IT for government and public sector

Government data quality framework geared to overcome poorly organised data

The Office for National Statistics has published guidelines aimed at improving “disorganised” public sector data Continue Reading

Kent and Medway to launch shared health and social care record

The Kent and Medway Care Record (KMCR) aims to create a single view of each patient’s record, and will hold automated data feeds from acute hospitals, community providers, mental health services, GPs and social care Continue Reading

Bank of England enlists development partner to unlock cloud

Bank has agreed a two-year deal with a cloud development platform provider as it seeks to take its cloud journey to the next level Continue Reading

ICT disaster threatens Dutch environment law

The Dutch government’s revamp of its construction planning law faces major IT challenges and scepticism Continue Reading

Tech and data key to achieving low-carbon economy, says Royal Society

Report says net-zero transition should be data-led, and calls for coordination between government, regulators, industry and third sector Continue Reading

‘Significant risk’ UK won’t be ready by end of Brexit transition period, says PAC

Public Accounts Committee is concerned with IT systems still being in development stage, leaving ‘little margin before they must be operational’, and criticises government for seeming to take ‘limited responsibility’ for readiness Continue Reading

Greater Manchester launches digital inclusion taskforce

The group including industry, community and government representatives will aim to fix the digital divide in the region Continue Reading

Covid-19: Cyber criminals will target vaccine programmes

Interpol issues a global alert to law enforcement as the UK becomes one of the first countries to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use Continue Reading

Singapore government remains ‘juicy target’ for cyber attackers

The government is baking security into the design and implementation of its IT systems and looking to increase bug bounties to fend off cyber threats Continue Reading

Wayra partners with UK government for Latin American scaleup project

Two scaleups from three Latin American countries – Argentina, Chile and Uruguay – will be selected by a project that will help the growing firms expand overseas into the UK market Continue Reading

22,000 malicious .uk domains suspended in past year

Nominet has suspended just over 22,000 domains in the 12 months to 31 October 2020, continuing a downward trend, and with less impact from Covid-19 than might be expected Continue Reading

Greenwich launches four-year digital strategy

Strategy is based on six principles, including focusing on the needs of residents and being data-led and agile, and aims to create a truly digital council and borough Continue Reading

Government covers its ears as complaint by victims of Post Office abuse heads to ombudsman

Government denies responsibility for the abuse inflicted on subpostmasters by the Post Office over faulty IT system Continue Reading

More than 1,300 teachers trained by National Centre for Computing Education

Government-funded centre aimed at supporting computing teachers has reached more than 29,000 teachers and trained over 1,300 to deliver computing curriculum Continue Reading

MI5 accused of withholding surveillance compliance failures from cabinet minister

MI5 withheld high-risk concerns about its ability to comply with legislation from the home secretary when it submitted applications for surveillance warrants, NGOs Privacy International and Liberty claimed last week Continue Reading

$60m Middle East tech fund targets 120 startups

Venture capital fund expects rapid regional technology growth in the post-Covid-19 world Continue Reading

Lords propose making tech giants pay for using news

Digital platforms such as Google and Facebook profit from running adverts alongside publishers’ content, but no financial compensation is given for carrying that content, says Lords committee Continue Reading

NI police unable to delete data seized unlawfully from journalists for 10 years

The Police Service of Northern Ireland is unable to delete terabytes of unlawfully seized data taken from journalists who exposed police failings in the investigation of the Loughinisland sectarian murders Continue Reading

Algorithmic transparency obligations needed in public sector

Public sector’s use of algorithms with social impacts needs to be more transparent to foster trust and hold organisations responsible for the negative outcomes their systems may produce, says report Continue Reading

Government pumps £20m into AI research projects

Alan Turing Institute’s artificial intelligence (AI) research fellows will receive funding for 15 projects including using AI to detect cancer and improve the performance of virtual personal assistants Continue Reading

Spending Review commits £32m to Gov.uk Accounts

Government Digital Service’s Gov.uk Accounts project will allow people to sign into government services online and get a personalised experience tailored to their needs Continue Reading

Government must hold technology companies to account on e-waste

MPs urge UK government and global technology companies to deal with ‘tsunami of electronic waste’, which is throwing away valuable resources vital for building a sustainable future Continue Reading

Data safes will give users control over their data

Belgian computer scientist tells Computer Weekly how people can regain control of their online personal information Continue Reading

Robots taking jobs, but creating careers

Robotic process automation developers tell Computer Weekly about the job they never expected to be doing Continue Reading

Scottish government hands out laptops and tablets to the digitally excluded

As part of its Connecting Scotland programme, the Scottish government is giving out 23,000 iPads and Chromebooks to low-income families and care leavers, along with two years of mobile data Continue Reading

CCS looks to hire CDIO

Crown Commercial Service is offering nearly £150,000 for the role of chief digital information officer, who will be in charge of developing and delivering its digital and data strategy Continue Reading

