IT for telecoms and internet organisations
Telecoms is one of the largest business sectors, and communications providers often have large IT budgets and are early adopters of new technologies. Our news and analysis of this important industry looks at how telecommunications firms, ISPs and other internet companies are using IT, and the regulatory issues that affect the services they provide.
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News
20 Nov 2024
Apple addresses two iPhone, Mac zero-days
Two zero-day vulnerabilities uncovered in Apple’s operating systems could have allowed for arbitrary code execution and cross-site scripting attacks Continue Reading
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News
20 Nov 2024
Government issues strategic priorities for online safety regulator Ofcom
Technology secretary Peter Kyle sets out the government’s strategic priorities for how Ofcom should approach regulating online safety, including embedding safety by design and supporting innovation in technologies to help protect people online Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2020
Third-party code bug left Instagram users at risk of account takeover
A critical vulnerability in Instagram’s image processing could have allowed attackers to take over not just their victim’s account, but their entire device Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2020
Over half of firms intend to continue US data transfers despite Schrems II
Survey shows many organisations do not intend to significantly change their data-sharing practices, at least until there is more guidance from regulators or governments Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2020
Major tech firms urged to end targeted ads to under-18s
An open letter to Google, Facebook and others is calling on the tech firms to take responsibility for protecting users of their services by ending behavioural advertising to children Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2020
Video gamers barraged with cyber attacks
From credential stuffing to SQL injection and DDoS, video game producers and players are seeing massive volumes of cyber attacks Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 Sep 2020
Top 10 skills to include in your IT CV
Find out what skills and keywords you should include on your CV to stand out as an IT professional in a competitive market Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2020
Twitter investigates image cropping algorithm for racial bias
The algorithm’s consistent favouring of white faces in image previews has forced the company to investigate it for racial bias Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2020
Activision shoots down data breach claims
Gaming company denies there has been any data breach after up to 500,000 accounts appeared to have been compromised, but evidence mounts that credential stuffing attacks are to blame Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2020
Scam mobile apps spreading via rogue TikTok accounts
Malicious TikTok accounts are promoting a number of adware scam mobile apps Continue Reading
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News
21 Sep 2020
Big questions to be answered over TikTok and WeChat reprieve
TikTok and WeChat seem to have received a stay of execution, but big questions and contradictions remain Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2020
Outgoing NCSC CEO: Ransomware threat kept us up at night
Former NCSC CEO Ciaran Martin sheds some light on some of the biggest cyber threats currently facing the UK Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2020
US government deplatforms TikTok and WeChat
The Commerce Department of the US government has banned new downloads of TikTok and WeChat in the US, and announced new prohibitions on doing business with them Continue Reading
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News
15 Sep 2020
TikTok-Oracle partnership moves forward for consideration
Joint venture proposal could create thousands of jobs and secure TikTok’s future outside China Continue Reading
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News
14 Sep 2020
Microsoft drops out of TikTok talks, paves way for Oracle partnership
Microsoft confirms it is dropping out of the running to acquire the US operations of TikTok, leaving the way clear for an imminent partnership deal with Oracle Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2020
Facebook takes legal action against Irish privacy watchdog
Facebook’s legal action against the Data Protection Commission will attempt to preserve the company’s ability to transfer European citizens’ data to the US despite its lower privacy protections Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2020
Zoom adds two-factor authentication for all users
Latest enhancements to Zoom security make it easier for organisations to protect users and prevent breaches and unauthorised meeting access Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2020
Irish privacy watchdog orders Facebook to stop sending user data to the US
Irish privacy watchdog orders Facebook to suspend transfers of European citizens’ data to the US after Schrems II ruling that Europeans have no effective way to challenge American government surveillance Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2020
Datacentre firm Equinix investigating ransomware attack
A number of internal systems at cloud and datacentre firm Equinix have been affected by a ransomware attack Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2020
Technology businesses vital to UK post-Covid economic recovery
Technology firms are set to play a larger role in UK’s post-Covid economy and are being encouraged to expand overseas after a strong year for digital exports Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2020
Abu Dhabi government launches peer-to-peer coding campus
Abu Dhabi government launches a specialist programming school that uses peer-to-peer teaching methods and gamification Continue Reading
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News
