News
IT for government and public sector
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March 07, 2024
07
Mar'24
CCS U-turns on G-Cloud 14 insurance requirements after supplier backlash
The government procurement agency has reversed previous plans for a £20m increase in insurance cover that threatened to deter smaller suppliers from bidding for cloud computing contracts
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March 07, 2024
07
Mar'24
Government insists it is acting ‘responsibly’ on military AI
The government has responded to calls from a Lords committee that it must “proceed with caution” when it comes to autonomous weapons and military artificial intelligence, arguing that caution is already embedded throughout its approach
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March 07, 2024
07
Mar'24
Fujitsu should pay half of Post Office scandal costs, says select committee chair
Select committee chair says Fujitsu should pay half of the costs to repair damage caused by Post Office scandal
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March 07, 2024
07
Mar'24
NI Policing Board pressed to open inquiry into PSNI spying on journalists’ phones
Amnesty International and the Committee on the Administration of Justice have asked Northern Ireland’s policing watchdog to open an inquiry into the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s use of surveillance powers against journalists
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March 07, 2024
07
Mar'24
MPs call for Post Office exclusion from compensation schemes, as trust hits rock bottom
Former subpostmasters and MPs do not trust the Post Office to do the right thing for victims of the Horizon IT scandal
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March 06, 2024
06
Mar'24
Chancellor targets £36bn productivity boost with £4.2bn digital transformation plan
In his 2024 spring budget, Jeremy Hunt announced funding to use tech to improve productivity across the public sector, with most of the cash focused on digital initiatives in the NHS
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March 06, 2024
06
Mar'24
‘Brutal’ decisions required to sort out Post Office mess, says select committee chair
Liam Byrne, chair of the business and trade select committee, tells Computer Weekly about the group’s focus on getting Horizon scandal victims what they are owed
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March 06, 2024
06
Mar'24
Post Office prosecutions during Horizon go-live phase are ‘frightening’
The Post Office used subpostmasters as guinea pigs to test its software and take the rap for its errors
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March 05, 2024
05
Mar'24
Open Rights Group accuses LiveRamp of ‘unlawful’ data processing
Privacy campaigners at Open Rights Group have submitted formal complaints to UK and French data regulators about allegedly unlawful data processing by online advertising firm LiveRamp
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March 05, 2024
05
Mar'24
Derby City Council extends AI project with multi-million deal after saving £200,000 with chatbots
Following on from the success of its initial pilot project using artificial intelligence, Derby City Council claims to have found 54 other ways the technology can save it money
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March 05, 2024
05
Mar'24
Banning ransomware payments back on the agenda
The idea of banning ransomware payments to cyber criminals is back on the agenda, with former NCSC chief Ciaran Martin arguing that tougher measures need to be taken
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March 04, 2024
04
Mar'24
Perverting course of justice and contempt of Parliament: a week in post-drama Post Office scandal
As another week in the post-drama Post Office scandal passes, Computer Weekly looks at some of the key moments
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March 04, 2024
04
Mar'24
Jeremy Hunt to deliver tech-laden Spring Budget
The chancellor’s 2024 Budget will cover a £800m funding package to boost public sector productivity through technology, with cash for police tech, the justice system transformation programme and the NHS
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March 04, 2024
04
Mar'24
Amazon lobbyists banned from European Parliament
Amazon lobbyists have had their access badges to the European Parliament revoked, following allegedly repeated refusals to engage with lawmakers on issues around working conditions and rights
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March 04, 2024
04
Mar'24
G-Cloud 14 insurance requirements ‘under review’ by CCS after SME supplier backlash
CCS has confirmed to Computer Weekly the insurance requirements for Lots 1 to 3 of the G-Cloud 14 framework are under review, as SME-focused minister pledges to investigate matter
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March 01, 2024
01
Mar'24
Scottish government opens Techscaler hub in Silicon Valley
The Scottish Techscaler programme is piloting its first overseas hub, which will have space for 12 startups wanting to grow their businesses
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March 01, 2024
01
Mar'24
KC names Post Office staff he believes conspired to pervert the course of justice
Leading KC names Post Office staff he believes perverted the course of justice when crushing subpostmasters in court
