News

IT for government and public sector

May 29, 2018 29 May'18
Firms step up spending on digital tech, but struggle with strategy

Businesses and the public sector are stepping up their spending on digital technology, but many business leaders are struggling to keep pace with what it means for their business
May 29, 2018 29 May'18
Policy Exchange report calls for GDS to be moved to DCMS

Think-tank wants Government Digital Service to create a “single digital government account” for citizens, and says bringing the organisation into the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport will improve focus on “all aspects of digital ...
May 25, 2018 25 May'18
Former Macedonian PM convicted in corruption case exposed by illegal government surveillance

Information exposed by leaked recordings that were part an illegal mass surveillance campaign orchestrated under the government of former prime minster Nikola Gruevski have led to his conviction for corruption. He was found guilty of rigging a ...
May 25, 2018 25 May'18
London CDO: More groundwork needed to gain trust for data use

London’s chief digital officer, Theo Blackwell, says organisations need to do more groundwork if a smarter city is to be real possibility

May 25, 2018 25 May'18
MPs launch inquiry into automation and its impact on jobs

House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee will look at the impact of automation on workers, businesses and the UK economy as a whole
May 25, 2018 25 May'18
MPs slam government for biometrics strategy delay

Science and Technology Committee questions legality of the police’s approach to deleting mugshots of innocent people, and says government’s reasons for four-year delay to a new strategy is “less than convincing”
May 25, 2018 25 May'18
GDPR puts people first, says ICO

The day of 25 May 2018 marks the biggest change to UK data protection law in a generation, with benefits for businesses and consumers, according to the UK privacy watchdog
May 25, 2018 25 May'18
Commitment is the watchword on GDPR D-Day

New rules for protecting European citizens’ personal data are now enforceable by law, and organisations are being advised to focus broadly on commitment rather than narrowly on compliance
May 24, 2018 24 May'18
Stronger rules on data protection by EU institutions agreed

On the eve of the GDPR compliance deadline, European politicians agree new rules to strengthen data protection in EU organisations
May 24, 2018 24 May'18
NHS to launch national data opt-out tool

Patients will be able to opt out of having their health and care data shared by using an online tool developed by NHS Digital

May 24, 2018 24 May'18
EU cyber security agencies pledge to up cooperation

Four European cyber security agencies have agreed to increase collaboration in five key areas
May 23, 2018 23 May'18
UK calls for new data-sharing model with EU

The UK has proposed a new data-sharing model to ensure ongoing data protection collaboration and free flow of data between the EU and the UK post-Brexit
May 23, 2018 23 May'18
Government pledges full-fibre broadband for all by 2033

In a speech to the CBI, chancellor Philip Hammond pledges to build a nationwide FTTP network by 2033
May 23, 2018 23 May'18
Hammond pledges funding to help SMEs adopt digital tech

Chancellor promises to boost smaller companies with funding for digital technologies, and plans to launch a review of the UK’s productivity gap
May 22, 2018 22 May'18
Finland government examines centralised cyber defence

The Finnish government is attempting to centralise its fight against increasing cyber threats to its infrastructure
May 21, 2018 21 May'18
ICO fines University of Greenwich £120,000

The UK privacy watchdog has issued a monetary penalty against the University of Greenwich for a "serious" security breach
May 21, 2018 21 May'18
AI could transform cancer diagnosis, says prime minister

Theresa May says artificial intelligence could revolutionise diagnosis of chronic diseases and save 22,000 lives a year by 2033
May 21, 2018 21 May'18
UK government promises laws to police 'Wild West Internet'

UK government plans laws to make online activity safer after green paper reveals more needs to be done to protect citizens
May 18, 2018 18 May'18
NCSC calls for greater interaction with UK business

The UK’s cyber security agency has called for greater interaction with business, particularly when it comes to cyber security incidents
May 18, 2018 18 May'18
IR35 reforms: Government invites feedback on plans to extend tax avoidance rules to private sector

The government is pushing ahead with its plans to explore the possibility of extending the controversial IR35 tax avoidance reforms to the private sector, much to the chagrin of stakeholders
May 18, 2018 18 May'18
GDS seeks advice on migration from Public Services Network

The Government Digital Service has started the process of moving public sector organisations away from the Public Services Network
May 18, 2018 18 May'18
Government to get new digital visa service

The Home Office has signed up to a deal with Sopra Steria for a visa service allowing people to use biometrics and digital files as part of their application
May 17, 2018 17 May'18
DWP IT engineering is ‘dysfunctional’ and lacks ‘ability to deliver’, claims report

Internal report produced for DWP CTO details challenges faced by department in moving to more agile ways of working
May 16, 2018 16 May'18
Tier 2 visa refusals paints grim picture for UK tech skills

More than 3,000 visas for people skilled in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) roles were refused entry to the UK since December 2017
May 16, 2018 16 May'18
NHS England on the cusp of launching first citizen identity pilot

The NHS will begin trialling its identity verification system with a non-clinical service shortly, with 20 other services in the pipeline, according to NHS England chief digital officer Juliet Bauer
May 16, 2018 16 May'18
US considers UK-style cyber defence model

