News

IT legislation and regulation

April 26, 2019 26 Apr'19
Facebook faces fresh privacy actions from regulators

Facebook faces legal action from Canada after it dismissed regulators’ findings that it failed to protect customer privacy. The firm has set aside $5bn to settle a privacy action in the US and faces a new investigation in Ireland
April 26, 2019 26 Apr'19
Huawei leak inquiry launched

Cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill has instituted an inquiry aimed at discovering who leaked confidential discussions about UK mobile operators’ use of Huawei in their future 5G networks to the press
April 25, 2019 25 Apr'19
NCSC and ICO pledge to support data breach victims

The UK’s cyber security agency and privacy watchdog have agreed to work together to improve support for data breach victims and enhance cyber guidance
April 25, 2019 25 Apr'19
No final decision taken on Huawei 5G ban, government claims

Culture secretary tells MPs that a final decision on use of Huawei in UK 5G networks has not been taken, and says government is taking the leak of confidential discussions at the National Security Council very seriously

April 24, 2019 24 Apr'19
PM May approves Huawei for use in 5G networks despite opposition

The UK’s National Security Council has approved the use of Huawei’s networking equipment in parts of the country’s 5G mobile networks in spite of widespread opposition
April 17, 2019 17 Apr'19
Apple and Qualcomm settle up as Intel quits 5G chip business

Apple and Qualcomm have set aside their ongoing litigation and struck a deal to work together on future 5G iPhones, leaving Intel in the lurch
April 17, 2019 17 Apr'19
Middle East CIOs optimistic as budgets increase and digital transformations expand

Cyber security and risk management will see the biggest increase in spending, but digital transformation of businesses is a major driver of investment, survey shows
April 17, 2019 17 Apr'19
Morrisons to launch fresh appeal against breach liability ruling

Supermarket chain Morrisons is to launch a second appeal against a High Court ruling that found it liable for a data leak by a former employee
April 16, 2019 16 Apr'19
Huawei cyber security chief John Suffolk: It’s not our culture to be aggressive

John Suffolk, global cyber security and privacy officer at China-based telecoms equipment supplier Huawei, tells Huawei Analyst Summit growth is the best answer to US criticism
April 15, 2019 15 Apr'19
Facebook takes extraordinary legal steps to contain document leak

Facebook targets journalists and news organisations for computer searches

April 15, 2019 15 Apr'19
CityFibre loses court battle over ‘fake fibre’

CityFibre has been knocked back by the courts in its dispute with the ASA over the use of the word ‘fibre’ in broadband ads
April 12, 2019 12 Apr'19
Bounty UK fined £400,000 for sharing personal data unlawfully

UK pregnancy and parenting club fined for “unprecedented” level of unauthorised sharing of personal data by operating as a data broking service
April 08, 2019 08 Apr'19
GDPR at a critical stage, says information commissioner

The ICO is calling on data protection officials to help kick off the next phase of the GDPR by embedding sound data governance at its annual conference, where another DPO was recognised for excellence
April 05, 2019 05 Apr'19
Huawei ban will cost UK plc £6.8bn, delay 5G

If the UK government decides to impose tighter restrictions, or an outright ban on the use of Huawei in national 5G networks, the country faces severe consequences, according to a report
April 03, 2019 03 Apr'19
Employees lack awareness of corporate data-sharing policies

IT leaders believe their organisations are highly likely to lose data in the next 12 months due to accidental data breaches
April 02, 2019 02 Apr'19
Huawei reports record numbers despite tumultuous year

Huawei has become one of the world’s largest technology companies by revenue, suggesting the accusations over its ties to the Chinese government are failing to have much impact
April 01, 2019 01 Apr'19
CLA calls for government intervention on rural 4G coverage

Country Land and Business Association urges government to consider broadband-style interventions to improve 4G mobile network coverage in rural areas
April 01, 2019 01 Apr'19
Broadband compensation rules come into force

Regulations that guarantee consumers’ rights to automatic compensation from broadband providers when things go wrong have come into force, and many suppliers have a lot of work to do
April 01, 2019 01 Apr'19
Zuckerberg calls for new internet regulation

Facebook chief calls for new internet regulation in four key areas to define clear responsibilities for people, companies and governments, including more GDPR-aligned data protection rules
March 29, 2019 29 Mar'19
ICO kicks off sandbox beta to support innovation

The UK’s privacy watchdog has launched the first phase of an initiative aimed at enhancing data protection while supporting business innovation
March 28, 2019 28 Mar'19
Huawei making no progress on addressing security concerns

Huawei has made no material progress on addressing the issues identified last year by the NCSC, according to the latest highly critical report from its HSCEC Oversight Board
March 27, 2019 27 Mar'19
Mind the overlap between GDPR and ePD, warns privacy lawyer

Organisations need to be aware of the overlaps between European data protection and privacy rules, and which takes precedence, a privacy lawyer warns
March 26, 2019 26 Mar'19
Europe passes controversial Copyright Directive

The European Parliament has passed a new Copyright Directive, including a number of highly controversial articles
March 25, 2019 25 Mar'19
Mike Lynch heads to High Court to defend against HP allegations

The UK’s biggest fraud case commences, with the former CEO of Autonomy, Mike Lynch, attempting to clear his name
March 22, 2019 22 Mar'19
Facebook security policy and practices unfit, say infosec pros

Confidence in Facebook’s ability to keep users’ data safe has once again been shaken by revelations of poor password protection practices, prompting calls for a security review
March 21, 2019 21 Mar'19
Towards a full-fibre Britain: the view from inside Openreach

