Opinion

Opinion

Internet infrastructure

• Why identity is the central problem for the future of the internet

  As debate rages over who has the right to control user identities online, is the concept of decentralised identity about to have its day?  Continue Reading

• It’s time to accept that disinformation is a cyber security issue

  Tackling the manipulation of truth and facts is no easy task, and it’s time for the cyber security sector to take up the challenge  Continue Reading

• SMEs poised to reap tech and agility advantage in wake of Covid-19

  The UK’s small and medium-sized businesses have, in some respects, reacted more nimbly to Covid-19 than larger organisations. As a result, they have put themselves in a better position to take advantage of growth opportunities  Continue Reading

• The Google antitrust case is more about politics than economics

  It’s not entirely clear what economic reasons led the US government to try to tackle Google’s search monopoly, which suggests it is mostly about politics  Continue Reading

• Coronavirus: What does the ‘new normal’ mean for how we work?

  Examining the long-term impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic on the world of work, security, privacy and networks  Continue Reading

• Coronavirus and privacy – finding the middle ground

  Data collection has a role to play in fighting the deadly Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, but governments need to be accountable for how it is used  Continue Reading

• What is ARPA and what should a UK version look like?

  The Prime Minister wants the UK to be a hotbed of science and research, and his advisor Dominic Cummings admires the US ARPA organisation – but what would a UK version need to be successful?  Continue Reading

• Learning from the Travelex cyber attack: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail

  The key lesson to take from the Travelex breach is that an effective response to a breach is a critical business function and no longer the sole province of the IT department  Continue Reading

• We can’t allow fake news and disinformation to upend our democracy

  Fake news, misinformation and cyber attacks are part of our political process – now is the time to act  Continue Reading

• The art of surveillance: the Stasi archives and the Investigatory Powers Act

  A photographic exhibition captures the chilling impact of surveillance in the UK and the former German Democratic Republic  Continue Reading

• Who has legal jurisdiction over the internet?

  The internet is testing the scope of national laws – and even the European Court of Justice is finding it hard to find a consistent line on its decisions  Continue Reading

• UK businesses deserve a 5G networked nation

  The tech sector needs to coalesce around a unified, positive vision of 5G to establish a proper business case for ultrafast, low latency mobile  Continue Reading

• Britain’s 5G roll-out – What is plan B?

  The government has ambitious aspirations in respect of Britain’s full-fibre and 5G networks. But among all the Brexit fog, has it managed to shoot itself in the foot with the roll-out of 5G mobile?  Continue Reading

• Does NHS Digital’s Internet First policy mean the end of HSCN?

  Last week, NHS Digital issued new policy guidance on internet usage that, at first glance, appeared to herald the end of HSCN – but is that really the case?  Continue Reading

• 5G’s first five years: A look ahead

  With 5G mobile networks edging closer to reality, GSMA Intelligence’s Matthew Iji looks ahead to consider how the technology will be adopted between now and 2024  Continue Reading

• Facebook’s high-stakes privacy gamble goes to Dublin court

  A high-wire gamble with billions in compensation at stake for European internet users – part of a complex case between Facebook and the Irish information commissioner – hides challenge to the unlawfulness of US state internet surveillance  Continue Reading

• Douglas Engelbart, the forgotten hero of modern computing

  Half a century ago, Douglas Engelbart demonstrated an experimental computer that laid the foundations for modern computing. His vision to use computing power to solve complex problems in all areas of human activity has become reality, but not in the...  Continue Reading

• Bright future for OTT video – if the network can support it

  The emergence of over the top video services is having a massive impact on underlying network technology, according to the ITP  Continue Reading

• UK winners and losers in digital tech

  The UK's retail and telecoms companies are among the best in the world at digital technology, but a survey of digital leaders shows there is still room for improvement for many UK firms  Continue Reading

• Everyone, everywhere is responsible for IIoT cyber security

  Cyber security in the industrial internet of things is not limited to a single company, industry or region – it is an international threat to public safety, and can only be addressed through collaboration that extends beyond borders and competitive ...  Continue Reading

• From Aberdeen to Brighton: Investing in the UK’s digital future

  More investment in the UK’s broadband infrastructure is critical to ensure the UK’s future success in technology in a post-Brexit world  Continue Reading

• Smart cities face challenges and opportunities

  IHS Markit analysts Noman Akhtar and Kevin Hasley assess the way forward for smart city technology projects around the world  Continue Reading

• Is 5G more than just another generation of mobile?

