News
IT legislation and regulation
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October 01, 2021
01
Oct'21
BEIS urged to prioritise funding to protect umbrella workers in government Spending Review
In an open letter to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, umbrella regulation draft policymakers Rebecca Seeley Harris and James Poyser urge the government to prioritise funding for a single enforcement body
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October 01, 2021
01
Oct'21
IR35: Giant Group cyber attack prompts renewed calls for statutory regulation of umbrella companies
As details about the fallout from the cyber attack on the Giant Group umbrella company emerge, stakeholders say the incident should prompt the government to expedite regulating contractor payroll processing firms
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September 30, 2021
30
Sep'21
Digital bank fined by regulator due to weak anti-money laundering controls
German digital bank is fined by financial services regulator for failing in relation to its anti-money laundering practices
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September 30, 2021
30
Sep'21
UK consumers would collectively pay over £1bn a year for control of their data
UK consumers are willing to pay a small fee per month to have control of the data they share with Google and Facebook
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September 29, 2021
29
Sep'21
Russia arrests prominent cyber security executive
Founder and CEO of cyber security firm Group-IB detained in Moscow on treason charges
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September 28, 2021
28
Sep'21
Digital regulators need discrete but cooperative remits
The UK’s information commissioner has told MPs that digital economy regulators need discrete remits backed up by strong information sharing powers to both provide clear focus as well as allow for greater cooperation between their disparate but ...
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September 27, 2021
27
Sep'21
Dubai International Finance Centre’s data protection law to be boosted by new federal regulation
New UAE data protection regulation on the horizon a year after a Dubai-specific law came into force
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September 24, 2021
24
Sep'21
IR35 reforms: HMRC confirms compliance checks under way in financial services, oil and gas sectors
Less than six months after the roll-out of the IR35 reforms to the private sector, HMRC has confirmed it has started writing letters to companies requesting details of their compliance procedures
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September 24, 2021
24
Sep'21
London publishes guidelines for ethical use of smart city tech
Latest draft of the ‘Emerging Technology Charter for London’ encourages local authorities, public services and technology companies to improve how they implement technology in the capital
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September 23, 2021
23
Sep'21
MoD in second leak of Afghan citizens’ data
A second breach of data relating to Afghan citizens at risk of Taliban reprisals has been reported by the Ministry of Defence
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September 22, 2021
22
Sep'21
AI cannot be regulated by technical measures alone
The regulation of artificial intelligence must address the power of tech companies, as technical measures alone will not be enough to prevent the harms caused by AI-driven technologies, says report
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September 21, 2021
21
Sep'21
US sanctions Suex crypto exchange over ransomware links
US Treasury cracks down on cryptocurrency exchange that supposedly facilitated proceeds from multiple ransomware gangs
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September 21, 2021
21
Sep'21
UK government claims ‘gigaboom’ as next-gen broadband reaches one in two premises
Hot on the heels of major expansion in fibre networks across the nation by a number of leading operators, government data shows 50.2% of UK premises are now able to access gigabit-capable broadband, up from 6% in 2019
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September 21, 2021
21
Sep'21
Dutch scientist receives top award for work on digital media’s effect on society
Utrecht University media scientist José van Dijck wins the Spinoza Award and funds for her research into the effects of social media on society
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September 21, 2021
21
Sep'21
Spanish police bust Mafia-linked phishing gang
A joint operation between European authorities has dismantled a cyber criminal gang with links to the Italian Mafia
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September 21, 2021
21
Sep'21
BlackMatter gang ramps up attacks on multiple victims
A wave of new BlackMatter ransomware attacks is hitting organisations around the world, even as the US authorities mull new sanctions on ransom payment infrastructure
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September 20, 2021
20
Sep'21
NGO Fair Trials calls on EU to ban predictive policing systems
The use of artificial intelligence to predict criminal behaviour should be banned because of its discriminatory outcomes and high risk of further entrenching existing inequalities, claims Fair Trials
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September 16, 2021
16
Sep'21
European president outlines tech vision to drive Europe
President of the European Commission has set out plans for a stronger European economy, with less reliance on US and Chinese tech giants
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September 16, 2021
16
Sep'21
Network Rail U-turns on blanket inside IR35 contractor determinations
The Department for Transport’s 2020-2021 accounts suggest Network Rail has switched up its IR35 compliance strategy, with more than 70% of its contractors now classified as working outside IR35
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September 15, 2021
15
Sep'21
UN human rights chief calls for moratorium on AI technologies
High commissioner’s call for a moratorium on the use of AI systems that pose a serious risk to human rights is accompanied by a UN report on the negative human rights impacts associated with the technology
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September 15, 2021
15
Sep'21
Nordic central banks drive fintech and digital currency
Banks are working together through a cross-border financial technology development hub
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September 14, 2021
14
Sep'21
Mass health tracker data breach has UK impact
The leak of a database of 61 million users of health-tracking devices includes records on individuals located in the UK
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September 14, 2021
14
Sep'21
Cost of ransomware attack in financial sector exceeds $2m
Mid-sized financial services organisations worldwide spend an average of over $2m recovering from ransomware attacks
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September 14, 2021
14
Sep'21
Apple patches ForcedEntry vulnerability used by spyware firm NSO
Apple patches ForcedEntry vulnerability that was used to target political activists with spyware
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September 13, 2021
13
Sep'21
Smishing attacks up sevenfold in six months
Scam text messages are reaching pandemic proportions, thanks in part to the pandemic
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September 10, 2021
