News
IT for government and public sector
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August 03, 2021
03
Aug'21
Government updates isolation criteria in Covid-19 app
NHS Covid-19 app adjusted to reduce the number of people receiving self-isolation alerts
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August 02, 2021
02
Aug'21
IR35 reforms: TUC demand for government ban on umbrella companies raises eyebrows
The Trades Union Congress has raised eyebrows within the contracting community by calling for a ban on umbrella companies to help stamp out malpractice
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August 02, 2021
02
Aug'21
Government publishes second version of digital identity trust framework
The second iteration of the framework, still in alpha version, sets out how organisations can become certified digital identity service providers
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July 30, 2021
30
Jul'21
Government opens up SME digital support programme for suppliers
Help to Grow: Digital scheme aims to help small businesses access productivity-enhancing software, and suppliers are now encouraged to register as approved suppliers
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July 29, 2021
29
Jul'21
HMRC hits Home Office with £33.5m bill over ‘careless’ application of IR35 rules
The Home Office is the latest ministerial department to be hit with a multimillion-pound tax demand from HMRC after errors were discovered in its implementation of the IR35 rules
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July 29, 2021
29
Jul'21
Investigatory Powers Tribunal finds UK spy agencies unlawfully collected personal data
Campaign groups Privacy International and Liberty are gearing up to bring further legal action after a court found that UK spy agencies unlawfully collected phone and internet records
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July 28, 2021
28
Jul'21
Thousands wrongly given criminal convictions after computer error
HM Courts and Tribunals Service report reveals that computer error wrongly assigned guilty pleas to more than 5,000 defendants
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July 28, 2021
28
Jul'21
COP26 cyber resource hub launched for Glasgow businesses
New digital information hub for Glasgow business to help organisations keep secure both physically and online ahead of major climate change summit
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July 27, 2021
27
Jul'21
Running a virtual hackathon
DWP Digital recently organised a virtual hackathon. We find out how it went, and the key takeaways
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July 27, 2021
27
Jul'21
Solent NHS Trust takes self-service route for sexual health
NHS trust deploys an integrated sexual health self-service system, digitally triaging patients and aiming to drive proactive intervention
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July 27, 2021
27
Jul'21
Welsh media industry gets £22.2m innovation funding package
As part of plans to make the UK a global innovation hub by 2035, as set out in its innovation strategy, the UK government is pumping £22.2m into the media.cymru programme
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July 26, 2021
26
Jul'21
Legacy IT issues impacted government decision-making during Covid-19, says PAC
The government’s ability to make well-informed decisions during the pandemic has been ‘hampered’ by data and legacy IT issues, Public Accounts Committee report finds
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July 23, 2021
23
Jul'21
DWP hit with £87.9m tax bill by HMRC over 'historic' IR35 status contractor assessment errors
The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) annual accounts highlight the challenges the public sector body has faced with implementing the IR35 reforms since they came into force in the public sector in April 2017
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July 22, 2021
22
Jul'21
Plans to address legal but harmful content ‘threaten free speech’
House of Lords report criticises the government’s forthcoming Online Safety Bill for imposing duty of care on tech platforms to deal with ‘legal but harmful’ content, which it says threatens freedom of expression online
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July 22, 2021
22
Jul'21
UK government publishes full Innovation Strategy
Strategy aims to put the UK at the global forefront of science, research and innovation
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July 22, 2021
22
Jul'21
Government to fund interim compensation of up to £100,000 for each wrongly convicted subpostmaster
The government will pay interim compensation within weeks to subpostmasters who were wrongly convicted of crimes due to computer errors
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July 22, 2021
22
Jul'21
IR35: Government sets out plan to rid contractor market of non-compliant umbrellas and loan schemes
In the wake of a consultation earlier this year, the government has drawn up a package of measures it intends to take to help protect contractors from non-compliant umbrella companies and loan scheme promoters
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July 22, 2021
22
Jul'21
Interview: Sarah Wilkinson, former CEO, NHS Digital
In her exit interview with Computer Weekly, NHS Digital’s former CEO Sarah Wilkinson talks about the organisation’s transformation over the past few years, the Covid-19 pandemic, bureaucracy challenges and big wins
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July 22, 2021
22
Jul'21
Covid-19 creates opportunity to digitally transform justice system, says TechUK
The pandemic has accelerated the use of digital in the UK justice system but challenges remain, leaving it ripe for reform with data at its heart, says industry body
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July 22, 2021
22
Jul'21
Lords Covid-19 Committee disappointed in government engagement
Committee is so disappointed in the government’s lack of engagement with its inquiry into the digital impact of the pandemic that it has published a separate report criticising it
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July 21, 2021
21
Jul'21
Government officials lack experience to lead digital transformation, says NAO
The government needs to reskill senior decision makers and give tech leaders more influence if digital business change projects are to succeed
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July 21, 2021
21
Jul'21
France’s Macron among alleged Pegasus targets
Data relating to devices used by French president Emmanuel Macron and the head of the World Health Organization, among others, has been uncovered in a dataset linked to government use of spyware
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July 20, 2021
20
Jul'21
Research and development investment programme launches in UK
A government-backed investment programme designed to direct more capital towards research and development-intensive technology firms has opened for applications
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July 19, 2021
19
Jul'21
Government launches consultation on plans for UK digital identity market
DCMS wants stakeholders to offer their views on proposals for a new governance regime and expanding access to government-held datasets for identity verification
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July 19, 2021
