News

IT for government and public sector

• March 29, 2023 29 Mar'23

  UK government publishes AI whitepaper

  Artificial intelligence whitepaper outlines UK government’s proposals to regulate the technology, which are based around creating an agile, “pro-innovation” framework

• March 29, 2023 29 Mar'23

  Generative AI presents opportunities and challenges to UK schools

  Generative AI and LLMs hold great potential for use in the classroom, but the privacy and security implications of its use must be carefully considered, says the Department for Education

• March 28, 2023 28 Mar'23

  Alan Turing Institute unveils strategy to support UK AI

  The strategy is built around helping the UK government realise its artificial intelligence ambitions, and focuses on areas where the UK can play a transformative role in shaping AI development

• March 28, 2023 28 Mar'23

  Apple security updates fix 33 iPhone vulnerabilities

  A larger-than-usual update to Apple’s mobile operating system fixes more than 30 distinct vulnerabilities, including two serious issues that may potentially affect device kernels

• March 28, 2023 28 Mar'23

  AWS takes defence-focused startup accelerator Europe-wide after UK programme success

  Nearly 12 months after the launch of the UK version of the AWS defence-focused accelerator programme, the cloud giant is expanding it

• March 28, 2023 28 Mar'23

  Ransomware attacks up 45% in February, LockBit responsible

  NCC Group says it observed a surge in ransomware attacks in February, with LockBit, BlackCat and BianLian all highly active

• March 27, 2023 27 Mar'23

  Lords AI weapons committee holds first evidence session

  In first evidence session of Lords AI weapons committee, expert witnesses unpack claims that artificial intelligence in weapon systems will help military organisations to improve their compliance with international humanitarian law

• March 24, 2023 24 Mar'23

  Government must take the lead on STEM diversity

  No single solution can increase diversity in the STEM sectors, says Science and Technology Committee, as it calls on government to take action

• March 24, 2023 24 Mar'23

  National Crime Agency sting operation infiltrates cyber crime market

  The UK National Crime Agency has tricked thousands of potential cyber criminals into registering with a fake website pretending to offer tools for creating DDoS attacks

• March 23, 2023 23 Mar'23

  Tech Nation says UK needs roadmap to help tech sector reach $4tn

  In its final report published before shutting for good in April, Tech Nation has outlined success of the UK’s tech sector to date, and explores at a high level what needs to be done to ensure massive future growth

• March 23, 2023 23 Mar'23

  GDS goes serverless to bring personalisation to online government services with One Login

  GDS has opened up about the reasons why it’s opted for a serverless infrastructure to underpin One Login, and how it hopes the system will provide UK citizens with a more personalised experience

• March 22, 2023 22 Mar'23

  Government launches seven-year NHS cyber strategy

  The new Cyber Security Strategy for Health and Adult Social Care lays out a plan for promoting cyber resilience in the sector by 2030 to protect services and patients alike

• March 22, 2023 22 Mar'23

  UK government launches international tech strategy as tool of diplomacy

  The UK government has announced an international technology strategy to promote the country abroad, strengthening ties with allies and supporting developing nations

• March 21, 2023 21 Mar'23

  Nordics move towards common cyber defence strategy

  Nordic countries agree to work together to improve their cyber defences amid increasing threat

• March 21, 2023 21 Mar'23

  MPs explore how to expand quantum computing in business

  Commons Science and Technology Committee is looking for evidence of where the UK’s new quantum strategy needs improvement

• March 21, 2023 21 Mar'23

  GDS signs £24m worth of contracts for One Login

  As the Government Digital Service (GDS) prepares for the official end of Gov.uk Verify, it signs three new contracts for its successor programme, One Login

• March 21, 2023 21 Mar'23

  Ransomware gangs harass victims to ‘bypass’ backups

  Analysis reveals how cyber criminal gangs are turning to extensive, targeted harassment campaigns to force victims to pay up, even if their backups are in good order

• March 20, 2023 20 Mar'23

  Government should invest in maritime tech, say MPs

  Report from the Transport Committee calls for investment in technology for the maritime sector, and wants the government to make it easier to scale-up innovation

• March 20, 2023 20 Mar'23

  BBC cracks down on TikTok after review

  The BBC is asking staff not to install TikTok on corporate-owned devices without a justified business purpose, although its use will still be allowed to share media content with its audiences

• March 17, 2023 17 Mar'23

  UK TikTok ban gives us all cause to consider social media security

  The UK government’s ban on TikTok should give all organisations cause to look into what information social media platforms are collecting on us, and what they are using it for

• March 17, 2023 17 Mar'23

  UK government to create code of practice for generative AI firms

  The code will look to strike a balance between copyright holders and generative AI firms so that both parties can benefit from the use of copyrighted material in training data

• March 16, 2023 16 Mar'23

  BEC attacks doubled in 2022, outstripping ransomware

  Massive growth in the volume of Business Email Compromise or BEC attacks was linked to a surge in successful phishing campaigns, according to data from Secureworks

• March 16, 2023 16 Mar'23

  Vallance review advocates light-touch regulation for emerging technologies

  Patrick Vallance, the outgoing government chief scientific adviser, has seen his light-touch emerging technologies regulation advice accepted by the government lock, stock and barrel

• March 16, 2023 16 Mar'23

  TikTok banned on UK government devices

  The UK government has followed in the footsteps of its US and European counterparts and banned the use of Chinese social media app TikTok on official devices

• March 16, 2023 16 Mar'23

  Budget 2023: startups extra funding via R&D relief and pensions

  UK government aims to promote increased investment in research and development-intensive startups through tax relief measures, relaxed pension rules, and new investment zones

