IT news in your industry 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

Benioffs and Salesforce put $300m into combating climate change on eve of COP26

$200m committed to reforestation and restoration efforts, and $100m for non-profits over the next 10 years Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications 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, Computer Weekly

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

TSB opens 100-seat tech centre in Scottish capital

TSB has opened its latest tech centre in Scotland while IT services provider CGI announces the creation of hundreds of UK tech jobs 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

Retail tech community reacts to BNPL regulatory proposals

Regulation is coming to the buy now, pay later market, but what does it mean for a retail tech community increasingly embracing these solutions? Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

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

Thought Machine: Google-inspired banking fintech to unicorn and beyond

UK fintech unicorn Thought Machine is transforming the IT of large traditional banks, while working with fledgling digital-only challengers Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CIO interview: Dal Virdi, IT director, Shakespeare Martineau

The law firm is increasingly digitising its business and readying its infrastructure for future merger and acquisition activity Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

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

Interview: Identifying talent at Nasa using data science

David Meza, senior data scientist at Nasa, explains how the space agency is using data analytics and graph database technology to find, recruit and train the skilled people it needs Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

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

Managing cyber risk by integrating supply chains

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our latest Buyer’s Guide examines the security and IT integration challenges of modern supply chains, especially post-pandemic – while we also talk to the CEO of software provider SolarWinds about how the company overcame its huge supply chain attack. And we look at how a small town in Lancashire was chosen as the HQ for the UK’s new National Cyber Force. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

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

Chancellor sets aside £2.1bn to fund NHS IT modernisation

Improving efficiency, reducing waiting times and expanding tests and scans are among the key targets for £5.9bn of extra NHS funding Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

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

At last, the UK has a mass-market digital identity system - now let's use it

Great news for all those who have followed the troubles and travails of digital identity in the UK for the past couple of decades. Finally, we have a digital ID system, developed in the public ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Attempted hack causes Tesco website outage

Retailer’s website and app back after attempted hack caused problems over the weekend Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Singapore-developed chatbot to provide genetic counselling

National University Cancer Institute, Singapore’s chatbot will kickstart the counselling process for patients who have a higher risk of contracting hereditary breast and ovarian cancer Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

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

Airport operator MAG boosts threat visibility with hybrid SOC

With budget concerns weighing heavy during the pandemic, Manchester Airports Group ditched an impending capex-heavy cyber investment in favour of a hybrid managed/in-house approach. Learn more about its experience Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Depop launches programme to help charities sell online

Online marketplace Depop has launched a programme to make it easier for charities to set up shops and sell goods online through its platform Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

German regulator imposes limit on number of new customers digital bank can sign each month

BaFin limits the number of new customers that digital bank N26 can enrol until it is reassured on issues it has raised about the company Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NetApp Insight frames moves to public cloud and cloud native

Storage player highlights partnerships with cloud hyperscalers and development of Spot portfolio aimed at cloud-native applications, DevOps, FinOps and SecOps Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Vast boosts QLC flash offer with ransomware-proof snapshots

Vast majors on QLC flash bulk storage with 3D Xpoint cache to smooth out traffic into sequential flows Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

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

Spectra Logic unveils Vail hybrid cloud storage virtualisation

Vail provides single pool of storage overlay to on-premise flash, disk and tape, plus cloud via object storage interface with Posix-compliance promised in future releases Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

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

Lloyds Bank closes more branches as customers migrate to digital channels

Banking group has announced more closures as part of the ongoing reduction of its branch network Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

LightBasin hackers breach 13 telcos in two years

Hackers have obtained an undisclosed volume of subscriber information and call metadata in a sustained campaign against telecommunications firms Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Forget the 'free' software, the real value of open-source is the collaboration

It’s a cliché, but why are we still reinventing wheels? It is increasingly clear that the real value and opportunity in open-source isn’t so much the actual software itself, but the collaborative ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics

Oracle NetSuite embeds HSBC corporate banking services into ERP

Oracle Netsuite integrates HSBC corporate banking services into its latest software Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

American Express announces global hybrid working model

US credit card giant is latest corporate to formalise hybrid working following the success of informal policies introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

Zopa becomes unicorn with latest funds to go to bank operation

Zopa will invest in its growing digital bank operation after becoming a unicorn in its latest fund-raising round Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Want to sidestep public cloud? AuriStor offers global file storage

Built to scale hugely, and built for high performance and security, Auristor offers NAS-like Posix-compatible storage to customers that want to avoid public cloud Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage 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, 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, Computer Weekly

