News

IT for government and public sector

November 12, 2018 12 Nov'18
HMRC resolves technical issue with tax-free childcare portal

The department’s tax-free childcare website has again suffered technical issues, affecting 22,000 payments, but the problems were resolved last week, according to HMRC
November 12, 2018 12 Nov'18
Norway’s IT industry must tackle security vulnerabilities

Report reveals growing threat posed by “hostile foreign actors” against Norway’s IT systems and critical national infrastructure
November 09, 2018 09 Nov'18
Post-quantum cryptography a major challenge, says expert

The crypto wars are just beginning and open systems are key to improved security in future, says cryptography expert
November 09, 2018 09 Nov'18
High court Post Office trial puts subpostmasters’ contract under microscope

Case against Post Office in relation to allegedly faulty computer system begins in High Court

November 08, 2018 08 Nov'18
Welsh NHS IT programme is ‘outdated’ and could put patients at risk, report finds

Welsh Public Accounts Committee is concerned the country’s outdated NHS IT systems are putting patients at risk, and found the culture at NHS Wales Informatics Service is the ‘antithesis of open’
November 08, 2018 08 Nov'18
Dominic Raab: UK AI sector will get boost from EU exit ‘done right’

Brexit secretary tells Tech Nation audience that leaving the EU could create opportunities for the UK technology sector
November 07, 2018 07 Nov'18
Fintechs advised on how to work with big banks

Advice backed by the government for fintechs on how to engage with traditional finance firms is published
November 07, 2018 07 Nov'18
BEIS to fund five healthcare AI innovation centres

Five healthcare innovation centres will receive a total of £50m in funding to use artificial intelligence to improve diagnosis and treatment of diseases
November 07, 2018 07 Nov'18
Cyber security high on European Commission agenda

The European Commission is recognising the growing importance of cyber security to the digital economy and is increasing funding to support research, resilience and cooperation
November 06, 2018 06 Nov'18
Information commissioner calls for stricter regulation on political use of data

Information commissioner Elizabeth Denham’s investigation into the use of data in elections and campaigns, finds "a disturbing disregard for voters’ personal privacy"

November 06, 2018 06 Nov'18
Smart Dubai platform is the backbone of the city's transformation

Aisha bin Bishr, director general at Smart Dubai Office, talks about the Smart Data platform and soon-to-be-unveiled UAE Pass, a digital ID and signature which is being touted as one of the foundations a city needs to transform
November 06, 2018 06 Nov'18
Automation and CSR are driving reskilling process for UK plc, says Cisco

UK business leaders are planning to make dramatic changes to their organisations between now and 2020, according to a new report from Cisco
November 05, 2018 05 Nov'18
Openreach launches Fibre First programme in Belfast and Nottingham

Openreach has named Belfast and Nottingham as the latest cities to benefit from a full-fibre broadband roll-out
November 05, 2018 05 Nov'18
PAC has ‘serious concerns’ over UK border and new customs IT system

Public Accounts Committee remains concerned about the Customs Declaration Service and the country’s borders post Brexit
November 05, 2018 05 Nov'18
NHS to use predictive tech to prevent illnesses

Health secretary Matt Hancock wants to use technology to predict disease and stop people falling ill, with AI and genomics having the ‘potential to change everything’
November 05, 2018 05 Nov'18
UKtech50 2018: Vote for the most influential person in UK IT

Tell us who you think should be chosen as the most influential person in the UK tech scene for 2018 by submitting your vote now
November 02, 2018 02 Nov'18
Government is open for business, says SME Crown Representative

The government’s Crown Representative for SMEs, Emma Jones, sheds light on her three-pronged approach to increase spend with smaller businesses
November 02, 2018 02 Nov'18
Government fails in first attempt to hire chief security officer

The government’s initial recruitment campaign for the UK’s "biggest and most important security job” has been unsuccessful, Cabinet Office admits
November 02, 2018 02 Nov'18
Departing DWP IT boss Mayank Prakash to take on digitisation role at Centrica

DWP’s outgoing chief digital and information officer will begin new role in charge of digitalisation of Centrica’s consumer business in the New Year
October 31, 2018 31 Oct'18
IoT R&D projects missed out on £10m of government funding

