IT for government and public sector
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News
04 Jul 2024
UK data regulator should investigate police cloud deployments
The Scottish biometrics commissioner has called for the UK Information Commissioner’s Office to formally investigate whether Police Scotland’s cloud-based evidence sharing system is fully compliant with data protection laws Continue Reading
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Opinion
04 Jul 2024
Safeguarding democracy from cyber threat peril
There has been an increase in disturbing activity emerging on the dark web involving the sale of public sector assets, including election data Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2024
AI Seoul Summit: 16 AI firms make voluntary safety commitments
Prominent artificial intelligence companies from around the world have committed to a set of voluntary AI safety measures, which includes developing continuous risk assessment processes, setting acceptable risk thresholds, and ensuring greater transparency Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2024
Parliamentary committee criticises big tech response to election threats
Parliamentary committee says tech companies ‘regurgitated publicly available content’ and failed to address questions raised by MPs and peers Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2024
CIO interview: Nic Granger, director of corporate and CFO, North Sea Transition Authority
Spending time with penguins in the Falkland Islands may not seem an obvious background for an IT leader, but it's worked for Nic Granger as she sets out to overhaul the way data is used in the oil and gas sector Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2024
Post Office clique deepened Horizon scandal
A general counsel annoyed by independent investigators and comms director that bragged about his contacts were part of a Post Office clique with former CEO Paula Vennells Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2024
HMRC underestimates Single Trade Window project complexity, says NAO
A National Audit Office report on UK border calls on government to have a more realistic approach to digital transformation Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2024
UK AI Safety Institute to open San Francisco branch
News of the AI Safety Institute’s expansion to the US follows the first public release of its AI safety testing results Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2024
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange granted appeal
Two high court judges granted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leave to appeal against extradition to the US after defence lawyers argued that the US had failed to give adequate assurances Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2024
Post Office directors went crawling back to Fujitsu when IBM project got complex, inquiry told
More details emerge about how close IBM came to replacing Fujitsu and its controversial Horizon system at the Post Office Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2024
The fall from grace of ex-priest and Post Office boss Paula Vennells
As Paula Vennells faces statutory public inquiry into Horizon scandal, Computer Weekly compiles some of its must-read articles about the controversial former Post Office boss Continue Reading
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News
17 May 2024
Why the UK needs to fix its broken IT security market
Ollie Whitehouse, CTO of GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre, says the market for secure software is broken. Are new laws required to make software companies liable for poor security? Continue Reading
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News
17 May 2024
Report highlights disagreement among experts on AI safety
An interim AI safety report coming out of the Bletchley Declaration shows AI experts are not in agreement over some of the biggest risks Continue Reading
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News
17 May 2024
Post Office CEO Paula Vennells ‘didn’t believe there were miscarriages of justice,’ inquiry told
As the nation waits for the impending appearance of former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells at the public inquiry, a former colleague reveals her certainty that there were no miscarriages of justice Continue Reading
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News
17 May 2024
Post Office considered asking Computer Weekly to review Horizon IT system
The Post Office CIO was tasked by directors with sizing up Computer Weekly for the task of reviewing a forensic investigation into Horizon Continue Reading
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News
16 May 2024
Post Office IT boss failed to raise concern over false Horizon statements
Former Post Office CIO Lesley Sewell failed to raise concern over Post Office’s false stance on Horizon integrity Continue Reading
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News
16 May 2024
HMRC Single Trade Window project hits turbulence
Less than a year into the programme to create a Single Trade Window as a digital gateway for traders, HMRC has already gone through a formal dispute resolution process with its supplier Continue Reading
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News
16 May 2024
Sunak warned against changing foreign student visa rules
Business leaders have called on prime minister Rishi Sunak not to be pressured into altering the graduate visa route Continue Reading
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News
16 May 2024
HMRC channel shift to digital ‘too aggressive’, says NAO
HMRC digital services have not had the anticipated effect on customer service it hoped for, NAO report reveals, as the auditor says the department needs to develop more realistic plans Continue Reading
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News
16 May 2024
Tom Read to bid farewell to GDS
The Government Digital Service chief is leaving his role, and the civil service as a whole, in June, after three-and-a-half years in charge of the department Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2024
GCHQ to protect politicians and election candidates from cyber attacks