10
Sep'21
Microsoft, Nokia seal space, 5G agreement for South Australia
IT giant and leading communications technology provider team to work with South Australian development board and local companies to bring together interdisciplinary experts to develop, test, and deploy new space technologies
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September 10, 2021
10
Sep'21
UK full-fibre forges ahead but broadband digital divide persists
Comms regulator’s survey finds full-fibre networks are being built at a record rate, but work is still needed to get decent broadband to remote parts of the country
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September 09, 2021
09
Sep'21
UK GDPR faces changes under planned reforms
DCMS is launching a major consultation on proposed changes to the UK’s data protection regime, under which several key elements of the GDPR are likely to change
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September 08, 2021
08
Sep'21
Stolen credit card data worth about £13 on dark web, PayPal worth more
The average price of a stolen credit card on a dark web marketplace comes in at around $17.40, or £12.60, according to new data – but the real money for cyber criminals is in hacked PayPal accounts
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September 07, 2021
07
Sep'21
ICO in bid to end cookie pop-ups
Outgoing information commissioner Elizabeth Denham will call on her equivalents across the G7 group of countries to collaborate on an overhaul of cookie consent pop-ups
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September 07, 2021
07
Sep'21
Openreach aims to plug digital divide by scrapping broadband connection fees in select homes
BT-owned broadband provision division makes latest step in campaign to address key financial issue that could hinder roll-out of broadband networks capable of supporting the ‘new normal’ of work
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September 07, 2021
07
Sep'21
Lords committee calls for evidence on digital regulation
House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee has called for evidence to inform its inquiry into the effectiveness of digital regulation
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September 03, 2021
03
Sep'21
Berlin court reverses ban on use of EncroChat evidence in criminal trials
Berlin Superior Court allows use of EncroChat evidence in criminal trials but lawyers say the question will ultimately need to be decided by the German Supreme Court
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September 02, 2021
02
Sep'21
How high can the contactless card limit go without two-factor authentication?
The spending limit for contactless cards has reached an eyebrow-raising triple-digit figure – £100 – raising questions about the need for user authentication
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September 02, 2021
02
Sep'21
WhatsApp fined €225m over GDPR breaches
Irish data protection watchdog has issued one of the largest GDPR fines to date against Facebook-owned WhatsApp
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September 02, 2021
02
Sep'21
Twitter tests auto-block feature for accounts at risk of abuse
Latest Twitter feature automatically blocks abusive users, and is intended to help victims regain control of their experience on the platform
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August 27, 2021
27
Aug'21
Are proposed data protection changes a threat to UK citizens’ privacy?
Though changes are as-yet undefined pending an upcoming consultation, concerns are already being expressed over the government’s plan to liberalise data protection laws in the service of innovation and growth
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August 26, 2021
26
Aug'21
Tech giants commit to Biden's cyber security action plan
Some of the world’s most prominent tech giants have made a series of commitments to enhance the US’ national cyber security posture following a high-profile meeting with president Biden
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August 26, 2021
26
Aug'21
Government unveils post-Brexit data flow proposals
The government will pursue data partnerships with countries including Australia, South Korea and the US as part of a post-Brexit data regime that may also see substantial changes to the UK’s data protection law
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August 26, 2021
26
Aug'21
NZ privacy lead John Edwards named new information commissioner
DCMS has named John Edwards, currently New Zealand privacy commissioner, to succeed Elizabeth Denham as UK information commissioner
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August 25, 2021
25
Aug'21
Algorithmic accountability needs meaningful public participation
Global analysis by Ada Lovelace Institute and other research groups finds algorithmic accountability mechanisms in the public sector are hindered by a lack of engagement with the public
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August 25, 2021
25
Aug'21
Calling the cops for ransomware attacks doesn’t help, say cyber pros
A new study for the #Ransomaware campaign reveals some insight into why so few victims report ransomware attacks
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August 25, 2021
25
Aug'21
UK loses £1.3bn to fraud and cyber crime so far this year
New figures from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau show a threefold spike in reported financial losses to fraud and cyber crime in the first six months of 2021
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August 24, 2021
24
Aug'21
UK government adds to Northern Ireland gigabit broadband funding
Further financial support given to develop next-generation full-fibre network across rural regions in province, particularly those that currently have the slowest speeds, such as Mid Ulster, Fermanagh and South Antrim
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August 24, 2021
24
Aug'21
Campaign groups claim police have bypassed Parliament with plans for live facial-recognition tech
Civil society groups call for Parliament to scrutinise the use of live facial-recognition cameras
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August 23, 2021
23
Aug'21
Cities worldwide band together to push for ethical AI
The chief digital and technology officers of London and Barcelona speak to Computer Weekly about their joint initiative launched with other cities to promote the ethical deployment of artificial intelligence in urban spaces
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August 20, 2021
20
Aug'21
Swedish IT industry braced for China’s response to Huawei 5G ban
Swedish IT and communications equipment suppliers fear economic backlash from China following Huawei ban
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August 19, 2021
19
Aug'21
Pub apps harvesting swathes of customer data unnecessarily
Some pub and restaurant chain apps demand data such as gender and marital status, raising eyebrows among privacy campaigners
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August 18, 2021
18
Aug'21
UK government criticised for proposed facial-recognition guidance
Privacy campaigners say the government's updated 'surveillance camera code of practice' does not do enough to mitigate abuses of facial-recognition technology
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August 17, 2021
17
Aug'21
Educational publisher Pearson fined for data breach cover-up
Securities and Exchange Commission says publisher misled its investors over the extent of a 2018 data breach