IT for government and public sector

MPs have ‘little confidence’ in Making Tax Digital success

MPs say HMRC’s Making Tax Digital programme is riddled with widespread and repeating failures, and criticise the programme for failing to be open about the costs and increased burdens on taxpayers Continue Reading

India's Hexaware creates hundreds of jobs in UK

Hexaware opens IT services operation in Birmingham, with a plan to recruit 250 people in the region by 2025 Continue Reading

UK police plan national roll-out of facial-recognition phone app

UK police chiefs plan to expand use of facial-recognition technology through a nationwide roll-out of mobile-based tools and increases in retrospective facial-recognition, but oversight problems persist Continue Reading

Microsoft bans SME partners from selling its services via government's Cloud Compute 2 framework

Microsoft is under fire after documents leaked to Computer Weekly revealed it has banned reseller partners from selling its services via the government’s soon-to-be launched Cloud Compute 2 framework Continue Reading

DWP to surveil bank accounts of benefit claimants for fraud

The UK government has outlined how it plans to tackle benefit fraud by giving the Department for Work and Pensions new powers compelling banks to collect and share data on claimants’ bank accounts Continue Reading

Chancellor offers spending boost for IT buyers alongside AI and quantum investments

In his Autumn Statement, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a range of measures intended to boost investment in innovation and technology Continue Reading

Autumn Statement reveals more AI and quantum initiatives

With the government keen to position the UK as pro-innovation, the chancellor used the 2023 Autumn Statement to discuss more plans to support that ambition Continue Reading

Executive interview: TechUK CEO Julian David on 10 years of change in UK IT

It’s 10 years since the UK technology trade association relaunched as TechUK – its chief executive looks back on a dramatic decade, and discusses what’s next for the UK tech sector Continue Reading

Republic of Korea deal adds to UK quantum momentum

The new agreement paves the way to greater collaboration on AI and quantum computing Continue Reading

Controversial Fujitsu contract with Post Office extended again

IT from Fujitsu is at the heart of the widest miscarriage of justice in UK history, yet the government keeps handing millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to the IT giant Continue Reading

Canada’s Mounties among government employees hit by LockBit

A LockBit attack on a specialist supplier of relocation services has engulfed multiple government agencies in Canada Continue Reading

Deputy prime minister heads up AI central government drive

The government has established a new initiative called i.AI in a bid to drive AI across the public sector to improve efficiency Continue Reading

Government response to digital exclusion recommendations lacking, say Lords

The government’s response to a committee report that makes recommendations for addressing digital exclusion has been met with criticism from the House of Lords Continue Reading

Internal documents leaked as Rhysida claims responsibility for British Library ransomware attack

Ransomware group Rhysida threatens to sell documents stolen from the British Library to the highest bidder Continue Reading

Can AI take education to a new level?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how large language models are being used to teach, support and assess students, enhancing education rather than impairing it. We look at how the AI revolution is impacting the semiconductor sector as the big tech companies put off server upgrades. And we find out how generative AI is changing the way enterprise software works. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

AI productivity gains could result in four-day weeks for millions

Autonomy think tank publishes paper on potential for artificial intelligence-driven large language models to shorten people’s work weeks Continue Reading

Elected officials' lack of digital skills affects public services

A lack of digital skills and tech expertise among elected officials encourages government to contract out IT work instead of building up internal capacity, making the public sector increasingly reliant on outside knowledge to get things done Continue Reading

Defence lawyers seek appeal of tribunal ruling on police EncroChat cryptophone hack

Defence lawyers are seeking leave to appeal against a tribunal ruling that found the National Crime Agency had lawfully obtained warrants to access messages from 9,000 cryptophones used in the UK Continue Reading

US civil society groups demand better conditions for AI workers

Some 24 US civil society groups and unions and have written a letter to the US Senate asking for action to improve the working conditions of the people who train and maintain their artificial intelligence systems Continue Reading

Outgoing police tech watchdog warns of declining oversight

The outgoing biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner for England and Wales discusses police deployment of powerful new surveillance technologies, and the declining state of oversight in this area Continue Reading