The National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, to protect election candidates from hostile state cyber attacks Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2024
Critical SharePoint, Qakbot-linked flaws focus of May Patch Tuesday
A critical SharePoint vulnerability warrants attention this month, but it is another flaw that seems to be linked to the infamous Qakbot malware that is drawing attention Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2024
WikiLeaks founder’s extradition case labelled ‘institutional corruption’
Call for Julian Assange to be prosecuted in the US has been condemned as ‘institutional corruption on a judicial level’ with the WikiLeaks founder a ‘political prisoner’ Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2024
Government focuses on improving AI security
Two codes of practice are now available to help developers boost the security of their AI applications Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2024
Comms director at centre of cover-up never thought Post Office were the ‘baddies’
Head of communications at the Post Office painted a rosy picture of the error-prone Horizon system when challenged Continue Reading
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News
14 May 2024
Scotland’s Post Office scandal victims to be exonerated en masse
The Scottish parliament will introduce its own legislation to exonerate subpostmasters with convictions based on evidence from Post Office Horizon system Continue Reading
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News
14 May 2024
CyberUK 24: UK insurance industry gets tough on ransomware
Three of the UK’s largest insurance associations have signed on to a new initiative spearheaded by the NCSC to try to bring down the number of ransomware payments being made Continue Reading
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Opinion
13 May 2024
The UK may not have a choice on a ransomware payment ban
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 May 2024
Finland develops quantum algorithms for the future
Finnish researchers are focusing on a small set of quantum algorithms they believe will have a global impact Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2024
UK hails first test of quantum aircraft navigation
The government’s £2.5bn quantum strategy receives a boost with test of quantum technology that gets around GPS jamming Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2024
MHRA launches AI regulatory sandbox
The Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) hopes the AI Airlock sandbox will help in improving safe development and use of medical devices Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2024
NAO report highlights tech failings in flagship DWP project
Lack of tech skills, disconnected agile development and non-compliance with government standards are among the issues identified in report Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2024
Cyber attack victims need to speak up, says ICO
The Information Commissioner’s Office is urging organisations to be transparent and learn from each other’s mistakes as it reveals most of the cyber attacks it responds to stem from the same core errors Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2024
Wales gets UK’s first national SOC
The first national security operations centre of its kind in the UK has opened in the south of Wales to safeguard public sector bodies across the country Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2024
Barrister says Post Office lawyers misled him over Horizon cases
Simon Clarke told public inquiry he believes he was misled by Post Office internal lawyers over Horizon prosecutions Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2024
Fujitsu’s Post Office Horizon admission was ‘bombshell’ amid ‘religious panic’ over reliability
Barrister Simon Clarke was representing the Post Office when he discovered an expert witness had misled courts in subpostmaster trials Continue Reading
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Opinion
09 May 2024
Enhance identity controls before banning ransomware payments
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2024
Government injects £1.8m into space tech innovation
Funding is being split between nine projects, covering a range of technologies aiming to support new space capabilities in the UK Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2024
Ofcom publishes draft online child safety rules for tech firms
In the draft codes, Ofcom calls on technology firms to use ‘robust’ age-checking and content moderation systems to keep harmful material away from children online Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2024
Police accessed phone records of ‘trouble-making journalists’
The Police Service of Northern Ireland ran a rolling programme to monitor phone records of journalists to identify the source of police leaks, it was claimed today Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2024
Cyber attack ruled out as source of UK Border Force outage
An IT outage that caused automated passport control e-gates to crash across the UK has been resolved, with a cyber attack ruled out as the cause Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2024
Germany: European Court of Justice ruling on EncroChat could lead to new legal challenges
A ruling by the European Court of Justice could prompt legal challenges in EncroChat prosecutions in Germany and other EU states Continue Reading
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Opinion
07 May 2024
Government plans to scan bank accounts of disabled people will lead to another scandal
The government is sleepwalking into another scandal as it pushes plans for ‘bank scanning’ algorithms to monitor bank accounts of disabled people Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2024
Chinese APT suspected of Ministry of Defence hack
A cyber attack on the Ministry of Defence is suspected to be the work of threat actors working on behalf of Chinese intelligence Continue Reading
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Feature
07 May 2024
What does the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill mean for UK industry?
