IT legislation and regulation
Understanding the law as it applies to IT management can be one of the hardest task for IT leaders, but the growing burden of regulatory compliance makes it essential. Legislation and regulation affects enterprise IT in many ways, not just in long-standing tasks such as contracts and software licensing. We examine the latest legal development and how they affect IT managers, and talk to the experts in IT legislation and regulation to explain what it means to your organisation.
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News
20 Nov 2024
ORG urges ICO to revise public sector enforcement approach
The Open Rights Group is urging the Information Commissioner’s Office to revise its light touch approach to public sector data protection issues, arguing that its experimental policy of limiting its enforcement actions to reprimands and notices, rather issuing fines, is allowing bad practices to continue largely unabated 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
28 Oct 2020
Privacy and online safety are focus of new UKRI research funding
Online safety research centre of excellence will look into technology to boost privacy and tackle disinformation, fake news, conspiracies and other online harms Continue Reading
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News
27 Oct 2020
ICO slams Experian over ‘invisible’ data processing
Data processing practices used by Experian broke data protection law, says Information Commissioner’s Office Continue Reading
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News
27 Oct 2020
Not enough time to get software ready for end of Brexit transition period, warns industry
Software suppliers are concerned they don't have enough time or information to help businesses be ready on time for the end of the Brexit transition period Continue Reading
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News
27 Oct 2020
Calls for clarity over Amazon insider breach
Security experts call for more clarity from Amazon over an apparent leak of customer data Continue Reading
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E-Zine
27 Oct 2020
Pet project: How Pets at Home cares for customers with data analytics
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the chief data officer of Pets at Home, about using data analytics to care for customers. British Airways had its GDPR fine reduced to just £20m – we ask what this means for data protection regulation. And we look at GPT3, the language prediction tool that could revolutionise AI. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
26 Oct 2020
Forrester: CIOs must prepare for Brexit data transfer
With the end of the Brexit transition period just weeks away, multi-national organisations will need to re-evaluate how intercompany data is transmitted Continue Reading
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News
26 Oct 2020
Policy Exchange calls on government to publish digital ID strategy
The lack of reliable digital ID services in the UK is limiting the country’s digital infrastructure potential, according to a report on digital identity, which also recommends the government to clarify the future of Gov.uk Verify Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2020
US Justice Department files antitrust lawsuit against Google
Lawsuit alleges Google used anticompetitive tactics to maintain and extend its monopolies in a number of interconnected digital markets, violating US federal antitrust law Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2020
IR35: Former Treasury secretary Mel Stride calls for ‘dreaded’ off-payroll rules to be ‘abolished’
While chairing a Treasury Committee session on how the UK tax landscape must change to cover the costs of the coronavirus pandemic, ex-Treasury secretary Mel Stride backed calls for the IR35 rules to be abolished Continue Reading
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News
21 Oct 2020
Charities warned over ‘Robin Hood’ cyber criminals
Accepting donations from cyber criminal groups could be deemed as profiting from crime, money laundering or handling stolen goods – so don’t do it Continue Reading
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News
20 Oct 2020
Police given access to self-isolation data
NHS Test and Trace self-isolation data will be made available to police after new guidance changes data-sharing rules Continue Reading
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News
20 Oct 2020
Six Russians charged over NotPetya and other attacks
Six members of the APT group known as Sandworm have been charged in the US over a series of attacks including the destructive NotPetya incident Continue Reading
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News
20 Oct 2020
IR35 reforms: Contractors weigh up post-April 2021 employment options
IR35 compliance firm Qdos polls contractors to find out what they think the future holds for their job prospects once the reworked off-payroll rules come into force in the private sector from April 2021 Continue Reading
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News
19 Oct 2020
Estonian rude awakening spurs tech startup activity
Money laundering scandal in Estonia has sparked tech startup activity in the Baltic country as banks look for answers Continue Reading
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News
19 Oct 2020
IR35 reforms: HMRC urged to correct clause in off-payroll rules that could ‘kill off’ umbrella firms
An ‘errant clause’ within the forthcoming off-payroll legislation could cause serious disruption to the IT contractor community if left unchanged, experts have warned Continue Reading
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News
16 Oct 2020
BA argues ICO data breach fine down to £20m
