IT for government and public sector

Digital services tax weakens the case for tech startups to choose the UK

The UK government’s plan for a tax specifically targeting big digital firms risks undermining international efforts to reform corporate taxation for the digital age Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

UK Post Office looks to enable reusable digital ID

The UK Post Office is investigating the possibility of enabling UK citizens to re-use their passport data for other applications where digital identity is a key component Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Budget 2018: A mixed bag

Computer Weekly looks at some of the detail in the tech-laden 2018 Budget and can’t get away from the big elephant in the room: the impact of a potential No Deal Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Budget 2018: No great leap forward for broadband, but no need to panic

The chancellor set aside £1.6bn for digital technology in the Budget, but broadband services did not draw much attention. Is this a surprise, or a reflection of growing commercial investment in full-fibre, and what should the role of government be? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IR35 reforms: Private sector extension confirmed for April 2020 in Autumn Budget

As the government confirms the IR35 reforms will be extended to large and medium-sized businesses in the private sector from April 2020, campaigners claim the move risks destabilising the UK's flexible workforce Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK government taskforce commits to distributed ledger technologies

Report says distributed ledger technology “has the potential to deliver significant benefits in financial services and other sectors in the future” Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Hammond’s digital services tax is a big risk, say experts

The tech industry is not impressed with the chancellor’s plan to tax web giants, saying it can stifle innovation, while tax lawyers warn that it is a very risky move that could lead to US retaliation Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government consults on full-fibre for tenants, new-build homes

Proposed legislation would compel landlords and property developers to offer full-fibre broadband to tenants and customers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why subpostmasters and Post Office are battling it out in the High Court

After over a decade of controversy, next week marks the beginning of a court battle between subpostmasters and the Post Office over allegations of faults in an accounting system leading to unfair prosecutions Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Finnish city Espoo trials artificial intelligence for community support

The authorities for Finnish city Espoo are testing out AI technology to help them target services at the residents who need them most Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Police tech is ‘a complete and utter mess’, says Home Affairs Committee

Committee has “serious concerns” about police forces’ digital capabilities, interoperability and tech adoption, and urges ministers to take responsibility Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

O2 extends rural 4G network to 339 communities

O2 has extended its rural network roll-out, targeting over 300 small communities all over the UK Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IoT ecosystem needs to be investigated, say experts

A conference of IoT experts convened by Enisa and Europol has made key recommendations to ensure security vulnerabilities do not overshadow benefits Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Trusted nodes: The next generation in quantum key distribution

QKD is a form of protection against interception by quantum computers, but cost and technical limitations have made the technology impractical. Could trusted nodes make all the difference? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

MEPs call for action in wake of Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal

European members of parliament demand action to protect citizens’ privacy from abuses such as those uncovered in the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data sharing scandal Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICO issues maximum £500,000 fine to Facebook

The UK privacy watchdog has confirmed that Facebook has escaped a fine of more than $1bn under the GDPR, but will face the maximum under the DPA for failing to protect users’ personal information Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Firms will use AI to automate HR processes within two years

Companies are gearing up to automate HR processes with artificial intelligence and machine learning, while at the same time battling with outdated IT systems Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Autonomous taxi trials underway in Dubai

Dubai’s transport authority has started road testing the region’s first autonomous taxi, designed in partnership with Dubai Silicon Oasis and DG World Continue Reading

By

• Edward Banda

CityFibre backers pump £2.5bn into full-fibre broadband

Network expansion will add 27 towns and cities to CityFibre’s current roll-out to 10 locations in support of a consumer full-fibre service delivered by Vodafone Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

11 of 12 border IT systems at risk of not being ready by Brexit, says NAO report

All but one of the critical IT systems needed at the UK border are at risk of not being ready by 29 March 2019, which will have implications if there is a no-deal Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government can’t guarantee no-deal Brexit data-sharing agreement

Digital minister Margot James says there is no clear timetable on when the UK will secure a data adequacy decision from the EU, and cannot guarantee an agreement will be in place in the event of a no-deal Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Interview: Steve Grobman, McAfee CTO shares his views on some burning security questions

Cyber security technology innovator and veteran Steve Grobman shares his views on adversarial artificial intelligence, post-quantum cryptography and security for next-gen tech Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Blockchain not the best technology for every use considered, says Australian government report

Australian government report finds that there is a better technology than blockchain for every use considered in its report Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government to invest £8m in Brexit customs training and automation

The Treasury and HMRC are putting measures in place to support the customs sector should the UK leave the EU with no deal, including funding to increase automation and training Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

