IT for government and public sector

MoD reports 18% rise in data loss incidents

The Ministry of Defence reported more than five hundred data security incidents in 2019-20, with seven serious enough to warrant disclosure to the ICO Continue Reading

Nottinghamshire uses citizen engagement tools to inform residents

Nottinghamshire Council is seeking to expand Granicus integrations after success in using its communications services to keep citizens informed during pandemic Continue Reading

UKtech50: The 2021 longlist

Each year, Computer Weekly launches its annual search for the most influential people in UK IT, where the tech industry nominates who it thinks should be in the top 50 – here is the longlist for 2021 Continue Reading

Community Fibre to supply free 50Mbps broadband for vulnerable London households

Fibre altnet looks to address growing problem of the digital divide and ensure continuity of education in UK capital Continue Reading

The UK tech sector has been a force for good during the Covid-19 pandemic

The UK's digital minister hails the tech companies that have helped people cope with many of the challenges of living through lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic Continue Reading

NCSC CyberFirst Girls 2021 contest kicks off

UK’s national cyber agency says it has already had hundreds of entrants in spite of the challenges presented by the pandemic Continue Reading

150,000 records accidentally wiped from police systems

Home Office claims data wiped from national police systems only relates to people who have never been convicted of a crime or had further police action taken against them following an arrest Continue Reading

US cyber security agencies get $9bn in Biden plan

New funding proposals come as US government reels from the impact of the December 2020 SolarWinds attack Continue Reading

Coalition proposes secure standard model for Covid-19 passports

Vaccination Credential Initiative is working to ensure that people vaccinated against Covid-19 can access their records in a secure, verifiable and privacy-preserving way Continue Reading

Tech partnership to drive Finland’s quantum computing project

Organisations in Finland are developing quantum computing capabilities through a state and private sector partnership Continue Reading

UK government urged to implement cloud-centric transformation plan

The approach to digital public services needs to be reinvented to catch up with global leaders, according to new research Continue Reading

Etive to create digital identity trust scheme for residential property market

The tech company has received funding from Innovate UK to create a digital identity trust scheme, aiming to improve identity verification in the residential property sector Continue Reading

UK government needs a digital reboot

The appointment of new digital leadership is a welcome start to what – if the UK is to thrive in a post-Covid, post-Brexit world – must become a wholesale reboot of digital government Continue Reading

Scottish councils need better digital skills, report finds

Councils in Scotland still suffer from a lack of digital skills among staff despite progress during the pandemic, and the Scottish Local Government Digital Office has failed to deliver its goal of common platforms and joint procurement, according to Audit Scotland’s Accounts Commission Continue Reading

Old, on-premise systems targeted in Hackney ransomware attack

Council reveals some more insight into how the Pysa ransomware gang infiltrated its systems by exploiting legacy technology Continue Reading

Unforeseen consequences of new technologies put UK at risk

Lords committee told that the risks associated with various emerging digital technologies must be assessed together, with input from UK citizens, if the government is to avoid ‘siloisation’ of fundamentally interconnected problems Continue Reading

CW Middle East: $60m venture capital fund targets 120 startups

Countries in the Middle East see technology as an industry of the future and are investing heavily in the sector as part of their economic diversification plans. Read in this issue how the latest development will see a $60m venture capital fund, based in Bahrain, invest in 120 early-stage startups across the Middle East region. Also read how Saudi Arabia has signed two agreements with Chinese IT suppliers as it strives to deliver its ambitious programme to diversify its economy. Continue Reading

What does Brexit mean for the future of UK digital policy? A view from Europe

Any decisions by the UK government to diverge from EU policies and values over digital policy and regulation could cause real economic problems for UK businesses Continue Reading

Unravelling the new digital leadership plans in UK government

In September 2019, the then civil service chief executive John Manzoni told Computer Weekly that the new digital leader he wanted to recruit for the UK government would “have to be very wise, very ... Continue Reading

Covid-19 immunity passport tests to begin in UK

A Covid-19 immunity and vaccination passport developed by two UK firms and backed by Innovate UK has entered the live testing phase Continue Reading

Stolen Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine data leaked

Data dump understood to include screenshots of emails, peer review information, PDFs and PowerPoint presentations Continue Reading

European IT outsourcing spend up in 2020 after cloud boost

IT outsourcing sector growth is an indication that businesses are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic disruption it has brought Continue Reading

Government appoints digital leadership roles and sets up new digital office

The government is creating a new Central Digital and Data Office, which will be led by Home Office tech boss Joanna Davinson Continue Reading

Bahrain hopes 5G roll-out will attract more tech firms to its shores

Bahrain has completed its 5G roll-out, which will support its IT infrastructure in creating the right environment for technology firms Continue Reading