Information Commissioner’s Office levies fine of £20m on British Airways for failing to protect the personal data of hundreds of thousands of passengers – a vast reduction on the initial £183m penalty Continue Reading
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News
16 Oct 2020
Spanish court to question witnesses over ‘illegal surveillance’ of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
The Spanish National Court in Madrid is to hear evidence from information security expert Andy Müller-Maguhn and two lawyers who were subject to ‘illegal surveillance’ of their meetings with Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London Continue Reading
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News
15 Oct 2020
Arrests and indictments made in cyber money laundering ring
The NCA has revealed six men were arrested in the UK as part of an international investigation into a money laundering network which handled transactions for some of the world’s most prolific cyber criminal groups Continue Reading
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News
15 Oct 2020
Cloud data protection keeps the Crick’s medical research Covid-secure
Cloud data management services from Rubrik gave the Francis Crick Institute a data protection edge and have helped keep its vital work going through the pandemic Continue Reading
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News
15 Oct 2020
UK regulators lack the skills and expertise to cope with increasing use of algorithms
MPs told that multiple regulators will be needed to govern the ever-growing use of algorithmic systems in all areas of the economy and public sector Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Oct 2020
Security Think Tank: Essential tools to mitigate data loss and identity theft
The threat of identity theft via a data breach is heightened with the rise of attacks where ransomware threat actors both encrypt and ransom, and exfiltrate and leak their victims’ data. How does this evolution in cybercrime heighten risk for the enterprise, and what steps can we take to safeguard the personal data we hold? Continue Reading
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News
14 Oct 2020
Public sector security failings leave UK at risk, says think tank
Reform report urges adoption of new policies in the next version of the UK’s National Cyber Security Strategy Continue Reading
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News
14 Oct 2020
US Elections: Malicious internet domains spike as campaigns heat up
Internet domains related to the US presidential election are 56% more likely to be malicious than regular ones Continue Reading
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News
14 Oct 2020
Public data should not be held by US tech giants
One-off evidence sessions to follow up on the recommendations of the House of Lords AI Committee revisit the data and ethics debate Continue Reading
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News
14 Oct 2020
Fintech ‘unicorn’ Klarna probed over data misuse
Online bank blames misuse of user data on human error as Information Commissioner’s Office weighs in Continue Reading
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News
12 Oct 2020
Challenger bank accessing latest anti-money laundering technology through fintech
Challenger banks works with fintech to support its anti-money laundering efforts Continue Reading
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News
12 Oct 2020
Trickbot forced offline in major cyber security victory
Coalition led by Microsoft obtained a court order enabling them to take down the infamous Trickbot botnet’s back-end server infrastructure Continue Reading
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News
12 Oct 2020
Five Eyes spy group again demands access to private messages
Spooks are once again calling for the tech industry to break end-to-end encryption in messaging platforms Continue Reading
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News
09 Oct 2020
CMA asks for right to probe O2/Virgin merger
Competition and Markets Authority requests right to probe potentially game-changing joint venture that could transform UK’s wired and wireless communications provision Continue Reading
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Opinion
09 Oct 2020
Lapsing ISO certifications: Myth versus risk
Allowing ISO certifications to lapse presents businesses with serious risks when workarounds are possible Continue Reading
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News
08 Oct 2020
Coronavirus face mask spammer fined by ICO
The director of software company Studios MG spammed members of the public at the height of the pandemic as one of its directors tried to shift a job lot of face masks Continue Reading
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News
08 Oct 2020
Crown Prosecution Service suffers 1,600 data breaches in 12 months
CPS sees a spike in data security incidents, many of them serious enough to be reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office Continue Reading
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News
08 Oct 2020
Threat of GDPR fines increasingly driving security buying decisions
Scaring the people who hold the purse strings may be the best option for CISOs who need a little extra budget Continue Reading
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News
07 Oct 2020
US lawmakers release big tech antitrust report
House Democrats have published a report on the monopoly power wielded by big tech companies and how to restore competition in digital markets Continue Reading
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News
07 Oct 2020
Department for Education failed to protect data on millions of children, says ICO
The Department for Education’s National Pupil Database, which contains millions of items of data on the UK’s schoolchildren, was found to be non-compliant with data protection regulations across the board Continue Reading
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News
07 Oct 2020
ICO wraps up Cambridge Analytica investigation
Information Commissioner’s Office concludes its investigation into Cambridge Analytica, saying no additional evidence has come to light that would change its previous assessments Continue Reading
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News
06 Oct 2020
EU’s top court questions legality of UK phone and internet data surveillance
European Court of Justice rules that the UK and EU member states must comply with EU privacy laws when harvesting people’s sensitive communications data from telecoms and internet companies Continue Reading
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Opinion
06 Oct 2020
The privacy and compliance challenges organisations face in 2021
Privacy and compliance teams have a lot on their plate as 2021 approaches. What are the key issues to consider? Continue Reading
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News
06 Oct 2020
John McAfee arrested over cryptocurrency fraud
Erratic tech baron allegedly promoted initial coin offerings without disclosing he was being paid to do so Continue Reading
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News
05 Oct 2020
Business leaders call on G20 to drive affordable and responsible tech
A new report from the Business Twenty has urged G20 members to use digitisation to support economic recovery Continue Reading
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News
05 Oct 2020
FBI seized ‘legally privileged’ material from Ecuador Embassy, claims Julian Assange’s lawyer
The US struck a secret deal with Ecuador to seize WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s property from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London days before his arrest. The haul included legally privileged documents, says his solicitor Continue Reading
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News
02 Oct 2020
Future UK-EU data sharing put at risk by Brexit legislation
When the Brexit transition period ends, UK ministers will have the power to forge new data-sharing arrangements that risk undermining the viability of future data transfers with the European Union Continue Reading
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News
02 Oct 2020
Security pros face sanctions if they help ransomware victims pay
New advisory from the US government warns cyber insurance and incident response specialists that they could be skating on thin ice if they help ransomware victims pay their attackers off Continue Reading
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News
30 Sep 2020
‘American friends’ spied on Julian Assange in Ecuadorian Embassy, court hears
Two former employees of UC Global, which provides security services to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, claim the company shared surveillance footage with the US of the WikiLeaks founder meeting with lawyers and other visitors Continue Reading
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News
29 Sep 2020
NatWest offers online banking customers free security services
Bank responds to a surge in cyber crime targeting users of online banking services Continue Reading
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News
28 Sep 2020
Government updates data ethics framework
The new data ethics framework was created to better reflect how projects are run in practice after finding there was “little awareness” of the previous framework across the public sector Continue Reading
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News
28 Sep 2020
TikTok ban stayed after last-minute court case
TikTok’s lawyers have staved off an imminent ban for the time being, after successfully arguing that it infringed rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States Continue Reading
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News
28 Sep 2020
Police Scotland to set up new cyber crime centre
National Centre of Excellence will employ specially trained officers to tackle a vertiginous rise in cyber crime Continue Reading
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News
25 Sep 2020
Forensic expert questions US claims that Julian Assange conspired to crack military password
Forensic computer expert Patrick Eller told the Old Bailey that US allegations that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange attempted to decrypt a password to help former soldier Chelsea Manning leak sensitive government documents anonymously do not fit with the evidence Continue Reading
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Opinion
25 Sep 2020
Gartner: Balance safety, privacy and productivity when employees return to the workplace
Organisations may decide that data collection can help keep employees safe in a Covid-secure workplace – but employers must consider all the privacy and productivity implications Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2020
‘Not unjust’ to extradite WilkiLeaks founder Julian Assange, court hears
Nigel Blackwood, NHS consultant psychiatrist, told the Old Bailey court that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had ‘moderate depression’ and autistic traits, but said they did not prevent his extradition Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2020
NHS whistleblower privacy concerns passed on to regulator, but campaigners not holding their breath
NHS Improvement chair Dido Harding acknowledges receiving concerns raised about the anonymity of whistleblowers, but campaigners have little faith that anything will be done Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2020
Can banks solve money laundering puzzle through technology?