The troublesome saga of Gov.uk Verify

As the government plans to hand over its flagship identity assurance programme to the private sector, Computer Weekly looks at the history of the troubled project and how Gov.uk Verify ended up on the chopping board. Continue Reading

Where next for digital identity?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the UK government hands its digital identity service, Gov.uk Verify, to the private sector, we examine the history and prospects for the troubled system. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at cloud-native architecture. And we compare the flash storage capabilities of the leading cloud providers, AWS, Azure and Google. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Government pumps more funding into NHS ‘test beds’ programme

Seven new “test beds” will receive £7m to trial a range of technologies to improve patient care in the second wave of the NHS Test Beds Programme Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government to invest an extra £215m in UK innovation centres

The extra funding will be given to the Catapult network of innovation centres, focusing on digital, medicines discovery, future cities and transport systems Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

McAfee CTO raises concerns about election cyber security

The security industry needs to look at the security of election processes around the world as well as the security of voting and counting machines, says McAfee CTO Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Interview: Matt Hancock, secretary of state for health and social care, on his NHS ‘tech vision’

Matt Hancock brings rare digital experience to running the NHS and social care systems, but can he overcome the legacy of past health service technology failures? Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Dubai Health Authority unveils virtual health app for GP consultations

Health authority adopts new technology as part of the Dubai Future Accelerators initiative Continue Reading

By

• Edward Banda

Industry and government must collaborate to drive the digital economy, says techUK CEO

Industry and government must work together to grow use of technology across the UK economy, according to techUK CEO Julian David Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

McAfee researchers uncover ‘significant’ espionage campaign

Researchers discover campaign targeting South Korea, the US and Canada with links to eight-year-old source code from a threat group that has been dormant for five years Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Middle East gears up for 5G

The race for 5G is well and truly under way, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia are well positioned to be among the first countries in the world to deliver the benefits of this new telecoms protocol Continue Reading

By

• Edward Banda

Analysts question Australia government’s IBM deal

Industry analysts and experts have called the wisdom of the A$1bn IBM IT deal into question, with one claiming that the federal government should have used a range of suppliers instead. Continue Reading

MoJ to go all-in on public cloud as infrastructure modernisation push gathers pace

The Ministry of Justice claims modernising, retiring and migrating its legacy IT systems to the public cloud will help it accrue long-term savings of around 60% on hosting costs Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Home Office ‘seriously’ considered ESN shutdown

New disclosures from those responsible for the troubled Emergency Services Network project have revealed that, contrary to previous denials, the Home Office came close to pulling the plug earlier this year Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

No new funding for Hancock’s NHS tech vision

Getting the technology plan right is more about standards than money, says health and social care secretary Matt Hancock, as he explains why NHS organisations won’t be given additional funding to deliver on his vision Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Hancock sets out NHS tech vision

Government will mandate national open standards for the NHS and tech suppliers, build a health and caretech ecosystem and give local NHS organisations more flexibility in how and what tech they buy Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Public Health England builds Ceph and Lustre cloud for analytics

Healthcare analytics and modelling organisation Public Health England built an open source cloud from Red Hat Ceph object storage and Lustre scale-out file access storage to petabyte scale Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

UK faces 10 cyber attacks a week as hostile states step up hacking, says NCSC

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has thwarted more than 1,600 attacks over the past two years – many by hostile nation states Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Home Office completes initial test of online system for registering EU citizens

Online application process for registering EU citizens in the UK after Brexit has concluded initial trials, and will now be expanded to a wider group Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Microsoft staff allegedly pen open letter urging firm to drop bid for US government cloud deal

Letter calls on software giant to bow out of the race for a controversial, 10-year cloud contract with the US Department of Defense Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Tech companies should not be under legal duty to remove terrorist material, says watchdog

The internet should not be a safe place for terrorists, but making it compulsory for technology companies to trawl for radical content risks interfering with the rights of innocent people, says Max Hill QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin & Fiona O'Cleirigh

Cost of WannaCry attack to NHS set at £92m

Department for Health and Social Care estimates the immediate cost of the May 2017 WannaCry attack on the NHS was £92m, and says it will have spent about £275m on improvements to its cyber security infrastructure by the end of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Watchdog calls for clarity on Schedule 7 terrorism powers

The Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation has called for greater clarity over police Schedule 7 powers to seize mobile phones and computers and question people without grounds for suspicion at ports and airports Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly
• Fiona O'Cleirigh