Scottish government unveils strategy for digital planning

Scotland’s government has published a document that describes its strategy for the digitisation of the nation’s planning system Continue Reading

Government’s infrastructure strategy says technology is key

The strategy aims to put innovation and technology at ‘the heart’ of its approach to transforming the country, as government launches new national infrastructure bank Continue Reading

Merger of national policing systems over budget and behind schedule

UK government effort to replace legacy IT systems suffers further delays, and will not be fully completed until 2025 at the earliest Continue Reading

Rishi Sunak’s Spending Review pledges £100bn to transform the country’s infrastructure

Chancellor’s spending promise includes more than £260m for programmes such as 5G testbeds, local full-fibre networks and the Shared Rural Network Continue Reading

UK government Geospatial Commission stipulates actions to exploit location data

Report outlines some actions public bodies and companies can take to make better economic use of location data Continue Reading

Brain researchers get NVMe-over-RoCE for super-fast HPC storage

French neurological researchers deploy Western Digital OpenFlex NVMe array for super-fast HPC storage with Ethernet-based NVMe-over-Fabrics connectivity across several floors Continue Reading

Securing UK’s critical national infrastructure is a 2021 priority

Government outlines the UK’s strategic cyber security policies for the coming 12 months, with critical national infrastructure a clear priority Continue Reading

NHSX to launch data strategy for health and social care

Government sets out plans to ‘bust bureaucracy’ in the NHS, including implementing a new data strategy, consulting on changes to data collection legislation, and making progress on shared care records Continue Reading

What next for digital identity in the UK? Industry welcomes latest DCMS plan

After months – some would say years – of frustration and delay, tech suppliers have largely welcomed the latest government initiative to establish a digital identity ecosystem in the UK. The ... Continue Reading

Post Office accused of lying and being in contempt of Parliament in IT scandal

Campaigning politician demands access to documents that could prove that the Post Office lied Continue Reading

How Covid-19 has accelerated tech innovation in the NHS

Of all the terrible things that Covid is, what it has done is accelerate the digital journey. In this issue of Computer Weekly, we look at the track and trace app, which was redeveloped and enhanced at breakneck speed, and explore how the pandemic has accelerated the roll-out of new technology such as artificial intelligence and video conferencing tools at NHS trusts. We also present some research into how Covid has affected IT spending. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

MPs subjected to over 22 million malicious email attacks in 2020

Members of Parliament are targeted by millions of spam and phishing emails every month, according to a Freedom of Information disclosure Continue Reading

Subpostmasters want £300m from a government that allowed Post Office ‘reign of terror’

The government allowed the Post Office to “run amok” and destroy lives, says complaint to Parliamentary Ombudsman Continue Reading

HM Land Registry drafts digital ID standards

The department’s draft identity-checking requirements aims to provide clarity for software developers creating solutions to be used for property lawyers Continue Reading

Local authorities lagging behind in digitisation of citizen records

Nearly a third of councils can't tell how much citizen information they store is in digital format, study shows Continue Reading

Transparency and honesty key to major programmes success, says NAO

Major government projects often lack underlying data on costs and benefits, and it’s often not clear who is accountable for integration of different elements, according to a National Audit Office report on lessons learned on the programmes Continue Reading

Security sector broadly backs Boris Johnson’s Cyber Force

Security community says the presence of a robust cyber defence force alongside a robust physical one will be vital to the UK’s national security Continue Reading

Fujitsu staff under investigation for potential perjury in Post Office IT trial named

Court documents reveal the names of the Fujitsu employees under investigation for potentially providing misleading information in criminal trials Continue Reading

US cyber security chief fired for contradicting Trump

CISA chief Chris Krebs ousted for doing his job fighting disinformation in an apparent purge of officials deemed disloyal to president Donald Trump Continue Reading

The case of Julian Assange as he faces US extradition bid – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Bill Goodwin, investigations editor, joins Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna to discuss the case of Julian Assange, whose recent extradition hearing at the Old Bailey Bill reported on Continue Reading

HMRC warns over uptick in Self Assessment tax scams

HMRC issues updated warnings as 2021 Self Assessment deadlines loom Continue Reading

GDS looks for Gov.uk head of technology and architecture

GDS role is offering up to £85,000 a year and includes being responsible for developing the Gov.uk programme as government aims to make it a platform for content, rather than just a publishing system Continue Reading

Botched software update to blame for Post Office Horizon crash

Post Office says planned firmware update caused the problem that left branches unable to do business for 90 minutes Continue Reading

Privacy advocates call for European probe into Palantir

Dutch group SOMI is trying to raise awareness of Palantir’s data privacy practices and how it works with European government agencies Continue Reading

NHS completes transition to HSCN

All 950 NHS, social care, private sector and local authority organisations have migrated from the legacy N3 network to the Health and Social Care Network Continue Reading

Human error blamed in Welsh Covid-19 patient data leak

Public Health Wales accepts recommendations of independent probe into data breach that saw PII on 18,105 coronavirus patients leaked Continue Reading

Hackney systems could be unavailable for months, says council

A month after a highly disruptive cyber attack on its systems, Hackney Council is still struggling to get back up and running Continue Reading

Government issues guidance on post-Brexit procurement

From 1 January 2021, procurement notices will have to be published through the Find a Tender e-notification service Continue Reading

Post Office explanation of IT system outage so vague it is ‘pointless’

Post Office criticised over vagueness of its explanation of the cause of a UK-wide IT failure that saw subpostmasters unable to do business Continue Reading

IT Priorities 2020: European IT budget share reflects home-working challenges brought by Covid

European organisations are being forced to redivert more limited budgets during the pandemic Continue Reading

UK government makes inroads in maritime autonomy

The Maritime Future Technologies team has been formed to facilitate trials of innovative approaches and support regulatory updates Continue Reading

Humanitarian data collection practices put migrants at risk

United Nations report on smart borders warns that data collection about migrants and refugees by humanitarian organisations risks excluding them from essential basic services like access to food Continue Reading

Public sector IT leaders struggle with data infrastructure legacy

The impact caused by the pandemic means government tech executives in Europe are looking for ways to quickly modernise their estates, research says Continue Reading

Police open criminal investigation into potential perjury by Fujitsu staff in Post Office IT trials

Current and former Fujitsu staff could face prosecution for giving false evidence in the trials of subpostmasters accused of theft and false accounting Continue Reading

UKtech50 2021: Help us find the most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly’s annual search for the 50 most influential people in UK IT is on – let us know who you would like to nominate for this year’s list Continue Reading

DCMS opens talks with private sector on future of digital identity market

Department has met with suppliers to discuss plans for a trust framework to show ‘what good looks like’ as it ploughs ahead with digital identity plans Continue Reading

Company accused of spying on Assange acted for Ecuadorian Intelligence, says ex UC Global manager

Former operations chief of UC Global told Spanish Court the company accused of spying on Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London was acting on the orders of Ecuadorian Intelligence Continue Reading

CW Benelux: Dutch Alzheimer’s app helps dementia patients

An app aimed at helping dementia patients and their families has been developed by the Alzheimer Society in the Netherlands. Also in this issue, read about a Belgian startup's app based on blockchain technology to help container handling at ports, and why Rabobank ditched its legacy backup. Continue Reading

A dopey Photoshop

We’re not ashamed to admit we don’t understand how the graphic tweeted by Boris Johnson to congratulate president-elect Joe Biden came to faintly display “Trump” in the background. Downing Street’s ... Continue Reading

Tim Berners-Lee startup releases decentralisation tech to enterprises

Roll-out of Inrupt’s decentralised privacy technology to four large organisations is helping the startup to develop explicit use cases, which it hopes will prove the tech and lead to faster adoption Continue Reading

Amazon charged with breaching EU antitrust rules

Tech giant accused of using data it collects on smaller retailers to benefit its own e-commerce business Continue Reading

Lack of openness on Horizon errors remains as Fujitsu refuses to explain latest outage

Subpostmasters are being kept in the dark about errors in the branch computer system they use, despite the Post Office and Fujitsu being slammed in court over their lack of openness Continue Reading

EU aid funds used to train ‘unaccountable intelligence agencies’ in high-tech surveillance

Hundreds of documents obtained by campaign group Privacy International show how the EU is supporting surveillance programmes in the Balkans, the Middle East and Africa Continue Reading

DCMS’s Whittingdale: National data strategy not tied to EU trade deal

Minister tells ODI Summit that national data strategy is nearly finished and will fuel UK economic growth post-Brexit and post-pandemic Continue Reading

Border technologies largely fail to respect human rights

AI-powered border technologies used to ‘manage’ migration frequently make the process more arbitrary, discriminatory and unjust, says human rights group Continue Reading

Industry tells House of Lords committee it has ‘grave reservations’ about CDS

The Customs Declaration Service is untested, unproven and not ready, and HMRC is taking a “cloak and dagger approach” to working with the industry, hears a Lords committee – but HMRC says delivery of Brexit IT is on track Continue Reading

Better data sharing needed to help children during pandemic

Closing gaps in data infrastructure will help the education sector respond better to children’s needs during the Covid-19 pandemic, says Open Data Institute Continue Reading

Essential Guide: Digital transformation in the public sector

Digital technologies and best practices are transforming the public sector across Europe - we look at some of the examples and the lessons being learned Continue Reading

EU moves closer to encryption ban after Austria, France attacks

Draft resolution document setting up an EU-wide ban on end-to-end encryption is set to be waved through this week Continue Reading