British Library’s Halloween cyber scare was ransomware

The British Library has provided an update on an ongoing cyber incident affecting its systems, confirming it to be the result of a ransomware attack Continue Reading

Post Office scandal inquiry postpones more key witness hearings

Yet more witness hearings are cancelled due to the Post Office's late disclosure of documents Continue Reading

Francis Maude calls for GDS and CDDO to merge

Review into the civil service by the former Cabinet Office minister says the two organisations should become one entity to avoid sending mixed signals around accountability and leadership Continue Reading

Rogue state-aligned actors are most critical cyber threat to UK

The prospect of rogue nation-state-aligned attackers bringing down the UK’s critical infrastructure is keeping the NCSC up at night Continue Reading

ICO alerted after technical ‘issue’ exposed college files to student barristers

A training college for barristers has reported a data breach that left sensitive data on hundreds of current and former students accessible to other trainees Continue Reading

UN disarmament body calls for global action on autonomous weapons

UN draft resolution highlighting the dangers of autonomous weapons passes with overwhelming majority Continue Reading

Suspected ransomware attack hits Scottish council

Systems at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar were downed on 7 November in a suspected ransomware attack Continue Reading

UK government does not see need for specific AI legislation

The UK government does not currently see the need for new artificial intelligence legislation, as many regulators are already dealing effectively with AI-related harms Continue Reading

Conflict of interest concerns raised over CMA's use of AWS UK public sector discount scheme

Less than a month after the CMA confirmed it would be investigating the competitive impact of AWS preferential pricing deals on the UK cloud market, data reveals the CMA is benefiting from cut-price Amazon cloud services Continue Reading

Former Post Office manager has no memory of preparing witness statement in legal dispute

Evidence of computer problems was omitted from the witness statement of a former Post Office manager in a legal battle with a subpostmaster blamed for unexplained accounting shortfalls Continue Reading

AI Summit not the place for human rights, says French finance minister

Despite commitments at the UK’s AI Safety Summit to respect and protect human rights, the French finance minister said it was not the right forum to discuss signatories' human rights records Continue Reading

Post Office disclosure failures delay Horizon scandal inquiry again

Many of the 300,000 emails unearthed could be relevant to evidence from future and past witnesses in the Post Office scandal inquiry Continue Reading

Cornwall Council-run care service to deploy digital care hub

Digital hub will offer council-run Corserv Care an end-to-end care solution, including a physical device, online dashboard and interoperable software Continue Reading

Interview: Paul Scully, minister for technology and the digital economy, DSIT

The technology minister speaks to Computer Weekly about the government’s semiconductor strategy, how to solve the digital skills challenge in the UK and moving towards the country’s net-zero target Continue Reading

AI Safety Summit review

Computer Weekly takes stock of the UK government’s AI Safety Summit and the differing perspectives around its success Continue Reading

The great AI threat, or not...

Depending on who you talk to, Rishi Sunak's much-hyped AI Safety Summit was an act of extreme hubris by the UK government, a wasted opportunity, or a historic milestone in the development of ... Continue Reading

Netherlands starts building its own AI language model

Dutch government allocates €13.5m to develop an open artificial intelligence language model according to national values and guidelines. Continue Reading

UK science minister announces quantum tech funding and collaboration plans

Science minister George Freeman announces £14m in funding for quantum technology projects as government signs collaboration agreements with Australia and the Netherlands Continue Reading

How to solve the computer evidence problem

The Law Commission is in disgrace for its historic misrepresentations of IT experts when pushing a change to the law on the use of computer evidence through Parliament. Continue Reading

Bristol and Cambridge to host 2024 AI supercomputers

Dell and HPE are working on supercomputers with the two universities as part of the government’s artificial intelligence funding drive Continue Reading

CDDO publishes digital roadmap update

The CDDO envisions that by 2025, digital services will exceed public expectations, civil servants will be equipped for a digital future, and government efficiency and security will be enhanced Continue Reading

How the UK crime agency repurposed Amazon cloud platform to analyse EncroChat cryptophone data

