IT for government and public sector

Illegal state surveillance in Africa ‘carried out with impunity’

Analysis of surveillance laws and practices in six African countries finds that existing privacy laws are failing to protect citizens from illegal digital surveillance, which is being facilitated and enabled by global tech companies Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

How software can help clean up emission-intensive industries

The potential to reduce emissions by making heavy industries and commercial buildings more efficient using software is immense. We explore the field Continue Reading

By

• SA Mathieson

‘No-one extradited from UK to US has committed suicide,’ US tells court in Assange appeal

US government claims that a district judge has given WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a ‘trump card’ to avoid extradition   Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Budget: Cloud and data added to R&D tax credits, tech skills and digital boost for departments

Rishi Sunak announces plans to incentivise private sector investment in research and development, attract global talent and boost the UK’s skills base Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government commits millions to security investment

Spending Review adds more than £750m of funding to improve cyber security resilience across government Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

TechUK slams government gift to big banks that will disadvantage fintechs

The government will put challenger banks at a disadvantage through its reduction in the bank profit surcharge, says TechUK Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

PAC report slams reliance on consulting at NHS Test and Trace

Consultants recruited to fill technical skills gaps on the NHS Test and Trace programme are expected to cost £300m amid concerns spend has gotten “out of hand” Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Building better data foundations to make the most of AI

The UK government's national artificial intelligence strategy relies on businesses putting in place the foundations for better use of data – EY research highlights the challenges ahead Continue Reading

By

• Harvey Lewis, EY

Government selects network analytics tech to combat Covid-19 loan fraud

The UK government has awarded a contract to network analytics software provider Quantexa as part of its efforts to fight fraud, especially that connected with Covid-19 business support schemes Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

The future is digital, so why is Britain’s national strategy waterfall?

UK government policy is dominated by old, traditional attitudes – rather like the waterfall approach to IT projects. Unless policymaking adopts digital-style approaches, the UK is doomed to long-term decline Continue Reading

By

• Cassian Young

Six strategic plays for UK government IT initiatives and their implications for policy

The UK government needs to decide what being digital means – and there are a number of options to consider. Policymakers have to choose, if the benefits of transformation are to be achieved Continue Reading

By

• Mark Thompson, Exeter Business School and DIGITLab
• Will Venters, London School of Economics and Political Science

Capita migrates systems to the cloud for TfL low emission zone expansion

Capita has expanded its team and moved systems to the cloud to support Transport for London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Tech firms launch digital identity scheme for real estate

Five companies joined the digital identity programme aimed at enabling buyers of real estate, and more providers are expected to join a pilot starting this month Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Tech must be core to a high-wage UK economy, says TechUK

Trade association TechUK calls on government to prioritise tech-led growth on Budget and Spending Review Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Digital healthcare in use by nearly half of UK’s adult population

Some 28 million citizens have access to the NHS login, according to new data Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Multi-government operation targets REvil ransomware group

REvil has been forced offline by a multi-government hacking operation, marking the second time in 2021 that the group has gone dark Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

MEPs vote to expand Europol data mandate

The European Parliament has voted in favour of expanding Europol’s mandate to process data and develop AI tools, but critics claim it contradicts a previous vote which opposed using new technologies to predict crime Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government seeks supplier for UK digital identity project

Work on the UK digital identity project will be centred around the Gov.uk app, which is expected to be the new common check for citizen services Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Post Office board ‘appalling’ and ‘short-sighted’, said minister researching Horizon project in 2000

A government minister investigating the controversial Horizon IT project in 2000 described the Post Office board of directors as ‘appalling, short-sighted and partisan’ Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK government launches information assurance unit for defence

The Military Systems Information Assurance is aimed at developing alternatives to cryptology Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK government allocates £17.5m to farming innovation programme

Farming innovation initiative aims to drive productivity and sustainability among farmers, growers and other businesses Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

US intelligence agencies issue advisory on BlackMatter gang

Joint advisory on ransomware gang warns about potential of further attacks on critical infrastructure providers Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

What does Saudi Arabia’s autonomous vehicle agenda mean to the rest of the world?