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March 01, 2024
01
Mar'24
MPs demand Fujitsu be ‘nailed down’ on financial promise to Post Office scandal victims
Select committee hears that government is talking to Fujitsu about its contribution towards the costs of the Horizon scandal but it is not yet negotiating
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February 29, 2024
29
Feb'24
Home Office GPS tagging of asylum seekers breaches data protection law
The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued an enforcement notice against the Home Office after finding its programme to tag asylum seekers with GPS monitors breaches data protection law
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February 29, 2024
29
Feb'24
DSIT publishes results of public digital identity trust consultation
Report from Department for Science, Innovation and Technology shows UK public wants government to be accountable and transparent, and views trust and inclusivity as key
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February 29, 2024
29
Feb'24
Government sets out research plans for 2024
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology highlights cyber security, artificial intelligence and telecoms as areas where it would like to build evidence and bridge knowledge gaps in current research
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February 29, 2024
29
Feb'24
Post Office CEO’s claim to be ‘working hard’ on Capture investigation in doubt
The Post Office hasn’t even contacted Capture Software users brought to its attention, but CEO claimed, under oath, that the organisation has been ‘working hard’ on the cases for five weeks
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February 29, 2024
29
Feb'24
Police arrested journalists as part of surveillance operation to identify confidential sources
Three police forces took part in surveillance operations between 2011 and 2018 to identify sources that leaked information to journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal hears
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February 28, 2024
28
Feb'24
New version of ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware hits victims
An updated version of the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware has been spotted in the wild amid a series of attacks on American healthcare providers, prompting a new alert from the authorities
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February 28, 2024
28
Feb'24
75% of third-party breaches target software, IT supply chains
Data drawn from SecurityScorecard’s telemetry reveals how supply chain breaches are becoming a weapon of choice for threat actors
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February 28, 2024
28
Feb'24
Users love their cyber teams, but find them frustrating
Despite strong support for security teams, a good number of ordinary workers see them as obstructive to business goals, and would like to see them operate more transparently
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February 28, 2024
28
Feb'24
IR35 reforms: PAC concerned HMRC’s ‘tough’ enforcement is harming contractors
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has raised red flags over how HMRC is policing the IR35 rules out of concern its actions might be putting public and private sector organisations off hiring contractors
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February 28, 2024
28
Feb'24
‘Pathetic’ Post Office spat detracts attention and fuels ‘disdain’ for authority
Former Post Office chair’s row with the government and Post Office cannot be allowed to deflect attention away from achieving justice and recompense for former subpostmasters
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February 28, 2024
28
Feb'24
UC finetunes tech strategy to support digital masterplan
The University of Canberra is scoping a new project to determine data, integration and multicloud strategies to support its long-term digital roadmap
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February 28, 2024
28
Feb'24
CCS accused of pricing G-Cloud SMEs out of framework with £20m insurance cover hike
The Crown Commercial Service’s commitment to helping SMEs win more government cloud deals is being called into question again, following news that it is planning to up the insurance cover required by G-Cloud 14 suppliers by £20m
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February 27, 2024
27
Feb'24
Black Basta and Bl00dy ransomware gangs exploiting ConnectWise vulns
More ransomware gangs have been observed exploiting two dangerous vulnerabilities in ConnectWise ScreenConnect software, prompting new warnings for users to get patching
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February 27, 2024
27
Feb'24
VulnCheck bug listing to help track new threats quicker
Exploit intelligence firm VulnCheck launches a proprietary Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue in hopes of improving end-user access to intel on emerging threats and reaching those that the likes of CISA do not
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February 27, 2024
27
Feb'24
Government should face legal deadlines on paying Post Office victims
The government should face a legal deadline on paying Horizon scandal victims and unfair previous settlements should be reopened, MPs have been told - amid further boardroom controversy at the Post Office
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February 27, 2024
27
Feb'24
Majority of UK employees ‘willingly gamble’ with security
Human-centric threats originating from employees continue to damage organisations both financially and reputationally, according to a report
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February 27, 2024
27
Feb'24
Cozy Bear and other APTs changing tack as cloud adoption increases
A change in APT tactics has been observed resulting from greater adoption of cloud-based services, according to the NCSC
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February 26, 2024
26
Feb'24
Government won’t rush to include Post Office Capture convictions in overturning legislation
The government said it does not yet have the 'right body of evidence' to include users of the Post Office's Capture software in Horizon compensation schemes and legislation to overturn convictions
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February 26, 2024
26
Feb'24
Birmingham looks into reimplementing troubled Oracle ERP
City council audit committee meeting shows Birmingham City Council plans to follow Oracle best practices
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February 26, 2024
26
Feb'24
Post Office scandal roundup: Fourth Estate in full throttle
January saw mainstream media take hold of the Post Office scandal, and while that first month saw much regurgitation of old news, February saw large media outlets take story forward
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February 26, 2024
26
Feb'24
Secret court hears claims of police surveillance against journalists
Journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey argue that the use of covert powers by the police to identify their confidential sources represents an attack on press freedom
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February 23, 2024
23
Feb'24
King Charles strips disgraced Post Office CEO of her CBE
Disgraced former Post Office CEO, central to the Horizon scandal, has her CBE formally stripped
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February 23, 2024
23
Feb'24
ConnectWise users see cyber attacks surge, including ransomware
ConnectWise ScreenConnect users who have yet to patch against a critical vulnerability are now being targeted by a barrage of cyber attacks, including ransomware
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February 23, 2024
23
Feb'24
Home Office signs tech and data sharing deal with Frontex
The UK’s deal with the EU border agency is intended to improve operational cooperation, and will expand British authorities’ access to technology and data that can be used to reduce small boat crossings of the English Channel
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February 22, 2024
22
Feb'24
Law to clear hundreds of wrongfully convicted subpostmasters expected in July
Law to overturn Post Office convictions based on computer evidence set to be introduced in July following unprecedented legislation
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February 22, 2024
22
Feb'24
Mid and South Essex sets out plans for shared care record
The Essex-based integrated care system is developing a shared care record for health and social care, aiming to go live in spring 2024
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February 21, 2024
21
Feb'24
CVE volumes set to increase 25% this year
The number of reported Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures is likely to grow significantly in 2024, hitting a new high of almost 35,000, according to Coalition, a cyber insurance specialist
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February 21, 2024
21
Feb'24
Assange created a ‘grave and immediate risk’, says US government, as it seeks extradition
Lawyers for the US government hit back at claims that extraditing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is politically motivated
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February 21, 2024
21
Feb'24
Unisys investigating potential involvement in controversial Post Office system
IT supplier wants to get to the bottom of its role in the distribution of the Post Office’s controversial Capture software, linked to potential wrongful convictions
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February 20, 2024
20
Feb'24
Birmingham City Council needs a further £45m to fix ‘disastrous’ Oracle system
Birmingham City Council’s ERP system is failing to deliver an accurate ledger, which means finance staff have spent months manually entering cost centre data
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February 20, 2024
20
Feb'24
US extradition of Julian Assange is ‘state retaliation’ for exposing war crimes, court hears
Lawyers argue that the US extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is politically motivated and in is breach of the UK-US extradition treaty
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February 20, 2024
20
Feb'24
Government agrees law to protect confidential journalistic material from state hacking
The government will update Investigatory Powers Act to require secret intelligence agencies to seek independent approval before accessing confidential journalistic material obtained by bulk hacking, but journalists remain vulnerable to other bulk ...