UK crime agency repurposed AWS-based analytics platform to triage EncroChat data and identify threats to life in messages sent on encrypted phone network Continue Reading

Law Commission misrepresented experts when it changed rule on computer evidence

The Law Commission repeatedly quoted vague, arm-waving, un-evidenced comments by judges who offered no insight into anything beyond their own technical ignorance. The law change made miscarriages of justice inevitable. Continue Reading

AI Summit: 28 governments and EU agree to safe AI development

In a joint communique at the UK government’s AI Safety Summit, all participating governments agreed to deepen their cooperation around the risks associated with artificial intelligence Continue Reading

Government announces millions to fund AI skills

Funding has been allocated to ensure the UK grows its understanding of artificial intelligence and develops an AI talent base to help properly utilise the technology in the future Continue Reading

The cause of the Post Office Horizon scandal? The Law Commission? Judges? Lawyers?

The appropriateness of the current law on the use of computer evidence in court is under the spotlight following Post Office scandal revelations Continue Reading

Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson on her AI Safety Summit goals

As the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park takes place, Computer Weekly caught up with Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson to find out what one of the UK’s most prominent AI advocates wants from proceedings Continue Reading

The world's most advanced Arabic LLM is now available on open source

On 30 August 2023, Abu Dhabi-based Inception, a subsidiary of G42, announced the release of an Arabic large language model to open source Continue Reading

British Library falls victim to cyber attack

The British Library is experiencing a major IT outage following a cyber incident of an undisclosed nature Continue Reading

Biden’s AI plans focus on US workers’ protection

The US president has issued an Executive Order that sets out his administration’s strategy for AI safety and security Continue Reading

UK government to invest £100m in using AI to research treatments for incurable diseases

Prime minister Rishi Sunak confirms £100m in government funding for AI-led research into incurable diseases Continue Reading

UK government AI Summit already branded ‘missed opportunity’

The dominance of big tech firms, a focus on speculative risks over real-world harms, and the exclusion of affected workers, mean the AI Safety Summit is a wasted opportunity, say civil society groups Continue Reading

Frontier AI Taskforce starts recruitment drive

The second progress report from the Frontier AI Taskforce reveals new hires plus vacancy posts for software and research engineers Continue Reading

Tech firms cite risk to end-to-end encryption as Online Safety Bill gets royal assent

Tech firms continue to be concerned that the Online Safety Bill could undermine end-to-end encryption despite government reassurances Continue Reading

Domestic abuse charities surface fresh worries over NHS data sharing

With new NHS data access options coming into effect at the end of October, a group of campaigners including womens' charities and the BMA have warned that the revived GP-patient data sharing scheme risks putting vulnerable people at risk Continue Reading

‘Egregious’ to link passport data with facial recognition systems

The Scottish biometrics watchdog has spoken out against the UK policing minister’s plans to integrate passport data with police facial recognition systems Continue Reading

UK regulators confident they are ready for AI safety governance

MPs at a recent artificial intelligence governance meeting were keen to hear how Ofcom, the FCA and the ICO are preparing for UK AI legislation Continue Reading

Germany: European Court opinion kicks questions over EncroChat back to national courts

Germany lawfully obtained data on German EncroChat users from France, but whether the evidence is legally admissible is a matter for national courts Continue Reading

Sunak sets scene for upcoming AI Safety Summit

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has outlined how the UK will approach making AI safe, but experts say there is still too big a focus on catastrophic but speculative risks over real harms the technology is already causing Continue Reading

Government-led Smart Data Discovery Challenge launched to stoke innovation

A government-led coalition has launched an open-call competition for ideas using smart data to help support individuals and small businesses, emulating open banking Continue Reading

Finland shows off its new 20-qubit quantum computer

Anybody who scoffs at Finland’s lofty ambitions in the field of quantum computing should remember that not only is the country home to one of Europe's most successful companies (Nokia), but it also houses Europe’s most powerful supercomputer (LUMI). Continue Reading