Wales invests £4.9m in digital services improvement

Government funding aims to accelerate the design and delivery of citizen-focused offerings in Wales Continue Reading

The UK’s struggle with digital schooling

The UK government’s sudden decision to close schools left many either unprepared or unable to provide children with online schooling, so what does home learning currently look like for children across the UK? Continue Reading

Ordnance Survey opens up direct, API access to location data for public sector

Location data made available to public sector organisations via application programming interfaces, reducing data management overheads Continue Reading

Tech key to improving lives of people with rare diseases, says government report

The UK Rare Diseases Framework will build on advances in genomics and data analysis to improve testing and diagnosis Continue Reading

New Zealand central bank IT system breached in cyber attack

Bank is responding to a cyber attack after hackers breached the system of a third-party supplier Continue Reading

Government use of 'general warrants' to authorise computer and phone hacking is unlawful

A court has ruled that the security and intelligence services can no longer rely on ‘general warrants’ to authorise the hacking of large numbers of computers and phones belonging to UK citizens Continue Reading

Tech sector reacts to Trump social media bans

Facebook, Instagram and others moved to limit US president’s social media access after the violence in Washington DC, but experts have condemned them for acting too slowly, while disinformation about the riots persists Continue Reading

Major facial-recognition supplier builds system to identify masked faces

Facial-recognition supplier claims new system can accurately identify masked faces, therefore promoting public health during the pandemic. But questions remain about whether its existing UK law enforcement clients will be deploying the technology Continue Reading

AI Council advises government to do artificial intelligence moonshots

The AI Council has published a “roadmap” of advice to government in respect of developing a UK state strategy for artificial intelligence, encompassing skills, vendor support and public sector procurement Continue Reading

Brexit deal grants UK temporary data adequacy

The EU-UK Brexit deal has granted the UK temporary data adequacy to allow for the continued flow of data across borders, but the agreement has divided data protection experts Continue Reading

Majority of suppliers won’t have software ready for CDS until March

Brexit IT systems are all up and running, but little traffic through the borders means they haven’t yet been put to the test, and in Northern Ireland, suppliers don’t yet have software ready to use the Customs Declaration Service Continue Reading

Poor data flows hampered government’s Covid-19 response, says the Science and Technology Committee

House of Commons Science and Technology Committee finds poor data management to have hampered the government’s Covid-19 pandemic response Continue Reading

Biden picks cyber veteran to reinvigorate security response

Appointment of career intelligence operative Anne Neuberger signals refreshed security approach for the US government under Joe Biden's administration Continue Reading

Trump bans Chinese payment apps

US president signs executive order banning the use of Chinese payments app, citing national security risks Continue Reading

Hackney Council data leaked by Pysa ransomware gang

Council data stolen in October is leaked online in a double extortion attack Continue Reading

Most British people don't trust government with personal data

The UK ranks high in a list of countries where citizens are least confident about how their private information is handled by public authorities, research shows Continue Reading

Labour urges government to adopt new plan for at-home education

Labour MPs have written to government officials urging them to provide schools and children with the digital provisions necessary to ensure every child can properly work from home during lockdown Continue Reading

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to remain in prison despite winning extradition battle

Judge cites Assange’s support of NSA whistleblower as one of the reasons for him being at high risk of absconding. He will remain in Belmarsh prison until the US government completes its appeal Continue Reading

SolarWinds attack almost certainly work of Russian spooks

Investigations into the far-reaching SolarWinds Solorigate attack did not let up during the holidays Continue Reading

Huawei battles for market access in Nordics

Chinese networking equipment supplier Huawei fights to retain access to potential 5G contracts across the Nordic region Continue Reading

AAT calls on government to re-think the Making Tax Digital exemption threshold

The Association of Accounting Technicians calls for improvements to HM Revenue and Customs’ Making Tax Digital programme, and says the exemption threshold, currently at £10,000, should be raised Continue Reading

Government delays digital strategy

The digital strategy, originally due in autumn 2020, is likely to be published at some point in 2021, and the government is ‘continuing to consider the best timeframe for delivering the strategy’ Continue Reading

Nominations open for Computer Weekly Innovation Awards APAC

Computer Weekly is looking for nominations for its inaugural Innovation Awards in APAC to honour digitisation initiatives that have transformed organisations in seven industries Continue Reading

Caerphilly council delivers free school meals through automation

Welsh council expands its robotic process automation project, which has successfully helped the council deliver free school meals during the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to face charges in US, court rules

Court rules it would be oppressive to send Julian Assange to the US to face trial after finding he is at high risk of suicide. US government says it will appeal Continue Reading

