News

IT for government and public sector

June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21
City of York picks Barracuda Networks for data protection

York Council needed to refresh its backup service to bring new security protections after it went ‘all-in’ on Microsoft Office 365
June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21
European Union to set up new cyber response unit

Proposed Joint Cyber Unit will tackle a rising number of serious incidents impacting public services, businesses and citizens of the EU
June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21
UK councils reported over 700 data breaches to ICO in 2020

Data disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act reveals an estimated 700 data breaches were reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office by local councils last year
June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21
EU regulators call for ban on biometrics in public spaces

European Union’s data protection regulators say facial recognition and other biometric identification technologies present too great a risk to fundamental human rights to be allowed in public spaces

June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21
CDEI: UK public wants clear algorithmic transparency policies

A research exercise by the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation has found the UK public wants clear, easy-to-understand information about algorithms in use by the public sector
June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21
Boris Johnson unveils plans for National Science and Technology Council

Prime minister Boris Johnson has announced plans to set up a National Science and Technology Council, which will help the UK realise and maximise the opportunities of scientific and technological breakthroughs
June 21, 2021 21 Jun'21
UK public largely supportive of Amazon workers unionising

A poll released on Prime Day by UK-based trade union Unite shows strong public support for Amazon workers should they choose to unionise
June 21, 2021 21 Jun'21
Parliamentary devices left in taxis, buses, trains and pubs

Nearly 100 devices belonging to parliamentary staffers, including MPs and peers, were lost or stolen over the course of 2019 and 2020
June 21, 2021 21 Jun'21
Post Office pays 400 subpostmasters compensation for losses caused by computer errors

The Post Office has so far compensated 400 subpostmasters who suffered losses because of errors in the organisation’s Horizon computer system
June 18, 2021 18 Jun'21
NHS App reaches six million users, thanks to Covid vaccine feature

More than two million new users have downloaded the NHS App since it was updated in May to include Covid-19 vaccination status

June 18, 2021 18 Jun'21
ICO issues guidance on facial recognition in public spaces

Information commissioner’s concern over the problematic use of facial recognition in public spaces has prompted her to publish official guidance on its deployment, while civil society calls for an outright ban
June 18, 2021 18 Jun'21
UK taskforce calls for cutting GDPR protections

The UK’s Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform has recommended scrapping safeguards against automated decision-making contained in the General Data Protection Regulation
June 17, 2021 17 Jun'21
Technology takes centre stage in UK government reform

The government’s tech recovery programme includes a pledge to shift towards data interoperability and phasing out legacy systems
June 17, 2021 17 Jun'21
GDS to improve Gov.uk with user monitoring

Gov.uk’s measurement approach is expected to enhance the experience of 335 million users of the government’s online platform
June 16, 2021 16 Jun'21
Tech sector trade union campaigns to protect workers’ privacy

A UK-based trade union for technology workers and others employed by tech companies is organising around the issue of worker’s privacy and workplace monitoring
June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21
NHS Test and Trace picks Risk Ledger to secure supply chain

Risk Ledger’s technology promises ‘unparalleled’ visibility into NHS Test and Trace’s supply chain
June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21
Oliver Dowden hails Tech Zero Taskforce at CogX

Government backs a group of UK tech companies and associations to combat the climate emergency, drive green investment and help consumers make greener choices
June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21
The Security Interviews: How to build a government model to ‘hack for good’

Kyle Hanslovan started Huntress to give back after a career in the intelligence sector. After US authorities took action to help people hit by the Microsoft Exchange attacks, we discussed how governments can ‘hack for good’
June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21
Scottish government awards digital identity platform contract to Scott Logic

Supplier is working on a two-year project to create a digital identity service through a suite of common platforms that will be adopted across Scottish government
June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21
FBI planned a sting against An0m cryptophone users over drinks with Australian investigators

Australian Federal Police and the FBI came up with the idea over drinks: build a cryptophone network with a built-in backdoor and sell it to crime gangs around the world
June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21
UK promises tougher line on cyber crime

Speaking ahead of the G7 Summit, foreign secretary Dominic Raab says the UK is ready to take on cyber criminals and other malicious actors wherever they may be
June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21
UK and US to develop tech and science partnership

Partnership will explore collaboration in areas such as innovation, research, defence, security, intelligence and law enforcement, as well as making sure technology is ‘used as a force for good’
June 10, 2021 10 Jun'21
Central government spent £4.4bn on IT in 2020

Tussell report finds that central government increased tech spend during the Covid-19 pandemic, and HM Revenue and Customs is the biggest spender
June 10, 2021 10 Jun'21
Risk data shows UK energy sector most vulnerable to cyber attack

New report compiled by insurance firm Hiscox reveals the state of cyber preparedness in the UK and beyond
June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21
FBI arrests distributors accused of selling An0m encrypted phones to crime groups

Working with overseas law enforcement, the FBI has arrested eight people and named a further 13 accused of distributing An0m phones to organised crime groups
June 08, 2021 08 Jun'21
Did government allow Post Office to sack forensic accountants to cover up Horizon scandal?

