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
27 Mar 2024
Lord Holmes: UK cannot 'wait and see' to regulate AI
Legislation is needed to seize the benefits of artificial intelligence while minimising its risks, says Lord Holmes - but the government’s ‘wait and see’ approach to regulation will fail on both fronts Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2024
Apple, Meta and Alphabet under EU scrutiny
Under the new Digital Markets Act, European commissioners are looking at potential issues with the way Apple, Alphabet and Meta operate their platforms Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2024
US authorities charge seven over Chinese hacking
The US Department of Justice has charged seven Chinese nationals linked to the APT31 threat actor that targeted politicians in the UK and US Continue Reading
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News
25 Mar 2024
Which? calls for government action on fake banking sites
Amid high volumes of spoofed, fraudulent banking websites, Which? is calling for the government to implement new legal obligations for domain registrars Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Mar 2024
Making Tax Digital explained: Everything you need to know
Making Tax Digital is meant to overhaul the UK tax system, make it easier for businesses to file tax returns, and reduce error and fraud. How successful has the programme been? Computer Weekly looks at the details of tax digitisation Continue Reading
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News
22 Mar 2024
Court finds EncroChat hacked messages admissible as former footballer is jailed
A judge in ‘lead’ EncroChat case found that messages obtained by police from the encrypted phone network can be lawfully used in evidence Continue Reading
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News
22 Mar 2024
Open Data Institute launches digital policy manifesto
The Open Data Institute has launched a policy manifesto ahead of the UK general election that outlines policies and issues it believes must be part of the political discussion around digital and data Continue Reading
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News
21 Mar 2024
US sues Apple, alleging smartphone monopoly
A major legal action against Apple over its dominance of the smartphone market has kicked off in the US, alleging anticompetitive practices on Apple’s part that have damaged the sector and restricted consumer choice Continue Reading
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News
21 Mar 2024
IR35 reforms: IT contractors urged to reclaim tax they may have overpaid in off-payroll settlements
With the government set to fix the settlements offset issue from 6 April, contractor insurance firm Qdos is urging individuals who worked for non-compliant IR35 organisations to see if they can reclaim any money they have overpaid Continue Reading
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News
20 Mar 2024
Ukrainians crack network that stole 100m email, social accounts
Three members of an organised cyber criminal group who hacked and appropriated personal email and social media accounts face up to 15 years in prison Continue Reading
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News
18 Mar 2024
Spring Budget risks funding legally questionable police tech
Open legal questions around how UK police are using facial recognition and cloud technology could undermine the £230m investment committed in the Spring Budget to “time and money-saving technology” for police Continue Reading
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News
18 Mar 2024
G7 nations sign deal to harness AI potential
G7 nations will produce a joint report on how to increase artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, boost growth of the quantum sector and create an AI toolkit to inform policy-making Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Mar 2024
Creative workers say livelihoods threatened by generative AI
Computer Weekly speaks with various creative workers about the impact generative artificial intelligence systems are having on their work and livelihoods Continue Reading
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News
15 Mar 2024
UK government calls on comms firms to limit installation of telegraph poles
After public demonstrations, minister urges communications industry to ‘do whatever it takes’ to share existing infrastructure to avoid ‘inappropriately or unnecessarily throwing up’ new telegraph poles Continue Reading
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News
15 Mar 2024
London Mayor’s Office reprimanded over data breach
The London Mayor’s Office has been reprimanded by the ICO after an internal error exposed the data of people who had made complaints against the Metropolitan Police Continue Reading
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News
13 Mar 2024
US authorities move a step closer to banning TikTok
Lawmakers in Washington DC have moved a step closer to enacting a broad national ban on controversial video app TikTok in the US, with global ramifications Continue Reading
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Opinion
12 Mar 2024
A new security partnership to build a silicon valley in South Wales
The £140m acquisition of Newport Wafer Fab by American firm Vishay is to be welcomed but the UK needs needs security, stability and strategic investment to grow our domestic semiconductor capability, writes Alun Cairns MP Continue Reading
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News
11 Mar 2024
Government not facing up to CNI cyber risks, committee warns
The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy has accused the government of burying its head in the sand over the cyber threat to UK critical infrastructure Continue Reading
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Podcast
11 Mar 2024
Podcast: Immutable storage essential against ransomware, but...