04 Sep 2020
Covid-19 has strained London tech firms but they have central role in recovery
London tech startups are feeling the effects of the economic slowdown brought on by Covid-19, but there is a huge opportunity for those with the right focus Continue Reading
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News
04 Sep 2020
Virtual London Tech Week is a sign of the future
London Tech week's virtual event is another sign of how the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation Continue Reading
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News
01 Sep 2020
Norway’s corporates want government to support ‘herd immunity’ to cyber attack
Leading business organisations in Norway call on government to play a more active role in improving and coordinating the country’s cyber defences Continue Reading
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News
01 Sep 2020
Here East CEO advises startups to generate own revenue streams
In a time of deep uncertainty, startups with their own streams of revenue independent of investors and large corporates will have more options and be in a much stronger negotiating position Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2020
Tour de France 2020 fans to get virtual experience delivered by NTT
This year’s Tour de France was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. IT services company NTT has teamed up with event organiser ASO to offer a virtual experience to fans who cannot be at the roadside Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2020
TikTok CEO clocks off
TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has resigned from the firm after just three months Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2020
Tech and telecoms advisory group set up to help trade negotiations
Department of International Trade launches new Trade Advisory Groups to guide trade negotiations with other countries Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2020
Aggrieved Amazon employees organise protests at homes of Jeff Bezos
A newly formed workers’ collective will protest outside the homes of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos seeking to secure a number of concessions for essential workers Continue Reading
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News
26 Aug 2020
Ministers urge local councils to lead on broadband and mobile
Digital minister Matt Warman and local government minister Simon Clarke want local councils to do their bit to help ensure better access to connectivity during the Covid-19 recovery Continue Reading
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News
25 Aug 2020
TikTok takes Trump to court
Under-fire video app TikTok files a formal complaint in the federal courts challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to ban it in the US Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2020
TikTok’s GDPR compliance probed amid accusations of data misuse
Dutch privacy organisation SOMI claims TikTok falls short in protecting young users, and that it is likely violating GDPR Continue Reading
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News
20 Aug 2020
Social media data leak highlights murky world of data scraping
A data brokerage left its database of 235 million Instagram, TikTok and YouTube profiles exposed to anybody who cared to access it Continue Reading
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News
18 Aug 2020
Reports Oracle to enter TikTok bidding war
Oracle may be about to make a bid to acquire the US operations of TikTok from its Chinese parent ByteDance, according to the FT Continue Reading
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News
07 Aug 2020
Virgin Media customers targeted in Twitter phish
Customers seeking help from the ISP are being targeted by a scam Twitter account Continue Reading
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News
07 Aug 2020
TikTok to be banned in US in 45 days
Trump says his Executive Orders against Chinese mobile apps are in the interests of dealing with a national emergency Continue Reading
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News
05 Aug 2020
Egypt’s datacentre plans take key step forward
Government lays the foundations for a datacentre industry with its new data protection law Continue Reading
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E-Zine
04 Aug 2020
The UK’s $500m space technology gamble
In this week’s Computer Weekly we ask why the UK government is spending $500m on a bankrupt satellite technology company. After a European court quashes the EU-US data sharing agreement, we examine the implications for a UK-EU data protection deal after Brexit. And how have small cloud suppliers coped in the pandemic? Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2020
Parents accuse Amazon of inaction in combatting child abuse material online
Parents protest over Amazon Web Services’ alleged inaction in dealing with child sexual abuse material hosted on its servers Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2020
Labour Party is latest victim of Blackbaud ransomware attack
Widening Blackbaud data breach ensnares the Labour Party as the cloud software firm continues to duck questions about its behaviour Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2020
US lawmakers grill big tech chiefs over market power
Sixth antitrust hearing sees CEOs of major technology companies face combative questioning from members of Congress over their market power and dominance Continue Reading
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News
30 Jul 2020
Finland government funds work on potential quantum leap
Finland's government is committing money to the development of quantum computing technologies to potentially provide a giant leap for the nation's industries Continue Reading
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News
29 Jul 2020
Campaigners urge government to resist big tech lobbying pressure