If all goes according to plan, within a few years, one million people will live in Saudi Arabia’s ‘city of the future’ – and every one of them will depend on a fleet of self-driving cars Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

DWP IT chief outlines the challenges of establishing a Chief Data Office

According to DWP chief Katharine Purser, interoperability between government systems is one of the main barriers to improving the handling of data Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Police IT buyers should compel suppliers to prove AI claims

House of Lords told that UK law enforcement bodies should use their position as buyers to compel private sector suppliers to divulge more information about how their AI-powered technologies work Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Singapore pulls ahead with public sector 5G trials

Singapore’s public sector organisations are testing the use of 5G connectivity to remotely operate an autonomous vehicle for road-sweeping, among other use cases Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Time to take a step back on police use of facial recognition

We’ve all seen the detective shows on TV. The cops find a CCTV picture of the likely “perp”. The put-upon junior detective is tasked with wading through a database of photos in the hope of finding ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Government launches consultation on future of medical devices

UK government aims is to gather views on possible changes around innovations in the medical device field, including the creation of a regulatory framework for software and artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

How Samlesbury, Lancashire became the home of the National Cyber Force

The National Cyber Force, a new branch of the military, is gearing up to fight battles in cyber space from the fields of Lancashire. Its presence is expected to bring a high-tech renaissance to the region Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Global IT outsourcing sees record spending and no sign of slowing

Cloud services are being taken up by enterprises rapidly as they accelerate digital transformations Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Apple scheme to detect child abuse creates serious privacy and security risks, say scientists

Apple’s plan to automatically scan photos to detect child abuse would unduly risk the privacy and security of law-abiding citizens and could open up the way to surveillance, say the world’s top cryptographic experts Continue Reading

By

• Duncan Campbell , 2QQ Ltd, Sussex University

UK government advances voter ID project

Cabinet Office-led project will see the introduction of a digital card to be used in future elections Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Institutes of Technology launch to upskill adults in tech careers

Up to 4,000 working professionals will be trained in subjects such as cyber security and agricultural robotics to plug the national skills gap Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government to launch Gov.uk app

Service to be introduced as part of plans to simplify access to government services Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Post Office Horizon scandal inquiry announces first public hearing

Public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal will hold its first public hearing next month Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ban UK police use of facial-recognition, House of Lords told

Experts giving evidence to the House of Lords have said that UK police use of facial-recognition technology is disproportionate and ineffective, and further questioned the utility of algorithmic crime ‘prediction’ tools Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Digital gender gap prompts $1tn GDP loss for developing countries

A new study by the Web Foundation investigates the economic cost associated with the barriers preventing women from accessing the internet Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK government outlines strengths and weaknesses in innovation

As part of the government’s overall innovation strategy, an evidence paper lists factors that influence the pace and direction of developments in the field Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

AI estimated to provide 10% boost to UK GDP by 2030

AI has financial benefits but there are concerns the technology could displace a significant number of human workers in the next decade, says report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Sensitive documents to stay with whistleblower after deadline for agreement for their return passes

A deadllne to agree the safe return of the sensitive banking details of former and current NatWest Group customers has passed without agreement Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

West Midlands expected to grow by £2.7bn with tech sector drive

The region is expected to create 52,000 job positions in the next four years Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NatWest admits to weaknesses in anti-money laundering systems

Bank pleads guilty to failures concerning the laundering of hundreds of millions of pounds, but says it has since improved its anti-money laundering systems Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

ONS publishes technical learnings of UK’s first online census

Use of agile delivery and cloud computing were among the highlights of the Census 2021, which received 22 million responses countrywide Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Ron Thompson, CDO, Nasa: Mind the data gap

Data is the crown jewels of business, but is often siloed. We speak to the chief data officer at Nasa about developing a data integration culture Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

French Caisse uses NetApp to move backups to object storage

State financial arm wanted to move backups held on NAS file-based storage to object storage, so stuck with NetApp StorageGRID and achieved near-seamless migration Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Glasgow publishes draft digital housing strategy

Reducing digital exclusion, improving connectivity and citizen services are part of the plan Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

MEPs approve report opposing certain uses of AI by police

European policymakers have approved a report on the use of AI in criminal matters, rejecting several amendments in the process that would have made it easier for police to potentially conduct predictive analytics and biometric surveillance Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

US lawmakers propose ransomware reporting rules

Former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren lends her support to a bill that would require corporate ransomware victims to disclose more information about their attacks to the authorities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Concerns raised over confidentiality and transparency in government data innovation

National data guardian Nicola Byrne warns about central principles that should be observed as data-driven innovation gathers pace in areas such as health and care Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Keeping the UK in the global race to adopt digital identity

The UK government’s proposed digital ID trust framework is a step in the right direction, but more is needed to ensure the successful adoption of digital identity across the economy Continue Reading

