News

IT for government and public sector

• April 01, 2025 01 Apr'25

  Gmail ‘bubble’ encryption may be an S/MIME killer, says Google

  Marking the 21st anniversary of Gmail, Google is preparing to roll out an end-to-end encryption standard for its email service in hopes of democratising encryption and leaving old standards in the dust

• April 01, 2025 01 Apr'25

  Post Office Capture and Ecco+ users asked to make contact with Scottish statutory body

  Scottish statutory body attempting to contact people that might have been wrongly convicted of crimes based on the Post Office’s flawed systems

• April 01, 2025 01 Apr'25

  Interview: Ray McCann, Loan Charge independent review lead

  Former HMRC assistant director Ray McCann is leading the latest independent review into the UK government’s controversial Loan Charge policy, which has left thousands of IT contractors saddled with life-changing tax bills

• April 01, 2025 01 Apr'25

  Scottish support group for Post Office scandal victims launched

  Support group calls on former subpostmasters in Scotland who have been affected by Horizon errors to come forward

• April 01, 2025 01 Apr'25

  Apple devices are at ‘most risk’ in UK following government ‘backdoor’ order

  Home Office refuses to answer questions from Lords over technical capability notice issued against Apple’s iCloud Advanced Data Protection encryption services

• March 31, 2025 31 Mar'25

  Top 1,000 IT service providers in scope of UK cyber bill

  The government’s proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is set to include regulatory provisions covering both datacentre operators and larger IT service providers

• March 31, 2025 31 Mar'25

  Understanding of ‘black box’ IT systems will reduce Post Office scandal-like risk

  A Parliamentary committee has reported that leadership teams need to understand the ‘black box’ IT systems that underpin their organisations

• March 31, 2025 31 Mar'25

  Reassessing UK law enforcement data adequacy

  Computer Weekly takes stock of proposed changes to the UK’s law enforcement data protection rules and how it could affect data adequacy with the European Union

• March 31, 2025 31 Mar'25

  UK law enforcement data adequacy at risk

  The UK government says reforms to police data protection rules will help to simplify law enforcement data processing, but critics argue the changes will lower protection to the point where the UK risks losing its European data adequacy

• March 28, 2025 28 Mar'25

  Government sends data scientists to AI school

  Public sector data scientists will learn how to become artificial intelligence (AI) engineers as part of government scheme to upskill civil servants

• March 27, 2025 27 Mar'25

  UK public expresses strong support for AI regulation

  Most of the UK public have experienced an AI-related harm and say they want laws introduced to regulate the technology, according to national survey by the Ada Lovelace and Alan Turing Institutes

• March 27, 2025 27 Mar'25

  HMRC consults on clamping down on tax avoidance schemes that ensnare IT contractors

  HMRC has launched two consultations in the wake of the Spring Statement on proposals to curb the activity of tax avoidance schemes and their promoters

• March 27, 2025 27 Mar'25

  Experts question court’s rejection of former Post Office manager’s Horizon appeal

  Experts on the use of computer evidence question why Court of Appeal rejected former Post Office branch manager’s appeal against conviction

• March 27, 2025 27 Mar'25

  Selangor teams up with Google Cloud on AI

  The Teraju AI Selangor initiative will provide state agencies with access to Google Cloud’s AI tools and training to build AI applications in areas such as education and healthcare

• March 26, 2025 26 Mar'25

  Advanced Software fined £3m over LockBit attack

  The ICO has issued a £3m fine to software provider Advanced in the wake of security failings that led to significant disruption to NHS customers in a ransomware attack

• March 26, 2025 26 Mar'25

  Chancellor Rachel Reeves to use AI to catch wealthy tax dodgers

  HMRC’s use of artificial intelligence is one of many initiatives outlined in Chancellor’s Spring Statement

• March 26, 2025 26 Mar'25

  Military AI caught in tension between speed and control

  The use of artificial intelligence in military contexts can unlock a range of benefits for defence organisations, but also highlights a clear tension between speed and control baked into the technology

• March 25, 2025 25 Mar'25

  Public Accounts Committee calls out legacy IT

  Unsupported and out-of-date software and hardware are hindering the government’s artificial intelligence plans for the public sector

• March 25, 2025 25 Mar'25

  Government needs to fix tech staff hiring process, says Whitehall’s AI boss

  Giving evidence to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, tech experts highlighted the lack of clarity on data exchange, the need for the new Government Digital Service to execute, and a lack of actual tech experts

• March 25, 2025 25 Mar'25

  Kroll reviewing Post Office Horizon’s current integrity and discrepancy identification

  The Post Office appoints third party to review Horizon following concerns about current version of the system

• March 25, 2025 25 Mar'25

  Scottish police hold almost no data on facial recognition use

  It is currently impossible to assess Police Scotland’s use of retrospective facial recognition for efficacy and fairness because the force does not collect meaningful information that would enable a proper evaluation

• March 25, 2025 25 Mar'25

  MPs demand government reconsider response to Post Office compensation report

  Select committee calls on government to ‘reflect and revise’ response to Post Office scandal compensation scheme

• March 25, 2025 25 Mar'25

  Tech specialist files legal claim after being refused security clearance for MI6 role

  An IT specialist has asked the Investigatory Powers Tribunal to investigate a series of hacking incidents after disclosing their social media accounts to MI6 vetting staff

• March 21, 2025 21 Mar'25

  NCSC, DSIT enlist IBM to spearhead cyber diversity agenda

  IBM signs on to a partnership deal in support of the popular NCSC CyberFirst Girls scheme designed to foster gender diversity in the cyber security profession

• March 21, 2025 21 Mar'25

  Dutch workforce faces radical transformation as AI adoption accelerates

  While the Netherlands leads Europe in AI adoption, a deeper analysis of the labour market reveals a more nuanced narrative than the apocalyptic predictions of job losses

