News
IT for government and public sector
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June 22, 2018
22
Jun'18
BEIS and DfE not addressing Brexit impact on Stem skills, says PAC
A Public Accounts Committee report has raised concerns that government departments are not doing enough, quickly enough, to understand how Brexit will affect the supply of science, technology, engineering and maths skills in the UK
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June 22, 2018
22
Jun'18
UK cyber skills in demand, says Dorset firm C3IA Solutions
UK cyber security skills are in demand and there is a bright future in exporting them, according to Dorset-based firm C3IA Solutions
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June 22, 2018
22
Jun'18
Brexit-induced immigration law shake-up ‘could spur tech startup growth’
By rebuilding immigration laws after it leaves the EU, the UK could make it easier for foreign workers to get visas and join startups, House of Lords committee hears
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June 22, 2018
22
Jun'18
SME provider takes on Cambridgeshire public sector network contract
Managed network services provider MLL Telecom has been awarded the EastNet contract to run WAN services across Cambridgeshire, replacing a legacy Virgin Media Network
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June 21, 2018
21
Jun'18
A dozen councils get tech innovation funding
The councils will use the funding, awarded by NHS Digital and the Local Government Association, to pilot how technology can improve social care services
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June 21, 2018
21
Jun'18
Government sponsors diversity cyber academy
The UK government has awarded a grant for the establishment of a cyber academy to promote neurodiversity in the industry
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June 21, 2018
21
Jun'18
How NHS visa cap exemption could help boost tech sector
The government has announced that NHS doctors and nurses will no longer be subject to Tier 2 visa caps, but what does this mean for the technology industry?
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June 20, 2018
20
Jun'18
Nine out of 10 enterprises will use robotic process automation by 2020
Robotic process automation take-up expected to reach 92% of European enterprises within two years, finds ISG survey
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June 20, 2018
20
Jun'18
CIO interview: Taavi Kotka, former CIO, Estonian government
Estonia’s former CIO talks to Computer Weekly about how to make services work for people, why the skills gap shouldn’t be an excuse not to digitise, and the importance of going to the gym
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June 20, 2018
20
Jun'18
Dutch organisations must unite to fight DDoS attacks
Experts in the Netherlands call on Dutch corporations and institutions to work together to help prevent distributed denial of service attacks
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June 19, 2018
19
Jun'18
Government’s broadband service obligation derided by industry
As Ofcom starts the process of finding a provider willing to step up to manage the government’s 10Mbps broadband universal service obligation, the project has been derided by network builders and stakeholders alike
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June 19, 2018
19
Jun'18
NHS trust dumps creaking EMC SAN for Nutanix hyper-converged
Derbyshire-based NHS trust had reached end-of-life with Dell servers and EMC SAN, so it took the plunge with Nutanix hyper-converged to reap space, power and reliability gains
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June 19, 2018
19
Jun'18
MPs see risk to critical infrastructure as top threat
A majority of MPs are concerned about the cyber threat to critical national infrastructure, a survey has revealed
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June 18, 2018
18
Jun'18
Theresa May gives NHS £20bn birthday gift and says tech is key
The prime minister promises to increase NHS funding by an extra £20bn a year by 2023, and highlights importance of tech in improving care and enabling earlier diagnosis
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June 15, 2018
15
Jun'18
Universal Credit value for money ‘unproven’, says NAO
National Audit Office is uncertain DWP’s flagship benefits reform programme will ever achieve value for money, but says it’s too late to turn back
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June 14, 2018
14
Jun'18
Encryption is under attack, says Venafi CEO Jeff Hudson
Encryption is one of the fundamental principles on which the internet is built, but this vital technology is under threat from criminals and ill-advised government policies, says Venafi CEO Jeff Hudson
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June 14, 2018
14
Jun'18
Government Geospatial Commission opens up OS MasterMap data
The Geospatial Commission, announced by chancellor Philip Hammond in his 2017 Autumn Budget, has opened up some Ordnance Survey MasterMap data to boost small businesses
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June 14, 2018
14
Jun'18
Government launches £50m competition for digital pathology and imaging
The government will provide funding for up to six specialist centres focusing on digital pathology or medical imaging, as part of the drive to make the UK a world leader in the field
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June 14, 2018
14
Jun'18
Cyber attack warnings highlight need to be prepared
Fresh warnings about the vulnerability of national infrastructure to cyber attacks show the need for securing and monitoring associated control systems connected to the internet
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June 14, 2018
14
Jun'18
GP at Hand service will destabilise GP practices, says Unite
Union calls on government to scrap on-demand GP app, saying it threatens the future of NHS GP practices and is eroding the personal relationship between patients and clinicians
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June 13, 2018
13
Jun'18
Advanced network supports new learning model at Northampton Uni
The University of Northampton is preparing to open a new campus at a cost of £330m, and has turned to Cisco to supply an intelligent, secure network to support its innovative learning model
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June 13, 2018
13
Jun'18
DCMS sets out plans for National Data Strategy
A new centre for data ethics and innovations will drive UK government policy making regarding data sharing and use of public data
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June 13, 2018
13
Jun'18
CogX AI show opens with debate on Europe’s lack of dominance
European researchers have made significant breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, but the dominant players all seem to be based in Silicon Valley
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June 13, 2018
13
Jun'18
Prime minister announces new visa for startups
The government promises new “startup” visa for entrepreneurs, a £2.5bn British Patient Capital fund to support UK companies going global, and plans for two international tech hubs
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June 12, 2018
12
Jun'18
Mayor Khan bids to make London the world’s smartest city
At London Tech Week, mayor Sadiq Khan launched a city-wide initiative to harness the capital’s technology talent to address London’s most pressing problems
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June 12, 2018
12
Jun'18
CityFibre wins key decision in fake fibre case
CityFibre has been granted permission to proceed with a judicial review of the ASA’s November 2017 decision about the use of the term fibre in broadband ads
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June 12, 2018
12
Jun'18
Wales to launch £100m transformation fund for health and social care
Welsh government promises to increase investment in digital technologies and infrastructure, improve digital leadership and establish a national data resource to share information
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June 12, 2018
12
Jun'18
BT announces “unhackable” quantum-secured network
In the face of the threat that quantum computers could crack many of the encryption methods used to protect highly sensitive data, BT has developed a “quantum-secured” network
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June 11, 2018
11
Jun'18
Industry must do more to open up cyber security profession
Talented and successful cyber security researcher and passionate advocate for the profession, James Lyne reveals that he fell into security more by accident than design, and says training and recruitment must change to find and develop talented ...