A series of delays and disruption caused chiefly by changes in project ownership meant the government’s IoT UK Research and Innovation Programme failed to use a quarter of its allocated budget between 2015 and 2018
October 31, 2018 31 Oct'18
Hyperoptic full-fibre network hits public housing milestone

More than 150,000 publicly owned homes have now been connected to Hyperoptic’s ultrafast fibre broadband network
October 31, 2018 31 Oct'18
UK Post Office looks to enable reusable digital ID

The UK Post Office is investigating the possibility of enabling UK citizens to re-use their passport data for other applications where digital identity is a key component
October 30, 2018 30 Oct'18
Budget 2018: A mixed bag

Computer Weekly looks at some of the detail in the tech-laden 2018 Budget and can’t get away from the big elephant in the room: the impact of a potential No Deal Brexit
October 30, 2018 30 Oct'18
Budget 2018: No great leap forward for broadband, but no need to panic

The chancellor set aside £1.6bn for digital technology in the Budget, but broadband services did not draw much attention. Is this a surprise, or a reflection of growing commercial investment in full-fibre, and what should the role of government be?
October 30, 2018 30 Oct'18
IR35 reforms: Private sector extension confirmed for April 2020 in Autumn Budget

As the government confirms the IR35 reforms will be extended to large and medium-sized businesses in the private sector from April 2020, campaigners claim the move risks destabilising the UK's flexible workforce
October 30, 2018 30 Oct'18
UK government taskforce commits to distributed ledger technologies

Report says distributed ledger technology “has the potential to deliver significant benefits in financial services and other sectors in the future”
October 30, 2018 30 Oct'18
Hammond’s digital services tax is a big risk, say experts

The tech industry is not impressed with the chancellor’s plan to tax web giants, saying it can stifle innovation, while tax lawyers warn that it is a very risky move that could lead to US retaliation
October 30, 2018 30 Oct'18
Government consults on full-fibre for tenants, new-build homes

Proposed legislation would compel landlords and property developers to offer full-fibre broadband to tenants and customers
October 29, 2018 29 Oct'18
Why subpostmasters and Post Office are battling it out in the High Court

After over a decade of controversy, next week marks the beginning of a court battle between subpostmasters and the Post Office over allegations of faults in an accounting system leading to unfair prosecutions
October 29, 2018 29 Oct'18
Finnish city Espoo trials artificial intelligence for community support

The authorities for Finnish city Espoo are testing out AI technology to help them target services at the residents who need them most
October 29, 2018 29 Oct'18
Police tech is ‘a complete and utter mess’, says Home Affairs Committee

Committee has “serious concerns” about police forces’ digital capabilities, interoperability and tech adoption, and urges ministers to take responsibility
October 29, 2018 29 Oct'18
O2 extends rural 4G network to 339 communities

O2 has extended its rural network roll-out, targeting over 300 small communities all over the UK
October 26, 2018 26 Oct'18
IoT ecosystem needs to be investigated, say experts

A conference of IoT experts convened by Enisa and Europol has made key recommendations to ensure security vulnerabilities do not overshadow benefits
October 25, 2018 25 Oct'18
MEPs call for action in wake of Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal

European members of parliament demand action to protect citizens’ privacy from abuses such as those uncovered in the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data sharing scandal
October 25, 2018 25 Oct'18
Firms will use AI to automate HR processes within two years

Companies are gearing up to automate HR processes with artificial intelligence and machine learning, while at the same time battling with outdated IT systems
October 25, 2018 25 Oct'18
ICO issues maximum £500,000 fine to Facebook

The UK privacy watchdog has confirmed that Facebook has escaped a fine of more than $1bn under the GDPR, but will face the maximum under the DPA for failing to protect users’ personal information
October 24, 2018 24 Oct'18
Autonomous taxi trials underway in Dubai

Dubai’s transport authority has started road testing the region’s first autonomous taxi, designed in partnership with Dubai Silicon Oasis and DG World
October 24, 2018 24 Oct'18
CityFibre backers pump £2.5bn into full-fibre broadband

Network expansion will add 27 towns and cities to CityFibre’s current roll-out to 10 locations in support of a consumer full-fibre service delivered by Vodafone
October 24, 2018 24 Oct'18
11 of 12 border IT systems at risk of not being ready by Brexit, says NAO report

