News
IT legislation and regulation
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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
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August 16, 2021
16
Aug'21
ICO consults public on personal data in employment practices
The ICO has launched a public consultation on employers’ use of personal data to help it provide practical guidance for both businesses and workers
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August 12, 2021
12
Aug'21
ICO consults on new international data transfer agreement
Information Commissioner’s Office to consult on its draft international data transfer agreement and guidance, which will replace standard contractual clauses to protect personal data during overseas transfers
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August 11, 2021
11
Aug'21
The Netherlands still lacks digital resilience, says report
Report by National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security says the Netherlands’ digital resilience has improved, but is still insufficient
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August 10, 2021
10
Aug'21
Third of finance firms accelerate use of artificial intelligence to detect money laundering
Financial services firms are stepping up their use of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to fight increasing money laundering activity
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August 09, 2021
09
Aug'21
UK broadband trial to investigate connectivity through water pipes
Government-backed scheme to target broadband for hard-to-reach homes with fibre optic cables fed through utility mains, businesses and mobile masts without digging up roads
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August 06, 2021
06
Aug'21
Apple unveils plans to scan US iPhones for child sex abuse images
Apple will introduce child sexual abuse material detection for US users later this year, but some experts are worried that the technology could be repurposed to scan phones for other kinds of content
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August 04, 2021
04
Aug'21
Leading venture capital firms are failing to protect human rights
Venture capital firms and high-profile tech accelerators are not conducting human rights due diligence on their investments, which means they cannot be sure the companies they invest in are not causing, or contributing to, human rights abuses
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August 02, 2021
02
Aug'21
IR35 reforms: TUC demand for government ban on umbrella companies raises eyebrows
The Trades Union Congress has raised eyebrows within the contracting community by calling for a ban on umbrella companies to help stamp out malpractice
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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