News

IT for government and public sector

• July 30, 2021 30 Jul'21

  Government opens up SME digital support programme for suppliers

  Help to Grow: Digital scheme aims to help small businesses access productivity-enhancing software, and suppliers are now encouraged to register as approved suppliers

• July 29, 2021 29 Jul'21

  HMRC hits Home Office with £33.5m bill over ‘careless’ application of IR35 rules

  The Home Office is the latest ministerial department to be hit with a multimillion-pound tax demand from HMRC after errors were discovered in its implementation of the IR35 rules

• July 29, 2021 29 Jul'21

  Investigatory Powers Tribunal finds UK spy agencies unlawfully collected personal data

  Campaign groups Privacy International and Liberty are gearing up to bring further legal action after a court found that UK spy agencies unlawfully collected phone and internet records

• July 28, 2021 28 Jul'21

  Thousands wrongly given criminal convictions after computer error

  HM Courts and Tribunals Service report reveals that computer error wrongly assigned guilty pleas to more than 5,000 defendants

• July 28, 2021 28 Jul'21

  COP26 cyber resource hub launched for Glasgow businesses

  New digital information hub for Glasgow business to help organisations keep secure both physically and online ahead of major climate change summit

• July 27, 2021 27 Jul'21

  Running a virtual hackathon

  DWP Digital recently organised a virtual hackathon. We find out how it went, and the key takeaways

• July 27, 2021 27 Jul'21

  Solent NHS Trust takes self-service route for sexual health

  NHS trust deploys an integrated sexual health self-service system, digitally triaging patients and aiming to drive proactive intervention

• July 27, 2021 27 Jul'21

  Welsh media industry gets £22.2m innovation funding package

  As part of plans to make the UK a global innovation hub by 2035, as set out in its innovation strategy, the UK government is pumping £22.2m into the media.cymru programme

• July 26, 2021 26 Jul'21

  Legacy IT issues impacted government decision-making during Covid-19, says PAC

  The government’s ability to make well-informed decisions during the pandemic has been ‘hampered’ by data and legacy IT issues, Public Accounts Committee report finds

• July 23, 2021 23 Jul'21

  DWP hit with £87.9m tax bill by HMRC over 'historic' IR35 status contractor assessment errors

  The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) annual accounts highlight the challenges the public sector body has faced with implementing the IR35 reforms since they came into force in the public sector in April 2017

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  Plans to address legal but harmful content ‘threaten free speech’

  House of Lords report criticises the government’s forthcoming Online Safety Bill for imposing duty of care on tech platforms to deal with ‘legal but harmful’ content, which it says threatens freedom of expression online

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  UK government publishes full Innovation Strategy

  Strategy aims to put the UK at the global forefront of science, research and innovation

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  Government to fund interim compensation of up to £100,000 for each wrongly convicted subpostmaster

  The government will pay interim compensation within weeks to subpostmasters who were wrongly convicted of crimes due to computer errors

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  IR35: Government sets out plan to rid contractor market of non-compliant umbrellas and loan schemes

  In the wake of a consultation earlier this year, the government has drawn up a package of measures it intends to take to help protect contractors from non-compliant umbrella companies and loan scheme promoters

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  Interview: Sarah Wilkinson, former CEO, NHS Digital

  In her exit interview with Computer Weekly, NHS Digital’s former CEO Sarah Wilkinson talks about the organisation’s transformation over the past few years, the Covid-19 pandemic, bureaucracy challenges and big wins

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  Covid-19 creates opportunity to digitally transform justice system, says TechUK

  The pandemic has accelerated the use of digital in the UK justice system but challenges remain, leaving it ripe for reform with data at its heart, says industry body

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  Lords Covid-19 Committee disappointed in government engagement

  Committee is so disappointed in the government’s lack of engagement with its inquiry into the digital impact of the pandemic that it has published a separate report criticising it

• July 21, 2021 21 Jul'21

  Government officials lack experience to lead digital transformation, says NAO

  The government needs to reskill senior decision makers and give tech leaders more influence if digital business change projects are to succeed

• July 21, 2021 21 Jul'21

  France’s Macron among alleged Pegasus targets

  Data relating to devices used by French president Emmanuel Macron and the head of the World Health Organization, among others, has been uncovered in a dataset linked to government use of spyware