Banks face a huge challenge in identifying and stopping money laundering without interfering with police investigations Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2020
Government blasted over ‘reckless’ contact-tracing security
The Open Rights Group and Big Brother Watch accuse the government of endangering public health with a reckless attitude to contact-tracing data security 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
US agencies warn of election disinformation and cyber attacks
Federal agencies are warning of heightened disinformation as the crucial 2020 presidential election nears Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2020
GDS reviewing Cloud First policy post-Schrems II
Review seeks to determine the future of government engagement with cloud hosting services as they relate to cross-border data flows Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2020
WikiLeaks published unredacted cables after password was disclosed in book
WikiLeaks published a cache of unredacted government cables after the publication of a book containing the password led to their publication on other parts of the internet, court told 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
Congressman offered Julian Assange a ‘win-win’ deal that would help President Trump
Details have emerged of US congressman Dana Rohrabacher’s offer of a pardon to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a ‘win-win deal that would benefit US President Donald Trump 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
17 Sep 2020
WikiLeaks partners developed software to redact 400,000 Iraq War Logs
Psychologist and co-founder of NGO the Iraq Body Count told a court that Julian Assange insisted on stringent redaction of hundreds of thousands of documents which revealed civilian deaths in the Iraq war Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2020
Loan charge under review: Government’s tax policy set to be challenged under EU law
A fresh attempt to judicially review the government’s controversial disguised remuneration policy is being launched, and its backers have already secured 85% of the £180,000 needed to test whether the loan charge breaches EU law Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2020
Brits more fazed by human augmentation
Italians are the most open to human augmentation, but one-third of people in the UK believe it is unacceptable Continue Reading
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News
16 Sep 2020
Julian Assange held back 15,000 documents to prevent harm to US government
Investigative journalist John Goetz said today that WikiLeaks held back publication of thousands of documents that could harm individuals Continue Reading
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News
15 Sep 2020
Data of every Welsh Covid-19 patient leaked online
Data on all 18,105 people in Wales who have received positive tests for the coronavirus was uploaded to a public-facing web server in error Continue Reading
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News
15 Sep 2020
MEPs denied access as observers to Julian Assange extradition hearing
MEPs and NGOs say they have been denied access to observe extradition proceedings against WikiLeaks founder in Central Criminal Court 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
Government 'making progress' on Smart Freight System prep ahead of Brexit transition deadline
The government appears to be heeding warnings about the readiness of the Smart Freight border IT system, as the January 2021 Brexit transition deadline looms large 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
09 Sep 2020
US conspiracy charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ‘politically motivated’
US journalism historian and investigative journalist Mark Feldstein tells a UK court that use of the Espionage Act against Assange will have wide implications for the press Continue Reading
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News
08 Sep 2020
Julian Assange warned against interrupting witnesses in extradition hearing
On the second day of his extradition hearing at the Old Bailey, judge informs the WikiLeaks founder he could be removed and potentially banned from court for interrupting witnesses Continue Reading
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News
08 Sep 2020
Scottish health bodies accelerate mobile Covid-19 detection technology
Scottish regional and national government take the high and fast road to developing contact-tracing technology to assist in preventing further spread of Covid-19 Continue Reading
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News
07 Sep 2020
Government DPOs challenged by volume of GDPR work
Data protection officers working across the UK government are finding it tough to keep up with the increased workload generated by GDPR, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
07 Sep 2020
AI Summit 2020: Regulating AI for the common good
Speakers and panellists at the virtual AI Summit 2020 spoke about the tensions between cooperation and competition in the development of artificial intelligence Continue Reading
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News
03 Sep 2020
Phishing scam targets Lloyds Bank customers
Bank customers warned of emails and SMS messages that direct them to a fraudulent site and then request account log-in details Continue Reading
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News
02 Sep 2020
