News
IT legislation and regulation
-
August 24, 2023
24
Aug'23
Teenage Lapsus$ ringleader was responsible for crime spree, UK court rules
A court has ruled that Arion Kurtaj, allegedly a key player in the Lapsus$ cyber extortion syndicate, was responsible for the group’s year-long campaign of cyber attacks
-
August 18, 2023
18
Aug'23
NatWest customer calls bank’s handling of breach of his data ‘disgusting’
A second NatWest customer has contacted Computer Weekly after finding out from a whistleblower that his sensitive personal data has been in her home for 14 years
-
August 15, 2023
15
Aug'23
Biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner resigns
Dual biometrics and surveillance camera watchdog will step down at the end of October 2023, noting that while he agreed to stay on until the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill received royal assent, continuing delays to its passage means ...
-
August 14, 2023
14
Aug'23
NatWest offers compensation to customer affected by data breach exposed by whistleblower
NatWest bank has offered compensation to a former customer affected by a data breach alongside around 1,600 other former and current customers
-
August 14, 2023
14
Aug'23
US Cyber Board to probe cloud security after latest Exchange hack
CSRB review of cloud security comes in the wake of a major Chinese cyber attack on US government bodies orchestrated through Microsoft’s cloud services
-
August 10, 2023
10
Aug'23
PSNI investigating second breach after laptop stolen
Just hours after accidentally disclosing the personal details of 10,000 personnel, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has notified a second data breach after a police issue laptop and documents were stolen from a parked car
-
August 09, 2023
09
Aug'23
Northern Irish police expose staff data in botched FoI response
Human error is being blamed for the leak of personally identifiable information on all serving officers and civilian staff at the Police Service of Northern Ireland
-
August 08, 2023
08
Aug'23
UK voter data hacked in cyber attack on election watchdog
An unknown threat actor who attacked the UK’s Electoral Commission had access to data on millions of UK voters for over a year, the watchdog has revealed
-
August 08, 2023
08
Aug'23
Workplace monitoring needs worker consent, says select committee
Employers looking to monitor their employees through connected devices should only to so with the consent of those affected due to negative impacts such surveillance can have on work intensification and mental health
-
August 07, 2023
07
Aug'23
NHS trust suspends two governors as whistleblower email dispute continues
Governors at an NHS trust have been suspended after asking questions about emails used to bring a General Medical Council investigation against a whistleblower
-
August 07, 2023
07
Aug'23
Rise in fraudsters spoofing the websites of leading UK banks
Despite safeguards to protect customers from scams, UK retail banks are still seeing high volumes of fake phishing websites exploiting their brands, and the problem seems to be increasing in scope and scale
-
August 04, 2023
04
Aug'23
Biden’s SBOM mandate a ‘shot heard around the world’, report says
Two years and three months after Joe Biden mandated new standards in supply chain security, over 40% of UK respondents to a survey say they have implemented new SBOM policies in direct response
-
August 03, 2023
03
Aug'23
Scottish NHS trust ducks fine after staff shared patient data via WhatsApp
NHS Lanarkshire has been issued a formal reprimand by the ICO after staff members used WhatsApp to share patients’ personal data with one another
-
August 02, 2023
02
Aug'23
Improved rural connectivity could add £65bn to UK economy
Study from leading operator and economic consultancy points to potential massive economic boost to UK rural communities through increased digital connectivity and if long-standing obstacles are removed
-
August 01, 2023
01
Aug'23
UK government announces 5G Innovation Regions fund
Applications now open for £40m financing designed to unlock 5G benefits across the UK with aim of sparking local ‘digital revolutions’ and pioneer digital connectivity for residents and businesses
-
July 28, 2023
28
Jul'23
Risks of opening up AI
Meta has annouced that its Llama 2 large language model will be freely available under a community licence with certain restrictions
-
July 27, 2023
27
Jul'23
HMRC hits back at contractor hiring ban claims after accounts reveal no outside IR35 workers
The government tax collection agency has once again been forced to deny it has banned the use of outside IR35 contractors following the publication of its latest set of accounts
-
July 27, 2023
