News

IT for government and public sector

• March 12, 2024 12 Mar'24

  Digitally transforming government: MoJ and GDS on using mobile devices and GenAI to help people

  During a fireside chat at the Tech Show London, GDS CEO Tom Read and the Ministry of Justice CDIO Gina Gill swapped stories on how their teams are using technology to improve the quality of life for citizens

• March 11, 2024 11 Mar'24

  Government not facing up to CNI cyber risks, committee warns

  The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy has accused the government of burying its head in the sand over the cyber threat to UK critical infrastructure

• March 11, 2024 11 Mar'24

  TechUK calls for next government to introduce ‘industrial strategy’ for AI

  Trade group TechUK publishes blueprint calling for winner of next election to boost tech startups, digitise government services and accelerate technology R&D

• March 07, 2024 07 Mar'24

  PSNI chief denies ‘industrial’ use of surveillance powers against journalists

  PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher has agreed to provide a report on police surveillance of journalists and lawyers to Northern Ireland’s policing watchdog

• March 07, 2024 07 Mar'24

  CCS U-turns on G-Cloud 14 insurance requirements after supplier backlash

  The government procurement agency has reversed previous plans for a £20m increase in insurance cover that threatened to deter smaller suppliers from bidding for cloud computing contracts

• March 07, 2024 07 Mar'24

  Government insists it is acting ‘responsibly’ on military AI

  The government has responded to calls from a Lords committee that it must “proceed with caution” when it comes to autonomous weapons and military artificial intelligence, arguing that caution is already embedded throughout its approach

• March 07, 2024 07 Mar'24

  Fujitsu should pay half of Post Office scandal costs, says select committee chair

  Select committee chair says Fujitsu should pay half of the costs to repair damage caused by Post Office scandal

• March 07, 2024 07 Mar'24

  NI Policing Board pressed to open inquiry into PSNI spying on journalists’ phones

  Amnesty International and the Committee on the Administration of Justice have asked Northern Ireland’s policing watchdog to open an inquiry into the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s use of surveillance powers against journalists

• March 07, 2024 07 Mar'24

  MPs call for Post Office exclusion from compensation schemes, as trust hits rock bottom

  Former subpostmasters and MPs do not trust the Post Office to do the right thing for victims of the Horizon IT scandal

• March 06, 2024 06 Mar'24

  Chancellor targets £36bn productivity boost with £4.2bn digital transformation plan

  In his 2024 spring budget, Jeremy Hunt announced funding to use tech to improve productivity across the public sector, with most of the cash focused on digital initiatives in the NHS

• March 06, 2024 06 Mar'24

  ‘Brutal’ decisions required to sort out Post Office mess, says select committee chair

  Liam Byrne, chair of the business and trade select committee, tells Computer Weekly about the group’s focus on getting Horizon scandal victims what they are owed

• March 06, 2024 06 Mar'24

  Post Office prosecutions during Horizon go-live phase are ‘frightening’

  The Post Office used subpostmasters as guinea pigs to test its software and take the rap for its errors

• March 05, 2024 05 Mar'24

  Open Rights Group accuses LiveRamp of ‘unlawful’ data processing

  Privacy campaigners at Open Rights Group have submitted formal complaints to UK and French data regulators about allegedly unlawful data processing by online advertising firm LiveRamp

• March 05, 2024 05 Mar'24

  Derby City Council extends AI project with multi-million deal after saving £200,000 with chatbots

  Following on from the success of its initial pilot project using artificial intelligence, Derby City Council claims to have found 54 other ways the technology can save it money

• March 05, 2024 05 Mar'24

  Banning ransomware payments back on the agenda

  The idea of banning ransomware payments to cyber criminals is back on the agenda, with former NCSC chief Ciaran Martin arguing that tougher measures need to be taken

• March 04, 2024 04 Mar'24

  Perverting course of justice and contempt of Parliament: a week in post-drama Post Office scandal

  As another week in the post-drama Post Office scandal passes, Computer Weekly looks at some of the key moments