Argos topped online sales for sports and outdoor gear in 2020

Research by betting firm Wette.de has found Argos was the top retailer for online sales of sports-based and outdoor goods during the height of the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Manchester City teams up with Qualtrics for fan experience management

Manchester City is teaming up with online survey software firm Qualtrics, part-owned by long-term City Football Group supplier SAP, to engage more intelligently with the football club’s fanbase Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications 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

NHS Digital enhances in-house cyber awareness drive

Keep IT Confidential campaign aims to help NHS staff understand more about security threats and learn how to reduce risk Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

Darlington Building Society invests in platform for digital transformation

Building society is looking to satisfy existing customers and attract new ones by meeting their digital service-level expectations Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

FCSA clarifies anti-tax avoidance stance of offshore Charter change for umbrella firms

The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA) has published a revised version of its membership Charter to reinforce its commitment to ensuring its members do not operate offshore tax avoidance schemes Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

SocGen to cull thousands of jobs and move to single IT platform in merger with subsidiary

French bank’s move to a single banking platform will enable it to cater for changing customer demands Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

Morgan Stanley brings diverse fintech innovation to London

US bank expands its diversity-focused fintech accelerator programme to Europe with an initial £1m investment Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nearly half of finance firms will acquire or partner fintechs in next year

UK financial services firms are preparing to acquire or partner fintechs as they target business growth Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

How AI – and puffins – are boosting renewable energy

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how an artificial intelligence system for tracking puffins could help boost renewable energy use. We examine the often-overlooked, but often damaging, diversity issue of age discrimination in tech. And we look at the key considerations when choosing enterprise cloud file services. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

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

Craft beer specialist Brewdog fixes serious app vulnerability

Vulnerability in brewer’s mobile app could have resulted in serious consequences for its shareholders and customers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fast-moving Ryuk campaign targets healthcare organisations

Newly designated FIN12 gang leverages the work of the cyber criminal ecosystem to conduct lightning-fast ransomware attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

HCL Benelux telco partnership targets SME and government

Indian IT service provider signs partnership that will see it modernise the core technology of Proximus to offer its services through Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Is ‘suite’ becoming a dirty word?

How much attention do you pay to the pros and cons of software and service bundling? I was reminded of the topic on a recent briefing call with Dave Russell, Veeam’s VP of enterprise strategy, ... Continue Reading

By

• Dale Vile, Freeform Dynamics

Uber faces legal action over ‘racist’ facial verification system

Two UK-based unions are taking Uber to court, claiming their members have been unfairly dismissed as a result of misidentification by the company’s facial verification system Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Twitch data breach investigations continue

Investigations are ongoing into a 125GB data breach that hit livestreaming platform Twitch, apparently the work of hacktivists Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Middle East: Middle East hospitals accelerate take-up of healthcare technologies

The Middle East is accelerating its take-up of digital healthcare technologies following lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic, with regional government turning to technology to track disease trends and monitor treatment. Also read in this issue how the UAE’s National Program for Coders will offer ‘golden visas’ to 100,000 entrepreneurs, enterprise owners and startups. Continue Reading

How data drives Air Canada’s cargo business

Data-driven insights and artificial intelligence are helping Air Canada to find a new business path as it expands its cargo business following the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

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

Gaming service Twitch hacked, data leaked

Users of livestreaming platform Twitch may be at risk after a 125GB torrent of data was leaked Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tech Nation adds 30 fintech scaleups to growth programme as funding continues to rise

UK government-backed startup network adds 30 fintechs to its growth programme amid record investments in finance tech sector Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ocado gets closer to autonomous delivery with Wayve trial

Startup Wayve takes what it believes is a different approach to autonomous driving by modelling the behaviour of a driver Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Top women in UK tech, AI on puffin island – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this episode, Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna discuss CW’s annual programme to choose the most influential women in UK tech, as well as Newham Sparks, and puffin-counting AI Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor
• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

5PRING issues call for 5G innovation in UK events sector

West Midlands telecoms industry testbed challenges innovators to help lead the next-generation networks revolution as live events industry gets back to life Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Qualcomm and SSW get into gear to strike definitive agreement to acquire Veoneer

Purchase of American-Swedish provider of automotive technology designed to augment comms tech giant’s ability to create an open and competitive advanced driver-assistance systems platform for the global auto industry and take ownership of RCS and active safety businesses Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

CIO interview: Lisa Heneghan, chief digital officer, KPMG

KPMG UK’s digital leader says that in her 25-year career she has never known a more exciting time to work in IT Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

Microsoft’s financial services cloud available next month

Financial finance sector-focused cloud service will be available at the beginning of November Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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