All but one of the critical IT systems needed at the UK border are at risk of not being ready by 29 March 2019, which will have implications if there is a no-deal Brexit
October 24, 2018 24 Oct'18
Government can’t guarantee no-deal Brexit data-sharing agreement

Digital minister Margot James says there is no clear timetable on when the UK will secure a data adequacy decision from the EU, and cannot guarantee an agreement will be in place in the event of a no-deal Brexit
October 23, 2018 23 Oct'18
Interview: Steve Grobman, McAfee CTO shares his views on some burning security questions

Cyber security technology innovator and veteran Steve Grobman shares his views on adversarial artificial intelligence, post-quantum cryptography and security for next-gen tech
October 23, 2018 23 Oct'18
Government to invest £8m in Brexit customs training and automation

The Treasury and HMRC are putting measures in place to support the customs sector should the UK leave the EU with no deal, including funding to increase automation and training
October 23, 2018 23 Oct'18
Government pumps more funding into NHS ‘test beds’ programme

Seven new “test beds” will receive £7m to trial a range of technologies to improve patient care in the second wave of the NHS Test Beds Programme
October 22, 2018 22 Oct'18
Government to invest an extra £215m in UK innovation centres

The extra funding will be given to the Catapult network of innovation centres, focusing on digital, medicines discovery, future cities and transport systems
October 22, 2018 22 Oct'18
McAfee CTO raises concerns about election cyber security

The security industry needs to look at the security of election processes around the world as well as the security of voting and counting machines, says McAfee CTO
October 19, 2018 19 Oct'18
Interview: Matt Hancock, secretary of state for health and social care, on his NHS ‘tech vision’

Matt Hancock brings rare digital experience to running the NHS and social care systems, but can he overcome the legacy of past health service technology failures?
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
Dubai Health Authority unveils virtual health app for GP consultations

Health authority adopts new technology as part of the Dubai Future Accelerators initiative
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
Industry and government must collaborate to drive the digital economy, says techUK CEO

Industry and government must work together to grow use of technology across the UK economy, according to techUK CEO Julian David
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
McAfee researchers uncover ‘significant’ espionage campaign

Researchers discover campaign targeting South Korea, the US and Canada with links to eight-year-old source code from a threat group that has been dormant for five years
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
Middle East gears up for 5G

The race for 5G is well and truly under way, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia are well positioned to be among the first countries in the world to deliver the benefits of this new telecoms protocol
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
MoJ to go all-in on public cloud as infrastructure modernisation push gathers pace

The Ministry of Justice claims modernising, retiring and migrating its legacy IT systems to the public cloud will help it accrue long-term savings of around 60% on hosting costs
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
Home Office ‘seriously’ considered ESN shutdown

New disclosures from those responsible for the troubled Emergency Services Network project have revealed that, contrary to previous denials, the Home Office came close to pulling the plug earlier this year
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
No new funding for Hancock’s NHS tech vision

Getting the technology plan right is more about standards than money, says health and social care secretary Matt Hancock, as he explains why NHS organisations won’t be given additional funding to deliver on his vision
October 17, 2018 17 Oct'18
Hancock sets out NHS tech vision

Government will mandate national open standards for the NHS and tech suppliers, build a health and caretech ecosystem and give local NHS organisations more flexibility in how and what tech they buy
October 16, 2018 16 Oct'18
Public Health England builds Ceph and Lustre cloud for analytics

Healthcare analytics and modelling organisation Public Health England built an open source cloud from Red Hat Ceph object storage and Lustre scale-out file access storage to petabyte scale
October 16, 2018 16 Oct'18
UK faces 10 cyber attacks a week as hostile states step up hacking, says NCSC

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has thwarted more than 1,600 attacks over the past two years – many by hostile nation states
October 15, 2018 15 Oct'18
Home Office completes initial test of online system for registering EU citizens

Online application process for registering EU citizens in the UK after Brexit has concluded initial trials, and will now be expanded to a wider group
October 15, 2018 15 Oct'18
Microsoft staff allegedly pen open letter urging firm to drop bid for US government cloud deal

Letter calls on software giant to bow out of the race for a controversial, 10-year cloud contract with the US Department of Defense
October 15, 2018 15 Oct'18
Tech companies should not be under legal duty to remove terrorist material, says watchdog