Pandemic heroes dominate New Year Honours List 2021

The New Year Honours List 2021 is remarkable for its recognition of those who have excelled during the Covid-19 public health emergency, including digital and data professionals Continue Reading

Top 10 investigations and national security stories of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 investigations and national security stories of 2020 Continue Reading

Top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2020 Continue Reading

UK-EU Brexit deal passes Commons with six-month data adequacy bridge

IT industry trade body TechUK has welcomed a six-month data adequacy bridge, in the wake of the EU-UK trade deal that the House of Commons has voted for Continue Reading

Top 10 government and public sector IT stories of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 government and public IT stories of 2020 Continue Reading

Top 10 Benelux IT stories of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 Benelux IT stories of 2020 Continue Reading

UK-EU Brexit deal: TechUK and DigitalEurope hail new dawn but note unfinished data business

Technology trade bodies TechUK and DigitalEurope welcome Christmas Eve UK-EU Brexit deal as a new dawn, but say there is work still be to done on data adequacy and financial equivalence Continue Reading

UK-EU Brexit deal: TechUK sees positive runes on digital and data adequacy

TechUK is giving a cautious welcome to the imminent UK-EU trade deal, seeing positive signs for data adequacy and digital trade Continue Reading

Top 10 Middle East stories of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 Middle East stories of 2020 Continue Reading

Top 10 Downtime Upload podcasts of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 Downtime Upload podcasts of 2020 Continue Reading

Top 10 startup stories of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 startup stories of 2020 Continue Reading

Swedish central bank moves e-krona project to next stage

Riksbank takes digital currency project to the next phase with Accenture building a platform to test the concept Continue Reading

Data has never been more important for London

As London looks to 2021 and a hoped-for recovery after Covid-19, responsible data sharing and data-driven decision-making become ever more important to the future for all the capital’s businesses Continue Reading

Nordic CIO interview: Åsa Melvanius, Lund municipality

For Åsa Melvanius, CDO at the Swedish municipality of Lund, created a “robot factory” that has saved the city more than 6,500 hours by automating routine processes Continue Reading

Interview: AWS’s Teresa Carlson talks about new role and cloud adoption during Covid-19

AWS executive talks about her expanded remit beyond public sector to include other industries, and driving a unified agenda to push cloud and data adoption worldwide Continue Reading

Top 10 enterprise IT in the Nordics stories of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 Nordic enterprise IT stories of 2020 Continue Reading

Government to spend more on IT consultants as skills gap remains unsolved

According to a Public Accounts Committee report, the need to fill gaps in tech expertise as a result of Covid-19 and Brexit means the public sector will resort to costly third-party support Continue Reading

Interview: Chris Hayman, AWS UK public sector director, on cloud evolution during Covid-19

AWS executive discusses the evolution of cloud technology in government, the need for dynamic procurement, skills, and joining the oligarchy of government tech suppliers Continue Reading

Prepare for bringing people back to the office with the Nordic tech startup blueprint

Business can learn lessons from Nordic tech startups to prepare employees to return to the office after Covid restrictions Continue Reading

SolarWinds cyber attack is ‘grave risk’ to global security

More victims of the SolarWinds Orion Sunburst cyber attack are being identified as the massive scale of the Russia-linked cyber espionage campaign becomes more clear Continue Reading

Government can’t be complacent with AI, says Lords report

Report urges coordination on policy and use of artificial intelligence, and sets out recommendations for how official bodies should respond to advances in the technology Continue Reading

NHS Scotland taps Check Point to secure Covid-19 data

NHS National Services Scotland is working with security firm Check Point to safeguard its sensitive data in the cloud and support its work on the coronavirus Continue Reading

Government aims to ‘unleash innovation’ with procurement overhaul

A government greenpaper sets out changes to simplify buying in the public sector and to benefit small and medium businesses Continue Reading

UK police unlawfully processing over a million people’s data on Microsoft 365

The roll-out of Microsoft 365 to dozens of UK police forces may be unlawful, because many have failed to conduct data protection checks before deployment and hold no information on their contracts Continue Reading

Lancashire police integrate body-worn video into digital policing app

Body-worn video integration will transform Lancashire police’s time-consuming and manual procedures into an efficient digital workflow, but claims that BMV will increase transparency and accountability are not backed by the evidence Continue Reading

Why our online harms laws will be good for tech

The UK's minister for digital infrastructure explains the government's thinking behind its proposals to regulate internet companies such as Facebook, Google and others Continue Reading

Digital patient engagement tops NHS IT chiefs' priorities for 2021

Most leaders do not feel like they have sufficient funding to deliver new digital capabilities, despite engagement topping priorities for the NHS in 2021, finds study Continue Reading