Lobbyists for big tech, supported by senior US politicians, have rallied against stricter regulation of technology companies, and threatened the US-UK trade deal unless Britain scraps plans to levy a digital services tax Continue Reading
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News
29 Jul 2020
Cosmetics firm Avon faces new cyber security incident
Technical information relating to Avon’s web and mobile sites was inadvertently left exposed on an unsecured Microsoft Azure server Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2020
Twitter announces crackdown on QAnon accounts
In a bid to stem the spread of disinformation and prevent real-world harm, Twitter is taking action against QAnon conspiracists Continue Reading
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News
22 Jul 2020
New opportunities for Nordic startups post-Covid-19 as virtual offices become the norm
As companies adjust to digital office life in the pandemic era, a host of Nordic startups are already helping them convert these short-term fixes into long-term strategy Continue Reading
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News
22 Jul 2020
Privacy Shield: Companies face new hurdles to legally transfer data to the US
Businesses will have to conduct legal assessments to ensure they can transfer data from the EU to the US and other countries, following a European Court of Justice ruling Continue Reading
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News
17 Jul 2020
Enterprises need to rethink how end-of-life equipment is dealt with
Electronic waste is a massive and growing problem, but many companies are not recycling or reusing IT equipment, instead opting for physical destruction of the assets Continue Reading
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News
17 Jul 2020
Twitter hack fallout: Investigators on trail of cyber criminals
Investigators are hunting the cyber criminals who broke into Twitter’s systems to hijack prominent accounts, amid concerns that more attacks may come Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
Schrems v Facebook: European court strikes down EU-US Privacy Shield agreement
The European Court of Justice has struck down Privacy Shield, the EU-US data-sharing agreement, creating uncertainty for European countries that share data with the US and pressuring the US to reform surveillance laws Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
Room for improvement in Dutch digital skills
The Netherlands has good telecommunications and IT networks that can be used safely and reliably, but there is room for improvement in digital skills among the Dutch Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
Cryptocurrency scammers attack Twitter in insider breach
Apparent insider breach at Twitter saw so-called “blue tick” accounts of business people, politicians and celebrities hijacked to promote a Bitcoin scam Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2020
Huge declines in traditional outsourcing as Covid-19 puts a stop on deals
Traditional IT outsourcing deals value plummets in the last quarter as contracts dry up amid Covid-19 disruption Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Jul 2020
11 obscure questions, Facebook, Max Schrems and the European Court of Justice
Eleven obscure questions will be the first step towards explaining why we in the UK and Europe have experienced 13 years of what has been described as ‘mass and indiscriminate surveillance’ by the US Continue Reading
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News
14 Jul 2020
European court to decide legality of EU-US data sharing in dispute between Schrems and Facebook
A ruling by the European Court of Justice will have ramifications for hundreds of thousands of companies that share data with the US. The case aims to balance US surveillance laws with the rights of EU citizens to keep their data private Continue Reading
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News
08 Jul 2020
Use of spyware apps linked to domestic abuse soars in lockdown
The rise in domestic violence during the pandemic has been linked to increase use of stalkerware apps by abusers Continue Reading
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News
08 Jul 2020
Over 15 billion credentials for sale on dark web
Research by Digital Shadows reveals the scale of the security threat facing consumers as it uncovers 15 billion usernames and passwords stolen in more than 100,000 different data breaches Continue Reading
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News
08 Jul 2020
Security funding soars despite Covid-19 slump, but problems lie ahead
The overall cyber security funding ecosystem in the UK is healthier than ever despite Covid-19, but the figures mask stark and concerning disparities in where the money is going Continue Reading
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Opinion
08 Jul 2020
CCPA enforcement has begun: Here’s what to expect
The US’s California Consumer Privacy Act came into force in January this year, but enforcement against technology companies did not begin until this month Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Jul 2020
Auditing for algorithmic discrimination
Despite the abundance of decision-making algorithms with social impacts, many companies are not conducting specific audits for bias and discrimination that can help mitigate their potentially negative consequences Continue Reading
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News
02 Jul 2020
Cops take out encrypted comms to disrupt organised crime
The UK’s National Crime Agency, alongside other law enforcement agencies in France and the Netherlands, have busted illicit arms and drugs rings after disabling an encrypted comms platform Continue Reading
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News
02 Jul 2020
Locked-down teens flock to NCSC CyberFirst training scheme
A record number of 14 to 17-year-olds have signed up to the National Cyber Security Centre’s CyberFirst summer school Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Jul 2020
Black Lives Matter, but do bots know that?
