Political technology news, features and analysis

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

4 Mar

Domestic Abuse Bill makes tech abuse illegal

A new domestic abuse bill unveilled by the UK government will make tech abuse illegal.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

10 Feb

Comment wire US tech giants

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.

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.

7 Feb

Comment wire

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.

31 Jan

The post-Brexit immigration system and what it means for UK tech

The UK technology sector is booming.

31 Jan

Brexit and the tech industry: Experts share their concerns

After several false starts, today is the day that the UK officially leaves the European Union, marking the start of an 11-month transition period.

29 Jan

US government reacts to Huawei decision, but will there be repercussions?

The US government and senior US politicians have reacted negatively to the UK’s decision to allow Huawei technology to be used in “non-core” parts of the 5G infrastructure, to the surprise of few.

28 Jan

Why the UK is right to use Huawei 5G technology

Those with long-ish memories will recall that a lifetime, a government and a parliament ago, the National Security Council (NSC) recommended that Huawei technology be allowed into the non-core aspects of the UK’s 5G network.

28 Jan

Huawei allowed in UK’s “non-core” 5G network

The UK government has given the green light for telecoms firms to use Huawei technology in “non-core” parts of the country’s 5G networks.

27 Jan

Huawei 5G in the UK: Public divided over trustworthiness of Chinese tech giant

The UK Government is expected to finally decide whether to allow Huawei infrastructure in its 5G network tomorrow, but the public is divided on whether the Chinese tech giant should be trusted.

23 Jan

Ted Cruz has nabbed our name for a podcast about the Trump impeachment. We’re not happy

US Senator Ted Cruz has launched a podcast about the ongoing impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, but there’s a problem – he’s using the name Verdict, and that’s ours.

22 Jan

UN calls for investigation into Jeff Bezos phone hack

UN human rights experts have called for an investigation into the hacking of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ phone via a WhatsApp account allegedly belonging to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

21 Jan

Huawei “can survive even further attacks” from the United States: CEO Ren Zhengfei

The beleaguered Chinese technology giant Huawei does not expect to be significantly harmed from ongoing moves against it by the United States, according to founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei.

20 Jan

Why Iran won’t rush a cyber response against the US

The spectre of an Iranian cyberattack loomed large following the assassination of Iran’s general, Qasem Soleimani, but has so far – publicly, at least – gone unrealised.

16 Jan

NSO Group hearing to play vital role in corporate spyware’s future

Today a court hearing in Tel Aviv, Israel, will begin what could be a defining point in the development of corporate spyware, as a judge considers whether to revoke the export license of NSO Group.

15 Jan

Nicky Morgan: UK government will be ‘unashamedly pro-technology’

Nicky Morgan, secretary of state for secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has declared that the new government will be “unashamedly a pro-technology government” and that digital technology will play a key role in future trade negotiations.