IT legislation and regulation
Understanding the law as it applies to IT management can be one of the hardest task for IT leaders, but the growing burden of regulatory compliance makes it essential. Legislation and regulation affects enterprise IT in many ways, not just in long-standing tasks such as contracts and software licensing. We examine the latest legal development and how they affect IT managers, and talk to the experts in IT legislation and regulation to explain what it means to your organisation.
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News
13 May 2024
Norway bolsters digital transformation drive
Norway’s government backs digital transformation with major capital investment this year Continue Reading
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News
11 Mar 2024
Vinnova launches National Digital Advancement project
Swedish state innovation initiative invests in a network of regional research and development centres Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2020
Over half of firms intend to continue US data transfers despite Schrems II
Survey shows many organisations do not intend to significantly change their data-sharing practices, at least until there is more guidance from regulators or governments Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2020
Major tech firms urged to end targeted ads to under-18s
An open letter to Google, Facebook and others is calling on the tech firms to take responsibility for protecting users of their services by ending behavioural advertising to children Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2020
US agencies warn of election disinformation and cyber attacks
Federal agencies are warning of heightened disinformation as the crucial 2020 presidential election nears Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2020
GDS reviewing Cloud First policy post-Schrems II
Review seeks to determine the future of government engagement with cloud hosting services as they relate to cross-border data flows Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2020
WikiLeaks published unredacted cables after password was disclosed in book
WikiLeaks published a cache of unredacted government cables after the publication of a book containing the password led to their publication on other parts of the internet, court told Continue Reading
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News
21 Sep 2020
Big questions to be answered over TikTok and WeChat reprieve
TikTok and WeChat seem to have received a stay of execution, but big questions and contradictions remain Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2020
Outgoing NCSC CEO: Ransomware threat kept us up at night
Former NCSC CEO Ciaran Martin sheds some light on some of the biggest cyber threats currently facing the UK Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2020
Congressman offered Julian Assange a ‘win-win’ deal that would help President Trump
Details have emerged of US congressman Dana Rohrabacher’s offer of a pardon to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a ‘win-win deal that would benefit US President Donald Trump Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2020
US government deplatforms TikTok and WeChat
The Commerce Department of the US government has banned new downloads of TikTok and WeChat in the US, and announced new prohibitions on doing business with them Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2020
WikiLeaks partners developed software to redact 400,000 Iraq War Logs
Psychologist and co-founder of NGO the Iraq Body Count told a court that Julian Assange insisted on stringent redaction of hundreds of thousands of documents which revealed civilian deaths in the Iraq war Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2020
Loan charge under review: Government’s tax policy set to be challenged under EU law
A fresh attempt to judicially review the government’s controversial disguised remuneration policy is being launched, and its backers have already secured 85% of the £180,000 needed to test whether the loan charge breaches EU law Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2020
Brits more fazed by human augmentation
Italians are the most open to human augmentation, but one-third of people in the UK believe it is unacceptable Continue Reading
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News
16 Sep 2020
Julian Assange held back 15,000 documents to prevent harm to US government
Investigative journalist John Goetz said today that WikiLeaks held back publication of thousands of documents that could harm individuals Continue Reading
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News
15 Sep 2020
Data of every Welsh Covid-19 patient leaked online
Data on all 18,105 people in Wales who have received positive tests for the coronavirus was uploaded to a public-facing web server in error Continue Reading
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News
15 Sep 2020
MEPs denied access as observers to Julian Assange extradition hearing
MEPs and NGOs say they have been denied access to observe extradition proceedings against WikiLeaks founder in Central Criminal Court Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2020
Facebook takes legal action against Irish privacy watchdog
Facebook’s legal action against the Data Protection Commission will attempt to preserve the company’s ability to transfer European citizens’ data to the US despite its lower privacy protections Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2020
Government 'making progress' on Smart Freight System prep ahead of Brexit transition deadline
The government appears to be heeding warnings about the readiness of the Smart Freight border IT system, as the January 2021 Brexit transition deadline looms large Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2020
Irish privacy watchdog orders Facebook to stop sending user data to the US
Irish privacy watchdog orders Facebook to suspend transfers of European citizens’ data to the US after Schrems II ruling that Europeans have no effective way to challenge American government surveillance Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2020
US conspiracy charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ‘politically motivated’
US journalism historian and investigative journalist Mark Feldstein tells a UK court that use of the Espionage Act against Assange will have wide implications for the press Continue Reading
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News
08 Sep 2020
Julian Assange warned against interrupting witnesses in extradition hearing
On the second day of his extradition hearing at the Old Bailey, judge informs the WikiLeaks founder he could be removed and potentially banned from court for interrupting witnesses Continue Reading
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News
08 Sep 2020
Scottish health bodies accelerate mobile Covid-19 detection technology
Scottish regional and national government take the high and fast road to developing contact-tracing technology to assist in preventing further spread of Covid-19 Continue Reading
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News
07 Sep 2020
Government DPOs challenged by volume of GDPR work
Data protection officers working across the UK government are finding it tough to keep up with the increased workload generated by GDPR, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
07 Sep 2020
AI Summit 2020: Regulating AI for the common good
Speakers and panellists at the virtual AI Summit 2020 spoke about the tensions between cooperation and competition in the development of artificial intelligence Continue Reading
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News
03 Sep 2020
Phishing scam targets Lloyds Bank customers
Bank customers warned of emails and SMS messages that direct them to a fraudulent site and then request account log-in details Continue Reading
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News
02 Sep 2020
Ethical and professional data science needed to avoid further algorithm controversies
BCS is calling for higher ethical and professional standards in algorithmic development to ensure public trust in future government information systems Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2020
University of Staffordshire recruits robots to get more out of its people
University staff were bogged down with administrative work, but will now have time to be creative Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2020
Benefit fraud: Underground trade in stolen identities revealed
A roaring underground trade in stolen identities is undermining the Universal Credit system and could potentially defraud it out of millions of pounds Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2020
NHS whistleblowers’ anonymity at mercy of inadequate trust IT policies and processes
They were clapped in the streets for their bravery at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, but some NHS staff who raise workplace concerns are suffering abuse as a result Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2020
Financial services business leaders and CIOs disagree on IT infrastructure
IT leaders and senior business executives need to align their technology infrastructure priorities as businesses attempt to emerge from the Covid-19 crisis Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2020
TikTok CEO clocks off
TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has resigned from the firm after just three months Continue Reading
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E-Zine
27 Aug 2020
CW Nordics: Bergen’s tech hub seeks global success
Norway’s second-largest city, Bergen, is building a tech ecosystem that is beginning its development with a focus on the city’s industrial heritage. Also in this issue, read why now might be the time for businesses to consider how they will invest in outsourcing IT once the Covid-19 pandemic wanes. And read how Norway’s government has had to backtrack on a law that removed tax relief on energy consumption at datacentres that process cryptocurrency mining. Continue Reading
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News
26 Aug 2020
Ministers urge local councils to lead on broadband and mobile
Digital minister Matt Warman and local government minister Simon Clarke want local councils to do their bit to help ensure better access to connectivity during the Covid-19 recovery Continue Reading
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News
26 Aug 2020
Unwired Planet wins patent licensing case against Huawei
Landmark ruling goes in favour of Unwired Planet and Conversant Wireless and may define the future of telecoms patent licensing Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Aug 2020
What are the latest GDPR security breach enforcement trends?