Tampere’s perfect storm triggers a startup revolution

Previously a hub for Nokia and Microsoft, Finland’s second-largest city is capitalising on a wealth of technical knowhow to become the dark horse of the Nordic startup scene Continue Reading

Overhaul business support with a focus on tech to help SMEs weather the Covid crisis

The more digitally capable businesses have come through the pandemic in better shape - government needs to ensure that UK SMEs have the support in place to use tech to survive Covid-19 Continue Reading

Covid-19 pandemic has significantly affected HMRC’s operations, says NAO

NAO’s insight into HMRC’s annual report and accounts finds that the pandemic has created challenges for the department’s transformation programmes, including Universal Credit and the end of the Brexit transition period Continue Reading

Finger pointed at Fujitsu as Post Office Horizon system crashes nationally

Post Office branches offline during busy business hours after suffering an IT error that the Post Office said related to IT from supplier Fujitsu Continue Reading

HMRC shuns Gov.uk Notify and seeks supplier to unify notifications

Tax collection agency HMRC will spend up to £9.75m to streamline notifications through text, voice and email Continue Reading

Risk of ‘widespread disruption’ at UK border after Brexit transition period, NAO warns

National Audit Office report highlights concerns over UK’s readiness when Brexit transition period ends, including several IT systems at risk of not being ready in time Continue Reading

Royal Navy tests new tech in Cyprus

Navy has been trialling drones, autonomous systems and new communication systems under plans to evolve the Royal Marines into a ‘hi-tech raiding and strike force’ Continue Reading

Slot of the Antarctic: Tape the best option for polar survey backup

Tape deemed the best medium for backup on board the Antarctic research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough, with Quantum’s Scalar i3 chosen in a fully redundant deployment Continue Reading

Mastercard: Looks like a tech firm, acts like a tech firm, is a tech firm

Financial services giant finds itself in a prominent position as the volume of digital transactions increases Continue Reading

Asda recruits new IT chief to handle transition

Former Morrisons CTO Anna Barsby will lead retailer’s tech agenda as part of its acquisition by the Issa brothers Continue Reading

Nordic countries to develop common digital system

Common digital platform will help small and medium-sized enterprises across the Nordic region with data sharing Continue Reading

Government sets out plans for security vetting IT platform

A three-year programme to transform the security vetting process for civil servants includes a technology platform due to be rolled out in summer 2021 Continue Reading

Subpostmasters’ complaint about government begins its journey to Parliamentary Ombudsman

Government faces scrutiny of its handling of the Post Office IT scandal that destroyed subpostmasters’ lives and livelihoods Continue Reading

The UK government’s ‘flawed and misleading’ Covid-19 data

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the coronavirus data relied upon by the UK government is ‘flawed and misleading’ say experts – we examine the implications. Ikea talks about how it turned to the cloud to deal with the impact of the pandemic. And we look at the digital transformation underway at credit card giant Capital One. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

NHS weathers cyber crime storm during pandemic, says NCSC

The NCSC dealt with over 700 incidents in the 12 months to August 2020, with over 200 specifically related to Covid-19, and the NHS a critical area of focus Continue Reading

Finnish government rolls out digital projects to support SMEs

Finland is set to create network of technology hubs that will support SMEs in the country, as well as create links across the EU Continue Reading

Government seeks Council of Science and Technology co-chair

Co-chair will be part of the council that advises the prime minister on science and technology policy issues, including sustainable development, innovation and the UK’s research and science capability Continue Reading

Government invests £200,000 to boost Scottish geospatial sector

The new Scottish Geospatial Network Integrator will work on developing opportunities in the geospatial services industry Continue Reading

CCS out to tender for technology services framework worth up to £2bn

Third iteration of Crown Commercial Service’s technology services framework includes technical management, transformation programmes and integration and management Continue Reading

Most further education colleges have skills shortages in IT teams, says Jisc

A report from member organisation Jisc has found that a larger number of further education colleges have a skills shortage in IT teams Continue Reading

Victims contest technology firms’ attempt to dismiss cobalt mining deaths case

Technology companies say they cannot be held responsible for the deaths of children mining for the cobalt used in their products Continue Reading

UK Hydrographic Office launches innovation programme

The programme aims to help startups and innovators use marine geospatial data to develop products and systems to “support safe, secure and thriving oceans” Continue Reading

Royal Navy and US Navy evolve joint AI and ML work

The teams are working on improving interoperability and interchangeability of technology between the US and UK Continue Reading

ICO slams Experian over ‘invisible’ data processing

Data processing practices used by Experian broke data protection law, says Information Commissioner’s Office Continue Reading

Not enough time to get software ready for end of Brexit transition period, warns industry

Software suppliers are concerned they don't have enough time or information to help businesses be ready on time for the end of the Brexit transition period Continue Reading