UK IT professionals express concerns about government’s generative AI goals

Research reveals 93% of UK IT professionals are concerned by the government’s current plan to become a global leader in artificial intelligence because of lack of training and risk assessment Continue Reading

Michelle Donelan reaffirms UK's commitment to AI safety

In a keynote speech, the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology discussed the UK's pro-innovation approach to AI safety Continue Reading

Government puts £75m into innovation hubs

Eight innovation ‘launchpads’ will each get a share of the funding for projects covering sectors such as agri-tech, digital healthcare, renewable energy and technologies for the creative industry Continue Reading

Taxpayers to fund a further £150m for Post Office IT scandal

Total bill for the scandal goes well over £1bn, as subpostmaster campaign leader considers private prosecutions of Post Office executives Continue Reading

Five Eyes chiefs warn of Chinese spying campaign to steal high-tech secrets

Intelligence chiefs warn high-tech companies and universities they may be the target of attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to steal technology secrets Continue Reading

Public Accounts Committee highlights smart meter failures

In spite of failing to meet roll-out targets, millions of smart meters are not working, and some will break once 3G and 2G networks are switched off Continue Reading

Sellafield local authority unsure if data was stolen six years on from North Korea ransomware attack

Senior managers at an ‘Achilles heel’ local authority for Europe’s biggest nuclear site ‘still don’t know what was lost’ in a 2017 cyber attack, according to a council source Continue Reading

Government concedes it will miss 2024 e-prescribing target

The government won’t meet its target to get rid of paper prescribing in hospitals by 2024, and has pushed the goal post back two years to 2026 Continue Reading

Post Office auditors presumed subpostmasters were ‘on the fiddle’ or ‘in a muddle’

Public inquiry into Post Office scandal hears how head office staff routinely made negative assumptions about subpostmasters in small branches Continue Reading

Where is our National AI strategy heading?

The recent House of Lords Communications Committee expert witness session revealed a somewhat bizarre situation in government relating to our National AI Strategy. By her own admission, Dame Wendy ... Continue Reading

Former Post Office executive admits he wouldn’t sign unfair contract he pushed on subpostmasters

Former contract manager said contract that subpostmasters had to sign with Post Office “put them on the hook” for everything Continue Reading

Hacktivist attacks against Israeli websites mirror attacks following Russian invasion of Ukraine

Hacktivists supporting Gaza and Palestine have launched hundreds of website defacement attacks against Israeli websites, mirroring the pattern of attacks that occurred after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Continue Reading

Generative AI is a game changer for higher education

As in most areas of society, generative AI presents risks and opportunities for the higher education sector. But regardless of which side of the debate you fall, it will be a revolutionary technology Continue Reading

Government to pump £30m into NHS medtech

The government hopes the funding, which is available to integrated care systems across the country, will ease winter pressures through the help of technology Continue Reading

UK startups pilot semiconductor funding

ChipStart is a new initiative from the UK government to help build out the National Semiconductor Strategy by supporting startups Continue Reading

‘Angry’ lawyer warned against Post Office computer investigation in 2010 email

Angered by his exclusion from an important discussion, former Royal Mail lawyer told colleagues of the risks to the Post Office if, as planned, they publicly investigate allegations against its computer system Continue Reading

Scottish biometrics watchdog outlines police cloud concerns

Police Scotland’s response to the biometrics commissioner’s formal information notice ‘did not ameliorate’ his concerns about the sovereignty and security of the sensitive biometric information being uploaded to cloud infrastructure that is subject to intrusive US surveillance laws Continue Reading

Public sector buyers of AI tech must interrogate its suitability

The Ada Lovelace Institute has published a review on public sector use of artificial intelligence foundation models, looking at the risks and opportunities associated with the technology, and how these can be dealt with from the early stages of procurement onwards Continue Reading

Why only 1% of the Snowden Archive will ever be published

Speaking to Computer Weekly after we published new revelations from the Snowden archive, the Guardian’s Pulitzer Prize winner, Ewen MacAskill, explains why more of the Snowden trove is unlikely to see the light of day Continue Reading

