News

IT for government and public sector

• September 27, 2018 27 Sep'18

  Australian teen Apple hacker avoids jail time

  “Fan” who broke into Apple’s mainframe from his home in Melbourne has avoided prison because the information he gathered was recovered

• September 26, 2018 26 Sep'18

  ICO threatens fines for outstanding fees

  The UK’s privacy watchdog has issued warning letters to organisations, including some NHS trusts and government organisations, for failing to pay a new data protection fee

• September 26, 2018 26 Sep'18

  Indian IT giant TCS sees IBM and Accenture as nearest rivals

  Rapidly-growing Tata Consultancy Services has its eyes on the US IT giants, with customer service key if it is to overtake them

• September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18

  MI5 admits to ‘unlawful’ spying on Privacy International

  The UK's intelligence agencies acted unlawfully by intercepting communications data on NGO, Privacy International, the UK's most secret court ruled.

• September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18

  NHS Digital to publish new guidance on data standards

  Data could be a huge advantage for the NHS, but data quality and accessibility is still a big challenge, says NHS Digital CEO Sarah Wilkinson as she promises clear guidance on standards and interoperability

• September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18

  DWP IT chief Mayank Prakash quits for new job outside government

  Chief digital and information officer leaves after four years in the civil service – no news yet on his successor

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  InfoWatch opens training centre to help address Middle East skills shortage

  Security supplier offers Middle East customers cyber security and digital training facility as organisations in the region struggle to equip staff with latest skills

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  No Deal Brexit could mean additional costs for tech businesses

  The government plans to continue to enforce existing intellectual property rights in the event of a No Deal Brexit, according to the latest planning notices, but businesses could face additional costs to access EU and UK markets

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  Government launches £7.5m digital innovation fund for local councils

  Councils with digital innovation ideas can apply for grants up to £100,000 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  Fair trade software on the agenda but Dutch businesses not ready to buy it

  There is already free trade chocolate and coffee on supermarket shelves, but two Dutch tech entrepreneurs are trying to add free trade software to the mix

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  NHS Digital hires chief information security officer

  Robert Coles will lead the health and care sector’s response to cyber attacks and help local organisations meet the government’s cyber security standards

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  Phased roll-out of ESN to start in early 2019

  The government will adopt a phased approach to the roll-out of the new emergency services 4G communications network

• September 21, 2018 21 Sep'18

  Businesses that take humans with them on robotics journeys gain the most

  Businesses that put human development at the centre of their automation strategies will profit the most

• September 21, 2018 21 Sep'18

  Tech won’t solve customs border issues, House of Lords EU Committee finds

  Tech won’t solve potential customs issues at the border post-Brexit, at least not in the short term, and especially not in case of no-deal Brexit, according to a House of Lords report

• September 20, 2018 20 Sep'18

  Scottish government pumps £13.5m into The Data Lab

  Funding will help data innovation centre to explore data opportunities for Scotland’s economy

• September 20, 2018 20 Sep'18

  Digital economy competition panel meets to discuss regulations

  Experts on a new panel put together to review competition in the digital economy have met for the first time to discuss how to ensure the country has the right regulations in place

• September 20, 2018 20 Sep'18

  Police chiefs put plans in place as UK may lose access to EU data sharing tools post Brexit

  Police chiefs have put plans in place to help forces find alternatives to share and access information, should the UK lose access to EU data sharing systems post Brexit, but say processes would be “slower and ultimately less effective”

• September 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  IT sector advises Swedish government on elections and voting system

  Swedish IT secure is helping the government make election systems more secure and reduce external influence

• September 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  TechUK calls for councils to establish digital boards

  Local authorities should ensure they have a digital board made up of academia, local bodies and industry, to drive transformation, improve capacity and capability

• September 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  EU-backed bid to cap idle energy use by datacentre servers moves closer

  Move to improve the energy efficiency of datacentres by capping idle energy use by servers by 2020 comes one step closer, despite opposition from IBM, HPE and Dell-EMC

• September 18, 2018 18 Sep'18

  Migration Advisory Committee recommends lifting the Tier 2 visa cap

  A government committee has advised migration reforms to abolish the cap on the UK’s Tier 2 skilled worker visa

• September 18, 2018 18 Sep'18

  EU needs clear 5G regulation to guarantee mobile success

  The mobile ecosystem could be worth more than 4% of European GDP by 2022, if the right regulatory actions are taken by the European Union government

• September 18, 2018 18 Sep'18

  Government and businesses won’t be ready for no deal Brexit, says IfG

  The Institute for Government says progress on Brexit systems implementations hasn’t been fast enough, and businesses haven’t been given enough time to prepare for a no deal scenario

• September 18, 2018 18 Sep'18

  Leeds NHS trust vows to dump its fax machines by 2019

  Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has launched a campaign to get rid of its fax machines by January 2019 in a bid to remove paper and champion innovation

• September 17, 2018 17 Sep'18

  ESN delays are leaching vital funds from UK police forces

  Ongoing delays to the Emergency Services Network roll-out are costing the UK taxpayer £330m a year, according to the National Audit Office

• September 17, 2018 17 Sep'18

  Government stays firm on target of 25 million Gov.uk Verify users by 2020

  Cabinet Office has confirmed it is sticking to its target of having 25 million Verify users by 2020, despite government projects watchdog calling for project to be scrapped

• September 17, 2018 17 Sep'18

  Lib Dems want ‘Geneva Convention’ for use of tech in modern warfare

  Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, Jo Swinson, wants an international treaty on use of technology in modern warfare, and warns of the dangers of new technology leaving people behind

• September 17, 2018 17 Sep'18

  Middle East hungry for digitisation, says GE’s Bill Ruh

  The Middle East is among the most enthusiastic regions in terms of applying digital business models to traditional industries

• September 14, 2018 14 Sep'18

  Hancock touts his support for controversial GP at Hand service

  Health secretary says GP at Hand helps deliver a better service and that he wants to help the app expand across the country, as he highlights importance of embracing technology

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  No Deal Brexit could mean changes for telecoms industry and mobile roaming

  No Deal Brexit planning guidance documents say there could be changes to the UK electronic communications regulatory framework, and sets EU mobile roaming cap at £45 per month

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  No Deal Brexit may hinder free flow of personal data from EU to UK

  The government’s No Deal Brexit planning document on data protection warns free flow of personal data from EU isn’t guaranteed, and organisations must take action to ensure they will still be able receive data from Europe

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  GCHQ mass surveillance regime was in breach of human rights law, European court rules

  The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has ruled that the UK’s collection of bulk interception of communications data lacked adequate oversight and safeguards and was in breach of human rights law

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  Autumn Budget 2018: Guarantees sought over future funding of national quantum computing programme

  The chair of the Science and Tech Committee has written to the chancellor Philip Hammond to demand assurances that more funding for the UK's quantum computing efforts will be forthcoming in the Autumn 2018 budget

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  EU mobile roaming charges will not return post-Brexit, says Dominic Raab

  Amid fears that a no-deal Brexit could lead to the reintroduction of EU mobile roaming charges, the government has pledged to set a legislative limit on how much operators can charge

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  TechUK blasts European Parliament-backed revamp of EU-wide copyright laws

  Tech industry trade body claims the changes spell bad news for web users, after European Parliament MEPs vote in favour of plans to modernise the copyright laws for the digital age

• September 12, 2018 12 Sep'18

  NCSC issues core questions to help boards assess cyber risk

  The National Cyber Security Centre has published its first in a series of guidance for board members which highlights what businesses should be asking security teams

• September 12, 2018 12 Sep'18

  FCA warns it cannot manage financial crime risks without sharing data with EU

  FCA admits it will be unable to manage financial crime effectively if it cannot share data with EU authorities.

• September 11, 2018 11 Sep'18

  Health secretary launches digital platform for NHS staff

  Matt Hancock hopes the digital Talk Health and Care platform will encourage staff to share their ideas and views on how to make working in the NHS better

• September 11, 2018 11 Sep'18

  UK security vetting IT system failing, says NAO

  The National Audit Office is critical of the government’s project to centralise its security vetting process, as the IT system has been plagued by failures from the start and has led to serious delays

• September 10, 2018 10 Sep'18

  Can technology save our NHS?

  By the technophiles, digital is seen as the holy grail that will save our NHS, but is technology the answer, and how long will it be before we have a digital NHS?

• September 10, 2018 10 Sep'18

  Irish tax office testing out artificial intelligence for customer services

  The Irish tax office and IT supplier Accenture tries out artificial intelligence for its customer service

• September 10, 2018 10 Sep'18

  Government positive to Science and Technology Committee’s report on algorithms

  The government has issued its overwhelmingly positive response to the Science and Technology Committee’s report on the use of algorithms in decision making, published earlier this year

• September 07, 2018 07 Sep'18

  Senior civil servants address TechUK smarter state theme

  Senior government officials spoke at a TechUK “smarter state” event, revealing ambitious AI policy alongside a “back to basics” drive to get data right

• September 07, 2018 07 Sep'18

  North Korean programmer charged for WannaCry attacks

  The US has charged a member of a group of North Korean hackers linked to the WannaCry, Sony Pictures and other cyber attacks around the world

• September 06, 2018 06 Sep'18

  Health secretary Matt Hancock to boost NHS IT with £200m fund

  Matt Hancock will announce a £200m fund for further digital centres of excellence and plans to pilot the NHS app across England, but shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth calls the plans a “pipe dream”

• September 06, 2018 06 Sep'18

  All acute NHS trusts in England now using e-referrals

  NHS trusts have reached 100% uptake of NHS England’s e-referral service, ahead of October 2018 deadline

• September 05, 2018 05 Sep'18

  Government projects watchdog recommends terminating Gov.uk Verify identity project

  Infrastructure & Projects Authority says Whitehall departments are unwilling to fund flagship GDS identity programme – cancellation would mean writing off at least £130m spent so far

• September 05, 2018 05 Sep'18

  Health minister launches code of conduct for health tech data

  The code of conduct – focused around data-driven tech such as AI – aims to deepen trust between researchers, innovators, patients and clinicians, according to health minister James O’Shaughnessy

• September 05, 2018 05 Sep'18

  Nordic states collaborate in Arctic IT projects

  Nordic countries are working together to introduce advanced communications networks in the most isolated Northerly regions

• September 05, 2018 05 Sep'18

  If we don't digitise NHS, we are condemning people to die, says NHS England’s operational director

  NHS England’s national director for operations, Matthew Swindells, calls for a complete overhaul of the way the NHS delivers care, claiming the current model “is not viable”