...not all immutable storage is created equal. That’s the message from Paul Speciale of Scality, who looks at immutable storage, its variants and what’s needed to secure data 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
11 Mar 2024
TechUK calls for next government to introduce ‘industrial strategy’ for AI
Trade group TechUK publishes blueprint calling for winner of next election to boost tech startups, digitise government services and accelerate technology R&D Continue Reading
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News
07 Mar 2024
CCS U-turns on G-Cloud 14 insurance requirements after supplier backlash
The government procurement agency has reversed previous plans for a £20m increase in insurance cover that threatened to deter smaller suppliers from bidding for cloud computing contracts Continue Reading
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News
07 Mar 2024
UK altnets call for action after attacks on fibre infrastructure
UK altnets raise concerns after a series of attacks on telecoms networks, demanding DSIT and Ofcom take responsibility to review current rules, from sentencing to policing to industry compliance Continue Reading
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News
07 Mar 2024
Indian government issues advisory to mitigate AI risks
Tech firms will require permission from the government to use and provide under-tested or unreliable AI models and software to Indian users Continue Reading
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News
07 Mar 2024
MPs call for Post Office exclusion from compensation schemes, as trust hits rock bottom
Former subpostmasters and MPs do not trust the Post Office to do the right thing for victims of the Horizon IT scandal Continue Reading
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News
06 Mar 2024
Nation states buying hacking tools from underground Russian cyber forums
State-sponsored hacking groups, posing as hacktivists, are using Russian cyber crime forums to stock up on cyber weapons, says Check Point Software’s threat analyst, Sergey Shykevich Continue Reading
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News
06 Mar 2024
Post Office prosecutions during Horizon go-live phase are ‘frightening’
The Post Office used subpostmasters as guinea pigs to test its software and take the rap for its errors Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
ALPHV/BlackCat gang vanishes amid ransomware ‘turmoil’
Mystery surrounds the apparent disappearance of the ALPHV/BlackCat cyber crime gang amid reports that a prominent US victim paid a $22m ransom Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
Open Rights Group accuses LiveRamp of ‘unlawful’ data processing
Privacy campaigners at Open Rights Group have submitted formal complaints to UK and French data regulators about allegedly unlawful data processing by online advertising firm LiveRamp Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
Dutch organisations start building a federated European cloud
The ‘European cloud services in an open federated ecosystem’ (ECOFED) project is co-funded by the Dutch government and will run from 2024 to 2027 Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
Keepit brings backup and restore to unprotected SaaS applications
SaaS backup specialist keeps data in its own cloud datacentres, protects cloud data across numerous platforms and aims to give customers the ability to rapidly add data sources Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
American Express customers exposed through third-party breach
US card giant warns customers that their personal details may have been exposed after a third party experienced a systems breach Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
Banning ransomware payments back on the agenda
The idea of banning ransomware payments to cyber criminals is back on the agenda, with former NCSC chief Ciaran Martin arguing that tougher measures need to be taken Continue Reading
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Opinion
05 Mar 2024
How Southeast Asia’s largest bank is riding the AI wave
DBS has scaled its AI capabilities across all parts of its business to deliver tangible outcomes and productivity gains Continue Reading
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News
29 Feb 2024
Home Office GPS tagging of asylum seekers breaches data protection law
The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued an enforcement notice against the Home Office after finding its programme to tag asylum seekers with GPS monitors breaches data protection law Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2024
IR35 reforms: PAC concerned HMRC’s ‘tough’ enforcement is harming contractors
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has raised red flags over how HMRC is policing the IR35 rules out of concern its actions might be putting public and private sector organisations off hiring contractors Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2024
Government urged to take a pro-innovation approach to quantum regulation
Responsible innovation, learning from AI and the use of foresight techniques should inform policymaking Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2024
CCS accused of pricing G-Cloud SMEs out of framework with £20m insurance cover hike
The Crown Commercial Service’s commitment to helping SMEs win more government cloud deals is being called into question again, following news that it is planning to up the insurance cover required by G-Cloud 14 suppliers by £20m Continue Reading
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News
26 Feb 2024
LockBit bids to save face after NCA takedown
The LockBit gang’s ringleader resurfaces with new infrastructure and new victims, claiming to have shrugged off a multinational police sting Continue Reading
