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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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12 Aug
Worst UK recession in recorded history sparks calls for digital recovery
The news that the UK is experiencing the most severe recession since records began as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted calls to focus on digital industries to fuel recovery.
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11 Aug
Trump’s TikTok-WeChat ban could be a boost for Huawei
On Thursday 6 August, Trump committed to imposing sanctions against TikTok and WeChat after taking a hard line on protecting US citizens’ data from Chinese interference.
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11 Aug
Automatic facial recognition by South Wales Police ruled unlawful in Court of Appeal
The use of live automatic facial recognition by South Wales Police Force has been ruled unlawful by the Court of Appeal.
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11 Aug
Post-Brexit EU data sharing in jeopardy over UK privacy concerns
Data sharing between the UK and the EU is at serious risk post-Brexit as the trading bloc is likely to regard the UK as being as bad as the US when it comes to privacy issues, a law firm has warned.
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7 Aug
“Double standard”: Trump WeChat ban sparks confusion and questions
On Thursday evening, US President Donald Trump signed two executive orders to ban US companies from engaging in business transactions with TikTok parent company ByteDance and Tencent-owned WeChat.
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7 Aug
Clean Network is a messy roadmap for a digital wall with China
Huawei was never going to be enough for Donald Trump.
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6 Aug
US government offers $10m reward for information on election interference
The US Department of State is offering up to $10m as a reward for information on foreign interference in US elections.
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4 Aug
Liam Fox targeted by Russian hackers in reminder of “uncomfortable truth”
Cybersecurity experts are calling for greater vigilance after it emerged that Russian hackers targeted former trade minister and Conservative MP Liam Fox.
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3 Aug
TikTok mulls selling US arm to Microsoft, but could UK move enrage Trump?
It’s all change at TikTok, as the Chinese social media company finds itself as the latest battleground in the US-China trade war – and now the UK and Microsoft are involved.
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30 Jul
Big Tech CEOs grilled by Congress: Key moments from the historic antitrust meeting
For five hours on Wednesday, the four Big Tech CEOs of the world’s most powerful companies faced a grilling from US lawmakers in Washington, in an unprecedented hearing over alleged anti-competitive practices at their companies.
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21 Jul
Covid-19 highlights “crucial need” for digital infrastructure across the UK
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the “crucial need” for digital infrastructure across the UK, experts from the telecoms industry have told MPs.
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21 Jul
“Confusing and reeks of politics”: Cybersecurity community reacts to Russia report
The cybersecurity community has reacted with criticism and concern to the Russia report, which was finally published today after a nine-month delay.
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21 Jul
Russia Brexit interference: Russia report slams UK’s “failure to prepare”
The Russia report has criticised the UK Government, intelligence and security agencies for failing to prepare for or launch an adequate retrospective assessment of potential Russian interference in the Brexit referendum.
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21 Jul
Russia report: UK should lead offensive cyber efforts against Russia
The long-awaited Russia report, which explores how Moscow has used digital and intelligence capabilities to meddle in UK electoral matters, has called the UK’s development of offensive cyber capabilities “essential” to combat the issue.
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16 Jul
Companies “scrambling” as EU-US Privacy Shield data sharing voided
Companies that routinely transfer data between the EU and the US are currently scrambling to find a legal way to do so, after Europe’s top court voided the previous mechanism, the EU-US Privacy Shield.
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8 Jul
Summer statement 2020: Technology sector reacts to chancellor’s pandemic recovery plan
Today Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered his summer statement, outlining the UK government’s strategy for economic recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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7 Jul
Andrew Yang: “We are experiencing 10 years of change in 10 weeks”
Andrew Yang, former US presidential candidate and founder of Humanity Forward, is deeply concerned about how the acceleration of technology in response to the pandemic is going to impact many American citizens.
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25 Jun
Trump is using Twitter to magnify his base: Anthony Scaramucci
Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director for US President Donald Trump, has rejected suggestions that US President Donald Trump’s divisive use of Twitter is a sign of stupidity, arguing that it is instead a shrewd move to boost his chances of winning the 2020 Presidential election.
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25 Jun
Brittany Kaiser: Facebook should ban Trump disinformation
Facebook should ban inaccurate and misleading content posted by US President Donald Trump in accordance with its standards for non-political users, Brittany Kaiser, former Cambridge Analytica business development director-turned whistleblower, has said.
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23 Jun
“Be kind”: Babylon CEO leaps to Matt Hancock’s defence
Ali Parsa, CEO and founder of digital health company Babylon, has refused to criticise the performance of Health Secretary Matt Hancock during the coronavirus pandemic, arguing that people need to stop criticising others.
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18 Jun
Trump “backward-looking and out-of-touch” on Bitcoin: deVere CEO
US President Donald Trump has been slammed as being out of touch on Bitcoin and the wider world of cryptocurrencies by Nigel Green, the CEO and founder of deVere Group, a leading financial advisory firm.
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16 Jun
UK’s Huawei 5G stance threatens to “fundamentally alter” US intelligence sharing, congressman warns
The UK government’s current stance to allow Huawei into the non-core parts of the country’s 5G network threatens to “fundamentally alter” the intelligence-sharing relationship with America, a US congressman has warned.
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16 Jun
Apple faces EU antitrust probe over App Store practices
The European Commission has launched a fresh antitrust investigation into Apple after e-book firm Kobo joined Spotify in filing a complaint alleging that the App Store has anti-competitive practices.
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10 Jun
Matt Hancock: Humans work better for contact tracing than technology
Matt Hancock, the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has downplayed the role of technology in ongoing contact tracing efforts to combat the coronavirus.
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9 Jun
Brexit deal now unlikely without extension, and time is running out
Securing a full deal on Brexit within the required timeframe is looking increasingly unlikely, and with the deadline for an extension just weeks away, a no-deal Brexit is now a serious concern, according to a report published today by thinktank UK in a Changing Europe.
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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.