  Although several mobile network operators have announced launch dates for 5G services, many people remain unsure about the aspirations for 5G, what it means for users, its monetisation and its timescales  Continue Reading

• Taking the quantum leap: What is quantum technology for business?

  Quantum computers are many years away, but the first applications of quantum technology will arrive in only one or two years – so businesses need to be ready  Continue Reading

• Hacking the internet of things just got easier – it’s time to look at your security

  Are you taking security for internet-connected devices seriously enough?  Continue Reading

• If 5G is the answer, what is the question?

  5G mobile networks are not the be-all and end-all when it comes to delivering consistent nationwide connectivity, says network standards expert William Webb  Continue Reading

• Taxing tech giants on revenue only ends up with us customers paying more

  EU proposals to tax internet companies based on sales in each country fail to apply the tax burden on the right people  Continue Reading

• Europe’s shameful role in spy-tech exports that led to torture and jail

  Governments in Europe actively assisted in government oppression in Iran, Bahrain and Russia by providing states with sophisticated surveillance equipment. The European Parliament is pressing for changes in the law to restrict exports of ...  Continue Reading

• There are no economic reasons to regulate the US tech giants

  The likes of Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft may dominate their markets, but the economic argument to regulate them is weak  Continue Reading

• Max Schrems’s mass surveillance complaint knocked back another year or two by Irish judge

  Irish data protection commissioner Helen Dixon has neatly avoided having to deal with the US surveillance of Facebook users in Europe by referring a complaint by Austrian lawyer Max Schrems to the European Court of Justice  Continue Reading

• The children of the digital revolution

  Digital professionals are emerging as the source of expertise within the agile enterprise. They understand how to use digital technologies, starting small then building big  Continue Reading

• IoT is good news for hackers

  Technology companies, governments and the insurance industry need to band together to counter the mounting cyber threats from the internet of things  Continue Reading

• Industry standards: Paving the way for autonomous vehicles

  The car industry needs to agree open standards to allow connected cars and autonomous vehicles to communicate. The bIoTope project is one initiative that could lead the way to agreement  Continue Reading

• Storm clouds gather for US-EU Privacy Shield data deal

  The European Parliament justice committee launches unprecedented criticism of Privacy Shield, while the Irish Court mulls future of binding corporate contracts  Continue Reading

• Emerging technologies: How can you cut through the noise?

  Technology leaders need to focus the raw potential of emerging technology into a set of priorities with measurable, tangible business impacts  Continue Reading

• £200 million fund can speed up demand for speedy FTTP broadband

  The value of the government’s £200m broadband fund should not be measured in monetary terms, but in terms of demand generation, says Lyndsey Burton, founder of comparison site Choose.co.uk  Continue Reading

• The rise of the ODMs: Should the branded hardware suppliers be worried?

  The use of ODM datacentre hardware makes good economic sense for the hyperscale providers, but what about everyday enterprises?  Continue Reading

• Four reforms to deliver competitive broadband

  The UK will never benefit from ‘gold standard full fibre’ broadband without major reforms to the fabric of government, writes Ed Straw  Continue Reading

• Multi-cloud management: Making it work for the enterprise

  As the hype surrounding multi-cloud infrastructure continues to grow, what do enterprises need to do to make the model work for them?  Continue Reading

• Is ‘OK’ OK? Delivering the next government network platform

  As GDS signals its intent to move away from the Public Services Network, the industry and public sector must work together to create a new internet-based network platform for government  Continue Reading

• Telecoms: Opportunities and challenges in 2017

  The telecoms sector is undergoing profound change, particularly in terms of consumer demand and technology, says Angus Finnegan of law firm Taylor Wessing  Continue Reading

• Fight against Investigatory Powers Bill may not be over

  Labour's shadow home secretary Diane Abbott says that wider society must now debate the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill, despite Parliamentary approval  Continue Reading

• Gary McKinnon: Why Lauri Love should be spared the nightmare of extradition

  Computer activist Lauri Love should be spared a life sentence in a US jail, says former hacker Gary McKinnon  Continue Reading

• Investigatory Powers Bill – the case for mass surveillance

  As the Investigatory Powers Bill goes through its final stages in Parliament, a former GCHQ intelligence officer puts the case for the bulk surveillance powers contained in the legislation  Continue Reading

• A Good American: a personal take on mass surveillance

  Director Friedrich Moser draws some conclusions on mass surveillance from his groundbreaking documentary on the work of NSA whistleblower, Bill Binney  Continue Reading

• Prism and the law: The state of play in August 2016

  Computer Weekly assesses the history, legal aspects and latest developments in the story of the mass surveillance programme launched by the US National Security Agency  Continue Reading

• It’s not too late to turn the tide on Investigatory Powers Bill

  The government has set David Anderson QC an almost impossible task in his review of the sweeping bulk powers proposed in the Investigatory Powers Bill – but it is not too late to make a difference  Continue Reading

• A day in the life of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal

  Britain's most secretive court combined the surreal with the deadly serious, as it debated the legality of bulk data collection by MI5, MI6 and GCHQ  Continue Reading

• Privacy Shield gets green light – for now

  Privacy Shield faces inevitable legal challenges, so organisations should prepare by considering legal and practical alternatives  Continue Reading

• How can telcos respond to the strategic questions they face?

  Traditional telcos are under tremendous pressure to reinvent themselves to remain competitive and relevant. BDO’s Christian Goetz looks at the options  Continue Reading

• Was that it? Business as usual for fintechs after Brexit vote

  Following the Brexit vote, Fintech Times editor Bird Lovegod describes how financial services IT startups are getting on with business as usual  Continue Reading

• New Zealand reaps fibre benefits as copper-choked UK risks digital exclusion

  Telecoms and technology consultant, futurist and ex-BT CTO Peter Cochrane highlights the urgency for the UK to consider FTTP if it wants to maintain its place in the world economy  Continue Reading

• A legal perspective on Ofcom’s BT Openreach review

  Frances Murphy, partner, and Joanna Christoforou, of counsel, from the London office of global law firm Morgan Lewis examine Ofcom’s review of BT’s Openreach  Continue Reading

• Investigatory Powers Bill: What it means for UK tech startups

  The proposed Investigatory Powers Bill could prove damaging for innovative high-tech companies, writes Tirath Bansal, founder and CEO of internet startup myorb.com  Continue Reading

• Sparks of creativity as energy and digital futures collide

  Digital technologies consume way too much energy and present an environmental and sustainability issue that demands a fresh design approach  Continue Reading

• Floods reveal weaknesses in the resilience of UK broadband

  December’s floods exposed a major flaw in the UK’s fibre to the cabinet networks, which are almost impossible to waterproof  Continue Reading

• Why we’re measuring the digital economy in the wrong way

  Conventional measures of productivity and growth, such as GDP, fail to capture the true effect of the digital revolution – but we're getting richer nonetheless  Continue Reading

• The problem of smart cities and connectivity in the UK

  Only once leaders develop a framework for local economic and societal development can the “smart city” buzz can evolve into “intelligent communities”  Continue Reading

• Why HTML5 must replace Flash

  Author Robin Nixon explains why the days of Flash are numbered  Continue Reading

• Life’s a breach: How to handle the press after a hacking attack

  Emily Dent, specialist in crisis PR, offers some advice to organisations that unexpectedly find themselves in the headlines  Continue Reading

• Driving digital productivity in the UK

  There is a need for British businesses to improve their adoption of digital technologies  Continue Reading

• Sale, spin-off or stay put? What should EMC do next?

  With reports suggesting some major changes may be afoot at EMC, Clive Longbottom looks at the reasons why  Continue Reading

• When DevOps isn't enough, try NoOps

  Letting developers loose to create, test and deploy new code without operations might streamline processes, but it's not without its risks  Continue Reading

• Three things you may not know that DNS data can tell you

  Big data tools can help network administrators gather new insights into security and performance from DNS data  Continue Reading

• Making sense of the internet of things

  Welcome to Thingalytics, the use of real-time analytics and algorithms to guide you through the maze of fast big data  Continue Reading

• Super-connected cities plan hailed a success, says digital minister Ed Vaizey

  Government minister Ed Vaizey writes about the roll-out of the super-connected cities initiative  Continue Reading

• Disrupted everything: How Google will change our world

  While Apple could be the first company to hit a $1tn valuation, Google could be first to hit a $2tn market cap. But how will it get there?  Continue Reading

• Turkey’s internet restrictions – a hindrance to the country’s IT ambitions?

  Legal experts examine recent changes to Turkish Internet Law and the potential impact on the country’s IT business environment  Continue Reading

• US technology companies facing growing UK pressure over internet spying

  Tension is growing between the UK and US over Prism spying  Continue Reading

• Simplicity as a digital differentiator

  This autumn, it seems that mobile payments are finally taking off  Continue Reading

• The five trends shaping the future of work

  If there’s one thing that we can all agree on it’s that the world of work is changing…quickly.  Continue Reading

• A phisher’s paradise

  Email is one of the earliest services created on the internet and, arguably, remains the most important  Continue Reading

• What businesses can learn from Buzzfeed’s success

  Buzzfeed has raised $50 million and is planning to use it to offer more content, expand its video production unit and open more offices  Continue Reading

• How much mainstream IT capacity does mobility consume?