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Feature
26 Feb 2024
Netherlands formulates vision to address risks of GenAI
There are numerous risks and challenges associated with generative AI – which is why the Dutch government has formulated a vision document for its responsible and safe use in the Netherlands Continue Reading
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News
26 Feb 2024
Secret court hears claims of police surveillance against journalists
Journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey argue that the use of covert powers by the police to identify their confidential sources represents an attack on press freedom Continue Reading
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News
23 Feb 2024
NCA trolls under fire LockBit gang leaders
The NCA has teased details of the identity of LockBit's main admin via the gang’s compromised dark web site, and hinted that he has been engaging with law enforcement Continue Reading
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News
23 Feb 2024
IR35 legislative tweak to remedy settlement offset issue by April 2024
Long-standing issue with how IR35 rules work to be resolved in April, thanks to Finance Act change Continue Reading
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News
22 Feb 2024
Law to clear hundreds of wrongfully convicted subpostmasters expected in July
Law to overturn Post Office convictions based on computer evidence set to be introduced in July following unprecedented legislation Continue Reading
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News
21 Feb 2024
Assange created a ‘grave and immediate risk’, says US government, as it seeks extradition
Lawyers for the US government hit back at claims that extraditing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is politically motivated Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2024
LockBit locked out: Cyber community reacts
Reaction to the takedown of the LockBit ransomware gang is enthusiastic, but tempered with the knowledge that cyber criminals are often remarkably resilient Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2024
US extradition of Julian Assange is ‘state retaliation’ for exposing war crimes, court hears
Lawyers argue that the US extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is politically motivated and in is breach of the UK-US extradition treaty Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2024
LockBit gang members arrested in Poland and Ukraine
The UK’s National Crime Agency and its global partners have shared more details on their audacious takedown of the LockBit ransomware operation, including news of two arrests Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2024
Government agrees law to protect confidential journalistic material from state hacking
The government will update Investigatory Powers Act to require secret intelligence agencies to seek independent approval before accessing confidential journalistic material obtained by bulk hacking, but journalists remain vulnerable to other bulk surveillance powers Continue Reading
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News
19 Feb 2024
Cops take down LockBit ransomware gang
The notorious LockBit ransomware crew has been disrupted in an international law enforcement sting led by the UK's National Crime Agency Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Feb 2024
Bouncing back from a cyber attack
Organisations need to move away from victim blaming when cyber attacks on OT systems occur and focus on fostering collaboration between teams to minimise downtime, among other efforts to bounce back and return to business Continue Reading
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News
15 Feb 2024
Security-by-design push prompts new ISC2 accreditations
Security-by-design has become a hot-button regulatory issue. ISC2 has decided now is the time to upskill cyber pros around these vital software and hardware development principles Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2024
Dutch Supreme Court approves use of EncroChat evidence
Defence lawyers plan appeal to European Court of Human Rights after Supreme Court upholds a conviction based on intercepted messages from the EncroChat encrypted phone network Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2024
Met Police to scrap and replace ‘racist’ Gangs Violence Matrix
A database used by the Metropolitan Police to identify and track people linked with gang violence is being decommissioned and replaced. The decision follows a long-running controversy over its discriminatory impacts on young black people, but campaigners warn that racial discrimination will persist with new tool Continue Reading
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Podcast
14 Feb 2024
Podcast: What is the impact of AI on storage and compliance?
Start now looking at artificial intelligence compliance. That’s the advice of Mathieu Gorge of Vigitrust, who says AI governance is still immature but firms should recognise the limits and still act Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2024
Security experts: Investigatory powers plans will delay security updates
Cyber security experts warn that government proposals to amend the Investigatory Powers Act will limit tech companies’ ability to respond to security threats and could hamper the use of end-to-end encryption Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2024
Post Office CEO refused to meet government minister without her lawyer after 2015 Horizon report
Post Office statements on the Horizon system, whether to journalists or the government, were routinely carefully crafted by lawyers Continue Reading
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News
13 Feb 2024
What will result from Cohesity’s Veritas acquisition?