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June 11, 2018
11
Jun'18
An audience with Matt Hancock, secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport
Matt Hancock is the first Cabinet minister with a digital background, and he's keen to impress on the tech sector that he’s on their side
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June 10, 2018
10
Jun'18
GDS loses digital identity policy to DCMS
The move follows DCMS taking over data policy from GDS and means Cabinet Office is no longer responsible for relations with private sector ID ecosystem
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June 08, 2018
08
Jun'18
Parliamentary computers at risk after staff targeted by phone phishing
Police are investigating phone phishing attacks targeted against Parliament. Staff warned not to disclose details of their computers to fraudulent callers.
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June 08, 2018
08
Jun'18
Businesses must report cyber crime, panel urges
By reporting cyber crimes, private enterprise can help improve national and international cyber defences and bring criminals to justice, according to an expert panel
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June 07, 2018
07
Jun'18
DWP finally publishes Universal Credit business case
Published eight years after the programme began, the business case states that Universal Credit will generate £8bn a year in “economic value” once it is in a “steady state”
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June 07, 2018
07
Jun'18
IT spending reaches 10-year high as CIOs struggle with digital technology strategy
IT leaders have seen their budgets and headcounts rise for the first time in 10 years, but face challenges implementing their digital strategies
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June 07, 2018
07
Jun'18
Nation state cyber attacks affect all, says former GCHQ boss
Cyber attacks by nation states used to be a small part of the problem for state authorities to address, but now all organisations are potential targets of nation state attacks, according to former GCHQ head
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June 07, 2018
07
Jun'18
Newcastle Council to show off smartest street in Britain
The Great Exhibition of the North will see Mosley Street in Newcastle upon Tyne transformed into Britain’s smartest street as part of a demonstration of IoT technology
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June 06, 2018
06
Jun'18
HMRC puts numerous IT projects on hold to focus on Brexit
Nearly 40 technology projects and changes are being put on the backburner because of Brexit priorities, including improving HM Revenue and Customs’ data-sharing capabilities and parts of the Maxing Tax Digital programme
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June 06, 2018
06
Jun'18
UK tech firms increase exports by more than 20%
The country’s tech sector continues to blossom and has significantly increased the export of both services and goods in recent years
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June 05, 2018
05
Jun'18
HMRC on track for August roll-out of customs IT system
The government will have a “fully functioning” customs declaration service by January 2019, HMRC CEO Jon Thompson told MPs
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June 04, 2018
04
Jun'18
Boris Johnson wants tech to fight illegal wildlife trade
The foreign secretary wants the country’s “finest technological brains” to help combat poaching and save endangered species
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June 04, 2018
04
Jun'18
Technology key to new UK counter-terrorism strategy
Technologies such as machine learning and data analytics are key to the UK government’s updated counter-terrorism strategy
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June 04, 2018
04
Jun'18
Scotland to begin building identity platform prototype this autumn
Scottish government plans flexible approach to online identity providers as it aims to launch alpha phase of is online identity assurance programme in August 2018
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June 04, 2018
04
Jun'18
Subpostmasters told to expect decision on alleged unfair prosecutions in August
The Criminal Courts Review Commission is expected to announce the findings of an investigation into alleged unfair subpostmaster prosecutions in August
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May 31, 2018
31
May'18
Retail sector flagged as slow to adopt cloud technologies in Bitglass research
The fourth annual Bitglass cloud adoption survey reveals enterprise appetite for off-premise technologies is continuing to rise, but some industries are moving more slowly than others
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May 31, 2018
31
May'18
Sweden and India in technology collaboration
Sweden has entered a partnership with India that will include joint work on smart city and mobility technologies
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May 30, 2018
30
May'18
Security community urged to prepare for quantum computing
A top European chief information security officer is urging the security community to prepare for quantum computing to ensure their encryption processes are ready in time
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May 30, 2018
30
May'18
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research uses open source clouds to aid cancer research
OICR explains why it is backing open source software and commodity hardware to help accelerate the pace of cancer research across the globe
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May 30, 2018
30
May'18
US issues warning about North Korean malware
US government has identified more than 85 networks compromised by two malware families believed to be North Korean in origin
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May 30, 2018
30
May'18
US jails Canadian resident who helped Russia hack Yahoo emails
A US court has jailed a hacker on charges of computer fraud for hacking Yahoo email accounts on behalf of the Russian government
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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
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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
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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
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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”
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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”
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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
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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
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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
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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”
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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