The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill is the first shift in the UK’s data protection regime since leaving the EU, but what could it mean for UK industry? Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2024
Police told in 2016 that Post Office prosecutor withheld evidence of Horizon errors from court
A campaigning former subpostmaster told Surrey Police he suspected a ‘possible criminal offence’ when he found details of a Post Office prosecutor withholding evidence in a 2010 trial Continue Reading
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E-Zine
07 May 2024
Casting a critical eye on HMRC’s IR35 checker tool
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we investigate what has been going on with HMRC’s Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) tool. We also speak to the CIO of Danfoss about making datacentres greener and explore the issue of restoring data and system backups after a ransomware or cyber attack. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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07 May 2024
CEST: Putting HMRC’s IR35 status checker under the microscope
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we investigate what has been going on with HMRC’s Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) tool. We also speak to the CIO of Danfoss about making datacentres greener and explore the issue of restoring data and system backups after a ransomware or cyber attack. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
03 May 2024
EU calls out Fancy Bear over attacks on Czech, German governments
The European Union, alongside member states Czechia and Germany, have accused Russian government APT Fancy Bear of being behind a series of attacks on political parties and government bodies Continue Reading
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News
03 May 2024
Lords say government must ‘go beyond’ current approach to LLMs
Chair of the Lords Communications and Digital Committee has written to the UK’s digital secretary about the government’s approach to generative AI, lamenting a lack of support for copyright holders and measures to ensure competition in AI markets Continue Reading
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News
03 May 2024
Post Office legal boss withheld details from statutory body reviewing miscarriages of justice
The Post Office’s top lawyer held back vital information when requested by the criminal cases review commission, preventing wrongful convictions from being reviewed Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2024
NCSC updates warning over hacktivist threat to CNI
The NCSC and CISA have warned about the evolving threat from Russia-backed hacktivist threat actors targeting critical national infrastructure, after a number of American utilities were attacked Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2024
Post Office investigators saw subpostmasters as ‘enemies’ – and that’s what they became
Post Office investigators were only focused on getting money from subpostmasters blamed for accounting shortfalls, according to a 2013 report commissioned by organisation’s legal boss Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2024
BBC instructs lawyers over allegations of police surveillance of journalist
Lawyers for the BBC have written to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal over allegations that the Police Service of Northern Ireland spied on investigative journalist Vincent Kearney Continue Reading
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News
01 May 2024
EMEA CISOs must address human factors behind cyber incidents
The 17th annual Verizon report on data breaches makes for sobering reading for security pros, urging them to do more to address the human factors involved in cyber incidents, and highlighting ongoing issues with zero-day patching Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 May 2024
Better hygiene may mitigate the need to ban ransomware payments
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
01 May 2024
DWP anti-fraud measures will allow monitoring of bank accounts of landlords, carers and parents
Parliamentarians raise concerns that a proposed law to require banks to monitor the accounts of millions of people receiving state benefits could lead to those on welfare being denied accommodation or bank accounts Continue Reading
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News
01 May 2024
Autonomous weapons reduce moral agency and devalue human life
Military technology experts gathered in Vienna have warned about the detrimental psychological effects of AI-powered weapons, arguing that implementing systems of algorithmic-enabled killing dehumanises both the user and the target Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2024
Persistent data breaches deny people with HIV dignity and privacy
The ICO has urged charities and healthcare organisations that work with people living with HIV to do better when it comes to protecting their personal data, after the HIV status of more than 100 people was accidentally disclosed by London’s Central YMCA Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2024
Global majority united on multilateral regulation of AI weapons
Foreign ministers and civil society representatives say that multilateralism is key to controlling the proliferation and use of AI-powered autonomous weapons, but that a small number of powerful countries are holding back progress Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2024
Barnsley Council drives social care efficiency with Copilot
Microsoft generative AI tool Copilot is being used to streamline many of the admin tasks Barnsley Council social care workers need to do Continue Reading
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Opinion
29 Apr 2024
Ransomware payment bans need universal buy-in
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