The $7bn backup giant will leverage huge assets in enterprise customer base, compliance and governance intelligence, AI, R&D, and Kubernetes backup and storage Continue Reading
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Opinion
12 Feb 2024
Executives must face down state-sponsored hacking groups targeting firmware
State-backed groups have ratcheted up the pressure for cyber security professionals and executives. But that’s not an excuse to cede them the territory. Continue Reading
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News
09 Feb 2024
Amazon defends facial-recognition tech sale to FBI despite moratorium
The FBI has confirmed it is using Amazon’s Rekognition image and video analysis software, but Amazon says it is ‘false’ to suggest this violates the company’s self-imposed moratorium on selling facial-recognition technology to US police Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2024
NCSC warns CNI operators over ‘living-off-the-land’ attacks
Malicious, state-backed actors may well be lurking in the UK’s most critical networks right now, and their operators may not even know until it is too late, warn the NCSC and its partners Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2024
Dozens of surveillance companies are supplying spyware to governments, says Google
Google’s Threat Analysis Group has identified 40 companies involved in selling and supplying security exploits and spyware services to governments Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2024
Government reaffirms commitment to hold off on AI laws
The UK government reaffirming its commitment hold off on artificial intelligence legislation has been received positively by industry for balancing innovation and safety Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2024
How Iranian cyber ops pivoted to target Israel after 7 October attacks
Microsoft has shared new intelligence on how Iranian government-aligned threat actors have turned their fire on Israel over the past four months Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2024
South Staffs Water faces group action over Clop ransomware attack
South Staffordshire Plc, the parent company of South Staffordshire and Cambridge Water, is facing legal action from customers whose data was compromised in a 2022 Clop ransomware attack Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2024
UK’s McPartland Cyber Review to probe trust in technology
The UK government has launched a cyber security review that will investigate how best to give businesses the confidence they need to use new technologies Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2024
UK government responds to AI whitepaper consultation
The UK government is considering introducing binding legal requirements for companies developing the most powerful AI systems, and has outlined a range of funding to realise the ambitions of its ‘pro-innovation’ framework for artificial intelligence Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2024
Inquiry to explore cyber risk to Sunak-Starmer showdown
The UK’s Joint Committee on National Security Strategy is opening an inquiry into securing the democratic process ahead of the next general election Continue Reading
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Opinion
06 Feb 2024
Three predictions for responding to the cyber threat landscape in 2024
Nominet's Kim Wiles looks to the coming months and calls for cooperation and collaboration on tackling cyber security threats Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2024
Blackbaud blasted for failing to prevent customer breaches
A supply chain attack at software supplier Blackbaud in 2020 saw data on multiple UK organisations compromised. The US authorities are now taking steps to ensure it can’t happen again Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2024
US sanctions Iranians behind CNI cyber attacks
US government issues new sanctions against six Iranians suspected of being behind a series of cyber attacks targeting critical national infrastructure, notably water supply systems Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Feb 2024
UK police facial recognition explained: What you need to know
In this essential guide, Computer Weekly looks at the use of facial recognition technology by UK police forces, including the points of contention around its deployment so far and where it’s heading next Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2024
AI: House of Lords focuses on copyright and transparency
Large language models promise to boost UK productivity, but the tech needs greater scrutiny and questions remain over intellectual property Continue Reading
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Opinion
31 Jan 2024
AI everywhere all at once
Artificial intelligence became mainstream in 2023. Advances in technology and accessibility led to increased awareness and use of AI Continue Reading
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News
30 Jan 2024
We need backup! Pennsylvania police data loss shows why
Police evidence systems data was lost during ‘routine maintenance’, with human error blamed – the case clearly illustrates why data protection can’t be left to chance Continue Reading
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E-Zine
30 Jan 2024
Tech companies warn EU over encryption plans
In this week’s Computer Weekly, tech companies are calling on the European Commission to rethink plans to weaken internet encryption – we explore the issues. We talk to credit rating agency Moody’s about why it thinks now is the time to start investing in quantum computing. And we examine how a different approach to recruitment could ease the datacentre sector skills gap. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
29 Jan 2024
Lords question legality of police facial recognition
Lords committee ‘deeply concerned’ about the rapid expansion of live facial recognition by UK police, which it says is progressing without any real oversight or accountability Continue Reading
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News
26 Jan 2024
GenAI tools ‘could not exist’ if firms are made to pay copyright
AI firm Anthropic hits out at copyright lawsuit filed by music publishers, claiming the content ingested into its models falls under ‘fair use’ and that any licensing regime would be too complex and costly Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Jan 2024
Quantum, AI and geopolitical conflict: '24 will be a big year for cyber