The internet should not be a safe place for terrorists, but making it compulsory for technology companies to trawl for radical content risks interfering with the rights of innocent people, says Max Hill QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism ...
October 15, 2018 15 Oct'18
Cost of WannaCry attack to NHS set at £92m

Department for Health and Social Care estimates the immediate cost of the May 2017 WannaCry attack on the NHS was £92m, and says it will have spent about £275m on improvements to its cyber security infrastructure by the end of 2021
October 12, 2018 12 Oct'18
Watchdog calls for clarity on Schedule 7 terrorism powers

The Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation has called for greater clarity over police Schedule 7 powers to seize mobile phones and computers and question people without grounds for suspicion at ports and airports
October 11, 2018 11 Oct'18
RATs and Mimikatz among top publicly available hacking tools

Remote access Trojans (RATs), web shells and Mimikatz among the top publicly available tools that are used in cyber attacks around the world, a five-nation cyber intelligence report reveals
October 11, 2018 11 Oct'18
The troublesome saga of Gov.uk Verify

As the government plans to hand over its flagship identity assurance programme to the private sector, Computer Weekly looks at the history of the troubled project and how Gov.uk Verify ended up on the chopping board
October 11, 2018 11 Oct'18
Nato to be fully operational in cyber space by 2023

Nato is aiming to achieve full operational readiness in cyber space within five years
October 11, 2018 11 Oct'18
Robots in the workplace supported by 81% of business chiefs

Robotic process automation continues to be taken up by more organisations – but despite proven benefits, those that already use it are struggling to scale it up
October 10, 2018 10 Oct'18
Google-supported programme in Netherlands helps primary schools with computational thinking

A programme to help primary school teachers in the Netherlands understand IT is gaining momentum
October 10, 2018 10 Oct'18
Ofcom says government should lead on internet regulation

Representatives from the telecoms regulator tell House of Lords that the government should build a framework for internet regulation that other bodies can follow and enforce
October 10, 2018 10 Oct'18
Bug bounties not a silver bullet, Katie Moussouris warns

Targeted bug bounties have a role to play in cyber security, but they are not a "silver bullet", and run the risk of wiping out talent pipelines if poorly implemented, warns bug bounty pioneer
October 10, 2018 10 Oct'18
Huawei Connect 2018: Huawei tackles barriers to effective AI

At its annual customer and technology event, Huawei chairman Eric Xu set out 10 key challenges facing AI, and revealed how the networking supplier’s strategy will help to address these
October 09, 2018 09 Oct'18
Government to end investment in Gov.uk Verify digital identity system

Cabinet Office announces 18-month transition to hand troubled identity assurance programme over to private sector
October 09, 2018 09 Oct'18
Tech takes centre stage in CBI’s pre-Budget wish list

Industry calls on government to set the tone for a tech-friendly business environment after the UK leaves the EU
October 09, 2018 09 Oct'18
Cooperation vital in cyber security, says former Estonian minister

States acting alone cannot be efficient in cyber security and need to cooperate with others to build trust, says a former foreign minister of Estonia
October 08, 2018 08 Oct'18
NCSC head calls for technocratic partnership to fix cyber risks

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre is appealing for collaboration with the technology industry to remedy key vulnerabilities in current IT
October 08, 2018 08 Oct'18
Geospatial Commission pumps £5m into unlocking value of location data

Commission wants to unlock the value of location data held by its partners through the use of emerging technologies
October 05, 2018 05 Oct'18
GDPR case work swamps Denmark’s data protection agency

The agency investigating alleged breaches of GDPR in Denmark is recruiting additional resources to cope with the increase in work
October 05, 2018 05 Oct'18
Business secretary awards regulators £10m to drive innovation

Regulators will be given funding to drive innovation and strengthen regulations in areas such as automation, data and artificial intelligence
October 04, 2018 04 Oct'18
CIO interview: Niall Quinn, technology director, Crown Commercial Service

The Crown Commercial Service’s technology director talks about how the government’s procurement agency is working to make buying easier, drive innovation forward and shake up the public sector
October 04, 2018 04 Oct'18
UK and allies accuse Russia of cyber attack campaign

The UK National Cyber Security Centre has identified a campaign by the Russian military intelligence service of “indiscriminate and reckless” cyber attacks
October 03, 2018 03 Oct'18
Matt Hancock plans to sequence five million genomes in five years