DWP completes migration to hybrid cloud

The milestone is part of a major insourcing exercise that saw the department move away from monolithic contracts Continue Reading

UK government unveils details of upcoming online harms rules

Online Harms Bill due early 2021 will introduce GDPR-style fines for technology companies that breach online duty of care rules Continue Reading

Finland examines wider use of AI video camera technology

Authorities in Helsinki will use artificial intelligence and video technologies to help them automate monitoring of crowds Continue Reading

Driving innovation in government

An insider's perspective on the organisation, culture and methods used to drive innovation in the Department for Work and Pensions Continue Reading

Negotiating the complexities of international transfers of personal data

How to navigate international data transfers, standard contractual clauses and the impact of Brexit on data protection Continue Reading

Digital Ethics Summit 2020: governance key to inclusive post-Covid economic recovery

Pluralism key to developing and deploying technologies for an inclusive post-Covid economic recovery, according to a panel at Digital Ethics Summit 2020 Continue Reading

Appointment of disgraced former Post Office executive at Welsh FA questioned by MP

The appointment of a former Post Office executive, who tried to mislead a judge, in the Football Association of Wales has been questioned by an MP Continue Reading

Singapore trials beacons to bolster police operations

Police beacons equipped with video cameras, sirens, floodlights and speakers are being deployed at two parks to improve public safety in a year-long trial Continue Reading

HMRC data shows online IR35 status check tool does not return a result in nearly 20% of cases

Figures released by HMRC to show how many times its online IR35 tax status checker tool has been used reveal shortcomings in its ability to reach a conclusion in nearly 20% of cases Continue Reading

History made as subpostmasters wrongly prosecuted in Horizon IT scandal have convictions quashed

Six subpostmasters who were wrongly prosecuted for accounting shortfalls caused by computer errors have their convictions quashed after years of campaigning Continue Reading

Data on Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine stolen in cyber attack

The European Medicines Agency has launched a full investigation into an apparent security incident that has seen documents on the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine stolen Continue Reading

Alan Turing Institute appoints global advisory board to aid digital identity schemes project

The Alan Turing Institute announces an international advisory board for a project investigating digital identity schemes, with a view to building the technology and organisational infrastructure to sustain them as trustworthy Continue Reading

DCMS’s Whittingdale: National Data Strategy enters post-consultation phase

Minister for media and data tells TechUK’s Digital Ethics summit that the long-awaited national data strategy has entered a new, post-consultation phase, and that the UK is set to show international leadership on digital and data in 2021 Continue Reading

Don't be the one who gets the blame - the Home Office's biggest lesson in UK borders IT

“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it,” or so the oft-repeated quote from philosopher George Santayana goes. Where the UK’s Home Office is concerned, a far more meta version is ... Continue Reading

Home Office digital border programme has failed to deliver, says NAO

The Home Office’s digital border programme has so far not achieved value for money, has suffered delays, lacks clear objectives and will cost taxpayers an additional £173m, according to the National Audit Office Continue Reading

CMA sets out plan to regulate technology giants

With its new Digital Markets Unit, the CMA is hoping to curb the excesses of the internet, improve competition and give more choice to consumers Continue Reading

Russian state actors exploiting VMware bug to hijack data, users warned

Russian APT groups are actively exploiting a vulnerability in VMware products to access protected data, according to latest warnings Continue Reading

CIO interview: David Plumb, chief innovation officer, University of Warwick

The innovation leader is developing ecosystems of partners from industry, public sector and academia to not only help Warwick students, but also to support them as entrepreneurs and benefit the regional economy Continue Reading

Met Police failed to clear backlog of subject access requests

Metropolitan Police failed to comply fully with an enforcement notice issued by the Information Commissioner, and despite hundreds of overdue subject access requests the regulator did not take further action Continue Reading

Stockport Council launches digital training initiative

Local authority Stockport Council has launched a programme aimed at training young people in digital skills to give them a better chance at entering digital roles Continue Reading

CCS to launch £750m pan-government cloud computing services framework

The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) aims for the framework agreement to make it easier for public sector to buy scalable cloud hosting Continue Reading

UK Space Agency awards £7m for space innovation projects

A range of ‘high risk, high reward’ projects have been awarded a total of £7m from the Space Agency’s National Space Innovation Programme, aiming to make the UK a world leader in space technology Continue Reading

HMRC referred 11 data security incidents to ICO in 2019-20

HM Revenue & Customs shares details of a number of data security incidents that occurred during the 2019-20 financial year in its annual report Continue Reading

Post Office IT scandal CEO Paula Vennells jumps NHS ship as pressure mounts

CEO at the centre of the scandal that saw innocent people bankrupted and some sent to prison steps down from NHS role as pressure for her resignation grows Continue Reading