By

• Nick Mothershaw, OIX

Direct Line hires former Virgin Atlantic IT chief as CIO

Ash Jokhoo will be joining the insurance company as a member of the executive board Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NHSX publishes IT standards and interoperability priorities

The creation of an IT strategy, a governance model and an open source playbook are among the areas of focus for the interoperability team of NHSX Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NHSX IT chief outlines opportunities of elective recovery tech fund

Priorities for the digital unit of the health service include remote recovery with virtual wards, pre-surgical digital support, and use of robotic process automation to reduce the administrative burden on staff Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Met Police purchase new retrospective facial-recognition system

Retrospective facial-recognition software purchased for £3m by the Met Police will be deployed in coming months amid continuing controversy around the use of biometric technologies by law enforcement bodies Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

BEIS urged to prioritise funding to protect umbrella workers in government Spending Review

In an open letter to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, umbrella regulation draft policymakers Rebecca Seeley Harris and James Poyser urge the government to prioritise funding for a single enforcement body Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Norway and IoT: A match made in heaven

Norway is becoming a centre of internet of things innovation as tech developers look for answers to some of the country's unique challenges Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Local Digital Capital Index: A framework for levelling up

How can the tech sector ensure digital equality across the UK in support of the government's levelling-up agenda? TechUK is trying to set the benchmarks Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

UK AI strategy focused on economic growth, resilience and ethics

Chris Eastham of law firm Fieldfisher looks at the government’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, and the merits of the 10-year plan and its approach Continue Reading

By

• Chris Eastham

UK government announces industry group to lead digital pound debate

Joint forums set up by HM Treasury and the Bank of England for a Central Bank Digital Currency include representatives from big tech firms, fintechs and incumbent banks Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Digital regulators need discrete but cooperative remits

The UK’s information commissioner has told MPs that digital economy regulators need discrete remits backed up by strong information sharing powers to both provide clear focus as well as allow for greater cooperation between their disparate but interlinked regimes Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Dutch IT firm transforms HR policy built on lessons from pandemic

Software firm rips up human resources rule book and replaces it with a hybrid working policy Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Interview: Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on supporting the UK tech sector

Computer Weekly talked to Sunak at a Treasury event in front of an audience of tech sector leaders, investors and startups, to discuss how the government can support the digital economy. Continue Reading

Government announces data strategy for defence

The plan sets out the goals around treating data as a strategic asset to be achieved by 2025 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Uber drivers strike over pay issues and unfair dismissal claims

Unionised Uber drivers take industrial action in response to ongoing disputes over pay and claims that drivers are being unfairly dismissed as a result of the company’s technologies Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Giant Umbrella contractors suffer salary payment delays following suspected ‘data breach’

Following the discovery of “suspicious network activity” in its systems, payroll processing firm Giant Umbrella has taken itself offline, leaving contractors to fume over missing salary payments Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Scotland sees increase in job opportunities in tech

Driven by startups and scaleups, employment in digital firms in Edinburgh and Glasgow is growing more than in other parts of the UK, according to data Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

London publishes guidelines for ethical use of smart city tech

Latest draft of the ‘Emerging Technology Charter for London’ encourages local authorities, public services and technology companies to improve how they implement technology in the capital Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

HMRC postpones Making Tax Digital until 2024

Digital tax changes have been delayed to allow more time for customers taking part in the pilot and for the government to enhance the service Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Fresh alert over Conti ransomware surge

Conti ransomware crew appears increasingly active, prompting fresh warnings from the US authorities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MoD in second leak of Afghan citizens’ data

A second breach of data relating to Afghan citizens at risk of Taliban reprisals has been reported by the Ministry of Defence Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Authorised push payment fraud sees huge increase as criminals switch tactics

Criminals tricking people into making payments through channels such as fake emails and websites have stolen more money than payment card fraudsters Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government digital chief outlines extent of legacy IT challenge

Central Digital and Data Office director Joanna Davinson says ageing IT is holding back digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK government launches first national artificial intelligence strategy

Ten-year plan is expected to drive corporate adoption of the technology, boost skills and attract international investments Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Newham aims to harness local talent to build data economy in London

The London Borough of Newham sets out to enable its young, digitally savvy population to build a data economy for sustainable growth through the launch of Newham Sparks at London Tech Week 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

AI cannot be regulated by technical measures alone

The regulation of artificial intelligence must address the power of tech companies, as technical measures alone will not be enough to prevent the harms caused by AI-driven technologies, says report Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UK data plans aim to boost growth but will they isolate the UK from its international friends?