The volume of content generated each day necessitates automated moderation to curate everything as it is published, ensuring offensive and objectionable material is blocked. But this only works if systems are adequately configured and reviewed Continue Reading
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News
29 Jun 2020
Lords urge government to take immediate action on online harms
Select committee calls for tech giants to be held responsible for the harm done to individuals, wider society and democratic processes through online misinformation Continue Reading
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News
24 Jun 2020
Amazon’s carbon emissions surge during 2019
Amazon’s carbon footprint continues to grow, jumping 15% in one year, with the company maintaining it will take some time for its green investments to yield measurable results Continue Reading
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News
23 Jun 2020
Advertisers revolt over Facebook’s inaction on hate speech
Several companies plan to pull their adverts from Facebook in protest at its unwillingness to deal with hateful content on its platforms Continue Reading
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News
19 Jun 2020
Facebook allows US users to disable political ads
Users of the social media platform will soon be able to opt out of seeing politically motivated posts Continue Reading
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News
18 Jun 2020
US pulls out of talks with Europe for global digital tax
Despite the US’s resistance to an international digital services tax, the UK and other European countries plan to continue pushing for a global solution to taxing technology giants Continue Reading
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News
16 Jun 2020
Activists call on Zoom to implement encryption for all
A coalition of tech organisations and nonprofits have urged Zoom CEO Eric Yuan to make end-to-end encryption available to all users Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2020
Fake contact-tracing apps delivering banking trojans
Spoof government coronavirus apps are popping up all over the world, says the Anomali Threat Research team Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2020
Twitter kills thousands of misinformation accounts
The accounts were linked to the governments of China, Russia and Turkey, and engaged in systematic operations against pro-democracy activists, political opponents and dissidents Continue Reading
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News
11 Jun 2020
Tech firms respond to Nordic government calls
Nordic firms are working with tech suppliers to help them get back up and running after Covid-19 Continue Reading
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News
05 Jun 2020
Businesses develop apps quickly to manage disruption of Covid-19
Healthcare companies, insurers, government agencies and big tech companies have used technology from Pegasystems to develop apps to manage the disruption caused by coronavirus Continue Reading
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News
05 Jun 2020
London Tech Week to go ahead through Zoom
London Tech week will go ahead next week, with the tech industry attending through Zoom Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2020
Dutch organisations invest heavily in compliance – but in vain
Despite the fact that companies in the Netherlands have invested heavily to comply with GDPR legislation introduced two years ago, 90% of them are still discovering fundamental weaknesses in their IT environment Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2020
Government evades being pinned to a date for online harms legislation
MPs challenge government on online harms bill timetable, but have to settle for “clear assurances” that it will brought to parliament before the end of the session Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2020
The Security Interviews: How the BSI protects the IoT from itself
David Mudd of the BSI reveals how a pragmatic and realistic approach to security vulnerabilities underpins its internet of things kitemark, helping give users the confidence to buy smart devices safely Continue Reading
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News
02 Jun 2020
NIS security regulations proving effective, but more work to do
The UK’s NIS cyber security and risk regulations are proving somewhat effective, according to a government report Continue Reading
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News
01 Jun 2020
Employees must be consulted on technologies monitoring the return to work
Experts say the workforce must be ‘in the room’ and given a meaningful say about technologies introduced to monitor their return to work following the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading
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News
01 Jun 2020
How Saudi Arabia is using cloud to navigate the Covid-19 downturn
Organisations in Saudi Arabia are using cloud computing services to help them navigate challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic Continue Reading
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News
29 May 2020
Trump signs executive order targeting social media firms
US president moves to weaken legal protections for social media companies after Twitter takes action on his posts Continue Reading
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News
26 May 2020
Max Schrems accuses Ireland of ‘Kafkaesque’ delay in Facebook GDPR investigation
Privacy campaigner Max Schrems has urged the European Commission to intervene after the Irish Data Protection Commission allegedly used ‘Kafkaesque’ tactics to delay investigations into Facebook’s compliance with GDPR Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2020
Coronavirus: Dutch work on XR technology shows promise in pandemic scenario
Netherlands leads the way in the development of extended reality technology, which could prove its value in a crisis such as Covid-19 Continue Reading
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E-Zine
14 May 2020
CW APAC: Trend Watch – business response to coronavirus
With countries the world over reeling from the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, which has meant sweeping changes both economically and socially, Computer Weekly looks at how firms in the Asia-Pacific region have adapted to what has so quickly become the new normal. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 May 2020
Surveillance capitalism in the age of Covid-19
Could the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic further consolidate surveillance capitalist practices and enterprises? Author Shoshana Zuboff warns Computer Weekly it is possible Continue Reading
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Blog Post
07 May 2020
Who will fund Full-fibre roll out after Covid?
