Insights

London – November 11, 2025: Computer Weekly has named Emma Wright, co-chair of Crowell & Moring’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Group, to its “50 Most Influential Women in UK Tech” list for 2025. The annual list recognizes women who are driving innovation and leadership within the UK technology sector.

On 27 October 2026, the UK Ministry of Defence (“MOD”) published UK Defence Footprint 2026 (the “Footprint”), bringing together defence spending and industrial initiatives, including previously announced investments, and setting out planned defence spending of £298 billion over the next four years. On the same day it published the Footprint, the UK government published an announcement outlining the Warsaw Defence Plan, the first phase of cooperation under the UK-Poland Security and Defence Partnership Treaty, including on drones, cyber security and defence procurement. Together, they highlight two complementary priorities: strengthening the UK’s defence industrial base and deepening cooperation with its allies. 

On 17 September 2026, the European Data Protection Board (“EDPB”) published its draft Guidelines 04/2026 on the imposition of administrative fines (the "Guidelines"), currently out for public consultation until 13 November 2026. In 2022, the EDPB had adopted guidelines on calculating the amount of an administrative fine (the “Calculation Guidelines”). The present Guidelines fill a gap the Calculation Guidelines left open: they provide a structured, five-step methodology for deciding when to impose a fine and explain how fines interact with the full range of corrective powers. By issuing both sets of guidelines, the EDPB aims to increase harmonization in fining posture. 

On August 12, 2026, the White House released a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM), marking a seismic shift in U.S. cybersecurity policy and establishing a framework to authorize private-sector companies to conduct offensive cyber operations—historically strictly prohibited by federal law—against foreign Cyber-Enabled Transnational Criminal Organizations (CE-TCOs).  It builds on an executive order issued in March 2026 that directed federal agencies to develop plans to combat cyber-crimes against Americans.