News
IT legislation and regulation
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March 11, 2020
11
Mar'20
Cross-regulator taskforce on digital economy announced in 2020 Budget
UK regulators will join forces to look at how the potential regulation of the digital platforms and advertising markets would work
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March 11, 2020
11
Mar'20
Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s 2020 Budget pumps £22bn into R&D
The 2020 Budget pledges to increase research and development funding to £22bn a year, £5bn for broadband roll-out and £900m to ensure UK businesses lead the way in “high-potential technologies”, but slashes tax relief for entrepreneurs
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March 10, 2020
10
Mar'20
UK government survives rebellion on ‘high-risk’ comms tech supplier strategy
Government fends off rebel MPs proposing an amendment that would lead to an outright ban on Huawei technology regarded as posing a direct threat to the UK’s national security
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March 09, 2020
09
Mar'20
Bill Gates backs Crest fintech security scheme for Africa and Asia
UK-based cyber security accreditation and certification non-profit Crest has been awarded a $1.4m grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand cyber security capacity for fintechs in Africa and Asia
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March 09, 2020
09
Mar'20
UK Shared Rural Network gets official go-ahead
UK government and leading mobile operators confirm £1bn scheme to roll out 4G coverage to 95% of UK landmass by end of 2025
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March 06, 2020
06
Mar'20
MPs set sights on Huawei in 5G security probe
Weeks after UK government allowed access to radio access part of mobile networks, MPs announce inquiry into the use and security of equipment supplied by foreign companies for 5G networks
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March 06, 2020
06
Mar'20
MI5 slammed by watchdog for failing to delete intercepted phone and internet data
The Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPCO) has criticised MI5 for failing to report serious errors in the way it handles intercepted phone and internet data
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March 06, 2020
06
Mar'20
London Assembly calls for ban on anonymous social media accounts
The call to ban anonymous social media accounts follows the suicide of TV presenter Caroline Flack, but a number of Assembly Members are opposing the decision on human rights grounds
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March 05, 2020
05
Mar'20
Huawei: MPs air concerns over security risks in code and managed contracts
The risk Huawei poses to the UK's 5G network roll out was raised during a recent Westminster Hall debate
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March 05, 2020
05
Mar'20
Biometrics ethics group takes evidence on public-private use of facial recognition
Collaboration between police forces and private entities on facial recognition technology comes under scrutiny by the Home Office’s Biometrics and Forensics Ethics Group
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March 05, 2020
05
Mar'20
IR35 private sector reforms: Firms risk legal action by pushing employers’ NI onto contractors
Largest-ever study into the impact the IR35 private sector reforms are having on contractors suggests firms are leaving themselves open to litigation by misinterpreting the new rules
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March 05, 2020
05
Mar'20
IR35 tribunal sees Nationwide project manager lose £70,000 tax bill appeal to HMRC
IR35 tribunal judge concludes working relationship between two parties is one of employment, with project manager Robert Lee described as ‘part and parcel’ of Nationwide’s organisation
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March 03, 2020
03
Mar'20
MPs double down on criticism of HMRC's loan charge enforcement action report
The war of words between the Loan Charge All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and HMRC has deepened, as the cross-party group of MPs pens three-page letter outlining its issues with how tax agency is reporting on its enforcement activities
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March 02, 2020
02
Mar'20
HMRC CEO denies it is ‘deliberately misleading’ public over loan scheme promoter arrests
HMRC CEO Jim Harra has “strongly rejected” claims made on social media by the Loan Charge All Party Parliamentary Group of cross-party MPs that it is “deliberately misleading” the public about its recent loan scheme-related enforcement activities
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February 27, 2020
27
Feb'20
WikiLeaks founder Assange is well enough to participate in extradition proceedings, says judge
A judge dismissed claims that Julian Assange’s vulnerable psychological state would prevent him from taking part in his extradition hearing to face espionage and computer misuse charges in the US
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February 27, 2020
27
Feb'20
Clearview hack fuels debate over facial recognition
Customers of Clearview AI, a controversial startup that scrapes and sells billions of photos of people from social media to police forces, have found themselves at the centre of a major data breach
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February 26, 2020
26
Feb'20
FCA data breach could happen to anybody, but easy to avoid
Minor data breach at the Financial Conduct Authority was the result of simple human error, and highlights the need for organisations to consider a wide range of potential threats
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February 24, 2020
24
Feb'20
Estonia to give citizens Alexa-like access to public services
The Estonian government is working on a project that will ultimately allow citizens to ask Siri, Alexa or almost any other virtual digital assistant to interact with government departments on their behalf
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February 24, 2020
24
Feb'20
IR35 private sector reforms: First year of enforcement won't be ‘heavy-handed’, claims chancellor
New chancellor Rishi Sunak has moved to assure business leaders that HMRC will not be heavy-handed in enforcing the new IR35 rules
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February 21, 2020
21
Feb'20
Labour condemns Google data plans
Shadow digital minister Chi Onwurah challenges the government to stop Google’s plans to move UK user data out of the EU
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February 21, 2020
21
Feb'20
F-Secure’s AI reads mean tweets to fight abuse and trolls
Researchers working on F-Secure’s Project Blackfin have developed a model for clustering tweets to help pinpoint abuse and harassment
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February 20, 2020
20
Feb'20
Google plans to send Brits’ data to US after Brexit
Move puts British user data beyond the reach of the EU’s GDPR, makes it more accessible to UK and US law enforcement agencies, and has prompted anger
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February 19, 2020
19
Feb'20
Swedish consumer-protection legislation will hit fintechs
New financial regulation to protect consumers from agreeing to unnecessary credit will force financial technology companies to make changes to their products
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February 19, 2020
19
Feb'20
Questions raised over Office 365 shared content policy
Buried 300 words into Microsoft’s standard service level agreement is a clause that affects intellectual property and privacy
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February 17, 2020
17
Feb'20
Mastercard opens European security resilience unit
Mastercard’s European Cyber Resilience Centre will bring together its partners and other industry bodies to support enterprise resilience
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February 14, 2020
14
Feb'20
AWS secures temporary halt to Microsoft’s work on $10bn US JEDI cloud contract
Restraining order prevents Microsoft doing any “substantial” work on the JEDI cloud contract as Amazon’s legal action against the US government gathers pace
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February 14, 2020
14
Feb'20
CIO Interview: Siim Sikkut, Estonian government CIO
Siim Sikkut is one of a generation of tech native Estonians, who is turning his knowledge and experience to transforming government services
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February 13, 2020
13
Feb'20
IR35 private sector reforms: IT contractors weigh up their post-April 2020 work options
There are eight weeks to go until the IR35 reforms come into play for the private sector, but the IT contractor community is already feeling the effects of HMRC’s latest disguised employment clampdown
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February 12, 2020
12
Feb'20
Communications watchdog Ofcom to gain extra powers as online harms regulator
The government has released its initial response to 2019’s Online Harms White Paper, setting out a number of decisions about how it will regulate harmful content on the internet
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February 12, 2020
12
Feb'20
IR35 private sector reforms: Protesters demand government halts April 2020 roll-out date
With contractors due to stage an anti-IR35 reform protest march at the Houses of Parliament today, stakeholders pen open letter to the Chancellor outlining their concerns about how the changes are affecting the self-employed sector
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February 11, 2020
11
Feb'20
IR35 private sector reforms: Research suggests 75% of contractors will leave posts by April 2020
Just eight weeks before the IR35 reforms are due to be extended to the private sector, new research suggests contractors are planning to vote with their feet and leave their positions as blanket bans take hold
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February 10, 2020
10
Feb'20
What should be in Australia’s next cyber security strategy
The Australian government is reviewing the nation’s cyber security strategy, but is it looking at the right issues?
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February 10, 2020
10
Feb'20
AI in public service must be accountable
Committee on Standards in Public Life recommends that government departments make ethics a top priority when tendering artificial intelligence systems
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February 07, 2020
07
Feb'20
IR35 private sector reforms: HMRC confirms last-minute tweak to incoming off-payroll rules
The government is rolling out a tweak to the IR35 private sector reforms that it claims will give businesses more time to prepare, but stakeholders are unconvinced
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February 06, 2020
06
Feb'20
IR35 reforms subject to pre-Budget inquiry as self-employed hit by crisis of confidence
The House of Lords’ Economic Affairs Committee is calling for an immediate inquiry into the real-world impacts of the IR35 reforms on private sector businesses and contractors
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February 05, 2020
05
Feb'20
Loan charge MPs quiz contractors on ‘unreasonable behaviour’ claims made about HMRC’s case handling
The Loan Charge All Party Parliamentary Group’s first meeting results in cross-party group of MPs quizzing contractors on their dealings with HM Revenue and Customs
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February 04, 2020
04
Feb'20
MI5 faces court ruling over unlawful surveillance warrants
Privacy groups Liberty and Privacy International ask the Investigatory Powers Tribunal to order MI5 to disclose full details of ‘unlawful’ conduct, after classified documents reveal the spy agency failed to comply with surveillance laws
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February 03, 2020
03
Feb'20
Digital strategy for 2020-2030 sets out police technology plans
National policing strategy sets a number of technological ambitions for the next decade, placing a particular emphasis on collaborative working and building common standards or frameworks
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February 03, 2020
03
Feb'20
Cost-cutting and digital transformation spur increased European IT outsourcing in 2019
The need to rein in costs while digitally transforming has led to growth in traditional and as-a-service base outsourcing
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January 31, 2020
31
Jan'20
IR35 private sector reforms: BP contractors notified of incoming ban on PSCs
BP is understood to have begun notifying its self-employed workforce about its plans to terminate PSC engagements from 31 March 2020, in anticipation of the IR35 reforms coming into play the following month
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January 31, 2020
31
Jan'20
Davos: The clock is ticking on climate change but cyber crime and emerging technologies add to risks
Climate change, natural disasters, extreme weather and loss of biodiversity are the greatest risks we face. With cyber conflicts, state-sponsored hacking and internet fragmentation, doing nothing is not an option, says the World Economic Forum
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January 30, 2020
30
Jan'20
Microsoft contractor hit by health and safety violation claims at Israel datacentre building site
Microsoft declines to comment on a local media report that the site of its Israel datacentre campus has been subject to stoppage notices after two accidents there in two days
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January 29, 2020
29
Jan'20
EU implements 5G infrastructure restrictions on ‘high-risk’ suppliers
European countries follow UK’s lead and give member states the ability to ban or limit so-called high-risk telecoms equipment suppliers from 5G networks
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January 29, 2020
29
Jan'20
IR35 reforms are 'demonising' contractors and locking them out of work, chancellor warned
The CEO of online accountancy consultancy InniAccounts has written to the chancellor of the exchequer, Sajid Javid, to call for legislation to be passed that will ensure enterprises take time to individually assess tax status of contractors
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January 28, 2020
28
Jan'20
Data privacy benefits outweigh spend, says Cisco
Cisco’s 2020 data privacy study shows organisations can generate substantial returns on their data privacy and protection spending
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January 27, 2020
27
Jan'20
Openreach extends full-fibre network to rural UK
UK national broadband infrastructure provider ramps up programme to deliver full-fibre to 200 locations, mainly towns and villages hitherto not passed by network
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January 24, 2020
24
Jan'20
IR35 private sector reforms: Bank of America IT contractors await verdict on future employment terms
Despite notifying staff of its intentions to phase out contractors from its workforce in December 2019, IT contractors at the Bank of America are still awaiting clarification about what their future at the firm will look like, Computer Weekly has ...
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January 23, 2020
23
Jan'20
Seven projects funded to explore CAV security
The winners of the Cyber Securities Feasibility Studies contest, exploring cyber security for self-driving cars, have been revealed
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January 22, 2020
22
Jan'20
Computer Misuse Act ‘crying out for reform’
Group of campaigners says the Computer Misuse Act of 1990 risks criminalising cyber security professionals and needs reforming
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January 22, 2020
22
Jan'20
ICO code sets out digital privacy standards for children
The Information Commissioner’s Office has published its Age Appropriate Design Code, a set of 15 standards that online platforms must meet to protect the privacy of younger users