A cyber breach specialist from Fieldfisher runs the rule over the latest trends in cyber security, data protection and GDPR Continue Reading
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News
25 Aug 2020
TikTok takes Trump to court
Under-fire video app TikTok files a formal complaint in the federal courts challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to ban it in the US Continue Reading
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24 Aug 2020
Loan charge MPs urge chancellor to get HMRC to soften contractor settlements
Co-chairs of Loan Charge All Party Parliamentary Group write to chancellor Rishi Sunak to seek a fairer deal for contractors caught by HMRC’s disguised remuneration policy. Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2020
Loan charge: Tax compliance charity demands criminal fraud investigation into scheme promoters
Tax compliance think tank TaxWatch is calling for a criminal fraud investigation to be launched into the promoters of disguised remuneration schemes to curb the continued proliferation of new tax avoidance arrangements Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2020
TikTok’s GDPR compliance probed amid accusations of data misuse
Dutch privacy organisation SOMI claims TikTok falls short in protecting young users, and that it is likely violating GDPR Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2020
MPs accuse ICO of failing to do its job on contact-tracing data
Cross-party group of MPs say the ICO has failed to enforce data protection standards or hold the government to account over the unlawful Test and Trace programme Continue Reading
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News
20 Aug 2020
UKAS rejects ISO certification concerns
UK’s certification body says refreshed guidance is in place to cover the possibility of lapsed ISO certifications Continue Reading
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News
20 Aug 2020
Social media data leak highlights murky world of data scraping
A data brokerage left its database of 235 million Instagram, TikTok and YouTube profiles exposed to anybody who cared to access it Continue Reading
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E-Zine
20 Aug 2020
CW APAC: Expert advice on hybrid cloud
Despite numerous benefits, organisations with lots of legacy applications can’t or won’t move everything to the public cloud. Some organisations may also choose to retain sensitive data on-premise for security reasons. In this edition of Expert Advice, we look at why and how APAC firms are deploying and managing their hybrid cloud infrastructure. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
19 Aug 2020
Coronavirus: Thousands of ISO certifications set to lapse
Delays and postponements in the auditing process are putting hard-earned security and data protection certifications at risk of lapsing Continue Reading
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News
19 Aug 2020
Loan charge MPs urge chancellor to get HMRC to soften contractor settlements
Co-chairs of Loan Charge All Party Parliamentary Group write to Rishi Sunak to seek a fairer deal for contractors caught by HMRC’s disguised remuneration policy Continue Reading
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News
18 Aug 2020
UK government needs a joined-up internet policy
Global internet firms want government to ensure its new digital strategy has coherent policy and regulatory goals Continue Reading
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News
17 Aug 2020
The Security Interviews: How Crest is remaking the future of consultancy
Crest president Ian Glover taught himself cyber security while working on government computing systems in the 1970s and 1980s. Now he is on a decade-spanning mission to change security consultancy models Continue Reading
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News
14 Aug 2020
ICO acknowledges GDPR concerns over A-level results scandal
Information Commissioner’s Office says it has engaged with exams regulator Ofqual after its use of an algorithm to calculate A-level grades backfired Continue Reading
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News
14 Aug 2020
US decision to file new charges against Julian Assange ‘astonishing and potentially abusive’
Lawyer for WikiLeaks founder slams US decision to serve a second indictment at the 11th hour alleging that Assange conspired with hackers, as a potential abuse of process Continue Reading
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News
14 Aug 2020
Oracle and Salesforce sued over online ad tracking
Class action lawsuits filed in Amsterdam and London will accuse Oracle and Salesforce of breaching GDPR in their processing and sharing of personal data to sell online advertising Continue Reading
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News
13 Aug 2020
Loan charge: HMRC tells contractors not to ‘hold out hope’ of revised down settlements emerging
With the 30 September 2020 loan charge policy settlement date fast approaching, HM Revenue & Customs tells those in its scope to abandon hope of revised down settlements being offered at this stage Continue Reading
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E-Zine
13 Aug 2020
CW Benelux: Security system concerns at Schiphol Airport
A report has revealed problems with critical security systems at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Also read why the Netherlands’ digital sector is yearning for attention from the government, and how data weaknesses persist despite Dutch companies investing heavily to comply with GDPR. Continue Reading
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News
12 Aug 2020
EU and US start discussions on ‘enhanced’ Privacy Shield data-sharing agreement
Talks begin on a successor to the Privacy Shield EU-US data-sharing agreement declared unlawful in July 2020 – a decision by the European Court of Justice that left thousands of businesses facing legal uncertainty Continue Reading
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News
12 Aug 2020
Police use of facial recognition found ‘unlawful’ in court
In a landmark decision, the Court of Appeal has ruled that South Wales Police’s facial recognition deployments breached human rights and data protection laws Continue Reading
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News
11 Aug 2020
French data protection authorities to probe TikTok as suitors circle