Whatever the Post Office told government about its decision to sack investigators examining subpostmaster prosecutions for theft could identify if the government was part of a cover-up
June 08, 2021 08 Jun'21
CIO interview: Tom Read, chief executive, Government Digital Service

The new chief at GDS has outlined a three-year strategy for the organisation, and tells Computer Weekly he wants to get back to the core focus of building products for use across government
June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21
Police raids around world after investigators crack An0m cryptophone app in major hacking operation

Police in 16 countries carried out raids on after Australian Police and the FBI cracked an encrypted An0M communications network used by crime groups
June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21
EU privacy chief investigates use of US cloud services

Use of Amazon and Microsoft’s cloud services by public sector bodies in the European Union is being scrutinised by the bloc’s privacy watchdog
June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21
MoD launches digital strategy

The Ministry of Defence aims to invest an additional £1.6bn in digital over the next 10 years, and plans to establish a federated ecosystem of digital innovators and developers to ensure continuous progress
June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21
Bank of England calls for feedback on digital currencies

The UK financial services regulator is calling for feedback from organisations, including tech firms, on the use of cryptocurrency
June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21
EC launches digital identity framework

The European digital identity will be available to citizens, residents and businesses across the EU, and member states will offer digital identity wallets on a national level
June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21
NCSC updates schools ransomware guidance amid surge

The National Cyber Security Centre says it is dealing with a renewed surge of ransomware attacks targeting schools, colleges and universities
June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21
IBM pushes back against US government data requests

Technology giant IBM says the US government has ‘no jurisdiction’ to request data from its European entities
June 04, 2021 04 Jun'21
UK immigration exemption in Data Protection Act found unlawful

Court of Appeal rules immigration exemption unlawful, but further hearings will follow to decide what remedies must be put in place
June 04, 2021 04 Jun'21
Secrecy around EncroChat cryptophone hack breaches French constitution, court hears

French lawyers claim that investigators are unlawfully withholding details of a cryptophone hacking operation in a case that could impact UK prosecutions
June 03, 2021 03 Jun'21
Swedish university is behind quantum computing breakthrough

Chalmers University of Technology simplifies the process of measuring the temperatures of quantum computers during complex calculations
June 03, 2021 03 Jun'21
Royal Navy trials AI during exercise in Scotland

The Royal Navy is testing two different artificial intelligence systems to see how they would perform against a supersonic missile threat
June 01, 2021 01 Jun'21
Government on the hunt for Advanced Research and Invention Agency CEO

First CEO of the high-risk, high-reward research agency will be in charge of shaping the research, culture and setup of the organisation and define its strategy to identify and fund ground-breaking science and technology
June 01, 2021 01 Jun'21
NHS trust’s Pioneer data platform joins up care delivery and improves outcomes

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust aims to improve patient care by bringing together anonymised health data from different care settings to better understand the patient journey
June 01, 2021 01 Jun'21
Post Office scandal public inquiry finally begins after chances to address problems were ignored

The Post Office Horizon scandal inquiry begins with subpostmaster campaign group waiting for full details before committing its support
May 28, 2021 28 May'21
Privacy experts concerned over NHS data collection plans

Security and data privacy experts warn NHS Digital that its data collection plans could increase risk and cause a public backlash
May 27, 2021 27 May'21
BCS demands reform to rules on computer evidence following Post Office Horizon scandal revelations

Professional IT body wants changes to how computer evidence is used in court in the wake of the Post Office case
May 27, 2021 27 May'21
Loss of 150,000 police records made worse by management failures

The loss of 150,000 records from a number of national policing systems was caused by a human coding error, but made worse by process and management failures
May 27, 2021 27 May'21
Uber signs collective bargaining agreement with GMB

Uber and GMB sign “landmark” collective bargaining agreement with no ability to negotiate on earnings, attracting criticism from smaller unions that it lacks teeth
May 27, 2021 27 May'21
Singapore deploys drones to monitor reservoir water quality

Singapore’s national water agency PUB is deploying autonomous drones at six reservoirs to monitor water quality and other activities to improve operational efficiency
May 27, 2021 27 May'21
NGOs file complaints against Clearview AI in five countries

Privacy and human rights organisations have asked data protection regulators in the UK, France, Austria, Italy and Greece to investigate controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI
May 26, 2021 26 May'21
Department for Education’s e-learning unpreparedness widens inequality among students

Department is ‘surprisingly resistant’ to a lessons-learned exercise based on findings during Covid, says Public Accounts Committee report
May 26, 2021 26 May'21
Google offers free tech skills training to UK jobseekers

Online training in areas such as IT support and UX design will be available through the Department for Work and Pensions
May 26, 2021 26 May'21
‘It's a good day when we refer a case,’ CCRC tells MPs during review of Post Office prosecutions

Criminal Cases Review Commission will not allow pressure on its resources to prevent subpostmasters seeking a review of their criminal convictions