News

IT legislation and regulation

• August 23, 2018 23 Aug'18

  No Deal Brexit papers warn of stark future for UK tech

  The government has published the first of its No Deal Brexit contingency planning notices, containing sobering messages for the UK technology industry

• August 22, 2018 22 Aug'18

  Nearly a third of organisations still not GDPR ready

  As the UK and other states implement the EU’s GDPR, many organisations admit they are still not fully compliant, but most claim to be able to respond to data subject access requests

• August 21, 2018 21 Aug'18

  UK cryptocurrency exchange enlists Rackspace for Microsoft Azure cloud move

  London Block Exchange taps up Rackspace to assist with two-month Microsoft Azure migration as it sets about shoring up its platform against demand spikes

• August 20, 2018 20 Aug'18

  Planned Australian law raises tech firms’ security concerns

  A digital industry group representing some of the world’s largest tech firms is opposed to proposed Australian laws aimed at compelling them to help security agencies and police

• August 16, 2018 16 Aug'18

  Trump sparks speculation after repealing cyber attack restraints

  The US president has sparked speculation about US policy on launching cyber attacks by repealing Obama-era restraints, underlining the need for international rules on cyber warfare

• August 15, 2018 15 Aug'18

  IR35 tech compliance will take private sector 'over a year' to achieve, warns accounting trade body

  The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) cautions HM Revenue & Customs against rushing out IR35 reforms to the private sector, claiming it will take most businesses at least one tax year to ready their software systems for the move

• August 14, 2018 14 Aug'18

  Driverless cars heading for Bromley and Croydon

  A 10-month data-gathering exercise will pave the way for an autonomous vehicle ride-sharing service to start operation in 2019

• August 13, 2018 13 Aug'18

  ICO strengthens commitment to technology and innovation

  Information Commissioner’s Office has demonstrated its commitment to technology and innovation by appointing a new executive director to focus on this area

• August 10, 2018 10 Aug'18

  Butlin’s warns of potential personal data breach

  Holiday camp chain blames cyber breach on a phishing attack, implying that attackers were able to steal user credentials to access customer data – and underlining the need for security awareness training

• August 09, 2018 09 Aug'18

  Ex-HMRC tax inspector sounds alarm over suitability of IR35 online status checker tool

  As the private sector consultation on IR35 draws to a close, a former HM Revenue & Customs inspector calls into further question the suitability of the government's online tool for assessing contractors’ tax status

• August 06, 2018 06 Aug'18

  Starling raises the fintech stakes with banking-as-a-service

  Challenger bank enables companies outside the financial sector to offer their customers savings and current accounts via the bank’s APIs

• August 06, 2018 06 Aug'18

  Half of UK consumers to exercise GDPR rights within a year

  More than half of UK consumers will exercise their General Data Protection Regulation rights within a year and almost two-thirds will retract or review data use because of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal, a study shows

• August 03, 2018 03 Aug'18

  Advertised broadband speeds dropping across UK

  Since new advertising standards around broadband were introduced in May 2018, most providers have cut the speeds they advertise, or stopped making speed claims altogether

• August 02, 2018 02 Aug'18

  Government launches digital economy competition review

  Obama’s former chief economic advisor will lead panel on competition in the digital economy to ensure regulations are fit for purpose

• July 31, 2018 31 Jul'18

  UK business overestimating level of consumer trust, study shows

  UK consumer trust is low, with the majority of UK businesses admitting to selling customer data, a report reveals

• July 31, 2018 31 Jul'18

  Comms providers may be forced to notify out-of-contract users

  Providers of landline, broadband, TV and mobile services will have to notify their customers when they approach the end of their minimum contract period under proposed new rules

• July 31, 2018 31 Jul'18

  Dixons Carphone ups data breach figure to 10 million

  Dixons Carphone now believes the number of personal data records affected in 2017’s data breach is nearly 10 times greater than initially thought

• July 31, 2018 31 Jul'18

  Briton ran pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign that helped Trump deny Russian links

  A British IT manager and former hacker from Darlington ran a disinformation campaign that duped former US intelligence agents and provided Donald Trump with manufactured “evidence” to deny that Russia interfered with the US election

• July 30, 2018 30 Jul'18

  Government to fund six connected vehicle simulation projects

  The government has announced the winners of an R&D contest for connected vehicle simulation and modelling capabilities

• July 27, 2018 27 Jul'18

  Openreach doubles down on full-fibre broadband roll-out

  In its first annual review since splitting from BT, Openreach has recommitted to its targets for full-fibre broadband

• July 27, 2018 27 Jul'18

  BT bounces back in strong first quarter

  After a run of bad news, there were some bright spots in BT’s first quarter financial results

• July 26, 2018 26 Jul'18

  Facebook stock price falls on slowing growth forecast

  Facebook’s stock price has fallen dramatically in response to a forecast of slower revenue growth in 2018 and lower-than-expected user growth for the second quarter

• July 25, 2018 25 Jul'18

  Vodafone sales tick down on new reporting rules

  Quarterly sales at mobile operator Vodafone dipped thanks to the impact of new reporting standards and foreign exchange headwinds

• July 25, 2018 25 Jul'18

  Australian energy sector caught in security catch-22

  With regulators unwilling to accept security investments that would lead to higher tariffs, there is a chance that Australia’s National Energy Market could face increased cyber risks

• July 24, 2018 24 Jul'18

  Ofcom proposes regulatory changes to support broadband investment

  Following the recommendations of the government’s Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, regulator Ofcom has proposed a package of measures to better support investment in full-fibre broadband