France’s CNIL has confirmed a new investigation into TikTok’s data protection practices Continue Reading
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News
11 Aug 2020
Hospitality sector is failing on contact-tracing obligations
Cyber security experts urge the government to do more to help small hospitality businesses improve their contact-tracing data-handling practices Continue Reading
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News
07 Aug 2020
Isle of Wight trial shows positive effect of contact-tracing app, but data privacy body slams UK
Rare piece of good news for long-awaited but much-criticised mobile app as technical conference highlights the positive outcomes for first large public test of coronavirus contact-tracing service Continue Reading
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News
07 Aug 2020
Data Standards Authority publishes guidance on government data sharing
The Data Standards Authority (DSA) wants government departments to use new open data standards when sharing data, with the aim of improving public services Continue Reading
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News
07 Aug 2020
TikTok to be banned in US in 45 days
Trump says his Executive Orders against Chinese mobile apps are in the interests of dealing with a national emergency Continue Reading
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News
07 Aug 2020
India’s software industry calls for cuts to red tape
Software industry lobby group iSpirt has called on the Indian government to ease the administrative burden of complying with rules related to taxes and trade Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2020
If you hire foreign IT staff, ‘you’re fired’, Trump tells bosses in government-owned entities
Donald Trump has fired a pre-election warning to government organisations that give IT jobs to workers from overseas Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2020
Canon said to be latest Maze ransomware victim
Canon may have had up to 10TB of its data exfiltrated by the Maze ransomware gang Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2020
Coronavirus: IT contractors cite lack of government support during Covid-19 as source of stress
ContractorCalculator research highlights the mental health toll the pandemic is taking on IT contractors Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2020
Footballers to take legal action over use of performance and tracking data
Planned lawsuit will argue that the use of players’ statistics by third-party companies is incompatible with footballers’ data rights Continue Reading
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Opinion
05 Aug 2020
The countdown is on for TikTok after Schrems II
Given the US’ threatened actions against TikTok and the outcome of Schrems II, it is clear that the spotlight is now firmly on international data transfers Continue Reading
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News
05 Aug 2020
Home Office drops ‘racist’ visa algorithm
The Home Secretary has pledged to stop using an algorithmic decision-making system to assess visa applications after migrant welfare and technology justice groups challenged the tool for helping to create a hostile environment for migrants Continue Reading
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News
04 Aug 2020
Police require radical reform to deal with 21st century challenges
Early findings from a major review of policing reveal forces are struggling to keep pace with the changing nature of crime Continue Reading
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News
04 Aug 2020
Google links with eight US banks for current accounts
Tech giant works with banks to layer digital services on top of secure and regulated banking infrastructures Continue Reading
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Opinion
03 Aug 2020
How the chancellor’s Plan for Jobs could benefit the UK tech sector
Technology has a strong role to play in the UK’s recovery, with Rishi Sunak’s Plan for Jobs offering opportunities for the sector Continue Reading
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News
03 Aug 2020
Microsoft offers way out of TikTok impasse
Microsoft offers to buy TikTok from its Chinese parent to ease security fears in the US Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2020
Labour Party is latest victim of Blackbaud ransomware attack
Widening Blackbaud data breach ensnares the Labour Party as the cloud software firm continues to duck questions about its behaviour Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2020
US lawmakers grill big tech chiefs over market power
Sixth antitrust hearing sees CEOs of major technology companies face combative questioning from members of Congress over their market power and dominance Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2020
UK contact-tracing app to be launched ‘shortly’ as Northern Ireland deploys service
Launch imminent for long-awaited and controversial mobile application described as ‘cherry on the cake’ of UK’s Covid-19 test and trace strategy Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2020
EU sanctions China and Russia over cyber attacks
The EU is applying restrictive measure to six individuals and three entities accused of conducting disruptive cyber attacks in Europe, including the Russian GRU Continue Reading
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News
30 Jul 2020
Barclays CEO says Canary Wharf office set to stay despite home working success
Barclays chief says the success of home working during the Covid-19 pandemic has taught the banks lessons, one of which is that major centres like Canary Wharf will remain Continue Reading
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News
30 Jul 2020
List of Blackbaud breach victims tops 120
More than 120 education and third-sector organisations may have had their data compromised through the breach of Blackbaud’s cloud platform Continue Reading
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News
29 Jul 2020
Bank of Ireland fined for six-year-old IT breach
Bank of Ireland fined by regulator for its failings to prevent fraud six years ago Continue Reading
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News
29 Jul 2020
Campaigners urge government to resist big tech lobbying pressure