RATs and Mimikatz among top publicly available hacking tools

Remote access Trojans (RATs), web shells and Mimikatz among the top publicly available tools that are used in cyber attacks around the world, a five-nation cyber intelligence report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The troublesome saga of Gov.uk Verify

As the government plans to hand over its flagship identity assurance programme to the private sector, Computer Weekly looks at the history of the troubled project and how Gov.uk Verify ended up on the chopping board Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Nato to be fully operational in cyber space by 2023

Nato is aiming to achieve full operational readiness in cyber space within five years Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Robots in the workplace supported by 81% of business chiefs

Robotic process automation continues to be taken up by more organisations – but despite proven benefits, those that already use it are struggling to scale it up Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Google-supported programme in Netherlands helps primary schools with computational thinking

A programme to help primary school teachers in the Netherlands understand IT is gaining momentum Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

GDS must share the lessons of Verify - good and bad - to boost the digital identity ecosystem

Depending on your perspective, Gov.uk Verify is now either secure in its future at the heart of the UK’s emerging digital identity ecosystem, or it has one foot in the grave and is on the way to ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Ofcom says government should lead on internet regulation

Representatives from the telecoms regulator tell House of Lords that the government should build a framework for internet regulation that other bodies can follow and enforce Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Bug bounties not a silver bullet, Katie Moussouris warns

Targeted bug bounties have a role to play in cyber security, but they are not a "silver bullet", and run the risk of wiping out talent pipelines if poorly implemented, warns bug bounty pioneer Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Huawei Connect 2018: Huawei tackles barriers to effective AI

At its annual customer and technology event, Huawei chairman Eric Xu set out 10 key challenges facing AI, and revealed how the networking supplier’s strategy will help to address these Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government to end investment in Gov.uk Verify digital identity system

Cabinet Office announces 18-month transition to hand troubled identity assurance programme over to private sector Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Launch of NHS app marks a new era

 Continue Reading

Tech takes centre stage in CBI’s pre-Budget wish list

Industry calls on government to set the tone for a tech-friendly business environment after the UK leaves the EU Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Cooperation vital in cyber security, says former Estonian minister

States acting alone cannot be efficient in cyber security and need to cooperate with others to build trust, says a former foreign minister of Estonia Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NCSC head calls for technocratic partnership to fix cyber risks

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre is appealing for collaboration with the technology industry to remedy key vulnerabilities in current IT Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Geospatial Commission pumps £5m into unlocking value of location data

Commission wants to unlock the value of location data held by its partners through the use of emerging technologies Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

GDPR case work swamps Denmark’s data protection agency

The agency investigating alleged breaches of GDPR in Denmark is recruiting additional resources to cope with the increase in work Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Business secretary awards regulators £10m to drive innovation

Regulators will be given funding to drive innovation and strengthen regulations in areas such as automation, data and artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CIO interview: Niall Quinn, technology director, Crown Commercial Service

The Crown Commercial Service’s technology director talks about how the government’s procurement agency is working to make buying easier, drive innovation forward and shake up the public sector Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK and allies accuse Russia of cyber attack campaign

The UK National Cyber Security Centre has identified a campaign by the Russian military intelligence service of “indiscriminate and reckless” cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Blockchain found at bottom of scraped government barrel

Blockchain answer to Irish border question, but what about Facebook? Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Matt Hancock plans to sequence five million genomes in five years

The health secretary aims to expand the government-funded 100,000 Genomes Project and sequence five million genomes over the next five years and roll out genomic testing across the NHS Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Technology shouldn’t leave anyone behind, says Jeremy Wright

DCMS secretary of state highlights investment in 5G and superfast broadband, and says no one should be left behind by technology Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Filling the blockchain chasm

Blockchain as a term is becoming common language, but there is a long way to go before it will mean anything to the performance of most organisations Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Industry backs Norway’s AI powerhouse project

Industry and academia in Norway are working together to boost the country’s artificial intelligence capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Openreach extends full-fibre broadband roll-out to Coventry

Openreach is forging ahead with its Fibre First full-fibre broadband programme and has started to roll out ultrafast services in Coventry Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government explores blockchain to make buying and selling property easier and cheaper

HM Land Registry moves into the next phase of a project that will use the latest technologies to speed up property transactions Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

While Brexit rages on, the UK needs to be looking at the global picture

Talks at the World Trade Organisation in October will shape the future of digital trade, and it is crucial the voice of UK tech is heard Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

Launch of NHS app marks a new era

The NHS has begun piloting its coveted app, but how exactly will it work, and what does it mean for patients accessing the health service? Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government launches public consultation on smart data

Smart data review aimed at encouraging new data services to help customers of utilities and banks Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Police Scotland sets out 10-year digital plan