19
Jul'21
A dozen more subpostmaster prosecutions quashed in Horizon scandal
Twelve more former subpostmasters have had wrongful convictions for financial crimes overturned in the Court of Appeal
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July 19, 2021
19
Jul'21
Chelsea and Westminster NHS launches acute Covid app
The app aims to work as a one-stop Covid-19 information and resource shop for doctors and nurses working with coronavirus patients
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July 19, 2021
19
Jul'21
Privacy Shield: One year on and companies are still grappling for answers
Activist lawyer Max Schrems and Eduardo Ustaran, partner at Hogan Lovells, look for common ground in a problem with no easy answers
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July 15, 2021
15
Jul'21
UK government publishes skills-focused anti-disinformation plan
Online Media Literacy Strategy aims to train teachers and care-givers in understanding disinformation so they can help others in safely navigating the internet
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July 15, 2021
15
Jul'21
UK workforce needs reskilling for net-zero transition
Green Jobs Taskforce report looks at how the UK’s workforce can be skilled up to support the transition to net zero
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July 14, 2021
14
Jul'21
UK should set up digital task forces to transform governance
Commission for Smart Government paper sets out recommendations for how government can use digital technologies to better serve citizens’ needs, and calls for it to set up new digital task forces
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July 14, 2021
14
Jul'21
More than half of European IT outsourcing spending will soon be on cloud services
Cloud services will soon be the largest part of the IT services market in Europe, as enterprises invest in them as part of their Covid-19 recovery strategies
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July 14, 2021
14
Jul'21
Multiple Microsoft bugs being actively exploited
Microsoft’s July Patch Tuesday update fixes 117 vulnerabilities, 13 rated as critical and four already being actively exploited
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July 14, 2021
14
Jul'21
London announces winners of Covid-19 recovery innovation challenge
The Mayor’s Resilience Fund called for ideas to support businesses and communities emerge from the pandemic, and there are some standout winners
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July 13, 2021
13
Jul'21
Dutch prosecutor ordered to give evidence on EncroChat hack
Netherlands court rules that a public prosecutor should give evidence about the role of the Dutch in the EncroChat cryptophone hack which has led to arrests of organised gangs worldwide
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July 13, 2021
13
Jul'21
Home Office launches three-year digital strategy
The strategy sets out six principles, aiming to reduce cost and complexity while driving innovation and developing better digital products and services
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July 13, 2021
13
Jul'21
Russia tightens pressure on global IT companies
Russian authorities will force certain IT companies with customers in Russia to open local offices
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July 12, 2021
12
Jul'21
Loan charge MPs call for prime ministerial intervention to prevent mass contractor bankruptcies
In an open letter signed by 76 MPs, the prime minister and the chancellor are facing calls to intervene urgently on how the loan charge policy is being enforced
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July 12, 2021
12
Jul'21
Taxpayers will have to pay at least £300m to bail out Post Office after scandal
The cost of a scheme set up to compensate subpostmasters who were victims of the Horizon IT scandal will exceed £300m even before damages are paid to all those who suffered
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July 12, 2021
12
Jul'21
NHS to get new online jobs platform
NHS Business Services Authority is working to transform the NHS Jobs platform, currently in beta stage, with plans to launch it early next year
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July 09, 2021
09
Jul'21
Met Police should release information on British WikiLeaks journalists passed to US, tribunal told
The Metropolitan Police should release correspondence with the US Department of Justice about three UK based WikiLeaks journalists, despite national security claims, a tribunal heard
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July 09, 2021
09
Jul'21
Government commitment to Post Office Horizon victims was a ‘false promise’
The government has made no contact with subpostmasters two months after it said it would work with them to ensure they get speedy and fair compensation for their losses as a result of Post Office IT scandal
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July 08, 2021
08
Jul'21
Developers have a moral duty to create ethical AI
Corsight AI publishes report on how organisations can develop more human-centric AI and biometric technologies
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July 07, 2021
07
Jul'21
US government given permission to appeal UK’s decision to not extradite Julian Assange
US offers assurances that Assange could serve time in his home country of Australia if convicted
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July 07, 2021
07
Jul'21
ICO to probe Hancock over private email use
Former health secretary faces an investigation by the UK’s data protection watchdog over his use of private email to conduct government business
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July 07, 2021
07
Jul'21
US Department of Defense cancels controversial $10bn JEDI contract
The US Department of Defense has cancelled the controversial JEDI cloud project awarded to Microsoft and will replace it with multi-supplier contracts.
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July 07, 2021
07
Jul'21
Opportunists seen targeting Kaseya REvil victims
Malwarebytes researchers highlight new spam campaign targeting businesses impacted by the ongoing Kaseya REvil ransomware incident
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July 06, 2021
06
Jul'21
Cyber insurance costs up by a third
The frequency and severity of ransomware attacks is a leading factor behind a substantial increase in the cost of obtaining cyber security insurance
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July 05, 2021
05
Jul'21
Government sets out plan for digital regulation
The plan aims to make the UK a “global leader” in digital regulation, boost economic growth and maximise the potential of digital technology
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July 05, 2021
05
Jul'21
How Transport for West Midlands works with geospatial data
Covid-19 showed why greater data granularity is key, with Transport for West Midlands turning to geospatial data to understand demand for services
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July 05, 2021
05
Jul'21
CIO interview: Simon McKinnon, chief digital and information officer, DWP
The Department for Work and Pensions’ CDIO sheds light on its digital ambitions and how it is bringing more digital capability in-house through the integration of Benefits and Pension Digital Technology Services staff