News

IT for government and public sector

• August 13, 2020 13 Aug'20

  CIO interview: Mark Gannon, director of business change and information, Sheffield City Council

  Like many organisations, the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated digital change in Sheffield, and its IT leader is looking to build further on that momentum

• August 12, 2020 12 Aug'20

  EU and US start discussions on ‘enhanced’ Privacy Shield data-sharing agreement

  Talks begin on a successor to the Privacy Shield EU-US data-sharing agreement declared unlawful in July 2020 – a decision by the European Court of Justice that left thousands of businesses facing legal uncertainty

• August 12, 2020 12 Aug'20

  Government awards funding for innovation projects

  The funding for innovative projects forms part of the government’s plan to increase research and development spending, which it claims will aid the UK’s post-Covid-19 economic recovery

• August 12, 2020 12 Aug'20

  Police use of facial recognition found ‘unlawful’ in court

  In a landmark decision, the Court of Appeal has ruled that South Wales Police’s facial recognition deployments breached human rights and data protection laws

• August 10, 2020 10 Aug'20

  Government launches digital identity checking pilot

  More than a year after first announced, the government has launched a year-long pilot of its post-Brexit digital identity checking service

• August 10, 2020 10 Aug'20

  Gov.uk Verify continues to pose ‘notable risk’ to Cabinet Office

  Government Digital Service put in place “unprecedented measures” in response to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic and built several new digital services, but its Gov.uk Verify programme continues to “pose notable risk” to the department, according ...

• August 07, 2020 07 Aug'20

  Data Standards Authority publishes guidance on government data sharing

  The Data Standards Authority (DSA) wants government departments to use new open data standards when sharing data, with the aim of improving public services

• August 07, 2020 07 Aug'20

  Government should prioritise product-led startups, says UKTCG

  UK Tech Cluster Group report calls on government to prioritise startups, provide test beds for digital innovation and establish programmes to enable tech careers for people who have lost their jobs due to Covid-19

• August 07, 2020 07 Aug'20

  Government pumps £650m into Northern Ireland border

  Funding for the Northern Ireland border includes £200m for a Trader Support Service and £155m to develop technology to support traders during post-Brexit transition period

• August 06, 2020 06 Aug'20

  If you hire foreign IT staff, ‘you’re fired’, Trump tells bosses in government-owned entities

  Donald Trump has fired a pre-election warning to government organisations that give IT jobs to workers from overseas

• August 06, 2020 06 Aug'20

  TfL Go launched to support travel in London during pandemic

  New tool aims to enable users to plan routes and comply with social distancing measures while using public transport

• August 06, 2020 06 Aug'20

  Planning system to get digital overhaul

  Government proposal on reform of the planning system sets out plans for modernising the planning process though use of data, interactive online systems and collaboration with the property technology sector

• August 06, 2020 06 Aug'20

  NHS seeks new national data guardian for health and care

  New national data guardian will take over the post from Fiona Caldicott, working to build trust in data use across health and social care

• August 05, 2020 05 Aug'20

  Netherlands investigates innovative privacy technology SSI

  Dutch research organisation is looking into areas where self-sovereign identity technology could be used in society and business

• August 05, 2020 05 Aug'20

  Egypt’s datacentre plans take key step forward

  Government lays the foundations for a datacentre industry with its new data protection law

• August 05, 2020 05 Aug'20

  Home Office drops ‘racist’ visa algorithm

  The Home Secretary has pledged to stop using an algorithmic decision-making system to assess visa applications after migrant welfare and technology justice groups challenged the tool for helping to create a hostile environment for migrants

• August 04, 2020 04 Aug'20

  Police require radical reform to deal with 21st century challenges

  Early findings from a major review of policing reveal forces are struggling to keep pace with the changing nature of crime

• August 03, 2020 03 Aug'20

  Estonian police and border services need better IT to block criminals from becoming e-residents

  Police and Border Guard Board of Estonia needs to improve its IT systems to stop criminals from becoming e-residents, says report

• August 03, 2020 03 Aug'20

  Economic Affairs Committee calls for Universal Credit reform

  Lords Select Committee finds the design of the Universal Credit system is ‘failing millions of people’, including a ‘significant minority’ who struggle with the digital service

• July 31, 2020 31 Jul'20

  Experts launch digital skills project for civil servants

  International tech education experts from 10 institutions across the world have developed an online education programme for public servants

• July 31, 2020 31 Jul'20

  Hancock: Better tech means better healthcare

  The coronavirus pandemic has “catalysed” data-driven decision making in the NHS, according to health secretary Matt Hancock, promising a future NHS that “doubles down” on technological advances

• July 31, 2020 31 Jul'20

  Labour Party is latest victim of Blackbaud ransomware attack

  Widening Blackbaud data breach ensnares the Labour Party as the cloud software firm continues to duck questions about its behaviour

• July 31, 2020 31 Jul'20

  US lawmakers grill big tech chiefs over market power

  Sixth antitrust hearing sees CEOs of major technology companies face combative questioning from members of Congress over their market power and dominance

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  HMCTS video hearings service scrutinised in LSE report

  Independent evaluation looks at user experience of video functionality for courts and tribunals