• July 20, 2021 20 Jul'21

  Research and development investment programme launches in UK

  A government-backed investment programme designed to direct more capital towards research and development-intensive technology firms has opened for applications

• July 19, 2021 19 Jul'21

  Government launches consultation on plans for UK digital identity market

  DCMS wants stakeholders to offer their views on proposals for a new governance regime and expanding access to government-held datasets for identity verification

• July 19, 2021 19 Jul'21

  A dozen more subpostmaster prosecutions quashed in Horizon scandal

  Twelve more former subpostmasters have had wrongful convictions for financial crimes overturned in the Court of Appeal

• July 19, 2021 19 Jul'21

  Chelsea and Westminster NHS launches acute Covid app

  The app aims to work as a one-stop Covid-19 information and resource shop for doctors and nurses working with coronavirus patients

• July 19, 2021 19 Jul'21

  Privacy Shield: One year on and companies are still grappling for answers

  Activist lawyer Max Schrems and Eduardo Ustaran, partner at Hogan Lovells, look for common ground in a problem with no easy answers

• July 15, 2021 15 Jul'21

  UK government publishes skills-focused anti-disinformation plan

  Online Media Literacy Strategy aims to train teachers and care-givers in understanding disinformation so they can help others in safely navigating the internet

• July 15, 2021 15 Jul'21

  UK workforce needs reskilling for net-zero transition

  Green Jobs Taskforce report looks at how the UK’s workforce can be skilled up to support the transition to net zero

• July 14, 2021 14 Jul'21

  UK should set up digital task forces to transform governance

  Commission for Smart Government paper sets out recommendations for how government can use digital technologies to better serve citizens’ needs, and calls for it to set up new digital task forces

• July 14, 2021 14 Jul'21

  More than half of European IT outsourcing spending will soon be on cloud services

  Cloud services will soon be the largest part of the IT services market in Europe, as enterprises invest in them as part of their Covid-19 recovery strategies

• July 14, 2021 14 Jul'21

  Multiple Microsoft bugs being actively exploited

  Microsoft’s July Patch Tuesday update fixes 117 vulnerabilities, 13 rated as critical and four already being actively exploited

• July 14, 2021 14 Jul'21

  London announces winners of Covid-19 recovery innovation challenge

  The Mayor’s Resilience Fund called for ideas to support businesses and communities emerge from the pandemic, and there are some standout winners

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  Dutch prosecutor ordered to give evidence on EncroChat hack

  Netherlands court rules that a public prosecutor should give evidence about the role of the Dutch in the EncroChat cryptophone hack which has led to arrests of organised gangs worldwide

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  Home Office launches three-year digital strategy

  The strategy sets out six principles, aiming to reduce cost and complexity while driving innovation and developing better digital products and services

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  Russia tightens pressure on global IT companies

  Russian authorities will force certain IT companies with customers in Russia to open local offices

• July 12, 2021 12 Jul'21

  Loan charge MPs call for prime ministerial intervention to prevent mass contractor bankruptcies

  In an open letter signed by 76 MPs, the prime minister and the chancellor are facing calls to intervene urgently on how the loan charge policy is being enforced

• July 12, 2021 12 Jul'21

  Taxpayers will have to pay at least £300m to bail out Post Office after scandal

  The cost of a scheme set up to compensate subpostmasters who were victims of the Horizon IT scandal will exceed £300m even before damages are paid to all those who suffered

• July 12, 2021 12 Jul'21

  NHS to get new online jobs platform

  NHS Business Services Authority is working to transform the NHS Jobs platform, currently in beta stage, with plans to launch it early next year

• July 09, 2021 09 Jul'21

  Met Police should release information on British WikiLeaks journalists passed to US, tribunal told

  The Metropolitan Police should release correspondence with the US Department of Justice about three UK based WikiLeaks journalists, despite national security claims, a tribunal heard

• July 09, 2021 09 Jul'21

  Government commitment to Post Office Horizon victims was a ‘false promise’

  The government has made no contact with subpostmasters two months after it said it would work with them to ensure they get speedy and fair compensation for their losses as a result of Post Office IT scandal

