This gleefully gory exploitation film sets out to shock, but smartly dissects our online-obsessed society along the way

Brash, violent and nihilistic, Assassination Nation feels like the product of a one-night stand between Spring Breakers and The Purge. A trigger warning flags up every conceivable hot-button topic – it’s a device that comes straight out of the Gaspar Noé playbook. This is pure genre exploitation – a gleefully gory revenge flick that leaves its small-town streets awash with blood. It may also be one of the smartest, most perceptive commentaries on a contemporary society distorted and magnified by online hysteria that you are likely to wince your way through.

A malicious data breach causes a meltdown in the town of Salem, where at least half the residents have found their personal messages and emails hacked and shared. The people look for someone to blame, and virtual vigilantism soon spills out on to the streets; the result is like a Twitter pile-on armed with semi-automatic weapons. Four teenage girls (Odessa Young, Hari Nef, Suki Waterhouse, Abra) become the targets of the community, which masked, armed and pumped up into a frenzy, has collectively decided to mete out some justice.

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Matthew Hanley and Connor Allsopp from Tamworth sentenced over data theft

Two friends have been jailed for their roles in hacking the telecommunications company TalkTalk.

Matthew Hanley, 23, and Connor Allsopp, 21, both from Tamworth in Staffordshire, admitted charges relating to the huge breach of customer details in 2015, which cost the company £77m.

Related: Teenager who hacked TalkTalk website given rehabilitation order

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Ads by secretive organisation Mainstream Network may have breached personal privacy rules

A secretive group that has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds encouraging voters to back a hard Brexit is being investigated by Britain’s data watchdog, it has emerged.

MPs had already raised concerns about the activities of the anonymous Mainstream Network group, whose ads and website encourage readers to “chuck Chequers”, referring to Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal. It is has been estimated that it could have spent up to £250,000 on the ads.

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Attacker tried to sell certain materials on the internet but shipbuilder insists there is no evidence of theft of national security information

Defence shipbuilder Austal’s Australian business has been hit with a data breach and extortion attempt but insists there is no evidence of theft of national security information.

Some staff email addresses and mobile phone numbers were accessed in the breach. The attacker tried to sell certain materials on the internet and engage in extortion. However, Austal said the company does not intend to respond to such threats.

Related: Universities warn against defence plans to increase control over research

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Airline confirms passport numbers, email addresses and credit card data were accessed

The airline Cathay Pacific has announced that it has suffered a major data leak affecting up to 9.4 million passengers.

The Hong Kong flag carrier admitted that personal information including passport numbers, identity card numbers, email addresses and credit card details had been accessed.

Related: British Airways customer data stolen from its website

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