With big trends like quantum, generative AI and geopolitical conflict, 2024 looks set to be a big year in security, but defenders have an unparalleled opportunity to harness these trends for good, says Quorum's Federico Charosky Continue Reading
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News
26 Jan 2024
UK government consults on age verification tech in alcohol sales
The government has said it wants to allow the use of digital identities and various age-verification technologies in alcohol sales Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Jan 2024
Security Think Tank: What to expect in cyber this year
Risk arising from insecure generative AI, an explosion in mainstream acceptance of zero-trust, and increasingly tight cyber insurance policies will all be high on the agenda in 2024, writes Forrester senior analyst Alla Valente Continue Reading
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News
26 Jan 2024
Expert IT witness outsmarted an ‘aggressive’ Post Office to get to truth after inspection ‘madness’
The Post Office’s attempts to protect the Horizon system are well known, in light of the public inquiry and a recent TV drama, but Computer Weekly can reveal how an IT expert was treated during his investigation of Horizon Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Jan 2024
Bulk sender authentication: More vital than ever
With new guidelines from Google and Yahoo governing bulk emails coming into force in February 2024, here's what you need to know to keep your sales and marketing lists compliant Continue Reading
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Opinion
25 Jan 2024
The race to regulate AI: 2024 unpacked
EU’s AI Act is set to become ‘gold standard’ of AI regulation. Will other countries adopt the same high standards or like the UK opt for a light touch in favour of growth and investment? Continue Reading
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Opinion
25 Jan 2024
IT Sustainability Think Tank: Why 2024 should be less about predicting and more about acting
With 2023 now behind us, it is time to look ahead at what enterprise leaders should be focusing their IT sustainability efforts on during the year ahead Continue Reading
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Opinion
25 Jan 2024
Security Think Tank: 2024 is the year we bridge the cyber divide
ISACA's Steven Sim Kok Leong shares his thoughts on the coming year in cyber security, considering the impact of regulatory change, the evolving role of the CISO, and advances in innovative cyber tech Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Jan 2024
Expert guide to e-discovery
An expert guide to why your organisation needs an electronic discovery policy and how to go about creating one Continue Reading
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News
23 Jan 2024
Treat cyber risk like financial or legal issue, says UK government
UK government and NCSC launch proposed code of practice on cyber security governance to help directors and business leaders toughen their defences Continue Reading
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News
23 Jan 2024
Leak of 26 billion records may prove to be ‘mother of all breaches’
The discovery of a dataset comprising 26 billion stolen records may prove to be record-breaking in both its size and the danger it poses to ordinary people Continue Reading
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News
23 Jan 2024
SEC bitcoin hack was result of SIM-swapping
A cyber attack on the US financial regulator earlier in January 2024 occurred after hackers took over one of its mobile phone accounts in a so-called SIM-swapping attack Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2024
Openreach accelerates digital network roll-out
Added vigour to UK’s largest broadband provider’s digital network transformation play, with latest tranche of exchanges across furthest reaches of UK now able to offer digital comms based on full-fibre networks Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Jan 2024
The Loan Charge scandal explained: Everything you need to know
Tens of thousands of IT contractors have been saddled with life-changing tax bills as a result of a controversial, retroactive government policy – and the fall-out from its introduction has been likened to the Post Office IT scandal Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2024
Urgent question asks which ministers knew of Post Office’s shocking plan to remove judge
Labour peer uses urgent question to uncover who, if anyone, in government was aware of the Post Office’s attempts to remove judge as it became clear it was losing Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2024
ICO prompts confusion over police cloud legality
The UK data regulator has suggested that, despite major data protection concerns, it is likely to greenlight police cloud deployments because of an information-sharing agreement with the US government Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2024
MPs flag similarities between HMRC's treatment of Loan Charge contractors and Post Office scandal
The fallout from HMRC's controversial disguised remuneration clampdown, the Loan Charge policy, has been likened to the Post Office Horizon scandal during a House of Commons debate Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2024
Fujitsu boss admits to missed opportunities to prevent miscarriages of justice
Concerns of an expert witness in subpostmaster trials were ignored by Fujitsu Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2024
AWS plans huge investment in Japan cloud infrastructure
Amazon Web Services plans to invest over $15bn into its existing cloud infrastructure in Tokyo and Osaka by 2027 to meet growing customer demand Continue Reading
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News
18 Jan 2024
More than 900 subpostmaster convictions wouldn’t have happened without Post Office-backed law change
IT expert says it cannot be the case that computer evidence is treated as accurate in court, without investigation into surrounding circumstances Continue Reading
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News
18 Jan 2024
Tech firms: Investigatory Powers review will undermine privacy of UK citizens
Trade group TechUK argues in a briefing sent to the Home Office that proposed amendments to the Investigatory Powers Bill could have a far-reaching impact on privacy and security Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2024
Victims of 2023 Capita data breaches head to High Court
More than 5,000 people impacted by data breaches arising from two cyber incidents affecting outsourcer Capita have joined a group action lawsuit Continue Reading