News

IT for government and public sector

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
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
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
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

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
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
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
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
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
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

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 ...
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
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
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.
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
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”
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
May 02, 2018 02 May'18
Finnish government launches regional digitisation plan

Finland’s government allocates €400m to support digital projects run by the country’s local authorities
May 02, 2018 02 May'18
Ransomware still a threat to business, F-Secure warns

Ransomware attacks tapered off towards the end of 2017 after an explosion in such attacks earlier in the year, but ransomware remains a threat to big business, a report reveals
May 01, 2018 01 May'18
Gulf Cooperation Council smart city initiatives garner momentum

The Middle East is a hotbed for smart city developments, with activities in the region maturing and adapting to what citizens want
May 01, 2018 01 May'18
HMRC dismisses criticism of ‘perfectly good’ IR35 online assessment tool

Senior figures from HM Revenue & Customs have hit back at claims that its online IR35 status tool is not fit for purpose, as survey data suggests public sector contractors are being assessed without the tool’s help anyway
May 01, 2018 01 May'18
CIO interview: Martyn Wallace, CDO, Scottish Local Government Digital Office

Scottish local government’s chief digital officer describes the challenges of driving digital change across the country’s councils
May 01, 2018 01 May'18
Bristol’s historic bridge pressed into service for rural broadband

Gigaclear is running cables underneath Bristol’s historic Clifton Suspension Bridge to bring ultrafast full-fibre services to forgotten communities
April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18
Getting cyber security innovation to market is key, says NCSC

Getting cyber security innovation to market is an important area of focus, according to the National Cyber Security Centre, which runs a cyber accelerator programme and recently stated a Dragons Den style security innovation pitch at the 2018 ...
April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18
Over a million homes can now access FTTP, says Ofcom

Access to viable broadband services continues to improve across the UK, according to Ofcom
April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18
Yorkshire and Humber region awards HSCN contract to Redcentric

Network services provider Redcentric wins the first major regional Health and Social Care Network contract as procurements around England gather pace
April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18
Even the smallest of Dutch towns are becoming smart

An increasing number of Dutch towns and cities use street sensors and big data to tackle societal problems. From smart lighting to artificial intelligence that spots violent behaviour in surveillance footage, smart technology is booming in the ...
April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18
DWP to spend nearly £15m on GDPR

A single government department plans to spend nearly £15m on preparing for new European data protection legislation, a report reveals
April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18
Government given six months to rewrite snoopers’ charter

The government has until 1 November 2018 to rewrite a key section of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, after the high court declared them unlawful in a judicial review brought by human rights group Liberty
April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18
BEIS yet to begin procuring IT systems needed for Brexit, PAC finds

Public Accounts Committee chair Meg Hillier says the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy “appears to be operating in a parallel universe where urgency is an abstract concept”, as it needs upwards of 12 new digital systems and so ...
April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18
Welsh government plans digital pilots in the Valleys

As part of its digital vision for the Valleys, the government looks to pilot Uber-style transport app for NHS patients, a community Wi-Fi scheme and better use of data mapping tool
April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18
EC calls on online platforms to develop common code of practice to tackle ‘disinformation’

The European Commission says online platforms such as social media and video sites, have not done enough to tackle unethical use, and calls on them “to decisively step up their efforts to tackle online disinformation”
April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18
European Commission unveils €1.5bn AI funding

Given the UK's new artificial intelligence sector deal, the European Commission is unveiling its own initiative to make Europe a world leader in AI
April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18
NCSC shows support for common standards for secure communication

The UK cyber security authority is supporting an industry drive towards common standards for secure communication by joining an industry organisation that aims to achieve this goal
April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18
Digital economy research projects to get funding

Research projects aimed at building trust, privacy and security in the use of personal data and digital technologies are to receive funding