU and UK will be based both on trade and mutual security, noting that continued cooperation is key to protect against new threats.

Failure to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) could damage the UK’s economic prospects, according to the chairman of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation. Speaking at the Westminster eForum policy conference on the progress of the UK’s AI sector, Roger Taylor warned that the UK’s efforts to lead Europe in the acceleration of AI-driven techniques are often slowed by the need to ensure data ethics are taken into account.