Scottish Police Authority has approved Police Scotland’s 10-year digital transformation plan, which aims to bring the country’s police forces into the 21st century and requires £244m in capital funding and £54m in reform funding Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK will unilaterally tax web giants, says Hammond

Chancellor threatens to go it alone on tax reform for digital services businesses if an international agreement cannot be reached Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK firms’ password security score ‘average’

While businesses are making strides in strengthening password security, there is more work to be done, with the UK password score lagging behind the frontrunners, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Two autonomous vehicle projects funded in government contest

The National Infrastructure Commission’s Roads for the Future contest has awarded a £50,000 prize fund to two projects exploring how to make the UK’s roads ready for connected and autonomous vehicles Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UKtech50 2018 – help us find the most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly’s annual search for the 50 most influential people in UK IT is on – let us know who you would like to nominate for this year's list Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

EU sees eIDAS regulation come into full force

A regulation aimed at cutting red tape to enable a digital single market in Europe will soon be in full force, but it could present some challenges to the UK after Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Smart places can supercharge the digital economy

The UK needs to enhance its digital capability, and there are huge opportunities for different regions to secure a niche within our growing digital economy Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Evans, TechUK

Prepare now for quantum computers, QKD and post-quantum encryption

The predicted processing power of quantum computers is likely to make existing encryption algorithms obsolete. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a possible solution - we investigate whether QKD is viable Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Australian teen Apple hacker avoids jail time

“Fan” who broke into Apple’s mainframe from his home in Melbourne has avoided prison because the information he gathered was recovered Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICO threatens fines for outstanding fees

The UK’s privacy watchdog has issued warning letters to organisations, including some NHS trusts and government organisations, for failing to pay a new data protection fee Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Indian IT giant TCS sees IBM and Accenture as nearest rivals

Rapidly-growing Tata Consultancy Services has its eyes on the US IT giants, with customer service key if it is to overtake them Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Why the government should rethink the UK’s surveillance laws

The European Court of Human Rights has made clear that the Snoopers’ Charter is an unlawful violation of people’s rights and freedoms Continue Reading

By

• Megan Goulding

MI5 admits to ‘unlawful’ spying on Privacy International

The UK's intelligence agencies acted unlawfully by intercepting communications data on NGO, Privacy International, the UK's most secret court ruled. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NHS Digital to publish new guidance on data standards

Data could be a huge advantage for the NHS, but data quality and accessibility is still a big challenge, says NHS Digital CEO Sarah Wilkinson as she promises clear guidance on standards and interoperability Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

DWP IT chief Mayank Prakash quits for new job outside government

Chief digital and information officer leaves after four years in the civil service – no news yet on his successor Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Mapping the future at Ordnance Survey

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how the UK mapping agency, Ordnance Survey, is innovating to put geospatial data at the heart of smart cities. We look at how to manage subscription and licensing costs when moving to the cloud. And we examine how proposals to change the UK visa system could help to tackle IT skills shortages. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

InfoWatch opens training centre to help address Middle East skills shortage

Security supplier offers Middle East customers cyber security and digital training facility as organisations in the region struggle to equip staff with latest skills Continue Reading

By

• Edward Banda

No Deal Brexit could mean additional costs for tech businesses

The government plans to continue to enforce existing intellectual property rights in the event of a No Deal Brexit, according to the latest planning notices, but businesses could face additional costs to access EU and UK markets Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government launches £7.5m digital innovation fund for local councils

Councils with digital innovation ideas can apply for grants up to £100,000 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Fair trade software on the agenda but Dutch businesses not ready to buy it

There is already free trade chocolate and coffee on supermarket shelves, but two Dutch tech entrepreneurs are trying to add free trade software to the mix Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

NHS Digital hires chief information security officer

Robert Coles will lead the health and care sector’s response to cyber attacks and help local organisations meet the government’s cyber security standards Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Phased roll-out of ESN to start in early 2019

The government will adopt a phased approach to the roll-out of the new emergency services 4G communications network Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Businesses that take humans with them on robotics journeys gain the most

Businesses that put human development at the centre of their automation strategies will profit the most Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Tech won’t solve customs border issues, House of Lords EU Committee finds

Tech won’t solve potential customs issues at the border post-Brexit, at least not in the short term, and especially not in case of no-deal Brexit, according to a House of Lords report Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

DCMS plan aims to open up digital identity market - and might kill off Gov.uk Verify

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has been conducting a review of digital identity since taking over policy responsibility from the Government Digital Service (GDS) in ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief