News

IT legislation and regulation

• 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

• 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

• July 27, 2021 27 Jul'21

  ICO ends its involvement in dispute between NatWest Bank and data breach whistleblower

  The Information Commissioner’s Office has ended its involvement in a dispute between a data breach whistleblower and NatWest bank

• July 27, 2021 27 Jul'21

  US lawmakers call for probe into ‘arrogant’ spyware firm

  US members of Congress have called for an investigation into NSO Group, the spyware supplier at the centre of a massive surveillance scandal

• July 27, 2021 27 Jul'21

  TikTok sets up cyber security hub in Dublin

  Dublin-based cyber centre will oversee the security of TikTok’s users across Europe

• 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

• 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

• 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

• July 20, 2021 20 Jul'21

  Government shares vision for digitised energy system as it pursues net-zero emissions target

  Strategy is geared towards readying the UK energy system for the transition from fossil fuels to renewable power through digital transformation

• July 20, 2021 20 Jul'21

  NCSC’s Cameron urges deeper cyber alliance-building

  Speaking to an event in Israel, NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron has praised joint UK-Israeli efforts on security collaboration

• July 20, 2021 20 Jul'21

  NHS Digital tightens rules for GPDPR data scrape

  The proposed collection of patient data held by GPs will now only commence when three key criteria have been fulfilled, says NHS Digital

• 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

• July 19, 2021 19 Jul'21

  HMRC CEO claims email querying legal basis for loan charge ‘overplayed’ at committee hearing

  HMRC CEO Jim Harra continues to downplay significance of email questioning legal basis of the loan charge during a grilling by the Economic Affairs Committee

• July 19, 2021 19 Jul'21

  UK, US confirm Chinese state backed MS Exchange Server attacks

  UK and US governments, alongside the EU and Nato, have formally attributed the March 2021 Microsoft Exchange Server attacks to Chinese state-backed actors

• July 15, 2021 15 Jul'21

  Lawyers take EncroChat hacking operation to French supreme court

  Lawyers head to French supreme court after appeals court finds EnroChat inception legal under French law

• 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

• July 15, 2021 15 Jul'21

  Privacy Shield: US surveillance law reforms essential for EU-US data, says EU parliamentary study

  EU Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs study calls for major reforms of US spying laws to enable an EU-US data-sharing agreement to replace Privacy Shield

• 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

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  Secureworks sets up in EU datacentre for XDR services

  New datacentre location helps Secureworks’ customers meet EU data residency requirements

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  IR35: Contractors demand tax and employment law alignment to protect ‘zero-rights’ workers

  Government is again facing calls to ensure contractors that pay the same amount of tax as permanent employees also receive the same workplace benefits

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  Met Police seize £180m worth of Bitcoin

  The largest ever seizure of cryptocurrency in the UK comes just weeks after a previous multi-million pound confiscation, as law enforcement clamps down on money laundering

• July 12, 2021 12 Jul'21

  CMA consults on market investigation into emergency services’ mobile radio network

  Competition watchdog considers whether to launch market investigation into role played by Motorola’s mobile radio network used by all emergency services in UK

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• July 07, 2021 07 Jul'21

  Social robots on the rise in the Netherlands

  The acceptance of robots being used in everyday life is making significant strides, but this is just the beginning

• July 07, 2021 07 Jul'21

  Former Bank of England CIO joins Co-op Group as CTO

  Rob Elsey joins the Co-op Group at a time when the organisation is undergoing major digital transformation

• July 07, 2021 07 Jul'21

  How the UK Cyber Security Council plans to professionalise security

  As chair of the new UK Cyber Security Council, Claudia Natanson is in a superb position to develop professional standards in IT security and she intends to fundamentally reimagine what a security job actually is

• July 06, 2021 06 Jul'21

  Bank of England searches for new CIO amid once-in-a-generation project

  The Bank of England is recruiting a head of IT during a period of major change in its core IT system

• July 06, 2021 06 Jul'21

  Klarna under investigation by Swedish finance watchdog

  Swedish fintech is being investigated by financial services regulator after customer information was visible to others

• 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

• July 06, 2021 06 Jul'21

  BA reaches settlement in data breach group action

  A group action against BA following its 2018 data breach has been successfully settled

• 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

• July 03, 2021 03 Jul'21

  Berlin court finds EncroChat intercept evidence cannot be used in criminal trials

  In a major setback for police hacking operations, Berlin’s regional court has decided that intercepted data from the EncroChat phone network should not be used in criminal prosecutions

• July 02, 2021 02 Jul'21

  UK needs legislation with specific focus on biometric technologies

  The UK’s former biometrics commissioner has told MPs that Parliament should explicitly legislate on the use of biometric technologies so it is clear to both police and private companies which uses are acceptable

• July 01, 2021 01 Jul'21

  NHS IT fraudster Barry Stannard sentenced to five years in prison

  Stannard used his position as head of unified communications at an Essex NHS Trust to cheat the taxpayer of more than £800,000

• June 30, 2021 30 Jun'21

  Cops seize criminal VPN used by ransomware gangs

  A coordinated sting has ended the operations of the DoubleVPN service, the owners of which are accused of harbouring cyber criminal activity

• June 28, 2021 28 Jun'21

  Insurers unprepared for challenges of underwriting ransomware

  RUSI think tank calls for an industry-wide reset amid intense challenges for providers of cyber security insurance

• June 28, 2021 28 Jun'21

  UK government announces high-tech lab to boost 5G diversification strategy

  As a central pillar of strategy to build a more secure and innovative 5G supply chain, Sonic Labs test facility opens to explore ways of building 5G networks in a ‘simulated’ real-world environment

• June 28, 2021 28 Jun'21

  UK’s FCA bans crypto exchange Binance as crackdown spreads

  Ban on Binance Markets comes amid a wider global crackdown on the largely unregulated global market for cryptocurrencies and related assets.

• June 28, 2021 28 Jun'21

  IR35 reforms: HMRC questioned about CEST as tax status of 210,000 contractors left 'undetermined'

  Data published by HMRC confirms that the tax authority’s IR35 status checker tool has failed to determined how contractors should be taxed in hundreds of thousands of cases since November 2019

• June 28, 2021 28 Jun'21

  HMRC-branded phishing scams surge despite protections

  The number of HMRC-branded phishing scams surged 87% in the past 12 months, according to latest revealed figures

• June 25, 2021 25 Jun'21

  NCSC CEO: UK-Ireland collaboration crucial to stop cyber threats

  Speaking at a conference in Dublin, NCSC Lindy Cameron is highlighting the importance of continued collaboration between the UK and Ireland to protect shared interests and counter security threats

• June 25, 2021 25 Jun'21

  CMA to probe Amazon and Google over fake reviews

  The CMA has opened an investigation into Amazon and Google over possible breaches of consumer protection law

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  UK workers demand economic recovery to be built on better internet access

  Cisco announces index of broadband services in the UK and reveals lead role in government’s levelling-up initiative designed to help close the digital divide

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  Revealed: Crypto platform’s role in Cl0p ransomware raid

  Crypto infrastructure provider Binance provided assistance to law enforcement after finding its exchange was being used by cyber criminals to launder their ransomware profits

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  Online Safety Bill unfit for purpose, says new campaign group

  Campaign group set up to oppose Online Safety Bill says the duty of care is too simplistic, cedes too much power to US corporations and will, in practice, privilege the speech of journalists or politicians

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  EncroChat investigators had access to decryption ‘master key’, claim lawyers

  Defence lawyers claim that French investigators compromised the encryption of EncroChat and were able to decrypt messages from servers in a French datacentre

• June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21

  European Union to set up new cyber response unit

  Proposed Joint Cyber Unit will tackle a rising number of serious incidents impacting public services, businesses and citizens of the EU

• June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21

  Openness can protect Dutch companies against ransomware

  Dutch businesses that suffer ransomware attacks need to be more open about it, if this growing problem is to be brought under control

• June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21

  SonicWall sees 226.3 million ransomware attack attempts this year

  SonicWall detected 226.3 million attempted ransomware attacks between January and May 2021, more than double the number seen in the same period last year

• June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21

  EU regulators call for ban on biometrics in public spaces

  European Union’s data protection regulators say facial recognition and other biometric identification technologies present too great a risk to fundamental human rights to be allowed in public spaces

• June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21

  CDEI: UK public wants clear algorithmic transparency policies

  A research exercise by the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation has found the UK public wants clear, easy-to-understand information about algorithms in use by the public sector

• June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21

  NSPCC, IWF help under-18s scrub their nude photos from the web

  Report Remove tool is designed to be used by under-18s to report nude images or videos of themselves that have appeared online

• June 21, 2021 21 Jun'21

  NHSX set to unveil post-Covid data strategy

  The smart use of patient data could power new AI-based healthcare systems and speed up the discovery of new treatments

• June 18, 2021 18 Jun'21

  ICO issues guidance on facial recognition in public spaces

  Information commissioner’s concern over the problematic use of facial recognition in public spaces has prompted her to publish official guidance on its deployment, while civil society calls for an outright ban

• June 18, 2021 18 Jun'21

  UK taskforce calls for cutting GDPR protections

  The UK’s Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform has recommended scrapping safeguards against automated decision-making contained in the General Data Protection Regulation

• June 17, 2021 17 Jun'21

  Biden tackles Putin on ransomware at Geneva summit

  Discussions between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin on cyber crime appear to have been somewhat positive, but the path ahead remains unclear

• June 16, 2021 16 Jun'21

  Cl0p ransomware gang clapped in irons, assets seized

  Ukrainian police report they have taken down the Cl0p, aka Clop, ransomware operation following a lengthy investigation

• June 16, 2021 16 Jun'21

  Lack of clarity hinders UK gigabit broadband roll-out

  UK’s ability to capitalise on solid current momentum in roll-out of next-generation gigabit broadband is at risk because too few consumers are aware of the technology and its benefits, study warns

• June 16, 2021 16 Jun'21

  Competition and Markets Authority turns attention to Google and Apple

  Are the two dominant mobile operating system providers anti-competitive? The Competition and Markets Authority shines a spotlight on the two digital giants

• June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21

  Privacy pro salaries rise throughout pandemic, but at a cost

  Data from the IAPP’s latest salary survey reveals some insight into how the pandemic impacted the privacy profession

• June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21

  The Security Interviews: How to build a government model to ‘hack for good’

  Kyle Hanslovan started Huntress to give back after a career in the intelligence sector. After US authorities took action to help people hit by the Microsoft Exchange attacks, we discussed how governments can ‘hack for good’

• June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21

  IR35 tribunal sees Nationwide IT contractor lose second appeal against £70,000 HMRC tax bill

  Tribunal dismisses second appeal by IT project manager Robert Lee that his contracts with Nationwide would fall out of scope of the IR35 legislation

• June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21

  CMA secures commitments from Google on future of cookies

  The Competition and Markets Authority is opening a consultation on commitments offered to it by Google to ensure its Privacy Sandbox proposals do not harm digital advertising markets

• June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21

  UK promises tougher line on cyber crime

  Speaking ahead of the G7 Summit, foreign secretary Dominic Raab says the UK is ready to take on cyber criminals and other malicious actors wherever they may be

• June 10, 2021 10 Jun'21

  BEIS confirms rogue umbrellas will be covered by single enforcement body’s clampdown powers

  Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy moves to clarify that rogue umbrella firms will be in-scope of its soon-to-be-created single enforcement body, which will focus on protecting workers’ rights

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  FBI arrests distributors accused of selling An0m encrypted phones to crime groups

  Working with overseas law enforcement, the FBI has arrested eight people and named a further 13 accused of distributing An0m phones to organised crime groups

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  RSA spins out fraud and risk unit as Outseer

  RSA Security is transitioning its fraud and risk intelligence work into a new business to be called Outseer

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  Klarna takes on UK credit card providers with feature that breaks up online payments

  Fintech unicorn introduces feature to its app in the UK which will challenge traditional credit card providers

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  Colonial Pipeline ransom seizure is a win, but don’t relax yet

  The security community is enthusiastic about the US authorities’ recovery of a significant part of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware payment, but this positivity should perhaps be somewhat tempered

• June 08, 2021 08 Jun'21

  NHS Digital delays data collection plans until September

  NHS Digital has postponed its proposed collection of GP data for two months, to allow more time for the public to understand the process and opt out if wanted

• June 08, 2021 08 Jun'21

  National data guardian calls for dialogue on NHS Digital GP plans

  The UK’s national data guardian says it is important the public has clarity on how their confidential medical information will be used and kept secure under NHS data-sharing plans

• June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21

  EU privacy chief investigates use of US cloud services

  Use of Amazon and Microsoft’s cloud services by public sector bodies in the European Union is being scrutinised by the bloc’s privacy watchdog

• June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21

  Bank of England calls for feedback on digital currencies

  The UK financial services regulator is calling for feedback from organisations, including tech firms, on the use of cryptocurrency

• June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21

  IBM pushes back against US government data requests

  Technology giant IBM says the US government has ‘no jurisdiction’ to request data from its European entities

• June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21

  Campaigners plan legal action over NHS data sharing

  Privacy coalition aims to force NHS Digital to push back its plans to scrape medical information on millions of patients into a central database

• June 04, 2021 04 Jun'21

  UK immigration exemption in Data Protection Act found unlawful

  Court of Appeal rules immigration exemption unlawful, but further hearings will follow to decide what remedies must be put in place

• June 04, 2021 04 Jun'21

  IR35 reforms: Qdos research suggests room for improvement

  The IR35 reforms came into force in April 2021, but research from contracting authority Qdos suggests some end-client organisation's compliance strategies require urgent improvement

• June 04, 2021 04 Jun'21

  BCS: Lack of communication over NHS GPDPR ‘astonishing’

  The Chartered Institute for IT has warned that millions of people are not being properly informed of NHS Digital plans to harvest their data

• June 04, 2021 04 Jun'21

  Government action on ransomware epidemic gathers pace

  The US government steps up action against ransomware operators, while the UK’s NCSC publishes guidance on preparing to deal with a ransomware attack

• June 03, 2021 03 Jun'21

  Tories fined over email data protection breaches

  The Conservative Party broke the law by failing to properly keep records of who had unsubscribed from its mailing list

• June 01, 2021 01 Jun'21

  Businesses hail new Openreach rural full-fibre focus

  BT broadband provision division announces next step in gigabit broadband deployment programme to offer levelled-up connectivity for premises in hardest-to-reach parts of the UK

• June 01, 2021 01 Jun'21

  Ex-IT manager stole over £800,000 from NHS trust

  A former senior IT manager at an Essex NHS trust has pleaded guilty to defrauding his employer out of more than £800,000

• May 28, 2021 28 May'21

  Privacy experts concerned over NHS data collection plans

  Security and data privacy experts warn NHS Digital that its data collection plans could increase risk and cause a public backlash

• May 28, 2021 28 May'21

  IR35 reforms: Blanket-banning firms risk losing contractors and suffering reputational damage

  Research by contrator-focused accountancy firm inniAccounts shines a light on how contractors are responding to their clients’ handling of the IR35 reforms

• May 27, 2021 27 May'21

  BCS demands reform to rules on computer evidence following Post Office Horizon scandal revelations

  Professional IT body wants changes to how computer evidence is used in court in the wake of the Post Office case

• May 27, 2021 27 May'21

  Uber signs collective bargaining agreement with GMB

  Uber and GMB sign “landmark” collective bargaining agreement with no ability to negotiate on earnings, attracting criticism from smaller unions that it lacks teeth

• May 27, 2021 27 May'21

  MP-backed push to stop tech giants claiming super-deduction tax relief thwarted

  Move to prevent the likes of Amazon using the government's new super-deduction policy to minimise their UK tax liabilities even further fails to win support in the House of Commons

• May 27, 2021 27 May'21

  TCS opens its first European innovation centre in Amsterdam

  Netherlands capital hosts TCS’s latest innovation hub, which will bring together an ecosystem to address the challenge of sustainability

• May 27, 2021 27 May'21

  NGOs file complaints against Clearview AI in five countries

  Privacy and human rights organisations have asked data protection regulators in the UK, France, Austria, Italy and Greece to investigate controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI

• May 26, 2021 26 May'21

  More data stolen in January 2021 than in all of 2017, says report

  The volume of data being stolen through breaches is growing steadily and shows no sign of slowing, according to a report from Imperva

• May 26, 2021 26 May'21

  Millions of pounds lost to crypto fraud on social media

  More than £63m has been lost nationally by victims of investment fraud via a social media platform, says Action Fraud

• May 25, 2021 25 May'21

  IR35: MPs denied vote to amend Finance Bill to ‘curb or kill’ umbrella companies

  MPs were denied the opportunity to vote in favour of amending the incoming Finance Bill to ‘curb or kill’ umbrella companies, prompting industry watchers to double down on calls for regulation

• May 25, 2021 25 May'21

  Threat of group GDPR legal action haunts CISOs

  The vast majority of security leaders questioned for a new report say they are concerned about the possibility of group legal settlements against them following a serious data breach

• May 25, 2021 25 May'21

  McAfee to change terms of auto-renewing consumer plans

  Consumers who found their McAfee antivirus contracts auto-renewed will be able to get out of their contracts and get their money back

• May 25, 2021 25 May'21

  Industry reflects on three years of GDPR

  Looking back on 12 tumultuous months, we assess how GDPR has weathered the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, and consider what the coming year may hold for data protection

• May 24, 2021 24 May'21

  IR35: MPs urged to back ‘curb or kill’ umbrella company-focused Finance Bill amendments

  Two amendments to the incoming Finance Bill that have the potential to ban the use of umbrella companies are being voted on by MPs in the House of Commons today

• May 20, 2021 20 May'21

  UK regulators commit to closer cooperation on digital economy

  Two UK regulators have issued a joint statement and signed a memorandum of understanding on the need for closer collaboration on digital markets