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Politics and policy
The latest political technology news, features and analysis from around the world. Verdict covers the political side of technology, from news on rules, regulation and policy to the role of governments in tech. Be it good, bad or somewhere in between, political technology is now a vital part of the wider world of tech and plays a key role in shaping the political sphere.
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4 Jun
Absence of services sector from Brexit negotiations risks “profound impact”
The absence of the UK services sector from UK-EU Brexit trade negotiations could have a “profound impact” on businesses, according to one thinktank.
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3 Jun
Google Cloud lays flag in UK public sector with government MoU
Google Cloud has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UK government in order to increase adoption of its products and technologies by the UK public sector.
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1 Jun
Managing the end of Covid-19 lockdown: Beyond contact tracing
Managing the end of lockdown and returning to some semblance of normality is a priority for everyone at the moment. The lifting of restrictions on the use of public spaces, the tricky issue of getting back onto public transport, socialising, and even planning holidays presents challenges and huge implications for containing Covid-19.
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28 May
Test and Trace: Data of those with Covid-19 symptoms will be stored for 20 years
Personally identifiable information collected by NHS Test and Trace for people with Covid-19 symptoms will be kept by Public Health England for 20 years.
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15 May
NHS digital transformation before coronavirus slammed in government report
The digital transformation efforts by the NHS prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus have been heavily criticised in a report published today by the National Audit Office (NAO), the independent Parliamentary body responsible for auditing government departments.
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29 Apr
Coronavirus: NHS contact-tracing app will fail without trust, academics warn
A group of 173 privacy and security academics have called on the NHS to be more transparent about its coronavirus contact-tracing application, warning that not enough people will use it to make it successful if data protection concerns are not addressed.
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17 Apr
Virtual Parliament: MPs must “adhere to security precautions”
For the first time in 700 years, the Houses of Parliament is taking an “unprecedented step” by allowing MPs to take part in some parliamentary proceedings via Zoom.
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16 Apr
Hackers tied to Syrian government use Covid-19-themed malware to spy on citizens
Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a malware campaign targeting Syrian citizens that uses Covid-19 to lure users into installing apps onto their phones that are then used to spy on them.
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14 Apr
Supreme Court teleconferencing: The future of legal proceedings?
For the first time ever, the US Supreme Court will use teleconferencing technology to remotely hear arguments “in keeping with public health guidance” due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it announced yesterday.
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3 Apr
Tech Nation: Chancellor should do more to support early-stage tech companies
Today, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced further measures to support businesses during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, but this does not fully address the needs of early-stage tech companies, according to Tech Nation.
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2 Apr
Yuval Noah Harari: Coronavirus surveillance risks creating authoritarian regimes
The use of surveillance via technologies such as apps and smartphones to combat the spread of the coronavirus can be useful, but risks empowering authoritarian governments, historian and author Yuval Noah Harari has said.
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1 Apr
UK Digital Services Tax brings in duty on social media, search revenue
The new Digital Services Tax came into force in the UK today.
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24 Mar
UN platform to help governments protect telecom networks during coronavirus crisis
A global platform designed to help governments maintain the resilience and availability of telecom networks during the coronavirus crisis has been launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialised agency of the United Nations.
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16 Mar
Record €1.1bn Apple fine sends shares sliding 13%
Apple’s share price fell 13% as markets reacted to a record €1.1bn ($1.2bn) antitrust fine and continued coronavirus disruption.
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11 Mar
2020 Budget: What does it mean for the tech industry?
Today Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced the 2020 Spring Budget, the first for the new UK government.
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10 Mar
MPs reject amendment to block Huawei from 5G network
British MPs have voted against an amendment that sought to prohibit the use of Huawei in the UK’s 5G mobile network.
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6 Mar
UK government launches fresh Huawei 5G inquiry
The UK government has announced the launch of a new inquiry to investigate the security of its 5G infrastructure, focusing particularly on Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.
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4 Mar
Domestic Abuse Bill makes tech abuse illegal
A new domestic abuse bill unveilled by the UK government will make tech abuse illegal.
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3 Mar
EU Settlement Scheme data breach: “When things are rushed people make mistakes”
The UK Home Office breached General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 100 times in its handling of EU citizens’ data, an investigation has found.
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3 Mar
Cartels and cybercrime: A new threat to Latin America
Every time I visit Latin America someone always cracks a joke about not letting myself be kidnapped by drug cartels.
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27 Feb
Kaspersky unveils blockchain-based voting machine
Cybersecurity company Kaspersky has debuted a prototype of its new Polys blockchain-based voting machine, opening up the possibility of a secure alternative to existing election technology.
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24 Feb
Amsterdam tech industry to beat London due to Brexit, recruiter warns
The city of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is poised to take over from London as Europe’s leading tech hub, and the main reason is Brexit, a key recruiter for the industry has warned.
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21 Feb
European Commission could make Big Tech share data
New European Commission proposals could require Big Tech companies to share data with smaller rivals.
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20 Feb
UK government lost 39 devices a week, raising security alarm bells
The UK government lost an average of 39 devices a week in the 12 months between 1 June 2018 and 1 June 2019, highlighting the need for greater security practices.
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19 Feb
Michael Bloomberg cryptocurrency plans praised by deVere CEO
Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg has proposed a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency that has drawn praise from a leading financial expert.
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12 Feb
UK watchdog Ofcom to regulate online harms
The UK government has announced that it intends to appoint communications watchdog Ofcom as online harms regulator.
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10 Feb
Attorney General turns his back on US innovation
US Attorney General William Barr raised eyebrows by suggesting in a February 6 speech that the US and its allies should consider buying a controlling stake in Nokia or Ericsson.
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7 Feb
Flaws in Iowa caucus app could have left it vulnerable to hackers
In Iowa, rather than casting votes in polling stations, registered Democrats meet in precincts to elect delegates that then support a particular Democrat candidate.
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7 Feb
Iowa’s mobile voting app highlights the problem with app modernisation
At this stage, no one really knows what went horribly wrong with the mobile app created to speed-up the process of counting state-wide votes during the Democratic caucus in Iowa earlier this week, but developers across the globe can only imagine.
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31 Jan
The post-Brexit immigration system and what it means for UK tech
The UK technology sector is booming.