• July 08, 2021 08 Jul'21

  Developers have a moral duty to create ethical AI

  Corsight AI publishes report on how organisations can develop more human-centric AI and biometric technologies

• July 07, 2021 07 Jul'21

  US government given permission to appeal UK’s decision to not extradite Julian Assange

  US offers assurances that Assange could serve time in his home country of Australia if convicted

• July 07, 2021 07 Jul'21

  ICO to probe Hancock over private email use

  Former health secretary faces an investigation by the UK’s data protection watchdog over his use of private email to conduct government business

• July 07, 2021 07 Jul'21

  US Department of Defense cancels controversial $10bn JEDI contract

  The US Department of Defense has cancelled the controversial JEDI cloud project awarded to Microsoft and will replace it with multi-supplier contracts.

• July 07, 2021 07 Jul'21

  Opportunists seen targeting Kaseya REvil victims

  Malwarebytes researchers highlight new spam campaign targeting businesses impacted by the ongoing Kaseya REvil ransomware incident

• July 06, 2021 06 Jul'21

  Cyber insurance costs up by a third

  The frequency and severity of ransomware attacks is a leading factor behind a substantial increase in the cost of obtaining cyber security insurance

• July 05, 2021 05 Jul'21

  Government sets out plan for digital regulation

  The plan aims to make the UK a “global leader” in digital regulation, boost economic growth and maximise the potential of digital technology

• July 05, 2021 05 Jul'21

  How Transport for West Midlands works with geospatial data

  Covid-19 showed why greater data granularity is key, with Transport for West Midlands turning to geospatial data to understand demand for services

• July 05, 2021 05 Jul'21

  CIO interview: Simon McKinnon, chief digital and information officer, DWP

  The Department for Work and Pensions’ CDIO sheds light on its digital ambitions and how it is bringing more digital capability in-house through the integration of Benefits and Pension Digital Technology Services staff

• July 05, 2021 05 Jul'21

  Government genomically sequences 600,000 Covid-19 samples

  More than 600,000 positive Covid-19 tests have been genomically sequenced by the government to identify genes that make people more susceptible to severe symptoms, and to monitor different variants of the virus

• July 03, 2021 03 Jul'21

  Berlin court finds EncroChat intercept evidence cannot be used in criminal trials

  In a major setback for police hacking operations, Berlin’s regional court has decided that intercepted data from the EncroChat phone network should not be used in criminal prosecutions

• July 02, 2021 02 Jul'21

  UK needs legislation with specific focus on biometric technologies

  The UK’s former biometrics commissioner has told MPs that Parliament should explicitly legislate on the use of biometric technologies so it is clear to both police and private companies which uses are acceptable

• July 02, 2021 02 Jul'21

  Should I be worried about PrintNightmare?

  The accidental publication of proof of concept code for a Windows vulnerability, and the reclassification of said bug from low to critical severity, has the cyber community concerned. Is it right to be?

• July 01, 2021 01 Jul'21

  UK government issues “safety by design” guidance for tech firms

  The guidance is designed to help technology companies embed safer design for users into their services in anticipation of the Online Safety Bill becoming law

• July 01, 2021 01 Jul'21

  US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency launches ransomware assessment tool

  Newly launched service will help US organisations understand how prepared they are to deal with a ransomware attack

• July 01, 2021 01 Jul'21

  Ten more former subpostmasters set to have wrongful convictions overturned

  Another 10 subpostmasters are set to have their criminal convictions quashed as part of one of the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history

• June 29, 2021 29 Jun'21

  New Nobelium attacks a reminder to attend to cyber basics

  A new campaign from the same threat group that broke into SolarWinds serves as a reminder that cyber crime gangs will try to exploit any avenue they can, even if technically unsophisticated

• June 29, 2021 29 Jun'21

  UK Cyber Security Council launches inaugural initiatives

  Security association seeks to determine terms of reference for committees to oversee standards and ethics, and qualifications and careers in the cyber sector

• June 29, 2021 29 Jun'21

  EU recognises UK data protection adequacy but warns against divergence

  The European Commission has granted the UK data adequacy, allowing data sharing between the EU and the UK, but warns it may yet be revoked

• June 28, 2021 28 Jun'21

  Insurers unprepared for challenges of underwriting ransomware

  RUSI think tank calls for an industry-wide reset amid intense challenges for providers of cyber security insurance