• July 20, 2018 20 Jul'18

  GDPR drives down UK insider threat

  The insider threat in European countries is falling post-General Data Protection Regulation, but continues to rise in the US, a study has revealed

• July 20, 2018 20 Jul'18

  NCSC report underlines cyber threat for legal firms

  Legal firms are a top target for cyber attackers, the latest report from the National Cyber Security Centre shows, emphasising the need for comprehensive cyber defence capabilities

• July 20, 2018 20 Jul'18

  Uptick in UK privacy awareness, says ICO

  The UK’s privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office, reports increased public awareness of privacy and information rights issues

• July 19, 2018 19 Jul'18

  Uber appoints first privacy and data protection chiefs

  Uber is getting its privacy and data protection house in order in the wake of damaging data breaches and in anticipation of the company’s planned stock market launch in 2019

• July 18, 2018 18 Jul'18

  Google record fine could lead to Android fork

  Amazon’s Android was one of the operating systems mentioned by the European Commission as it imposed a record €4.34bn fine on Google

• July 15, 2018 15 Jul'18

  A quarter of Brits think they already have full-fibre broadband

  CityFibre research commissioned to support its campaign for more clarity in broadband advertising appears to show widespread misunderstanding of what fibre is or what it means

• July 11, 2018 11 Jul'18

  Facebook could face ICO fine of up to £500,000

  Facebook could face the maximum fine provided by the UK’s previous data protection laws for lack of transparency and security issues relating to the harvesting of data, the UK’s privacy watchdog has revealed

• July 10, 2018 10 Jul'18

  Lords urge Brexit negotiators to reach agreement on security

  Time is running out for the UK and EU to agree on a future security relationship and if negotiators fail to find common ground, all stakeholders stand to lose, warns a Lords’ committee

• July 10, 2018 10 Jul'18

  NIC calls for nationwide broadband plan

  The National Infrastructure Commission has called for a national broadband plan to support full-fibre roll-out

• July 09, 2018 09 Jul'18

  As prime minister unveils Brexit plans, TechUK calls for deal on services

  The UK tech industry wants a Brexit deal open to services, mirroring the EU trade agreement with Canada

• July 06, 2018 06 Jul'18

  ICO Grants Programme launches second round of funding

  The ICO is inviting a second round of applications for funding to promote and support independent, innovative research and solutions focused on privacy and data protection

• July 06, 2018 06 Jul'18

  European Parliament calls for suspension of Privacy Shield

  The Privacy Shield framework that replaced the Safe Harbour agreement for personal data transfers between the EU and the US is under increased pressure due to alleged non-compliance by US firms

• July 03, 2018 03 Jul'18

  IT service provider HCL acquires sector expertise as part of European strategy

  Indian IT services firm boosts its European car industry credentials though multi-million Euro investment

• July 03, 2018 03 Jul'18

  Feds expand Facebook data sharing probe

  The US federal probe into Facebook’s data sharing practices is expanding and MEPs are considering new measures as the firm reveals it granted extended access to 61 companies and admits to another data sharing software bug

• July 01, 2018 01 Jul'18

  Australian government grappling with digital transformation woes

  Digital transformation in Australia’s public sector has been beset by soaring rhetoric and vague aspirations by government, a new report reveals

• June 29, 2018 29 Jun'18

  GDPR exposes breach reporting flaws

  In the month since the GDPR compliance deadline, it has become clear that many organisations are not well prepared for personal data breach notifications, says PwC’s data protection lead

• June 29, 2018 29 Jun'18

  British Muslim considers appeal after court rules repeated terrorism stops are legal

  Muzaffar Abdullah, a 37-year-old gas engineer who has been stopped and questioned by police at airports at least 10 times, is considering an appeal after being found guilty of wilful obstruction for refusing to answer questions under controversial ...

• June 27, 2018 27 Jun'18

  Government must challenge popular smart city misconceptions

  A report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smart Cities says many people feel alienated by the concept, and calls on the government to challenge some popular misconceptions

• June 25, 2018 25 Jun'18

  Nordic and Baltic states agree on joint approach to AI

  The governments of the Nordic and Baltic region want to work closer together to further increase the status of artificial intelligence in business and society

• June 25, 2018 25 Jun'18

  UK privacy groups join call on EU to halt comms data collection

  UK-based privacy groups have joined calls for a halt to the collection of communications data by European Union member states

• June 25, 2018 25 Jun'18

  Mobile spectrum sharing is vital for UK 5G roll-out, says report

  A report commissioned by independent network builders’ body Inca has warned that current approaches to how spectrum is apportioned are leaving vast amounts unused, and this needs to change

• June 20, 2018 20 Jun'18

  Mobile operators appeal for dark fibre access to back 5G

  O2, Three and Vodafone unite in calling for more to be done to open up dark fibre networks to supply desperately needed capacity for their future 5G networks

• June 15, 2018 15 Jun'18

  DeepMind Health must be transparent to gain public trust, review finds

  Independent review of DeepMind Health says the company should provide more clarity on data and business plans, while legal audit finds its controversial data-sharing deal with Royal Free is lawful

• June 14, 2018 14 Jun'18

  AI is key to keeping IBM compliant with GDPR

  Artificial intelligence is vital for keeping IBM compliant with the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation, which, in turn, provides opportunities for business, says the company’s data protection officer

• June 14, 2018 14 Jun'18

  Ofcom satisfied with progress on BT Openreach split

  Ofcom has published its first annual report on the legal separation of BT and Openreach, and said it is broadly satisfied with progress to date, despite hiccups relating to the BT pension scheme