Lobbyists for big tech, supported by senior US politicians, have rallied against stricter regulation of technology companies, and threatened the US-UK trade deal unless Britain scraps plans to levy a digital services tax Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2020
De Montfort, KCL, Newcastle universities join list of Blackbaud victims
Embattled cloud services provider now has big questions to answer over its handling of data belonging to UK universities and charities Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2020
Garmin may have paid hackers ransom, reports suggest
Garmin’s services are coming back online, but the company remains tight-lipped about what exactly happened to it Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2020
NCSC names national security expert Lindy Cameron as new CEO
New National Cyber Security Centre head joins from the Northern Ireland Office and has spent 20 years in government at home and abroad Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2020
Scotland’s security resilience centre concept goes national
Based on the success of the Scottish Business Resilience Centre, a series of regional Cyber Resilience Centres are now launching across the rest of the UK Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2020
Ofcom to free up additional spectrum for wireless services
Regulator takes steps to boost home network users who are now in their home offices and will be there for a considerable period of time Continue Reading
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News
27 Jul 2020
IT expertise in banking boardrooms reduces risk, finds Europe’s central bank
Banks with more IT knowledge in the boardroom are more realistic about risk, according to Europe’s banking regulator Continue Reading
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News
24 Jul 2020
Loan charge: HMRC's plans to clampdown on loan-scheme promoters slammed by IT contractors
HMRC is seeking feedback on its plans to tackle tax-avoidance scheme promoters, in the wake of criticism over its past enforcement of the loan-charge policy Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 Jul 2020
How Schrems II will impact data sharing between the UK and the US
At the end of this year, the UK will no longer be subject to the EU’s treaties, opening the way for it and the US to finalise a new trade relationship. Could the UK leave EU data protection standards behind? Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2020
UK government ignored civil service warning of no benefit in acquisition of OneWeb
Civil service revealed to have taken the rare step of alerting government that $500m investment in troubled satellite company would bring no discernible benefit Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2020
Post-Privacy Shield, what chance for a Brexit data adequacy deal?
The striking down of Privacy Shield has been hailed as a victory for digital rights and privacy campaign groups, but it will have consequences that go beyond transatlantic data transfers Continue Reading
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News
22 Jul 2020
Slack takes legal route against ‘weak, copycat’ Teams
Microsoft could be set for another joust with the EU, as its rival, Slack, files an anti-competitive complaint Continue Reading
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News
22 Jul 2020
BNP Paribas joins IBM financial services cloud project
IBM’s financial services cloud is gathering steam as more banks join its public cloud ecosystem of finance firms and developers Continue Reading
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News
22 Jul 2020
Privacy Shield: Companies face new hurdles to legally transfer data to the US
Businesses will have to conduct legal assessments to ensure they can transfer data from the EU to the US and other countries, following a European Court of Justice ruling Continue Reading
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News
21 Jul 2020
Coronavirus: Government drags its feet on online misinformation
Online misinformation about Covid-19 continues to spread unchecked, according to a DCMS committee report which has accused the government of dragging its feet over online harms Continue Reading
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News
21 Jul 2020
CDEI calls for ‘step change’ in public sector data sharing
Public sector needs to change the way data is shared, clarify governance arrangements and work on building public trust and awareness, according to a Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation report Continue Reading
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News
21 Jul 2020
Russia Report reveals long-running cyber warfare campaign against UK
Russia has been hacking the UK for years and the British government has also known about it for years, according to the Intelligence and Security Committee’s report Continue Reading
- 21 Jul 2020
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News
20 Jul 2020
ICO hails transformative year as average fine trebles
Information Commissioner’s Office annual report reflects on a busy period, during which it levied two of the largest fines so far seen under the GDPR Continue Reading
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News
20 Jul 2020
Test and Trace programme unlawful, admits government
The Department of Health and Social Care failed in its legal obligation to complete a mandatory Data Protection Impact Assessment Continue Reading
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News
17 Jul 2020
Twitter hack fallout: Investigators on trail of cyber criminals
Investigators are hunting the cyber criminals who broke into Twitter’s systems to hijack prominent accounts, amid concerns that more attacks may come Continue Reading
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News
17 Jul 2020
Unesco launches global consultation on AI ethics
The United Nations (UN) body opens up public consultation to help experts draft new global framework on artificial intelligence ethics Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
Loan charge: Government dashes hopes of revised down settlements for contractors
HMRC and HM Treasury confirm there are no plans to alter the loan charge settlement terms, despite calls from cross-party MPs to consider doing so Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
Russian state hackers attacking Covid-19 researchers
Kremlin-linked APT29 group, also known as Cozy Bear, is conducting a campaign against Covid-19 researchers around the world Continue Reading