In the UK, cyber-attacks on retailers continued to make headlines and disrupt the supply of goods resulting in empty shelves in some stores both nationwide and locally.
On 2 May, the ICO issued a statement about the ongoing situation:
Statement on cyber incidents impacting retailers | ICO
On 7 May, senior UK minister Pat McFadden said that the growth of AI will increase the number and sophistication of cyberattacks on Britain. His comments followed attacks on British retailers Marks & Spencer, the Co-op Group and Harrods:
https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/britain-face-more-cyberattacks-ai-adoption-grows-minister-says-2025-05-07/
On 12 May, Channel Island supermarket managed to overcome shortages caused by the cyber-attack by sourcing local supplies:
CI Coop secures local supplies amid stock shortages
On 13 May, M&S confirmed that customer information had been stolen during the attack:
M&S says personal customer data stolen in recent cyber attack
On 19 May, Reuters reported the sale of bankrupt genomics firm 23andMe, promising the ethical use of DNA data:
Regeneron to buy bankrupt 23andMe, vows ethical use of customer DNA data | Reuters
On 19 May, the UK press reported that 2.1 million pieces of customer data were stolen from the Legal Aid Agency:
Ministry of Justice cyberattack: What data was stolen and what to do next | The Independent
On 21 May, Europe’s Data Protection Board reported that Italy’s data protection agency had fined the developer of an AI chatbot ‘Replika’ 5 million euros for breaching rules designed to protect users’ personal data:
AI: the Italian Supervisory Authority fines company behind chatbot “Replika” | European Data Protection Board
On 21 May, the UK National Cyber Security Centre reported that the UK government and international allies have exposed Russia’s military intelligence service for a campaign of malicious cyber activity against western logistics entities and technology companies.
UK and allies expose Russian intelligence campaign... - NCSC.GOV.UK
On 28 May, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) called for an in-depth fundamental rights impact assessment in response to the European Commission’s proposal to establish a common system for the return of third-countries staying illegally in the EU:
Migration management: data protection is one of the last lines of defence for vulnerable individuals | European Data Protection Supervisor
On 29 May, the BBC reported that the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) will spend more than £1bn to develop technology to speed up decisions on the battlefield:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce82qdlel01o
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