• March 04, 2024 04 Mar'24

  Jeremy Hunt to deliver tech-laden Spring Budget

  The chancellor’s 2024 Budget will cover a £800m funding package to boost public sector productivity through technology, with cash for police tech, the justice system transformation programme and the NHS

• March 04, 2024 04 Mar'24

  Amazon lobbyists banned from European Parliament

  Amazon lobbyists have had their access badges to the European Parliament revoked, following allegedly repeated refusals to engage with lawmakers on issues around working conditions and rights

• March 04, 2024 04 Mar'24

  G-Cloud 14 insurance requirements ‘under review’ by CCS after SME supplier backlash

  CCS has confirmed to Computer Weekly the insurance requirements for Lots 1 to 3 of the G-Cloud 14 framework are under review, as SME-focused minister pledges to investigate matter

• March 01, 2024 01 Mar'24

  Scottish government opens Techscaler hub in Silicon Valley

  The Scottish Techscaler programme is piloting its first overseas hub, which will have space for 12 startups wanting to grow their businesses

• March 01, 2024 01 Mar'24

  KC names Post Office staff he believes conspired to pervert the course of justice

  Leading KC names Post Office staff he believes perverted the course of justice when crushing subpostmasters in court

• March 01, 2024 01 Mar'24

  MPs demand Fujitsu be ‘nailed down’ on financial promise to Post Office scandal victims

  Select committee hears that government is talking to Fujitsu about its contribution towards the costs of the Horizon scandal but it is not yet negotiating

• February 29, 2024 29 Feb'24

  Home Office GPS tagging of asylum seekers breaches data protection law

  The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued an enforcement notice against the Home Office after finding its programme to tag asylum seekers with GPS monitors breaches data protection law

• February 29, 2024 29 Feb'24

  DSIT publishes results of public digital identity trust consultation

  Report from Department for Science, Innovation and Technology shows UK public wants government to be accountable and transparent, and views trust and inclusivity as key

• February 29, 2024 29 Feb'24

  Government sets out research plans for 2024

  Department for Science, Innovation and Technology highlights cyber security, artificial intelligence and telecoms as areas where it would like to build evidence and bridge knowledge gaps in current research

• February 29, 2024 29 Feb'24

  Post Office CEO’s claim to be ‘working hard’ on Capture investigation in doubt

  The Post Office hasn’t even contacted Capture Software users brought to its attention, but CEO claimed, under oath, that the organisation has been ‘working hard’ on the cases for five weeks

• February 29, 2024 29 Feb'24

  Police arrested journalists as part of surveillance operation to identify confidential sources

  Three police forces took part in surveillance operations between 2011 and 2018 to identify sources that leaked information to journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal hears

• February 28, 2024 28 Feb'24

  New version of ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware hits victims

  An updated version of the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware has been spotted in the wild amid a series of attacks on American healthcare providers, prompting a new alert from the authorities

• February 28, 2024 28 Feb'24

  75% of third-party breaches target software, IT supply chains

  Data drawn from SecurityScorecard’s telemetry reveals how supply chain breaches are becoming a weapon of choice for threat actors

• February 28, 2024 28 Feb'24

  Users love their cyber teams, but find them frustrating

  Despite strong support for security teams, a good number of ordinary workers see them as obstructive to business goals, and would like to see them operate more transparently

• February 28, 2024 28 Feb'24

  IR35 reforms: PAC concerned HMRC’s ‘tough’ enforcement is harming contractors

  The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has raised red flags over how HMRC is policing the IR35 rules out of concern its actions might be putting public and private sector organisations off hiring contractors

• February 28, 2024 28 Feb'24

  ‘Pathetic’ Post Office spat detracts attention and fuels ‘disdain’ for authority

  Former Post Office chair’s row with the government and Post Office cannot be allowed to deflect attention away from achieving justice and recompense for former subpostmasters

• February 28, 2024 28 Feb'24

  UC finetunes tech strategy to support digital masterplan

  The University of Canberra is scoping a new project to determine data, integration and multicloud strategies to support its long-term digital roadmap

