💻Data collection meets reality💻

Yep it's Black History month. Many people would rather not celebrate that, or rebut its very existence with What-aboutary and where is "x history month"

Well we rebuff that. But more so check out those making history today at BTF

For a limited time to celebrate the month, when you buy a ticket to BTF 2025, you can get a second ticket for 50% off. 🎟 Just add code 50_OFF when adding another Registrant Details.

Get your ticket now

📸Cyberflashing: Now a “Priority Offence” – Because Yes, People Actually See This📸

If you’ve ever dared to open X (formerly Twitter) in public without covering your screen and thought twice, you might want to thank the UK’s new Tech Secretary, Liz Kendall for what shes about to do. The government has announced that cyberflashing—sending unsolicited sexual images—will now be treated as a priority offence under the Online Safety Act, as part of the Plan for Change initiative to halve Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) within a decade (GOV.UK, 29 Sept 2025)👀

This isn’t just a symbolic gesture. Social media platforms and dating apps will be required to proactively prevent users from seeing unsolicited nudes. Think automated detection, moderation tools, or stricter content policies. If companies fail, they risk fines of up to 10% of their qualifying worldwide revenue—or even having their platforms blocked in the UK. In other words, your favourite app could disappear if it lets a random dick pic slip through.😯

The stats driving this move are grim: 1 in 3 teenage girls and 1 in 20 boys aged 12–18 have received unsolicited images of male genitals. Yes, actual human beings are opening a phone to see this. Essex Police already prosecuted a case in February 2024—the first of its kind—so it’s not hypothetical. Nicholas Hawkes, 39, a registered sex offender, pleaded guilty to sending explicit images to a 15-year-old girl and a woman in her 60s.🚔

Kendall says the internet should never be a breeding ground for harassment, while Andrea Simon from EVAW welcomed the move as a way to push tech companies from passive compliance to active prevention. In plain English: no more excuses, no more “we didn’t know,” and hopefully fewer awkward public phone moments.💁

So what? This is tangible. It’s the kind of policy that could finally make scrolling X on the Tube slightly less horrifying. It also sends a clear signal to tech companies: online abuse isn’t just a PR headache—it’s a regulatory one, with serious consequences. And for the rest of us, it’s a reminder that while digital spaces promise connection and entertainment, without accountability, they can also be a direct pipeline for harassment.

Read more:
GOV.UK – Tech firms to prevent unwanted nudes under tougher laws

🫱🏾‍🫲🏻EA Goes Private: Saudi Cash, Kushner Connections, and $55 Billion on the Table🫱🏾‍🫲🏻

The video game industry just got a plot twist worthy of a blockbuster: Electronic Arts (EA) is in talks to go private in a deal worth $55 billion, potentially the largest leveraged buyout in history (Bloomberg, 26 Sept 2025; Reuters, 29 Sept 2025).

The consortium behind the takeover is a heavyweight line-up: Silver Lake Management, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Affinity Partners—the investment vehicle of Jared Kushner, yes, that Kushner. If approved, the deal would see existing shareholders cash out at $210 per share, a 25% premium on EA’s recent trading price.💸

EA owns some of gaming’s biggest franchises— EA FC (Formely known as Fifa) Madden NFL, The Sims, Battlefield—and the go-private move could give the company more flexibility to develop and distribute games without the scrutiny of public shareholders. Analysts speculate it might even let EA dial down the aggressive microtransactions that have drawn criticism over the past few years😤

But here’s the twist: while privatization could be a “breathing room” strategy for EA’s leadership, the leveraged buyout piles on $20 billion in debt, which raises real questions for game studios and developers. Historical LBOs haven’t always ended well—think TXU Energy, Toys “R” Us, and Hertz. Analysts warn that budget cuts, layoffs, or cancelled projects could hit studios far from the boardroom, even as top executives enjoy the extra maneuvering room of not having to talk to the markets every quarter.😏

For Saudi Arabia’s PIF, the acquisition is a strategic move in its push into gaming and esports, aligning with the kingdom’s broader diversification away from oil. It’s also a reminder that gaming is now a global geopolitical asset, not just a $60 console purchase. And yes, the Kushner connection adds another layer of intrigue for those keeping score in Washington–Riyadh corridors😯

EA is also on the brink of launching Battlefield 6 on October 10, a title expected to drive strong engagement. Critics are already questioning the timing of the deal: why go private just before a major release with a potentially revenue‑boosting launch?💰

📉 So what?

This isn’t just a corporate play—it’s a peek into how capital, politics, and gaming culture collide. EA going private could reshape the studio’s creative freedom, alter monetization strategies, and signal that gaming IPs are now serious investment targets for sovereign wealth funds and politically connected private equity. For developers and gamers alike, it’s worth watching which projects survive the boardroom shuffle and which get cut in the name of leverage.

Read more:
Bloomberg – Electronic Arts Nears Takeover
Reuters – EA to Go Private in $55 Billion Deal

🤖Meta Wants You to Pay to Escape Its Ads (Welcome to the UK, Apparently)🤖

Big news, UK users: Meta is finally offering a way to stop being assaulted by ads on Facebook and Instagram—if you’re willing to part with up to £3.99/month (Meta News, 26 Sept 2025).