• June 28, 2021 28 Jun'21

  HMRC-branded phishing scams surge despite protections

  The number of HMRC-branded phishing scams surged 87% in the past 12 months, according to latest revealed figures

• June 25, 2021 25 Jun'21

  NCSC CEO: UK-Ireland collaboration crucial to stop cyber threats

  Speaking at a conference in Dublin, NCSC Lindy Cameron is highlighting the importance of continued collaboration between the UK and Ireland to protect shared interests and counter security threats

• June 25, 2021 25 Jun'21

  Anglesey schools offline after cyber attack

  Isle of Anglesey County Council is investigating a cyber attack that has forced it to shut down systems at all five secondary schools on the island

• June 25, 2021 25 Jun'21

  Deliveroo riders do not have right to unionise, UK court rules

  A legal bid to establish collective bargaining rights for Deliveroo riders been dismissed in court, with judges ruling that they are not entitled to the right to form or join a trade union

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  Online Safety Bill unfit for purpose, says new campaign group

  Campaign group set up to oppose Online Safety Bill says the duty of care is too simplistic, cedes too much power to US corporations and will, in practice, privilege the speech of journalists or politicians

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  Make ransomware payments illegal, say 79% of cyber pros

  Report produced for MSSP Talion claims overwhelming support for the criminalisation of ransomware payments

• June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21

  City of York picks Barracuda Networks for data protection

  York Council needed to refresh its backup service to bring new security protections after it went ‘all-in’ on Microsoft Office 365

• June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21

  European Union to set up new cyber response unit

  Proposed Joint Cyber Unit will tackle a rising number of serious incidents impacting public services, businesses and citizens of the EU

• June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21

  UK councils reported over 700 data breaches to ICO in 2020

  Data disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act reveals an estimated 700 data breaches were reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office by local councils last year

• June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21

  EU regulators call for ban on biometrics in public spaces

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

• June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21

  CDEI: UK public wants clear algorithmic transparency policies

  A research exercise by the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation has found the UK public wants clear, easy-to-understand information about algorithms in use by the public sector

• June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21

  Boris Johnson unveils plans for National Science and Technology Council

  Prime minister Boris Johnson has announced plans to set up a National Science and Technology Council, which will help the UK realise and maximise the opportunities of scientific and technological breakthroughs

• June 21, 2021 21 Jun'21

  UK public largely supportive of Amazon workers unionising

  A poll released on Prime Day by UK-based trade union Unite shows strong public support for Amazon workers should they choose to unionise

• June 21, 2021 21 Jun'21

  Parliamentary devices left in taxis, buses, trains and pubs

  Nearly 100 devices belonging to parliamentary staffers, including MPs and peers, were lost or stolen over the course of 2019 and 2020

• June 21, 2021 21 Jun'21

  Post Office pays 400 subpostmasters compensation for losses caused by computer errors

  The Post Office has so far compensated 400 subpostmasters who suffered losses because of errors in the organisation’s Horizon computer system

• June 18, 2021 18 Jun'21

  NHS App reaches six million users, thanks to Covid vaccine feature

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

• June 18, 2021 18 Jun'21

  ICO issues guidance on facial recognition in public spaces

  Information commissioner’s concern over the problematic use of facial recognition in public spaces has prompted her to publish official guidance on its deployment, while civil society calls for an outright ban

• June 18, 2021 18 Jun'21

  UK taskforce calls for cutting GDPR protections

  The UK’s Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform has recommended scrapping safeguards against automated decision-making contained in the General Data Protection Regulation

• June 17, 2021 17 Jun'21

  Technology takes centre stage in UK government reform

  The government’s tech recovery programme includes a pledge to shift towards data interoperability and phasing out legacy systems

• June 17, 2021 17 Jun'21

  GDS to improve Gov.uk with user monitoring

  Gov.uk’s measurement approach is expected to enhance the experience of 335 million users of the government’s online platform

• June 16, 2021 16 Jun'21

  Tech sector trade union campaigns to protect workers’ privacy

  A UK-based trade union for technology workers and others employed by tech companies is organising around the issue of worker’s privacy and workplace monitoring