• March 20, 2025 20 Mar'25

  NCSC proposes three-step plan to move to quantum-safe encryption

  The NCSC urges service providers, large organisations and critical sectors to start thinking today about how they will migrate to post-quantum cryptography over the next decade

• March 20, 2025 20 Mar'25

  Government considering redress scheme for families of Post Office scandal victims

  Campaign group brings together the children of subpostmasters to meet Post Office minister to discuss redress for their suffering

• March 19, 2025 19 Mar'25

  Clop resurgence drives ransomware attacks in February

  The exploitation of two new vulnerabilities in a popular file transfer service saw the Clop ransomware gang soar in February, according to NCC

• March 18, 2025 18 Mar'25

  Local digital government needs overhaul, says Future Governance Forum report

  Future Governance Forum calls for a new blueprint to modernise and digitise local government

• March 17, 2025 17 Mar'25

  PSNI’s ‘ridiculous’ withholding of evidence in spying operation delayed court hearings 

  Landmark ruling by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal will decide whether the surveillance court can award costs against government bodies accused of unreasonable behaviour 

• March 17, 2025 17 Mar'25

  Online Safety Act measures come into effect

  Regulator Ofcom is now able to take enforcement action against platforms under the Online Safety Act if they fail to proactively safeguard against content such as terrorist or child sexual abuse material

• March 17, 2025 17 Mar'25

  Who takes responsibility? Birmingham’s ERP extraordinary meeting

  Council members took the opportunity to raise their concerns during the Birmingham City Council ERP meeting, which took place on 11 March

• March 17, 2025 17 Mar'25

  Satellite technology to provide broadband to remote areas of Buckinghamshire

  Buckinghamshire Council harnesses low Earth orbit technology to serve the most remote areas of the county with ultrafast broadband

• March 14, 2025 14 Mar'25

  Apple encryption legal challenge heard behind closed doors despite calls for public hearing

  Investigatory Powers Tribunal hearing held behind closed doors as press and civil society groups argue for open hearings

• March 14, 2025 14 Mar'25

  AI Action Summit review: Differing views cast doubt on AI’s ability to benefit whole of society

  Governments, companies and civil society groups gathered at the third global AI summit to discuss how the technology can work for the benefit of everyone in society, but experts say competing imperatives mean there is no guarantee these visions will...

• March 14, 2025 14 Mar'25

  Can a future digital NHS survive another change?

  Computer Weekly looks at the prime minister’s decision to abolish NHS England and the potential impact on the progress of digitising the NHS

• March 14, 2025 14 Mar'25

  Will Whitehall withstand Starmer’s AI revolution?

  As the prime minister sets out plans for the use of artificial intelligence to take over civil service tasks, Computer Weekly looks at potential challenges and concerns around the decision

• March 14, 2025 14 Mar'25

  Minister asks for evidence of Post Office ECCO+ system problems

  Subpostmaster federation is calling on former Post Office crown branch staff to come forward if they experienced problems with ECCO+

• March 13, 2025 13 Mar'25

  US Congress demands UK lifts gag on Apple encryption order

  Apple and Google have told US lawmakers that they cannot tell Congress whether they have received technical capability notices from the UK

• March 13, 2025 13 Mar'25

  SuperBlack ransomware may have ties to LockBit

  Forescout researchers report on a new ransomware gang that appears to be keeping the legacy of the notorious LockBit crew alive

• March 13, 2025 13 Mar'25

  HMRC looks to upgrade SOC with advanced SIEM tech

  HMRC issues a request for information notice ahead of opening up bids for a new security information and event management project that aims to reinforce its ability to respond to cyber threats

• March 13, 2025 13 Mar'25

  Starmer to send AI tech teams into government departments

  In his plans to reform the state, the prime minister is pushing for artificial intelligence to take on tasks for civil servants and calling time on NHS England

• March 13, 2025 13 Mar'25

  Driving licence data could be used for police facial recognition

  The government’s Crime and Policing Bill could allow police to access the UK driving licence database for use in facial recognition watchlists, but the Home Office denies biometric data would be repurposed in this way

• March 13, 2025 13 Mar'25

  IR35 reforms: HMRC’s assessment of private sector impacts called into question

  HM Revenue & Customs recently published figures that show it generated £1.8bn more than expected from private sector roll-out of IR35 reforms, but those figures are being called into question

• March 13, 2025 13 Mar'25

  Major strike by Fujitsu staff at ‘cash cow’ HMRC

  Fujitsu staff working at government department will strike for 22 days in protest over pay offer

• March 11, 2025 11 Mar'25

  March Patch Tuesday brings 57 fixes, multiple zero-days

  The third Patch Tuesday of 2025 brings fixes for 57 flaws and a hefty number of zero-days

• March 11, 2025 11 Mar'25

  Perimeter security appliances source of most ransomware hits

  Perimeter security appliances and devices, particularly VPNs, prove to be the most popular entry points into victim networks for financially motivated ransomware gangs, according to reports

• March 11, 2025 11 Mar'25

  Secret London tribunal to hear appeal in Apple vs government battle over encryption

  Campaigners call for High Court hearing to be held in public as tech giant appeals against UK government order to open a backdoor into its encrypted iCloud service

• March 11, 2025 11 Mar'25

  UK government under-prepared for catastrophic cyber attack, hears PAC

  The Commons Public Accounts Committee heard government IT leaders respond to recent National Audit Office findings that the government’s cyber resilience is under par

• March 11, 2025 11 Mar'25

  Government to create pathfinder programme for digital spend

  Changes to government digital spending will include staged funding with regular review and a pathfinder programme to test new funding models suitable for digital projects