  The challenge for IT departments will be to quantify the impact of a growing number of mobile devices on their infrastructure  Continue Reading

• The digital CIO: ‘Fear of Google’ and the ethics of digital business

  Could the big digital players be using their dominance by exerting unfair competition?  Continue Reading

• PSN makes changes to reduce risk

  Director and head of compliance, PSNGB, Adele Parker, talks about how PSN will transport the bulk of government information  Continue Reading

• Migrating the Department for Education to GOV.UK

  Department for Education's Digital Solutions Manager discusses the challenges the department faced in moving its services online  Continue Reading

• The legal considerations of the internet of things

  As with many new technologies, there are a number of tricky legal challenges to consider as part of widespread IoT adoption  Continue Reading

• A digital Magna Carta – is Tim Berners-Lee on the right track?

  Sir Tim Berners-Lee argues that we need a “digital Magna Carta” to establish fundamental rights online – but what would it mean?  Continue Reading

• Tackling the IT skills shortage through diversity of employment

  We all have to do our part in tackling the IT skills shortage in the UK to ensure the industry continues to grow  Continue Reading

• Opinion: 2014 – The year of Digital Connectome

  We are living through an unprecedented period in human history, one in which the internet has enabled near-instantaneous connections between people and machines at a scale never seen before  Continue Reading

• Is big data changing the fundamental way we think?

  Big data is transforming organisations but, to have real impact, it also requires a change in the way business leaders, analysts and IT teams think  Continue Reading

• Why Europe is wrong to kill Safe Harbour

  Suspending the EU-US Safe Harbour agreement on data protection will do nothing to address surveillance, says international policy analyst  Continue Reading

• No apologies – digital government is political

  Shadow Cabinet Office minister, Chi Onwurah, answers criticisms over Labour's digtial strategy  Continue Reading

• How wearable gadgets will impact the IT department

  The Chancellor George Osborne was spotted recently wearing a bio-monitoring wristband, suggesting wearable tech really has gone mainstream. Despite it being a useful and efficient product, it is limited when compared to the capabilities that such ...  Continue Reading

• Why the internet is forcing retailers to rethink their supply chains

  The growth of internet shopping is causing retailers to radically rethink the way they manage their supply chains  Continue Reading

• SMEs open to public cloud – provided it is easy with local sales and support

  It is no surprise that small and medium-sized businesses are the most inclined to adopt and use public cloud to deliver the majority of their IT, but there are significant barriers to overcome  Continue Reading

• Rackspace CTO predictions for 2013

  Rackspace chief technology officer John Engates gives his IT predictions for 2013  Continue Reading

• Getting to grips with managing supply and demand

  The way that companies connect with each other to do business can have a big effect on overall performance  Continue Reading

• Why Atos is eliminating email

  At best, email is a distraction – while at worst it can lead to a drop in performance and employee disengagement, writes Lee Timmins  Continue Reading

• Technology innovators are critical for growth

  The government needs to improve its appetite for technology innovation and apply it to the toughest challenges this country faces  Continue Reading

• Why the Data Communications Bill is proportionate, measured and necessary

  Data-sharing Czar Sir Bonar Neville-Kingdom defends Her Majesty's Government's internet monitoring plans in the face of "self-righteous conspiracy theorists".  Continue Reading

• Why great companies die - repeatedly - and is Microsoft next?

  The Penny Black stamp revolutionised comunications - and taught us lessons that some IT giants today are failing to learn.  Continue Reading

• Leveraging the benefits of ‘Big Data’

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• UK courts show the way on piracy

  The UK courts are taking the right approach to online piracy, says John Moffat, senior attorney at Avidity IP  Continue Reading

• Why consumer habits are changing retail IT strategies

  Graham Benson, CIO of online clothing business M&M direct, discusses the reason why consumer habits must change retail IT strategies.  Continue Reading

• Opinion: Cloud, mobility, social among top infosec challeges for 2012, says ISACA

  What is the most important nut for infosec to crack in the coming year and why? Global IT security association ISACA gives its views.  Continue Reading

• Is time running out for internet domains?

  The world’s political leaders are taking an unusually intent interest in the technical system of Internet domains’ naming and numbering (the DNS).  Continue Reading