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  EC launches digital identity consultation

  European Commission’s consultation will look at revisions to the eIDAS regulation, aiming to improve effectiveness and extend it to the private sector

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  How Broxbourne is evolving digital transformation beyond Covid-19

  The small town of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire is building on work before and during the pandemic to advance its modernisation agenda

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  Treasury plans speedy approach to project delivery

  Treasury will become the “new radicals” of Whitehall, taking charge of getting rid of legacy IT, making data-driven decisions and investing in data infrastructure

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  Tech sector calls on government to 'urgently' resolve delays in digital identity policy

  Trade body TechUK has written privately to DCMS secretary of state to express industry frustrations and request ‘urgent needs’ are resolved to enable digital identity market in UK

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  Finland government funds work on potential quantum leap

  Finland's government is committing money to the development of quantum computing technologies to potentially provide a giant leap for the nation's industries

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  List of Blackbaud breach victims tops 120

  More than 120 education and third-sector organisations may have had their data compromised through the breach of Blackbaud’s cloud platform

• July 29, 2020 29 Jul'20

  Campaigners urge government to resist big tech lobbying pressure

  Lobbyists for big tech, supported by senior US politicians, have rallied against stricter regulation of technology companies, and threatened the US-UK trade deal unless Britain scraps plans to levy a digital services tax

• July 29, 2020 29 Jul'20

  Schrems steps up pressure on Irish data protection commissioner on Facebook’s data sharing with US

  Austrian lawyer is considering ‘other’ options if the Irish data protection commissioner does not make a decision by October on his seven-year-old complaint against Facebook

• July 28, 2020 28 Jul'20

  De Montfort, KCL, Newcastle universities join list of Blackbaud victims

  Embattled cloud services provider now has big questions to answer over its handling of data belonging to UK universities and charities

• July 28, 2020 28 Jul'20

  NCSC names national security expert Lindy Cameron as new CEO

  New National Cyber Security Centre head joins from the Northern Ireland Office and has spent 20 years in government at home and abroad

• July 28, 2020 28 Jul'20

  UK government aims fintech industry at Africa

  UK government is building fintech relationships with developing countries, beginning with a pilot programme in Africa

• July 28, 2020 28 Jul'20

  Councils get funding to build on Covid-19 digital progress

  The latest council funding is intended to ensure continued modernisation in public services delivery

• July 27, 2020 27 Jul'20

  MI6 apologises after attempt to interfere with intelligence court

  The UK Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, has apologised after attempting to persuade the secretary of Britain’s most secret court to withhold documents from senior judges in a case about crimes by undercover agents

• July 24, 2020 24 Jul'20

  Venture firm Public launches fourth GovTech accelerator

  The GovStart 2020 accelerator programme is looking for innovators working on transport, health and workforce-related technology to help get more startups working on the delivery of public services

• July 24, 2020 24 Jul'20

  Inquiry launched into role of tech in Covid-19 recovery

  Science and Technology Committee will look at the role of technology and innovation as the UK recovers from the coronavirus pandemic

• July 24, 2020 24 Jul'20

  Courts to trial digital case management system from September 2020

  The Common Platform digital system will eventually replace a series of existing software applications, and will be rolled out to criminal courts over the next year

• July 24, 2020 24 Jul'20

  Government launches space innovation programme

  The government’s innovation programme will initially pump £15m into projects using space technology to tackle global issues, as well as international space projects and partnerships

• July 23, 2020 23 Jul'20

  UK government aims for tech-enabled border

  A consultation has been launched to gather views on how digital approaches can improve trader and traveller demands by 2025

• July 22, 2020 22 Jul'20

  DCMS loses government data policy to the Cabinet Office

  Prime minister Boris Johnson has taken away responsibility for the government use of data from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and given it to the Cabinet Office

• July 22, 2020 22 Jul'20

  New opportunities for Nordic startups post-Covid-19 as virtual offices become the norm

  As companies adjust to digital office life in the pandemic era, a host of Nordic startups are already helping them convert these short-term fixes into long-term strategy

• July 22, 2020 22 Jul'20

  TfL contracts Capita for London Underground section of emergency services network

  Capita will implement the network infrastructure that will enable the emergency services mobile network to work on the London Underground

• July 21, 2020 21 Jul'20

  CDEI calls for ‘step change’ in public sector data sharing

  Public sector needs to change the way data is shared, clarify governance arrangements and work on building public trust and awareness, according to a Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation report

• July 21, 2020 21 Jul'20

  HMRC extends Making Tax Digital programme

  Programme to be extended gradually until April 2023 to cover business below the VAT threshold and income tax self-assessments above £10,000 a year

• July 20, 2020 20 Jul'20

  Covid-19 outbreak ramps up data focus at LOTI

  The boroughs working in local government coalition LOTI are focusing on joining up and acting on data-driven insights to help communities through the crisis and beyond

• July 20, 2020 20 Jul'20

  Government launches fintech review

  Sector review, first touted in the 2020 Budget, aims to find ways to boost competitiveness and growth

• July 20, 2020 20 Jul'20

  DVLA makes technological progress

  Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has introduced a 24/7 chatbot, modernised its core IT network and is prototyping robotic process automation