Political technology news, features and analysis

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.

15 Jan

With record investment in UK tech in 2019, what impact will Brexit have?

The UK is due to leave the European Union at the end of this month, after three deadline extensions in 2019.

14 Jan

Johnson on Huawei: “What’s the alternative?”

The UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson today said that he would not risk Britain’s national security when deciding on whether to allow Huawei equipment on the 5G network, but pressured critics of the Chinese tech company to suggest what other equipment the UK could use.

13 Jan

Crunch time for UK’s Huawei 5G ban decision (again)

The UK’s decision whether to ban Huawei technology from its 5G mobile phone networks is entering a crucial period, with the government expected to reach its verdict in a matter of weeks.

7 Jan

Iran cyberattacks against the US “could very much result in a loss of life”: Former Obama cybersecurity commissioner

The US attack on Iran that caused the death of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani has led to mounting discussions of war, but for many, it is a battle that looks set to be fought as much on digital lines as physical ones, through cyberattacks on US companies and critical infrastructure.

13 Dec

How did the tech industry react to a Conservative landslide?

conservative landslide uk tech general election

The Conservative Party has won the 2019 general election with a sweeping majority, giving Prime Minister Boris Johnson a clear mandate to “get Brexit done”.

13 Dec

Sentiment analysis and the general election: Why we have a long way to go

Last night, as the general election results poured in and Britain learnt its fate for the next five years, I took to Twitter armed with a sentiment analysis tool to gauge how the country was reacting to the unfolding news of a Conservative win.

11 Dec

Small business voting plans: One in four SMEs has no confidence in any political party

Despite attempts by all of the leading UK political parties to lure small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) into making them the focus of their voting plans, just below a quarter of SMEs have no confidence that any party will bring business benefits.

10 Dec

How disinformation hijacked the ‘Leeds Hospital’ narrative

There is a very popular senior nursing sister at Leeds General Infirmary.

9 Dec

Conservatives harness Facebook ads to take Ed Miliband’s Labour safe seat

In the last few days before the UK general election, the Conservatives have launched a string of highly targeted Facebook ads focused on key constituencies, with former Labour leader Ed Miliband’s Doncaster North constituency among the key targets.

6 Dec

The broadband battleground: What the main parties’ broadband policies say about them

With broadband still a relatively new and-evolving proposition in general election terms, and having been more recently upgraded to the status of household utility in public perception, it is striking how quickly the main parties’ policies on broadband have become about much more than the speed it takes to load a web page.