Ethical and professional data science needed to avoid further algorithm controversies
BCS is calling for higher ethical and professional standards in algorithmic development to ensure public trust in future government information systems Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2020
University of Staffordshire recruits robots to get more out of its people
University staff were bogged down with administrative work, but will now have time to be creative Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2020
Benefit fraud: Underground trade in stolen identities revealed
A roaring underground trade in stolen identities is undermining the Universal Credit system and could potentially defraud it out of millions of pounds Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2020
NHS whistleblowers’ anonymity at mercy of inadequate trust IT policies and processes
They were clapped in the streets for their bravery at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, but some NHS staff who raise workplace concerns are suffering abuse as a result Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2020
Financial services business leaders and CIOs disagree on IT infrastructure
IT leaders and senior business executives need to align their technology infrastructure priorities as businesses attempt to emerge from the Covid-19 crisis 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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E-Zine
27 Aug 2020
CW Nordics: Bergen’s tech hub seeks global success
Norway’s second-largest city, Bergen, is building a tech ecosystem that is beginning its development with a focus on the city’s industrial heritage. Also in this issue, read why now might be the time for businesses to consider how they will invest in outsourcing IT once the Covid-19 pandemic wanes. And read how Norway’s government has had to backtrack on a law that removed tax relief on energy consumption at datacentres that process cryptocurrency mining. 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
26 Aug 2020
Unwired Planet wins patent licensing case against Huawei
Landmark ruling goes in favour of Unwired Planet and Conversant Wireless and may define the future of telecoms patent licensing Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Aug 2020
What are the latest GDPR security breach enforcement trends?
A cyber breach specialist from Fieldfisher runs the rule over the latest trends in cyber security, data protection and GDPR 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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24 Aug 2020
Loan charge MPs urge chancellor to get HMRC to soften contractor settlements
Co-chairs of Loan Charge All Party Parliamentary Group write to chancellor Rishi Sunak to seek a fairer deal for contractors caught by HMRC’s disguised remuneration policy. Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2020
Loan charge: Tax compliance charity demands criminal fraud investigation into scheme promoters
Tax compliance think tank TaxWatch is calling for a criminal fraud investigation to be launched into the promoters of disguised remuneration schemes to curb the continued proliferation of new tax avoidance arrangements 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
21 Aug 2020
MPs accuse ICO of failing to do its job on contact-tracing data
Cross-party group of MPs say the ICO has failed to enforce data protection standards or hold the government to account over the unlawful Test and Trace programme Continue Reading
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News
20 Aug 2020
UKAS rejects ISO certification concerns
UK’s certification body says refreshed guidance is in place to cover the possibility of lapsed ISO certifications 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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E-Zine
20 Aug 2020
CW APAC: Expert advice on hybrid cloud
Despite numerous benefits, organisations with lots of legacy applications can’t or won’t move everything to the public cloud. Some organisations may also choose to retain sensitive data on-premise for security reasons. In this edition of Expert Advice, we look at why and how APAC firms are deploying and managing their hybrid cloud infrastructure. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
19 Aug 2020
Coronavirus: Thousands of ISO certifications set to lapse
Delays and postponements in the auditing process are putting hard-earned security and data protection certifications at risk of lapsing Continue Reading
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News
19 Aug 2020
Loan charge MPs urge chancellor to get HMRC to soften contractor settlements
Co-chairs of Loan Charge All Party Parliamentary Group write to Rishi Sunak to seek a fairer deal for contractors caught by HMRC’s disguised remuneration policy Continue Reading
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News
18 Aug 2020
UK government needs a joined-up internet policy
Global internet firms want government to ensure its new digital strategy has coherent policy and regulatory goals Continue Reading
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News
17 Aug 2020
The Security Interviews: How Crest is remaking the future of consultancy
Crest president Ian Glover taught himself cyber security while working on government computing systems in the 1970s and 1980s. Now he is on a decade-spanning mission to change security consultancy models Continue Reading