News
IT legislation and regulation
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November 03, 2021
03
Nov'21
Spyware firm NSO and others added to US banned Entity List
US government bans target Israeli spyware makers and cyber firms in Russia and Singapore
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November 03, 2021
03
Nov'21
Facebook self-imposes facial recognition moratorium
Facebook and Meta have committed to halting their use of facial recognition technology and deleting the biometric data of more than a billion people by the end of 2021, but will retain the underlying algorithms and software for potential use in ...
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November 03, 2021
03
Nov'21
UK’s Labour Party hit by third-party data breach
Data on Labour Party members was recently compromised in an apparent cyber attack on a third-party data processor
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November 02, 2021
02
Nov'21
Electronic waste excluded from COP26 agenda
Data sanitation industry group calls on UK government to add electronic waste to the climate summit’s agenda
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November 02, 2021
02
Nov'21
Convicted Silk Road admin stripped of £500k in crypto earnings
Jailed Silk Road administrator Thomas White, aka Cthulhu, has been ordered to hand over more than £490,000 of illicit earnings
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November 01, 2021
01
Nov'21
MPs and Lords grill Facebook over online safety efforts
Facebook answers British lawmakers’ questions about the social media giant’s efforts to ensure the safety of its users, as part of legislative security of the government's proposed online safety bill
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November 01, 2021
01
Nov'21
Payments through open banking could end card dominance
Payments made through open banking will eat into those made using cards as the next five years sees an acceleration in adoption
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October 29, 2021
29
Oct'21
UK government to drive gigabit broadband to half a million more rural UK homes
Project Gigabit quarterly update Autumn 2021 reveals the estimated sequencing, scope and dates for the English Phase 3 rural projects which will see 570,000 more rural premises in line for full-fibre broadband.
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October 29, 2021
29
Oct'21
Fibre to the fore for fixed broadband in Q2
Though varied across different markets, overall quarterly global fixed broadband growth returns to normal at the end of the second quarter of 2021
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October 28, 2021
28
Oct'21
CIA sought revenge against Julian Assange over hacking tool leaks, court hears
The CIA discussed kidnapping Julian Assange after WikiLeaks published thousands of documents revealing its arsenal of hacking tools, defence lawyers tell a London court
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October 28, 2021
28
Oct'21
Illegal state surveillance in Africa ‘carried out with impunity’
Analysis of surveillance laws and practices in six African countries finds that existing privacy laws are failing to protect citizens from illegal digital surveillance, which is being facilitated and enabled by global tech companies
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October 27, 2021
27
Oct'21
‘No-one extradited from UK to US has committed suicide,’ US tells court in Assange appeal
US government claims that a district judge has given WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a ‘trump card’ to avoid extradition
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October 27, 2021
27
Oct'21
Government commits millions to security investment
Spending Review adds more than £750m of funding to improve cyber security resilience across government
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October 27, 2021
27
Oct'21
Russian IT market growing steadily after pandemic
Russia’s enterprise IT sector is recovering steadily after a slowdown caused by Covid-19
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October 26, 2021
26
Oct'21
DarkMarket takedown results in 150 arrests
A coordinated operation by law enforcement has seen 150 taken into custody amid allegations of buying or selling illicit goods on the dark web
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October 26, 2021
26
Oct'21
Thought Machine: Google-inspired banking fintech to unicorn and beyond
UK fintech unicorn Thought Machine is transforming the IT of large traditional banks, while working with fledgling digital-only challengers
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October 22, 2021
22
Oct'21
MEPs vote to expand Europol data mandate
The European Parliament has voted in favour of expanding Europol’s mandate to process data and develop AI tools, but critics claim it contradicts a previous vote which opposed using new technologies to predict crime
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October 21, 2021
21
Oct'21
German regulator imposes limit on number of new customers digital bank can sign each month
BaFin limits the number of new customers that digital bank N26 can enrol until it is reassured on issues it has raised about the company
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October 20, 2021
20
Oct'21
Lloyds Bank closes more branches as customers migrate to digital channels
Banking group has announced more closures as part of the ongoing reduction of its branch network
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October 20, 2021
20
Oct'21
American Express announces global hybrid working model
US credit card giant is latest corporate to formalise hybrid working following the success of informal policies introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic
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October 20, 2021
20
Oct'21
Police IT buyers should compel suppliers to prove AI claims
House of Lords told that UK law enforcement bodies should use their position as buyers to compel private sector suppliers to divulge more information about how their AI-powered technologies work
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October 18, 2021
18
Oct'21
How Samlesbury, Lancashire became the home of the National Cyber Force
The National Cyber Force, a new branch of the military, is gearing up to fight battles in cyber space from the fields of Lancashire. Its presence is expected to bring a high-tech renaissance to the region
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October 14, 2021
14
Oct'21
UK government to provide full-fibre broadband to 1,000 schools
New programme aims to give access to gigabit broadband speeds to UK schools while connectivity to nearly 7,000 hospitals, libraries, police stations and other public buildings will be upgraded by the end of March 2022
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October 14, 2021
14
Oct'21
FCSA clarifies anti-tax avoidance stance of offshore Charter change for umbrella firms
The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA) has published a revised version of its membership Charter to reinforce its commitment to ensuring its members do not operate offshore tax avoidance schemes
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October 12, 2021
12
Oct'21
BCS calls on government to retain protections against AI
BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, wants the government to retain protections that allow people to have decisions about them made by an AI reviewed by humans if needed
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October 11, 2021