Openreach chairman Mike McTighe discusses progress on the national full-fibre broadband roll-out, the impact of Brexit, how to better engage with the CSP community, and why dark fibre isn’t the cure-all they might want it to be
March 20, 2019 20 Mar'19
EC fines Google €1.49bn for abusing ad market dominance

The European Commission has fined Google for abusive practices in online advertising dating back to 2006
March 15, 2019 15 Mar'19
Brexit complicating already complex data protection

GDPR impact is yet to be felt and data protection is set to become increasingly complex, with Brexit adding even more complexity that could be overwhelming, warns head of international privacy association
March 14, 2019 14 Mar'19
Avoid infosec mistakes of the past, urges Robert Hannigan

Technology innovators need to avoid security mistakes of the past by building in integrity so that products and services can be used with trust and confidence, says former GCHQ director
March 14, 2019 14 Mar'19
Met Police collaborated with US prosecutors in WikiLeaks investigation

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it exchanged information on WikiLeaks staff in the UK with the US Department of Justice, which is conducting criminal investigations into the organisation
March 13, 2019 13 Mar'19
ICO pledges to support innovation

UK data privacy watchdog is increasingly gearing up to support innovation to ensure developers of tech and digital services do not lose society’s trust
March 13, 2019 13 Mar'19
Bank of England’s large IT spend partly due to use of manual processes and legacy systems

The Bank of England admits there is room for improvement when it comes to IT efficiency
March 12, 2019 12 Mar'19
Openreach exploring options for copper network shutdown

Openreach has begun to assess how and when it might be able to shut down its copper broadband network
March 09, 2019 09 Mar'19
Malaysia takes broad base approach to 5G security

The country’s telco regulator is taking a industry-wide look at security implications of 5G, preferring not to target any particular supplier
March 09, 2019 09 Mar'19
ICO data raises doubts over UK firms’ ability to manage breaches

Most ICO data breach reports late and incomplete prior to full GDPR implementation, FoI request data reveals, raising doubts about breach prevention, detection and response capabilities
March 08, 2019 08 Mar'19
House of Lords committee calls for creation of a digital authority to oversee regulation

The proposed regulatory framework would coordinate regulators, assess rules and make recommendations to respond to developments in digital services
March 07, 2019 07 Mar'19
Vodafone defends its use of Huawei as 5G trials go live

As Vodafone begins trials of a live 5G service in Bristol, Cardiff and Liverpool, the operator’s CTO and general counsel have defended their use of Huawei equipment in Vodafone’s network and challenged its detractors to produce evidence of spying
March 07, 2019 07 Mar'19
ICO head still in top three of DataIQ data leader list

The UK’s information commissioner remains in the top three data leaders after claiming top spot in 2018 in the DataIQ 100 list of most influential data leaders, but GDPR is not the only focus in the industry
March 05, 2019 05 Mar'19
IR35 reforms: HMRC urges private sector to start prepping now for April 2020 roll-out

HM Revenue & Customs is canvassing views about how best to press ahead with the introduction of the IR35 reforms to the private sector, and is urging those likely to be affected by the move to start getting ready
March 05, 2019 05 Mar'19
US doubles down on Huawei fears as Chinese prepare to sue

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has reinforced his attacks on Huawei as the firm apparently prepares to sue the US government over its federal-level ban
March 04, 2019 04 Mar'19
Cyber awareness of UK boards found wanting

Boards of many of the UK’s biggest firms must do more to be cyber aware, according to a government report.
March 02, 2019 02 Mar'19
Facebook asked George Osborne to influence EU data protection law

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg invited one of the chancellor’s children to Facebook’s office as part of a intensive lobbying programme to influence European data protection legislation
March 01, 2019 01 Mar'19
Facebook facing 10 GDPR investigations in Ireland

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has revealed it has 10 active probes into Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as Apple, LinkedIn and Twitter, on its books
March 01, 2019 01 Mar'19
New broadband speed regulations come into force

Internet service providers must now tell consumers how fast their broadband service will be before they sign a contract, under new Ofcom rules
February 22, 2019 22 Feb'19
Facebook planned to spy on Android phone users, internal emails reveal

Facebook planned to use its Android app to track the location of its customers and to allow advertisers to send political advertising and invites to dating sites to ‘single’ people, confidential documents show
February 22, 2019 22 Feb'19
US may cut off countries that use Huawei in 5G networks

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has said America may scale back or cut military and diplomatic ties with countries that use Huawei equipment in national 5G networks
February 19, 2019 19 Feb'19
Activist Lauri Love’s computer ‘contained hacked data’, says judge

Lauri Love, who has been accused of hacking into US government computer systems, has lost a legal action against the NCA for the return of his computers and storage device
February 19, 2019 19 Feb'19
IT Priorities 2019: Cyber security and risk management among top priorities for 2019

This year’s Computer Weekly/TechTarget IT Priorities research shows that cyber security and risk management are among the top investment priorities
February 18, 2019 18 Feb'19
DCMS Select Committee claims Facebook ‘deliberately frustrated’ fake news inquiry

Facebook’s UK public policy manager defends its participation in MPs' inquiry into the spread of fake news and disinformation online, which concludes by declaring an end to self-regulation by social media firms
February 12, 2019 12 Feb'19
IR35 reforms: Contractors lack confidence in private sector to manage April 2020 rule change

Research from IR35 consultancy Qdos suggests contractors lack confidence in the ability of private sector firms to adequately determine how they should be taxed after April 2020