Here’s how the cookie crumbles:

• The “premium peace” price: £2.99/month on the web, £3.99 on iOS/Android for the first account; add another account? Expect a tiny extra fee. Blame Apple and Google for that.😅

• The carrot: Subscribe and Meta will finally stop using your data to target you. Stay free and ads keep bombarding you—but hey, at least you can click “Why am I seeing this ad?” and pretend you have some control.🙃

• Regulatory thumbs-up: This follows ICO guidance in the UK. 👍

And of course, Meta wants you to remember that you’re funding the UK economy while scrolling past ads for protein shakes, crypto schemes, and “life-changing” kitchen gadgets. Last year, ads on Facebook and Instagram supposedly generated £65 billion in UK economic activity and supported 357,000 jobs. So pay up, or don’t—but someone else’s business depends on your eyeballs.📲

📉 So what?

Welcome to the new normal: you can choose privacy, but it comes with a subscription fee. It’s Meta’s cheeky way of nudging users to literally pay to escape what feels like a social media surveillance economy while keeping the ad machine humming for those who don’t. In other words, it’s freedom… if your wallet says yes.

Rollout is coming soon for UK adults over 18. Ignore the notification and keep scrolling. Accept and enjoy a slightly less monetised feed. Either way, Meta wins.

Read more: Meta News – Subscription for No Ads

🖥️Amazon just walks out🖥️

Remember Amazon’s futuristic “just walk out” stores in London? The ones billed as AI-powered marvels where you grab your groceries and saunter out while technology magically tallies your bill? Turns out, the real magic was outsourcing the cashier work to humans in India. Yes, humans. Watching your every move, labeling 70% of sales, while pretending it was all robots and sensors (Guardian, 10 Apr 2024)😅

Fast-forward, and Amazon is closing nearly all of its UK Fresh stores (BBC, 23 Sept 2025). Funny, right? The “AI stores” that barely needed UK staff are the ones waving goodbye.👋

• Most stores had half a dozen UK employees each—small teams, small wages, small disruption. So when Amazon says it’s “cutting jobs,” the scale is… surprisingly tiny.😬

• Five stores might convert to Whole Foods, because nothing screams grocery innovation like pivoting to organic kale while leaving the rest behind.🍛

In short, the UK loses a few dozen roles, the illusion of AI intelligence is exposed, and Amazon doubles down on delivery vans.🚚

Meanwhile, across the pond, Amazon’s consumer trust streak hit an all-time low. The FTC just secured a $2.5 billion settlement against the retail behemoth for allegedly tricking millions into Prime subscriptions and making cancellations near-impossible (FTC, 25 Sept 2025).👀

• $1B civil penalty + $1.5B in refunds to annoyed subscribers.💸

• Amazon must now make canceling Prime simple and honest—goodbye sneaky “No, I don’t want Free Shipping” buttons.😙

• Independent oversight? Check. No more convoluted flows designed to trap you in your subscription.🙌

🧠So what?

Amazon’s cashier-free stores were an experiment in blending technology with everyday shopping, but the UK closures show that convenience alone doesn’t guarantee success. Coupled with the FTC settlement over Prime sign-ups, it’s a reminder that both online and offline, business models need to balance innovation with transparency and customer trust. The human element—whether staff in-store or consumers online—still plays a central role in making technology work effectively.

🧠BTF Deep Dive🧠

Yep, you may have missed it but we have Ebro Darden speaking at BTF on a session bought to the world by Apple Music. He'll be in conversation wiht the one and only Dotty

🧠So what?

What are you waiting for 

📈 The tools behind the tech📉

📦Product📦

• Stripe is working on agentic shopping
• Cloudflare email service

📏Design📏 

• Palette Generator 

👩🏿‍💻Code👩🏿‍💻

• Chrome AI dev tools

• Top programming language

🏢The business behind the tech🏢

• Daniel Ek is standing down as CEO of Spotify
• Founder productivity tips
• TikTok going cheap?

Ai for the rest of us

We're super excited to be a community partner for the next AI for the rest of us's annual conference on the 15th & 16th October 2025! 
AI for the rest of us is an AI learning experience like no other, it's a two day conference filled with: Inspiring Keynotes; Real World Stories; Navigating Change; AI Explainers; Technical / Developer Track; and Hands on Workshops
Interested? Check out the key details below:
 Date: 15th - 16th October
 Time: 9:00 - 17:30 BST
 Location: London Museum Spaces
 Tickets: https://luma.com/AIfortherestofus25?coupon=COLORINTECH20

The link also includes an exclusive 20% off discount just for the Colorintech community! In case it doesn't come through, the discount code is: 'COLORINTECH20'

😃What we are consuming😃

🚘JLR to start making cars again after cyberattack

💻 Vibe coding is worth billions?

🇩🇰Denmark bans drones (sometimes)

🎓AI passes CFA level 3

📱Building mini apps on Nothing