• March 16, 2023 16 Mar'23

  Mandiant: Dangerous MS Outlook zero-day widely used against Ukraine

  A zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook that was fixed in the March Patch Tuesday update has likely been actively exploited by Russian actors for a year or more, and its use will now spread rapidly

• March 15, 2023 15 Mar'23

  Budget 2023: Chancellor affirms tax relief for IT investment

  Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget makes IT investment tax expendable for three years and announces support for artificial intelligence companies, including annual £1m ‘Manchester Prize’

• March 15, 2023 15 Mar'23

  Chinese Silkloader cyber attack tool falls into Russian hands

  A loader tool used by Chinese cyber criminals seems to have been enthusiastically taken up in recent weeks by Russian ransomware operators

• March 15, 2023 15 Mar'23

  Microsoft patches Outlook zero-day for March Patch Tuesday

  A highly dangerous privilege escalation bug in Outlook is among 80 different vulnerabilities patched in Microsoft’s March Patch Tuesday update

• March 14, 2023 14 Mar'23

  Central bank digital currency use set to soar over next seven years

  The use of central bank-backed digital currencies is set to explode over the next seven years as governments drive adoption to increase financial inclusion

• March 14, 2023 14 Mar'23

  AI interview: Elke Schwarz, professor of political theory

  Elke Schwarz speaks with Computer Weekly about the ethics of military artificial intelligence and the dangers of allowing governments and corporations to push forward without oversight or scrutiny

• March 13, 2023 13 Mar'23

  Subpostmaster demands names of Post Office executives who crushed him to suffocate truth

  One Post Office scandal victim was deliberately destroyed by the Post Office to deter other subpostmasters from challenging the integrity of its core computer system

• March 13, 2023 13 Mar'23

  MI5 to oversee new National Protective Security Authority

  The new National Protective Security Authority will address various national security threats including state-sponsored cyber espionage against UK targets

• March 13, 2023 13 Mar'23

  Government expects to save £1.8bn from back-office systems overhaul

  Whitehall announces it expects to save £1.8bn over a 15-year period by delivering shared back-office services, three months after a National Audit Office (NAO) report concluded the financial benefits of the plan remain unclear

• March 13, 2023 13 Mar'23

  HSBC buys Silicon Valley Bank UK arm for £1 following collapse

  UK tech ecosystem welcomes government intervention to facilitate HSBC purchase after the collapse of SVB left many UK startups unable to access their deposits

• March 10, 2023 10 Mar'23

  Technology minister Michelle Donelan defends data reforms

  Secretary of state Michelle Donelan has defended the government’s new data reforms as providing certainty for businesses while simultaneously retaining high standards of data protection, but industry figures are having mixed reactions

• March 10, 2023 10 Mar'23

  Government departments need to better understand digital transformation or efforts will ‘peter out’

  National Audit Office report says that the people making digital transformation decisions in government don't properly understand the challenges

• March 08, 2023 08 Mar'23

  UK government introduces revised data reform bill to Parliament

  Designed in close collaboration with technology businesses, the UK government is re-introducing an updated version of its Data Protection and Digital Information Bill to Parliament, which civil society groups say upends key safeguards

• March 07, 2023 07 Mar'23

  IT worker evidence reveals a toxic Post Office IT helpdesk that discriminated against subpostmasters

  IT worker tells public inquiry that the Post Office Horizon helpdesk was toxic, rudderless and racist

• March 07, 2023 07 Mar'23

  Spring Budget 2023: Campaign calls on government to ‘fix or ditch’ IR35

  Ahead of next week’s Spring Budget, contracting authority ContractorCalculator is calling on freelance IT workers to join campaign centred on getting government to ‘fix or ditch’ IR35 tax rules

• March 06, 2023 06 Mar'23

  Lords Committee to investigate use of AI-powered weapons systems

  House of Lords to investigate the use of artificial intelligence in weapons systems, following UK government publication of AI defence strategy in June 2022

• March 06, 2023 06 Mar'23

  Government announces Science and Technology framework

  The government has announced the first major work completed by its recently launched Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

• March 03, 2023 03 Mar'23

  White House unveils National Cybersecurity Strategy

  The strategy will focus on ensuring closer collaboration on cyber security between government and industry, while giving software and other tech companies a bigger role in combatting threats due to their resources and expertise

• March 03, 2023 03 Mar'23

  Newham Council expands on data economy plans unveiled in 2021

  Newham Council plans to set up a ‘data campus’ at East Ham Town Hall to continue the data economy development vision it announced at London Tech Week in 2021

• March 02, 2023 02 Mar'23

  AI interview: Michael Osborne, professor of machine learning

  Artificial intelligence researcher speaks with Computer Weekly about the implications of a market-driven AI arms race and the overwhelming dominance of the private sector over the technology

• March 02, 2023 02 Mar'23

  UK government migration scheme to boost tech ties with India

  The UK has agreed to allow thousands of young Indian professionals to work for two years in the UK as part of a migration exchange

• March 02, 2023 02 Mar'23

  Genomics England to use Sectra imaging system for cancer data programme

  Genomics England has deployed an enterprise imaging system from supplier Sectra to link radiology and pathology images with whole genome sequencing data

• February 28, 2023 28 Feb'23

  Post Office’s most senior executives hushed up Horizon errors, public inquiry told

  The Post Office messaging strategy was designed to reassure staff that the Horizon accounting system was robust after Computer Weekly first revealed problems in 2009

• February 28, 2023 28 Feb'23

  Government announces national fintech hub

  The UK Treasury has announced a centre for fintech innovation, two years after a major report recommended one

• February 27, 2023 27 Feb'23

  Scotland launches data strategy for health and social care

  The five-year strategy aims to make it easier for people to access their own health and social care data, improve data flows between organisations, and transform the way data is used to enhance services