Microsoft: Nation-state cyber espionage on rise in 2023

Microsoft’s latest Digital Defence Report outlines how nation-state cyber activity has largely moved from destructive attacks to espionage and intelligence gathering Continue Reading

Red Cross issues rules of engagement for hackers in conflicts

The digital rules of engagement are the first time cyber activity has been looked at by the conflict watchdog, but a number of hacker groups have already come out and said they will not be following them Continue Reading

Government launches £60m Regional Innovation Fund

The £60m fund aims to support universities in areas with lower R&D investment, while the government is also pumping £8m towards AI scholarships Continue Reading

Policing minister wants to use UK passport data in facial recognition

The policing minister’s plans to integrate the UK’s passport database with police facial-recognition systems have been met with criticism from campaigners, academics, and the biometrics commissioner for England and Wales Continue Reading

IR35: HMRC completes first phase of CEST upgrades with Ocelot platform migration

HMRC has confirmed that its online IR35 status checker tool has completed its migration to a new platform, as the government tax collection agency’s revamp of the service continues apace Continue Reading

AI vs software outsourcing: An opportunity or a threat?

While artificial intelligence offers unprecedented opportunities for growth, efficiency and automation, it also raises pertinent questions about the future of software outsourcing Continue Reading

ICO issues guidance on workplace surveillance

Guidance on employee monitoring covers how employers can conduct their digital surveillance lawfully, transparently and fairly, and warns against businesses intruding on their workers’ private lives Continue Reading

Cyber experts urge EU to rethink vulnerability disclosure plans

The European Union’s proposed cyber security vulnerability disclosure measures are well-intentioned but ultimately counterproductive, as making unmitigated vulnerabilities public knowledge increases the risk of their exploitation by various actors, experts claim Continue Reading

Amnesia hides names of individuals behind Post Office’s ‘head on a spike’ strategy

Former Post Office lawyer deflects individual responsibility for a strategy that crushed subpostmasters, blaming the organisation as a whole Continue Reading

Public sector needs systemic reform of capacity to innovate

Improving the public sector’s capacity to innovate requires a culture of innovation underpinned by people, skills and new ways of working with the private sector Continue Reading

Top science journal faced secret attacks from Covid conspiracy theory group

A conspiratorial group of extreme Brexit lobbyists mounted an extraordinary campaign against one of the world’s most prestigious science journals – part of a series of joint investigations between Byline Times and Computer Weekly Continue Reading

Versity targets Exabyte volumes in data archiving

Versity builds archiving for Exabyte data volumes on tape and in object storage. It has built its own S3 and transitioned to a GPL licence for supercomputing archives Continue Reading

How the Australian government is approaching AI

The Australian government is experimenting with AI use cases in a safe environment while it figures out ways to harness the technology to benefit citizens and businesses Continue Reading

UK tech sector ‘let down’ and ‘betrayed’ over Rishi Sunak’s net-zero policy tweaks

Now the dust has settled on the news Rishi Sunak is tweaking several of the policies underpinning the government’s net-zero goal, the UK tech industry has hit back at the news Continue Reading

Government hands over £12.5m to farming tech innovators

Some 19 projects focusing on automation and robotic technology will get funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to boost the agricultural sector Continue Reading

First subpostmaster Horizon conviction overturned in Scotland

Scotland has seen its first Post Office Horizon conviction overturned, taking the UK total to 92 Continue Reading

Government to hire 2,500 people for digital roles by 2025

Government is aiming to ramp up digital skills in Whitehall with a promise to recruit 2,500 new tech and digital roles through apprenticeships and talent programmes Continue Reading

Government ‘breached privacy’ of Horizon victims with compensation offer, says lawyer

The government breached the privacy of victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal through making a compensation offer public Continue Reading

Government launches £65m space tech fund

The funding from the UK Space Agency is part of the National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), and aims to support and accelerate innovation in the sector Continue Reading

The trust deficit in CNI: How to address a growing concern

When it comes to addressing the trust deficit in CNI, technological advancements, evolving threats, inadequate regulations, insufficient investment, public awareness, and international cooperation are all critical components that need attention Continue Reading