• February 28, 2024 28 Feb'24

  CCS accused of pricing G-Cloud SMEs out of framework with £20m insurance cover hike

  The Crown Commercial Service’s commitment to helping SMEs win more government cloud deals is being called into question again, following news that it is planning to up the insurance cover required by G-Cloud 14 suppliers by £20m

• February 27, 2024 27 Feb'24

  Black Basta and Bl00dy ransomware gangs exploiting ConnectWise vulns

  More ransomware gangs have been observed exploiting two dangerous vulnerabilities in ConnectWise ScreenConnect software, prompting new warnings for users to get patching

• February 27, 2024 27 Feb'24

  VulnCheck bug listing to help track new threats quicker

  Exploit intelligence firm VulnCheck launches a proprietary Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue in hopes of improving end-user access to intel on emerging threats and reaching those that the likes of CISA do not

• February 27, 2024 27 Feb'24

  Government should face legal deadlines on paying Post Office victims

  The government should face a legal deadline on paying Horizon scandal victims and unfair previous settlements should be reopened, MPs have been told - amid further boardroom controversy at the Post Office

• February 27, 2024 27 Feb'24

  Majority of UK employees ‘willingly gamble’ with security

  Human-centric threats originating from employees continue to damage organisations both financially and reputationally, according to a report

• February 27, 2024 27 Feb'24

  Cozy Bear and other APTs changing tack as cloud adoption increases

  A change in APT tactics has been observed resulting from greater adoption of cloud-based services, according to the NCSC

• February 26, 2024 26 Feb'24

  Government won’t rush to include Post Office Capture convictions in overturning legislation

  The government said it does not yet have the 'right body of evidence' to include users of the Post Office's Capture software in Horizon compensation schemes and legislation to overturn convictions

• February 26, 2024 26 Feb'24

  Birmingham looks into reimplementing troubled Oracle ERP

  City council audit committee meeting shows Birmingham City Council plans to follow Oracle best practices

• February 26, 2024 26 Feb'24

  Post Office scandal roundup: Fourth Estate in full throttle

  January saw mainstream media take hold of the Post Office scandal, and while that first month saw much regurgitation of old news, February saw large media outlets take story forward

• February 26, 2024 26 Feb'24

  Secret court hears claims of police surveillance against journalists

  Journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey argue that the use of covert powers by the police to identify their confidential sources represents an attack on press freedom

• February 23, 2024 23 Feb'24

  King Charles strips disgraced Post Office CEO of her CBE

  Disgraced former Post Office CEO, central to the Horizon scandal, has her CBE formally stripped

• February 23, 2024 23 Feb'24

  ConnectWise users see cyber attacks surge, including ransomware

  ConnectWise ScreenConnect users who have yet to patch against a critical vulnerability are now being targeted by a barrage of cyber attacks, including ransomware

• February 23, 2024 23 Feb'24

  Home Office signs tech and data sharing deal with Frontex

  The UK’s deal with the EU border agency is intended to improve operational cooperation, and will expand British authorities’ access to technology and data that can be used to reduce small boat crossings of the English Channel

• February 22, 2024 22 Feb'24

  Law to clear hundreds of wrongfully convicted subpostmasters expected in July

  Law to overturn Post Office convictions based on computer evidence set to be introduced in July following unprecedented legislation

• February 22, 2024 22 Feb'24

  Mid and South Essex sets out plans for shared care record

  The Essex-based integrated care system is developing a shared care record for health and social care, aiming to go live in spring 2024

• February 21, 2024 21 Feb'24

  CVE volumes set to increase 25% this year

  The number of reported Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures is likely to grow significantly in 2024, hitting a new high of almost 35,000, according to Coalition, a cyber insurance specialist

• February 21, 2024 21 Feb'24

  Assange created a ‘grave and immediate risk’, says US government, as it seeks extradition

  Lawyers for the US government hit back at claims that extraditing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is politically motivated