The US is considering adopting a similar cyber defence model to the UK’s in recognition of the growing threat to all levels of society
May 15, 2018 15 May'18
SMEs more worried about GDPR’s threat to reputation than fines

SMEs are more worried about the damage GDPR non compliance will do to their reputations than their wallets
May 15, 2018 15 May'18
Cage director Rabbani heads for Supreme Court after appeals court rules password demands lawful

Muhammad Rabbani, director of campaigning group Cage, will appeal to the Supreme Court after Court of Appeal rules that police did not act unlawfully by demanding his computer and mobile phone passwords under Section 7 of the Terrorism Act
May 15, 2018 15 May'18
The NHS is failing to deliver 'basic IT', says Matthew Swindells

NHS England’s national director for operations and information calls for the NHS to get to grips with data, and says it won’t be able to deliver an integrated health and care system without getting the basics right
May 14, 2018 14 May'18
MPs demand 4G mobile network coverage obligation for rural areas

The Rural Business All-Party Parliamentary Group has written to Matt Hancock calling for the government to put legally binding targets in place for 4G mobile network coverage
May 14, 2018 14 May'18
Technology continues to transform crime, warns NCA

The UK’s National Crime Agency warns that developments in technology will continue to transform the future crime landscape, in its latest report on serious and organised crime
May 11, 2018 11 May'18
Police Scotland did not inform public of mobile phone searches

Members of the Scottish Parliament heard that Police Scotland did not conduct impact assessments or give explanations to the public when they were accessing private data on their mobile phones
May 11, 2018 11 May'18
GDS looks at potential for using voice technology on Gov.uk website

The government has begun using machine learning to build a taxonomy hierarchy on Gov.uk and is looking at the possibility of deploying voice interactions
May 11, 2018 11 May'18
GDS wants to take 'hands off control' on digital identity, says Gov.uk Verify boss

Gov.uk Verify boss Nic Harrison says GDS wants to take its “hands off the controls” of identity, as he confirms target of 25 million Verify user accounts “won’t all be created by government”
May 11, 2018 11 May'18
EFF welcomes backdoor-blocking US bill

International digital rights organisation welcomes proposed US legislation that will prevent the government from forcing a company to build backdoors into encrypted products and services
May 10, 2018 10 May'18
Government must support SMEs, says Oliver Dowden

The minister for implementation, Oliver Dowden, provides further details on the GovTech competition and talks about GDS’s role as an “innovation incubator”, losing data policy to DCMS and the importance of SMEs
May 10, 2018 10 May'18
Connectivity problem hits thousands of Post Office branches

Post Office branches unable to connect to Horizon computer system for several hours after morning opening time
May 10, 2018 10 May'18
UK railways to save billions of pounds through digital signalling

Network Rail hails digital transformation plans as “a turning point in the history of our railways”
May 10, 2018 10 May'18
Government launches GovTech competition

Implementation minister Oliver Dowden will launch competition for UK tech firms to help solve the country’s social challenges, using funding from the £20m GovTech challenge fund
May 09, 2018 09 May'18
CNI providers face hefty fines for cyber security failings

UK providers of critical national infrastructure face hefty fines for cyber security failings from 10 May 2018
May 09, 2018 09 May'18
Justice system transformation programme faces 'daunting challenge', says NAO

Government’s £1bn project to overhaul courts through use of technology has hit delays, with unresolved funding gaps and “significant risk” that it won’t deliver on time, NAO report finds
May 08, 2018 08 May'18
Met Police to get integrated policing system from Northgate

Five-year contract covers integrated IT system to be used across the Metropolitan force, two years after it went out to tender
May 08, 2018 08 May'18
Salford gets chief digital officer

Jon Corner has been appointed the city’s first chief digital officer to lead Salford’s smart city and digital technology work
May 08, 2018 08 May'18
Virtual tripwire to keep elephant poachers out of Zambian national park

Cisco and Dimension Data are working to protect Zambia’s at-risk elephant population after a successful pilot project in South Africa
May 04, 2018 04 May'18
Most CIOs not interested in “massively hyped” blockchain, finds Gartner

Despite the noise surrounding blockchain technology, not many CIOs are using it or planning to do so in the near future, finds Gartner
May 03, 2018 03 May'18
Fibre network breakthrough has implications for data security

Researchers have devised a new protocol that they claim vastly extends the range of quantum key distribution over fibre networks
May 03, 2018 03 May'18
Netherlands to harness blockchain for waste management operations

Authorities are trying out blockchain to automate many of the processes related to waste transportation in the EU
May 02, 2018 02 May'18
Fresh blow for Facebook as court refuses stay in Max Schrems legal action

Facebook has lost a legal attempt to delay the Irish High Court from seeking answers from the European Court of Justice over the legality of EU-US data transfers
May 02, 2018 02 May'18
Up to 270 women may have died due to breast cancer screening IT failure, says health secretary

Computer algorithm failure caused 450,000 women to miss their breast cancer screenings – some of whom will have "had their lives shortened" by the error, Jeremy Hunt has admitted
May 02, 2018 02 May'18
Cabinet Office updates spend controls

Revamped spend controls policy aims to give departments more flexibility, but requires them to keep a 15-month pipeline plan of any current and intended technology spend above £5m