The health secretary aims to expand the government-funded 100,000 Genomes Project and sequence five million genomes over the next five years and roll out genomic testing across the NHS
October 02, 2018 02 Oct'18
Technology shouldn’t leave anyone behind, says Jeremy Wright

DCMS secretary of state highlights investment in 5G and superfast broadband, and says no one should be left behind by technology
October 02, 2018 02 Oct'18
Filling the blockchain chasm

Blockchain as a term is becoming common language, but there is a long way to go before it will mean anything to the performance of most organisations
October 02, 2018 02 Oct'18
Industry backs Norway’s AI powerhouse project

Industry and academia in Norway are working together to boost the country’s artificial intelligence capabilities
October 02, 2018 02 Oct'18
Openreach extends full-fibre broadband roll-out to Coventry

Openreach is forging ahead with its Fibre First full-fibre broadband programme and has started to roll out ultrafast services in Coventry
October 02, 2018 02 Oct'18
Government explores blockchain to make buying and selling property easier and cheaper

HM Land Registry moves into the next phase of a project that will use the latest technologies to speed up property transactions
October 01, 2018 01 Oct'18
Launch of NHS app marks a new era

The NHS has begun piloting its coveted app, but how exactly will it work, and what does it mean for patients accessing the health service?
October 01, 2018 01 Oct'18
Government launches public consultation on smart data

Smart data review aimed at encouraging new data services to help customers of utilities and banks
October 01, 2018 01 Oct'18
Police Scotland sets out 10-year digital plan

Scottish Police Authority has approved Police Scotland’s 10-year digital transformation plan, which aims to bring the country’s police forces into the 21st century and requires £244m in capital funding and £54m in reform funding
October 01, 2018 01 Oct'18
UK will unilaterally tax web giants, says Hammond

Chancellor threatens to go it alone on tax reform for digital services businesses if an international agreement cannot be reached
October 01, 2018 01 Oct'18
UK firms’ password security score ‘average’

While businesses are making strides in strengthening password security, there is more work to be done, with the UK password score lagging behind the frontrunners, a survey shows
October 01, 2018 01 Oct'18
Two autonomous vehicle projects funded in government contest

The National Infrastructure Commission’s Roads for the Future contest has awarded a £50,000 prize fund to two projects exploring how to make the UK’s roads ready for connected and autonomous vehicles
September 30, 2018 30 Sep'18
UKtech50 2018 – help us find the most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly’s annual search for the 50 most influential people in UK IT is on – let us know who you would like to nominate for this year's list
September 28, 2018 28 Sep'18
EU sees eIDAS regulation come into full force

A regulation aimed at cutting red tape to enable a digital single market in Europe will soon be in full force, but it could present some challenges to the UK after Brexit
September 27, 2018 27 Sep'18
Australian teen Apple hacker avoids jail time

“Fan” who broke into Apple’s mainframe from his home in Melbourne has avoided prison because the information he gathered was recovered
September 26, 2018 26 Sep'18
ICO threatens fines for outstanding fees

The UK’s privacy watchdog has issued warning letters to organisations, including some NHS trusts and government organisations, for failing to pay a new data protection fee
September 26, 2018 26 Sep'18
Indian IT giant TCS sees IBM and Accenture as nearest rivals

Rapidly-growing Tata Consultancy Services has its eyes on the US IT giants, with customer service key if it is to overtake them
September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18
MI5 admits to ‘unlawful’ spying on Privacy International

The UK's intelligence agencies acted unlawfully by intercepting communications data on NGO, Privacy International, the UK's most secret court ruled.
September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18
NHS Digital to publish new guidance on data standards

Data could be a huge advantage for the NHS, but data quality and accessibility is still a big challenge, says NHS Digital CEO Sarah Wilkinson as she promises clear guidance on standards and interoperability
September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18
DWP IT chief Mayank Prakash quits for new job outside government

Chief digital and information officer leaves after four years in the civil service – no news yet on his successor
September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18
InfoWatch opens training centre to help address Middle East skills shortage

Security supplier offers Middle East customers cyber security and digital training facility as organisations in the region struggle to equip staff with latest skills
September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18
No Deal Brexit could mean additional costs for tech businesses

The government plans to continue to enforce existing intellectual property rights in the event of a No Deal Brexit, according to the latest planning notices, but businesses could face additional costs to access EU and UK markets