The time has come for Ofcom to regulate on price, quality of service (including the resilience required of a critical infrastructure utility) and behaviour and stop trying to predict costs and ... Continue Reading
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News
01 May 2020
No going back to packed workplaces after Covid-19
A recent project by IT service providers outlines how, in a post-coronavirus world, businesses like Barclays Bank will reduce their reliance on skyscrapers packed with people Continue Reading
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News
29 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Call for extension to European payment security standard deadline
Payment processors across Europe want more time to meet the SCA payment security standard Continue Reading
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Blog Post
27 Apr 2020
When IT met Covid: The World Changed
This the first plague where predictions of its likely local impact reached rulers/politicians/journalists before their subjects/voters/readers starting falling ill and/or dying in large numbers ... ... Continue Reading
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News
27 Apr 2020
UK tech companies launch online safety body
Online Safety Tech Industry Association unites 14 technology companies to drive conversation and policy around online safeguarding Continue Reading
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News
24 Apr 2020
How likely are IT service providers to offer discounts in an unprecedented global recession?
As the global economy slows, businesses are trying to cut costs, with IT services one of the first stops – but what are the chances of a happy outcome? Continue Reading
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Blog Post
23 Apr 2020
The hybrid sessions
There’s been some excitement around the inaugural virtual House of Commons sessions, which essentially comprise some MPs social distancing in the chamber while others can be viewed on several ... Continue Reading
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News
22 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Banking and mobile sectors collaborate to stop text scams
Initiative aims to protect 50 genuine brands and government organisations from being impersonated by cyber criminals Continue Reading
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News
20 Apr 2020
Dutch organisations address business email compromise fraud
Public-private partnership in the Netherlands works to break the chains used by fraudsters to carry out BEC attacks Continue Reading
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News
14 Apr 2020
Apple and Netflix most imitated brands in phishing attacks
A new report highlights the brands which are being most frequently spoofed by cyber criminals in phishing attacks Continue Reading
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News
14 Apr 2020
UK altnets increase full-fibre coverage by 50%
Independent network providers notch up notable year in 2019 as fibre access for all becomes political hot potato Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Zoom restricted or banned at multiple organisations
Use of videoconferencing tool has been banned at Google and in parts of the German and US governments Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2020
Mobile operator community and academics use smartphone power to fight Covid-19
Vodafone Foundation and scientists at Imperial College London are using a smartphone app to aid coronavirus research Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2020
Nokia claims 5G capacity benchmark, enters first phase of 5G project at Port of Zeebrugge
Flurry of 5G-related activity continues with raft of 5G patents and 5G-ready private wireless connectivity for partner ecosystem to accelerate IoT-based innovation Continue Reading
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Opinion
24 Mar 2020
Coronavirus and privacy – finding the middle ground
Data collection has a role to play in fighting the deadly Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, but governments need to be accountable for how it is used Continue Reading
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Opinion
19 Mar 2020
Gigabit broadband for new homes is essential to UK’s telecoms ambitions
Digital minister outlines plans to develop UK’s telecoms infrastructure to make it fit for the future Continue Reading
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News
19 Mar 2020
Loan charge under review: Cross-party group of MPs slams government inquiry into tax policy
The government’s independent inquiry into the loan charge disguised remuneration policy has been criticised in a report by a cross-party group of MPs for being ‘fundamentally flawed’ Continue Reading