The UK government has made strong statements about the nation’s post-Brexit data strategy but must be careful not to undermine its global credibility Continue Reading

By

• Rita Flakoll and Herbert Swaniker

Legacy, unautomated IT was root cause of human error in pensions underpayment

Caseworkers at Department for Work and Pensions had to use systems dating back to 1988 and manually move data to different systems, leading to human error Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK government turns to Tim Berners-Lee startup for digital identity plan

As part of its new digital identity project, the Government Digital Service is using the Solid platform created by web inventor Berners-Lee, which helps users to manage their personal data better Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

NHS App reaches 16 million users

Tool has seen a surge in uptake since the addition of the NHS Covid Pass in May Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK needs coordinated effort to regain ground in high-performance computing

The UK is falling behind in the supercomputer league as a lack of skills and awareness of large-scale computing holds back organisations Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Digital Clinical Safety Strategy adds to NHS patient safety plan

Objective is to ensure digital technologies in health and care are safe and to use them to improve patient safety Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Chancellor Rishi Sunak listens to UK tech – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this episode of the CW Downtime Upload, CW editor in chief Bryan Glick joins the podcast team to discuss his interview with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak at a Treasury Connect conference Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

BlackMatter gang ramps up attacks on multiple victims

A wave of new BlackMatter ransomware attacks is hitting organisations around the world, even as the US authorities mull new sanctions on ransom payment infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The cities planning for ethical use of AI

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to tech leaders in Barcelona and London about a collaboration to ensure ethical use of AI in the era of smart cities. The UK government wants to reform data protection law – we assess the implications. And we examine the latest best practice in hybrid cloud. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How Estonia’s country-as-a-service scheme has attracted tens of thousands of foreign entrepreneurs

Estonia has created a country-as-a-service offering which is attracting entrepreneurs and businesses from across the world Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK government announces digital trade strategy

Five-point plan is aimed at improving ways to sell and deliver services digitally, making the sector more resilient to disruption Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Dear Chancellor: Unlocking private sector collaboration is the key to tech growth

Chancellor Rishi Sunak asked the tech sector for ideas to promote growth – startup hub Plexal makes its case in response Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Roughan, Plexal

NGO Fair Trials calls on EU to ban predictive policing systems

The use of artificial intelligence to predict criminal behaviour should be banned because of its discriminatory outcomes and high risk of further entrenching existing inequalities, claims Fair Trials Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Putting data at the heart of policymaking will accelerate London’s recovery

A new initiative to encourage better data sharing between London’s private and public sectors can play an important role in recovering from the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Mel Hobson

UK tech sector on track for another record year of investment

The UK creates one unicorn tech business a week, as startup funding during the first half of 2021 rockets to £13.5bn Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Do we really want a single digital identity system to access government services?

Is the UK government about to make a new announcement on its plans for a single digital identity for citizens to access online public services? On 22 September, two seemingly coordinated ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Whittingdale and Warman ousting completes reshuffle of every digital, data and tech minister

All of the UK ministers responsible for technology, digital and data are moving on as a result of Boris Johnson's latest reshuffle Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Bitdefender launches free REvil ransomware decryptor

Working alongside law enforcement partners, Bitdefender has developed and released a tool to help REvil victims recover their data for free Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

European president outlines tech vision to drive Europe

President of the European Commission has set out plans for a stronger European economy, with less reliance on US and Chinese tech giants Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Network Rail U-turns on blanket inside IR35 contractor determinations

The Department for Transport’s 2020-2021 accounts suggest Network Rail has switched up its IR35 compliance strategy, with more than 70% of its contractors now classified as working outside IR35 Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UN human rights chief calls for moratorium on AI technologies

High commissioner’s call for a moratorium on the use of AI systems that pose a serious risk to human rights is accompanied by a UN report on the negative human rights impacts associated with the technology Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Interview: Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on supporting the UK tech sector

Computer Weekly talked to Sunak at a Treasury event in front of an audience of tech sector leaders, investors and startups, to discuss how the government can support the digital economy Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Tech Nation announces second cohort for Net Zero accelerator

The Net Zero programme from Tech Nation aims to help tech startups and scaleups realise their potential to reduce global emissions Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Nordic central banks drive fintech and digital currency

Banks are working together through a cross-border financial technology development hub Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

UK government takes equity shares in more than 150 startups

Covid-support loans given to startups through the UK government’s Future Fund have given it stakes in more than 150 high-growth enterprises Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor