IT for government and public sector
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News
03 Jan 2024
Artificial intelligence to the front in Sweden’s National Technology Strategy
Sweden focuses in on artificial intelligence in its latest far-reaching national IT strategy Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Oct 2023
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
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News
05 Jan 2024
Information Commissioner questions DWP plan to monitor bank accounts of benefit claimants
The Information Commissioner has warned that legislation to give new powers to the Department of Work and Pensions to check bank accounts of benefit claimants for indications of fraud lacks appropriate safeguards Continue Reading
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News
03 Jan 2024
Artificial intelligence to the front in Sweden’s National Technology Strategy
Sweden focuses in on artificial intelligence in its latest far-reaching national IT strategy Continue Reading
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News
02 Jan 2024
China’s UNC4841 pivots to new Barracuda ESG zero-day
The Chinese state threat actor behind a series of cyber attacks on Barracuda Networks customers embarked on a campaign targeting the supplier’s email security products in the run-up to Christmas Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Jan 2024
Data: the golden thread of military defence
Information has been the lifeblood of warfare for centuries and modern data strategies are no different. From frontline fighters to logistics, manufacturing, R&D, and recruitment, data is crucial Continue Reading
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News
29 Dec 2023
Top 10 investigations and national security stories of 2023
From a secret campaign by right-wing Brexit supporters against science journal Nature to Investigatory Powers Act 2016 revisions that will make it easier for police and intelligence agencies to access databases on the population, here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 investigations and national security stories of 2023 Continue Reading
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News
29 Dec 2023
Top 10 AI regulation stories of 2023
From the UK government’s publication of its long-awaited AI whitepaper to its convening of the world’s first AI Safety Summit, here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 AI regulation stories of 2023 Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Dec 2023
Decoding zero trust in endpoint security: A practical guide for CISOs
The exponential increase in endpoints has vastly expanded the average organisation’s attack surface – address this by applying zero-trust best practice to endpoints Continue Reading
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News
28 Dec 2023
Top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2023
Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2023 Continue Reading
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News
27 Dec 2023
Top 10 police technology stories of 2023
Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 police technology stories of 2023 Continue Reading
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News
22 Dec 2023
Top 10 government IT stories of 2023
In the year that gave life to four new government departments, Whitehall bosses have continued to fly the flag for technology, with mixed results and success. Here are the stories that made waves in 2023 Continue Reading
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News
22 Dec 2023
Top 10 Middle East stories of 2023
Middle Eastern countries are on digital journeys, with many pinning their futures on expertise in advanced technologies Continue Reading
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News
21 Dec 2023
Immigration clampdown could worsen UK IT skills shortage
The UK government’s recent clampdown on immigration could exacerbate the IT skills shortage in the country, especially in web design and development Continue Reading
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News
21 Dec 2023
Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2023
Ransomware gangs dominated the cyber criminal underworld in 2023, a year that will prove notable for significant evolutionary trends in their tactics Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2023
Post Office gets government handout as Horizon replacement costs increase ‘significantly’
The increasing costs associated with replacing the Post Office’s controversial IT system have forced the government to hand it over £100m extra Continue Reading
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Opinion
20 Dec 2023
Beyond the office walls: Safeguarding remote workers from attack
Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading
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Opinion
20 Dec 2023
Zero-trust principles: Your gateway to securing remote workers
Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading
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Opinion
20 Dec 2023
Evolving best practice: What next for securing remote work?
Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2023
'No hiding place' for those responsible for Post Office Horizon scandal
MPs want individuals to be held to account for their roles in causing the Post Office Horizon scandal, which destroyed thousands of lives Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2023
ALPHV/BlackCat operation down, but maybe not out
Multinational law enforcement has targeted the operations of the notorious ALPHV/BlackCat cyber extortion gang, but the group’s members appear to remain defiant Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Dec 2023
Levelling the playing field: Could a UK cloud strategy weaken the hold of the hyperscalers?
Over time, global hyperscale has taken a majority share of the UK market. How best could the government respond to Ofcom’s review to sustain local industry while best serving customers? Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2023
Top 10 NHS IT stories of 2023
In the year we said goodbye to NHS Digital, the NHS has made some serious strides in digitising the health service, but many challenges remain. We look back at the stories that made the headlines in 2023 Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2023
Top 10 Benelux stories of 2023
The Benelux region is researching some of the latest digital technologies of the future with efforts to ensure the region keeps pace in quantum computing and artificial intelligence Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2023
Top 10 cloud stories of 2023
Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 cloud stories of 2023 Continue Reading
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News
19 Dec 2023
Government reveals its own slow progress in compensating Post Office scandal victims
Few of the subpostmasters who unearthed the widest miscarriage of justice in UK history have been compensated so far, four years after their court victory Continue Reading
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Opinion
19 Dec 2023
Security Think Tank: Testing to improve remote worker security
Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading
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News
19 Dec 2023
Top 10 information management stories of 2023
Generative AI was inescapable as the leading theme of the information management stories of 2023 gathered here. But also selected are pieces about data and healthcare, and the inexorable rise of the CDO Continue Reading
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Opinion
19 Dec 2023
Security Think Tank: Anytime, anywhere access is achievable
Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Dec 2023
Interview: Ex-UKCloud chairman airs economic fears over growing dominance of US hyperscalers
More than a year has passed since UKCloud went into liquidation - its former chairman outlines his concerns about the economic impact of the UK cloud market floundering in the face of the US hyperscalers Continue Reading
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News
15 Dec 2023
Police defend facial recognition target selection to Lords
Senior police officers confirm to Lords committee that facial recognition watchlist image selection is based on crime categories attached to people’s photos, rather than a context-specific assessment of the threat presented by a given individual Continue Reading
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News
15 Dec 2023
Government advised to overturn all Post Office scandal convictions
An independent board set up to advise the government on compensation for innocent subpostmasters has recommended that all the Post Office scandal convictions are ‘unsafe’ and should be overturned Continue Reading
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News
14 Dec 2023
NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron to step down in 2024
NCSC chief exec Lindy Cameron, who helped lead and elevate the national dialogue on cyber security through major events such as Covid-19, SolarWinds Sunburst and Colonial Pipeline, is to step down in the New Year Continue Reading
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News
14 Dec 2023
Current Post Office executive in denial of Horizon cover-up
Executives at the Post Office today are still in denial of the part they played in destroying the lives of thousands of people Continue Reading
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News
13 Dec 2023
No UK AI legislation until timing is right, says Donelan
The UK government will not legislate on artificial intelligence until it has a better understanding of the technology, so is instead focusing on building up regulatory capacity and conducting safety-focused research, says digital secretary Continue Reading
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News
13 Dec 2023
Microsoft’s Christmas present for cyber teams: no zero-days
Barely 30 vulnerabilities, and no zero-days, have been fixed in the final Patch Tuesday drop of 2023 Continue Reading
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News
13 Dec 2023
Critical UK infrastructure a ‘hostage of fortune’ to ransomware
A lack of ransomware planning and preparedness at the highest levels of government is leaving UK operators or critical national infrastructure dangerously exposed, according to a Joint Committee report Continue Reading
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News
12 Dec 2023
MoD fined after breach of Afghan staffers’ data put lives at risk
The MoD has been fined £350,000 by the ICO after an email blunder exposed data on Afghan nationals who had worked with British forces and were at risk of Taliban reprisals Continue Reading
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News
12 Dec 2023
Outdated data protection practice key factor in PSNI data breach
The August 2023 data breach at the Police Service of Northern Ireland arose chiefly from an outdated approach to data protection and compliance at the force, according to an independent review Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2023
Former Post Office investigator called subpostmaster campaigners ‘crooks’
Former Post Office investigator labelled subpostmasters attempting to clear their names as ‘crooks’ Continue Reading
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News
07 Dec 2023
UK names Russian FSB agents behind political hacking campaign
Russian hacking group, Star Blizzard, was part of a Russian intelligence operation aimed at interfering with UK politics and the democratic process, says government. Continue Reading
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News
07 Dec 2023
CIO interview: Keith Woolley, chief digital information officer, University of Bristol
With Bristol set to host the UK’s biggest supercomputer, its technology chief is looking to make the most of internal and international collaboration to drive digital improvements Continue Reading
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News
06 Dec 2023
NHS whistleblower Peter Duffy threatens trust with legal action in row over alleged email tampering
NHS whistleblower warns his former employer of potential litigation over a dispute concerning allegations of email tampering Continue Reading
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News
06 Dec 2023
Government launches UK-wide Cyber Explorers Cup
Schoolkids across the UK are being called on to team up and defeat Herbert the Hacker in a new government-backed competition Continue Reading
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News
06 Dec 2023
Post Office prioritised its ‘bottom line’ over justice
The Post Office was more concerned with saving money and recovering unexplained losses than getting to the bottom of subpostmaster claims that Horizon errors caused shortfalls, inquiry told Continue Reading
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News
05 Dec 2023
Government to trial new border tech
The software, which the government hopes will make it easier for border staff to identify what is inside the container, will be tested in the New Year as part of plans to ‘cut red tape’ for UK exporters Continue Reading
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News
05 Dec 2023
Operator of Sellafield nuclear facility denies hacking claims
The operator of the Sellafield nuclear site has denied allegations that senior managers covered up a series of cyber security lapses that enabled Chinese and Russian threat actors to compromise its networks Continue Reading
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News
05 Dec 2023
Majority of GPs now give patients online access to records
NHS England is close to reaching its target of having nine in 10 GPs offering patients access to their primary care records online Continue Reading
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News
05 Dec 2023
Undisclosed document could reveal pressure on Fujitsu expert witness in Post Office prosecution
Details of Post Office prosecutor’s meeting with Fujitsu IT expert witness, used in subpostmaster prosecution, not yet disclosed to public inquiry Continue Reading
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News
04 Dec 2023
Microsoft leaves SME resellers in the dark over Cloud Compute 2 framework snub
SME IT suppliers are calling on Microsoft to explain why it has banned them from reselling its services through the government's new £1.35bn Cloud Compute 2 framework Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2023
Human augmentation tech requires dual use oversight
Researchers investigating human augmentation technologies must acknowledge the potential military applications of their work, and military bodies cannot be allowed to dismiss ethical concerns in their pursuit of national security interests, says NGO Drone Wars UK Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2023
Lords committee urges caution on UK use of autonomous weapons
UK government must ensure proper democratic oversight of its development and use of AI-powered weapon systems, says Lords committee Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2023
The Security Interviews: Mark McClain, SailPoint Technologies
SailPoint founder and CEO Mark McClain reflects on how the concept of identity has evolved over the past 20 years, and points to rapid evolution still to come Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2023
Post Office lawyer with his fingerprints all over IT scandal spreads blame
Senior Post Office criminal lawyer was just following orders and claims his only mistake was believing those that told him the Horizon system was robust Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2023
Yarra Valley Water to roll out smart water meters
The move is expected to stem water losses, alert customers to possible leaks and improve the affordability of water Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2023
Government’s Online Fraud Charter welcomed
The government has corralled 11 of the largest tech platforms in the world to commit to its Online Fraud Charter, designed to tackle online scams, fake adverts, and more Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2023
Rhysida gang stole hundreds of gigabytes of British Library data
The Rhysida ransomware gang behind the cyber attack on the British Library has published almost 600GB of stolen data to its dark web leak site Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2023
Slow government response to Post Office scandal compensation forces new legislation
Subpostmasters who exposed widest miscarriage of justice in UK history still waiting for compensation after decades of fighting Continue Reading
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News
29 Nov 2023
Paula Vennells’ email fuelled Post Office Horizon cult, inquiry told
Faced with serious questions about the robustness of its core computer system, the Post Office doubled down on reliability myth, public inquiry told Continue Reading
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Opinion
28 Nov 2023
Making artificial intelligence fit for all our human futures
Lord Chris Holmes explains why he has introduced a Private Member's Bill on AI regulation for discussion in Parliament - and the important precedents he hopes it will set Continue Reading
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News
28 Nov 2023
CCRC refers two posthumous subpostmaster appeals to Crown Court
CCRC refers posthumous appeals against convictions to Crown Court for first time Continue Reading
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News
28 Nov 2023
Scope of British Library data breach widens
Personal data on British Library users has appeared for sale on the dark web following a Rhysida ransomware attack, as the scope of the still-developing incident widens again Continue Reading
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News
27 Nov 2023
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
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News
27 Nov 2023
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
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News
24 Nov 2023
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
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News
23 Nov 2023
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
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News
23 Nov 2023
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
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News
22 Nov 2023
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
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News
22 Nov 2023
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
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News
22 Nov 2023
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
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News
22 Nov 2023
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
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News
22 Nov 2023
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
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Definition
21 Nov 2023
bank identifier code (BIC)
A bank identifier code (BIC) is a unique identifier for a specific financial institution. A BIC is composed of a 4-character bank code, 2-character country code, 2-character location code and optional 3-character branch code. Continue Reading
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News
21 Nov 2023
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
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News
21 Nov 2023
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
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News
21 Nov 2023
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
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News
21 Nov 2023
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
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E-Zine
21 Nov 2023
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
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News
20 Nov 2023
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
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Feature
20 Nov 2023
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
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News
20 Nov 2023
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
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News
17 Nov 2023
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
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News
16 Nov 2023
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
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News
16 Nov 2023
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
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News
16 Nov 2023
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
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News
14 Nov 2023
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
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News
13 Nov 2023
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
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News
13 Nov 2023
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
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News
10 Nov 2023
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
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News
09 Nov 2023
Suspected ransomware attack hits Scottish council
Systems at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar were downed on 7 November in a suspected ransomware attack Continue Reading
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News
09 Nov 2023
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
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News
09 Nov 2023
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
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News
08 Nov 2023
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
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News
08 Nov 2023
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
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News
07 Nov 2023
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
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News
07 Nov 2023
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
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News
07 Nov 2023
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
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News
07 Nov 2023
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
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Blog Post
06 Nov 2023
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
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News
06 Nov 2023
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
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News
06 Nov 2023
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
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Opinion
03 Nov 2023
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