27
Jul'23
US cyber breach reporting rules to have global impact
Organisations that operate as Foreign Private Issuers in the US will have to get to grips with strict new cyber breach reporting regulations handed down by the SEC in Washington
-
July 25, 2023
25
Jul'23
Tetra radio users’ comms may have been exposed for years
A number of flaws in the encryption algorithms used in the secure Tetra radio communications standard have potentially left users exposed to snooping
-
July 24, 2023
24
Jul'23
Tribunal investigates complaint that journalists’ phones were unlawfully monitored
The Investigatory Powers Tribunal has agreed to investigate complaints by Northern Ireland investigative journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey that they were unlawfully placed under surveillance
-
July 24, 2023
24
Jul'23
Bank of England’s project to replace ‘beating heart’ is foundation for continuous development
The Bank of England has reached a major milestone in its core system replacement programme, with next landmark in sight
-
July 20, 2023
20
Jul'23
Electronic Trade Documents Act receives royal assent
Digital trade documents are to be accorded the same status in law as paper ones under a law implemented to help reduce paper waste and speed up the UK’s foreign trade
-
July 20, 2023
20
Jul'23
Online Safety Bill screening measures amount to ‘prior restraint’
The Open Rights Group is calling on Parliament to reform the Online Safety Bill, on the basis that its content-screening measures would amount to “prior restraint” on freedom of expression
-
July 20, 2023
20
Jul'23
How the DSMA balances security and privacy with press freedom
In a world of information sharing and 24-hour news cycles, the Defence and Security Media Advisory committee have to balance national security and data privacy with freedom of the press
-
July 19, 2023
19
Jul'23
‘Significant gaps’ in UK AI regulation, says Ada Lovelace Institute
UK government’s plans to diffuse regulatory responsibility for AI among existing regulators will mean the tech is “only partially regulated”, while its data reforms will undercut already-limited existing protections, says Ada Lovelace Institute
-
July 18, 2023
18
Jul'23
NATO membership to drive Nordic cyber security sector growth
The Nordic cyber security sector will see increasing demand as Finland and Sweden joint NATO
-
July 17, 2023
17
Jul'23
Home Office failures on £2bn ESN project see “significant” costs to emergency services
Public Accounts Committee slams government for appearance of complacency in its confidence over much delayed, over-budget emergency services network and calls for revised delivery plan
-
July 17, 2023
17
Jul'23
Police Scotland use cloud for biometric data despite clear risks
Police Scotland confirms it has stored significant volumes of biometric data on a cloud-based digital evidence sharing system despite major ongoing data protection concerns, bringing into question the effectiveness of the current regulatory approach...
-
July 14, 2023
14
Jul'23
Fast-moving BT driving UK fibre deployment
Analysis by leading financial ratings firm shows how UK fibre landscape has changed, emphasising how BT is driving pace of deployment while altnets are still deploying despite higher interest rates and inflation
-
July 14, 2023
14
Jul'23
Horizon inquiry chief threatens Post Office with 'criminal sanctions' over disclosure failures
Sir Wyn Williams forced to act after repeated failures by Post Office to disclose evidence to the inquiry examining the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK legal history
-
July 14, 2023
14
Jul'23
UK aviation regulators cleared on Virgin Orbit satellite failure
UK government committee clears regulation as contributing factor to UK satellite launch failure, but slams UK government for lack of action on vital component of space programme
-
July 13, 2023
13
Jul'23
Ofcom opens investigation into Virgin Media contract cancellation
As Ofcom publishes cost-of-living action plan update on range of work to support hard-pressed households, UK watchdog to probe operator’s contract termination and complaints handling
-
July 13, 2023
13
Jul'23
Civil society groups call on EU to put human rights at centre of AI Act
Dozens of civil society groups are calling on EU institutions to prioritise people and human rights in AI legislation as secretive negotiations begin
-
July 13, 2023
13
Jul'23
One month after MOVEit: New vulnerabilities found as more victims are named
Five weeks after the mass MOVEit breach, new vulnerabilities in the file transfer tool are coming to light as the Clop cyber crime group continues to terrorise victims. But has the gang bitten off more than it can chew?
-
July 12, 2023
12
Jul'23
Digital public services ‘riddled’ with problems, says TUC
The UK’s increasingly digitised public services are plagued by design, governance and workplace issues that are undermining the government’s stated goal of improving efficiency, but can be alleviated by giving public sector workers a greater say in ...
-
July 12, 2023
12
Jul'23
Forensic Institute provides Hansken viewing method for Dutch lawyers
Dutch lawyers can now view crypto communication in criminal cases from their own workplace via digital search engine Hansken. Previously, this had to be done at an external location
-
July 12, 2023
12
Jul'23
Ofcom’s online safety preparedness efforts hobbled by government
Despite Ofcom’s progress so far, UK government changes to the scope and timetable of the Online Safety Bill are hobbling the ability of the regulator to successfully prepare for the new regime
-
July 12, 2023
12
Jul'23
Whistleblower contacts NatWest customers affected by a decade-old data breach
Former worker says contacting the people affected by the data breach is her last resort after the bank and regulators appear satisfied that the sensitive data file is safe stored under her bed
-
July 11, 2023
11
Jul'23
EU formally grants data adequacy to US
The European Commission has formally granted the US data adequacy, allowing companies and organisations to freely transfer personal data across the Atlantic via the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. But privacy activist Max Schrems has already committed...
-
July 11, 2023
11
Jul'23
Malicious URL volumes soar as cyber criminals pull on Threads
Malicious actors have been quick to exploit the buzz around Meta’s newly launched Threads platform, with thousands of new suspicious domains registered exploiting its branding
-
July 07, 2023
07
Jul'23
Microsoft and AWS caution Ofcom against referring UK cloud market over to CMA
As the UK cloud market braces itself for the publication of Ofcom's final report into the state of the market, Amazon and Microsoft's responses to regulator's interim findings have been made public
-
July 06, 2023
06
Jul'23
VMware ramps up on sovereign cloud in APAC
VMware is working with local partners to deliver sovereign cloud services in the region, amid growing sovereignty interests among governments and the need maintain business continuity
-
July 06, 2023
06
Jul'23
Biometrics watchdog calls for public space surveillance review
The biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner is calling for a review of public space surveillance to gain a clearer picture about the proliferation of Chinese surveillance technology across the public sector, but warns against applying double...
-
July 06, 2023
06
Jul'23
Privacy campaigners call for UK data adequacy to be revoked
The European Commission should revoke the UK’s data adequacy if its Data Protection and Digital Information Bill passes, which campaigners argue ‘flies in the face’ of the decision
-
July 06, 2023
06
Jul'23
Meta’s Threads hits app stores, but no EU launch in sight
Meta’s Twitter competitor makes its debut and signs up millions of users in just 12 hours, but concerns over compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act have sunk a pan-European launch for now
-
July 04, 2023
04
Jul'23
IT contractors urged to check umbrella payslips as two firms caught making unlawful deductions
Two recently published tribunal judgments emphasise why it is so important for umbrella company contractors to make sure they are being paid exactly what they are entitled to, warn experts
-
July 04, 2023
04
Jul'23
EU judgment sinks Meta’s argument for targeted ads
The EU Court of Justice has issued a significant judgment against Meta, ruling that national anti-trust bodies can investigate GDPR breaches, disrupting the platform’s entire basis for carrying out targeted advertising
-
June 30, 2023
30
Jun'23
AI can never be given control over combat decisions, Lords told
Artificial intelligence is technically incapable of distinguishing between the complex contextual factors of combat situations, and will likely never be able to, according to legal and software experts
-
June 28, 2023
28
Jun'23
Charity demands transparency in digital universal credit system
The digital universal credit system needs overhauling to ensure greater transparency over benefit claims and more effective means of redress when things go wrong, says child poverty charity
-
June 28, 2023
28
Jun'23
UK comms regulator to probe BT emergency number failure
Investigation to assess source and extent of 25 June technical issue causing lack of access to key first response services, including Metropolitan Police, Bedfordshire Police, Suffolk Police, and Cheshire Fire and Rescue