11
Oct'21
Covid-19 will loom over cyber strategy for years to come
In remarks delivered to a Chatham House conference, NCSC head Lindy Cameron reflects on the security challenges facing the UK, and sets out some plans for the future
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October 11, 2021
11
Oct'21
IR35: FCSA defends Charter change that lets umbrella firms operate offshore setups
Umbrella company accreditation body has moved to clarify the rationale behind a recent tweak to its membership charter amid accusations it could harm the sector’s reputation and encourage offshore tax avoidance
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October 11, 2021
11
Oct'21
Sensitive documents to stay with whistleblower after deadline for agreement for their return passes
A deadllne to agree the safe return of the sensitive banking details of former and current NatWest Group customers has passed without agreement
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October 11, 2021
11
Oct'21
Singapore refreshes cyber security strategy
The city-state updates its national cyber security strategy to shore up the security of critical infrastructure and enterprises while growing its cyber security industry, among other goals
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October 08, 2021
08
Oct'21
Craft beer specialist Brewdog fixes serious app vulnerability
Vulnerability in brewer’s mobile app could have resulted in serious consequences for its shareholders and customers
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October 08, 2021
08
Oct'21
NatWest admits to weaknesses in anti-money laundering systems
Bank pleads guilty to failures concerning the laundering of hundreds of millions of pounds, but says it has since improved its anti-money laundering systems
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October 07, 2021
07
Oct'21
ICO expresses concerns over its future independence
In its response to the government’s data protection consultation, the Information Commissioner’s Office has raised worries over its future ability to function independently of government interference
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October 07, 2021
07
Oct'21
Twitch data breach investigations continue
Investigations are ongoing into a 125GB data breach that hit livestreaming platform Twitch, apparently the work of hacktivists
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October 06, 2021
06
Oct'21
MEPs approve report opposing certain uses of AI by police
European policymakers have approved a report on the use of AI in criminal matters, rejecting several amendments in the process that would have made it easier for police to potentially conduct predictive analytics and biometric surveillance
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October 06, 2021
06
Oct'21
US lawmakers propose ransomware reporting rules
Former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren lends her support to a bill that would require corporate ransomware victims to disclose more information about their attacks to the authorities
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October 06, 2021
06
Oct'21
Gaming service Twitch hacked, data leaked
Users of livestreaming platform Twitch may be at risk after a 125GB torrent of data was leaked
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October 05, 2021
05
Oct'21
CIO interview: Lisa Heneghan, chief digital officer, KPMG
KPMG UK’s digital leader says that in her 25-year career she has never known a more exciting time to work in IT
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October 04, 2021
04
Oct'21
Two arrests made in European ransomware investigation
Unnamed ransomware operation was disrupted last week in Kiev, Ukraine, following a coordinated investigation
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October 01, 2021
01
Oct'21
Met Police purchase new retrospective facial-recognition system
Retrospective facial-recognition software purchased for £3m by the Met Police will be deployed in coming months amid continuing controversy around the use of biometric technologies by law enforcement bodies
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October 01, 2021
01
Oct'21
BEIS urged to prioritise funding to protect umbrella workers in government Spending Review
In an open letter to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, umbrella regulation draft policymakers Rebecca Seeley Harris and James Poyser urge the government to prioritise funding for a single enforcement body
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October 01, 2021
01
Oct'21
IR35: Giant Group cyber attack prompts renewed calls for statutory regulation of umbrella companies
As details about the fallout from the cyber attack on the Giant Group umbrella company emerge, stakeholders say the incident should prompt the government to expedite regulating contractor payroll processing firms
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September 30, 2021
30
Sep'21
Digital bank fined by regulator due to weak anti-money laundering controls
German digital bank is fined by financial services regulator for failing in relation to its anti-money laundering practices
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September 30, 2021
30
Sep'21
UK consumers would collectively pay over £1bn a year for control of their data
UK consumers are willing to pay a small fee per month to have control of the data they share with Google and Facebook
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September 29, 2021
29
Sep'21
Russia arrests prominent cyber security executive
Founder and CEO of cyber security firm Group-IB detained in Moscow on treason charges
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September 28, 2021
28
Sep'21
Digital regulators need discrete but cooperative remits
The UK’s information commissioner has told MPs that digital economy regulators need discrete remits backed up by strong information sharing powers to both provide clear focus as well as allow for greater cooperation between their disparate but ...
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September 27, 2021
27
Sep'21
Dubai International Finance Centre’s data protection law to be boosted by new federal regulation
New UAE data protection regulation on the horizon a year after a Dubai-specific law came into force
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September 24, 2021
24
Sep'21
IR35 reforms: HMRC confirms compliance checks under way in financial services, oil and gas sectors
Less than six months after the roll-out of the IR35 reforms to the private sector, HMRC has confirmed it has started writing letters to companies requesting details of their compliance procedures
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September 24, 2021
24
Sep'21
London publishes guidelines for ethical use of smart city tech
Latest draft of the ‘Emerging Technology Charter for London’ encourages local authorities, public services and technology companies to improve how they implement technology in the capital
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September 23, 2021
23
Sep'21
MoD in second leak of Afghan citizens’ data
A second breach of data relating to Afghan citizens at risk of Taliban reprisals has been reported by the Ministry of Defence
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September 22, 2021
22
Sep'21
AI cannot be regulated by technical measures alone
The regulation of artificial intelligence must address the power of tech companies, as technical measures alone will not be enough to prevent the harms caused by AI-driven technologies, says report