• June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21

  NHS Test and Trace picks Risk Ledger to secure supply chain

  Risk Ledger’s technology promises ‘unparalleled’ visibility into NHS Test and Trace’s supply chain

• June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21

  Oliver Dowden hails Tech Zero Taskforce at CogX

  Government backs a group of UK tech companies and associations to combat the climate emergency, drive green investment and help consumers make greener choices

• June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21

  The Security Interviews: How to build a government model to ‘hack for good’

  Kyle Hanslovan started Huntress to give back after a career in the intelligence sector. After US authorities took action to help people hit by the Microsoft Exchange attacks, we discussed how governments can ‘hack for good’

• June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21

  Scottish government awards digital identity platform contract to Scott Logic

  Supplier is working on a two-year project to create a digital identity service through a suite of common platforms that will be adopted across Scottish government

• June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21

  FBI planned a sting against An0m cryptophone users over drinks with Australian investigators

  Australian Federal Police and the FBI came up with the idea over drinks: build a cryptophone network with a built-in backdoor and sell it to crime gangs around the world

• June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21

  UK promises tougher line on cyber crime

  Speaking ahead of the G7 Summit, foreign secretary Dominic Raab says the UK is ready to take on cyber criminals and other malicious actors wherever they may be

• June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21

  UK and US to develop tech and science partnership

  Partnership will explore collaboration in areas such as innovation, research, defence, security, intelligence and law enforcement, as well as making sure technology is ‘used as a force for good’

• June 10, 2021 10 Jun'21

  Central government spent £4.4bn on IT in 2020

  Tussell report finds that central government increased tech spend during the Covid-19 pandemic, and HM Revenue and Customs is the biggest spender

• June 10, 2021 10 Jun'21

  Risk data shows UK energy sector most vulnerable to cyber attack

  New report compiled by insurance firm Hiscox reveals the state of cyber preparedness in the UK and beyond

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  FBI arrests distributors accused of selling An0m encrypted phones to crime groups

  Working with overseas law enforcement, the FBI has arrested eight people and named a further 13 accused of distributing An0m phones to organised crime groups

• June 08, 2021 08 Jun'21

  Did government allow Post Office to sack forensic accountants to cover up Horizon scandal?

  Whatever the Post Office told government about its decision to sack investigators examining subpostmaster prosecutions for theft could identify if the government was part of a cover-up

• June 08, 2021 08 Jun'21

  CIO interview: Tom Read, chief executive, Government Digital Service

  The new chief at GDS has outlined a three-year strategy for the organisation, and tells Computer Weekly he wants to get back to the core focus of building products for use across government

• June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21

  Police raids around world after investigators crack An0m cryptophone app in major hacking operation

  Police in 16 countries carried out raids on after Australian Police and the FBI cracked an encrypted An0M communications network used by crime groups

• June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21

  EU privacy chief investigates use of US cloud services

  Use of Amazon and Microsoft’s cloud services by public sector bodies in the European Union is being scrutinised by the bloc’s privacy watchdog

• June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21

  MoD launches digital strategy

  The Ministry of Defence aims to invest an additional £1.6bn in digital over the next 10 years, and plans to establish a federated ecosystem of digital innovators and developers to ensure continuous progress

• June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21

  Bank of England calls for feedback on digital currencies

  The UK financial services regulator is calling for feedback from organisations, including tech firms, on the use of cryptocurrency

• June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21

  EC launches digital identity framework

  The European digital identity will be available to citizens, residents and businesses across the EU, and member states will offer digital identity wallets on a national level

• June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21

  NCSC updates schools ransomware guidance amid surge

  The National Cyber Security Centre says it is dealing with a renewed surge of ransomware attacks targeting schools, colleges and universities

• June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21

  IBM pushes back against US government data requests

  Technology giant IBM says the US government has ‘no jurisdiction’ to request data from its European entities

• June 04, 2021 04 Jun'21

  UK immigration exemption in Data Protection Act found unlawful

  Court of Appeal rules immigration exemption unlawful, but further hearings will follow to decide what remedies must be put in place

• June 04, 2021 04 Jun'21

  Secrecy around EncroChat cryptophone hack breaches French constitution, court hears

  French lawyers claim that investigators are unlawfully withholding details of a cryptophone hacking operation in a case that could impact UK prosecutions