29 Apr 2024
Post Office misjudged campaigner it labelled a ‘bluffer’
Social media, a trade union and tech expertise helped former subpostmasters expose Post Office bug myth Continue Reading
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News
26 Apr 2024
Post Office scheme was a ‘charade’ that never intended for large compensation pay-outs
The Post Office established a scheme to compensate subpostmasters affected by tech faults, but it was just a ‘charade’, says Public Inquiry KC Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: Maybe let's negotiate with terrorists
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
26 Apr 2024
European Parliament approves platform worker directive
The approval of the platform worker directive gives member states two years to incorporate its measures into their national legislation, which includes provisions on how to classify the employment of gig workers and deploy algorithmic decision-making at work Continue Reading
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News
26 Apr 2024
Post Office ‘lied’ to subpostmasters when forced to meet them, says former federation representative
Post Office executives were forced to meet subpostmasters to discuss an unexplained error in their branch, then misled the branch managers over remote access Continue Reading
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News
25 Apr 2024
More evidence emerges that Post Office executive misled High Court judge
Evidence in the questioning of 35-year Post Office veteran reveals the lengths the Post Office went to in hiding computer system vulnerabilities Continue Reading
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News
24 Apr 2024
Lords debate amendment to law on use of computer evidence in light of Post Office scandal
Peers to debate amending the law on the use of computer evidence in court, which is partly to blame for the wrongful prosecutions of hundreds of former subpostmasters Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: Cyber sector, you have failed this community
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
23 Apr 2024
Post Office boss used husband’s descriptions in 'Orwellian' ploy to downplay Horizon problems
Post Office CEO sought advice from husband on what words to use in reports to downplay known errors in software, inquiry told. Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 Apr 2024
Questions for IT and cyber leaders from the CSRB Microsoft report
The US government's CSRB report on last year's state sponsored cyber attacks on Microsoft raises significant concerns for Redmond and its customers. Expert Owen Sayers outlines five key questions IT and cyber security leaders should now consider Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Apr 2024
Five reasons why – and when – cloud storage is the answer
We look at when cloud storage can be the best choice, with considerations that include performance, scalability and agility, cost, management simplicity, and security and resilience Continue Reading
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News
23 Apr 2024
Expert investigating Capture system refuses to meet ‘untrustworthy’ Post Office
A former Post Office executive has refused to meet his past employer to discuss the controversial Capture system Continue Reading
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News
23 Apr 2024
Lords split over UK government approach to autonomous weapons
During a debate on autonomous weapons systems, Lords expressed mixed opinions towards the UK government’s current position, including its reluctance to adopt a working definition and commit to international legal instruments controlling their use Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Apr 2024
Securing the edge: A new battleground in mobile network security
Edge computing is transforming approaches to mobile network infrastructure, but failure to secure it can expose networks and data to cyber threats. Learn more about the dangers and potential solutions Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Apr 2024
Austrian AI: from academia to commercial success and beyond
Austria has established itself as a European frontrunner when it comes to artificial intelligence exploration and, importantly, deployment Continue Reading
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News
22 Apr 2024
Fujitsu to cut UK jobs as Post Office scandal fallout hits sales
Japanese supplier’s role in the Post Office Horizon scandal is beginning to hurt its UK business, with job cuts announced Continue Reading
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News
22 Apr 2024
NCSC announces PwC’s Richard Horne as CEO
Former PwC and Barclays cyber chief Richard Horne set to join UK’s National Cyber Security Centre as CEO Continue Reading
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News
22 Apr 2024
Post Office lawyer was a jack of all trades, but failed his own
Post Office IT scandal inquiry hears how a lawyer was at the centre of the Post Office’s attempts to prevent problems with its IT system becoming public knowledge Continue Reading
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News
22 Apr 2024
IT leaders hiring CISOs aplenty, but don’t fully understand the role
Most businesses now have a CISO, but perceptions of what CISOs are supposed to do, and confusion over the value they offer, may be holding back harmonious relations, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
21 Apr 2024
Crime agency criticises Meta as European police chiefs call for curbs on end-to-end encryption
Law enforcement agencies step up demands for ‘lawful access’ to encrypted communications Continue Reading
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News
19 Apr 2024
Report reveals Northern Ireland police put up to 18 journalists and lawyers under surveillance
Disclosures that the Police Service of Northern Ireland obtained phone communications data from journalists and lawyers leads to renewed calls for inquiry Continue Reading
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News
19 Apr 2024
Unisys reveals no link to development of controversial Post Office software
IT supplier finds no evidence that it was involved in the development of controversial Post Office software Continue Reading
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News
19 Apr 2024
Tech companies operating with opacity in Israel-Palestine
Tech firms operating in Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel are falling “woefully short” of their human rights responsibilities amid escalating devastation in Gaza, says Business & Human Rights Resource Centre Continue Reading
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News
19 Apr 2024
CEST: Putting HMRC’s IR35 status checker under the microscope
Since its launch in March 2017, HMRC's online IR35 status checker tool has come under fierce criticism and scrutiny, only exacerbated in recent weeks by the disclosure it has not been updated in five years Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Apr 2024
G-Cloud (Government Cloud)
G-Cloud (Government Cloud) is a U.K. government program to promote government-wide adoption of cloud computing. Continue Reading
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Opinion
18 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: Approaches to ransomware need a course correction
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
18 Apr 2024
TUC publishes legislative proposal to protect workers from AI
Proposed bill for regulating artificial intelligence in the UK seeks to translate well-meaning principles and values into concrete rights and obligations that protect workers from systems that make ‘high-risk’ decisions about them Continue Reading
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News
18 Apr 2024
Lords to challenge controversial DWP benefits bank account surveillance powers
Members of the House of Lords are pressing for amendments to the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill following concerns over government powers to monitor the bank accounts of people receiving benefits Continue Reading
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News
18 Apr 2024
Gov.uk One Login accounts on the rise
Since August 2023, more than 1.8 million people verified their identity using the Gov.uk One Login app, while face-to-face verifications have also increased Continue Reading
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News
18 Apr 2024
IT expert who helped expose Post Office scandal offers to investigate second controversial system
IT expert Jason Coyne, who played a critical part in exposing the Post Office Horizon scandal, said he would examine the Capture System Continue Reading
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News
17 Apr 2024
Mandiant formally pins Sandworm cyber attacks on APT44 group
Mandiant has formally attributed a long-running campaign of cyber attacks by a Russian state actor known as Sandworm to a newly designated advanced persistent threat group to be called APT44 Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Apr 2024
EU AI Act explained: What AI developers need to know
A guide to help enterprises building and deploying AI systems understand EU AI regulations Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2024
Post Office boss signed off hush money to cover up smoking gun
A former Post Office boss admitted the pain and suffering of subpostmasters could have been avoided had the organisation done the right thing Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2024
CISOs not yet convinced to invest in AI
CISOs say their eyes are fixed firmly on threats like ransomware and supply chain attacks, and while AI is becoming a threat that needs to be dealt with, it’s not yet an immediate spending priority Continue Reading
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Opinion
16 Apr 2024
2024 election security: Confronting disinformation and deepfakes
Although disinformation and deepfakes are a threat to electoral integrity, we already have ways to counter emerging threats and there is an opportunity is to adapt and scale these approaches to counter the challenge to democracy, writes Saj Huq. Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2024
NHS England scouts for national CCIO
The new national chief clinical informatics officer (CCIO) role comes with a salary offer of up to £146,000 and includes leading NHS England’s Transformation Directorates digital clinical informatics team Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2024
Alan Bates and JFSA won’t back down in fight with government and Post Office
Over the past 15 years, Computer Weekly has learnt that Alan Bates and the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance don’t give up, and it would be crass to disregard their plans Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Apr 2024
Big tech’s cloud oligopoly risks AI market concentration
The oligopoly that big tech giants have over cloud computing could translate to a similar domination in the AI market, given the financial and compute resources needed to make the technology effective at scale Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Apr 2024
Threat actors look to stolen credentials
In 2023, threat actors wrought havoc on corporate networks by logging in through valid accounts, and as bad actors begin investing in AI to help them identify priority targets, this problem is only expected to worsen in the future Continue Reading
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News
15 Apr 2024
EU’s AI Act fails to protect the rule of law and civic space
Analysis reveals that the AI Act is ‘riddled with far-reaching exceptions’ and its measures to protect fundamental rights are insufficient Continue Reading