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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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25 Nov
Conservative manifesto: Technology pledges in full
The Conservative Party has published its 2019 manifesto, outlining its plans for the UK should it win the general election.
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21 Nov
Labour manifesto: Technology pledges in full
The Labour Party has published its 2019 manifesto, outlining the party’s policies ahead of the general election.
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21 Nov
Labour manifesto promises “overhaul” of British cybersecurity
The newly released Labour manifesto sees Jeremy Corbyn’s party promise a clampdown on cybersecurity incidents by overhauling how the UK handles the issue.
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19 Nov
Arron Banks hacked: Leave.EU founder to take legal action against Twitter
The Twitter account of Leave.EU co-founder Arron Banks has been suspended following a hack that exposed the personal messages of the Brexit financier.
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15 Nov
Free broadband sounds great, but Labour needs to remember 5G
Today British voters woke up to the news that Labour is planning to provide every home and business with free, full-fibre broadband by 2030 if it wins the upcoming general election.
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12 Nov
Labour cyberattack: Was a nation state behind the incident?
Who is behind the Labour cyberattack that saw the UK’s second biggest party hit by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack that briefly slowed down campaigning efforts?
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12 Nov
Labour DDoS attack “should be a significant concern to all voters”
The news that the UK Labour Party has been hit by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, described as a “sophisticated and large-scale cyberattack” by the political party, has been hailed as a concern for the entire country.
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11 Nov
Free internet essential to maintaining human rights, research finds
The internet should be made free to access for all as it now plays a vital role in upholding other human rights, according to research published today.
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8 Nov
Facebook political advertising is “not democracy”: Margrethe Vestager
Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition, has slammed Facebook political advertising, arguing that the micro-targeted approach lacks oversight and is “not democracy”.
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8 Nov
Trump tech chief lays freedom on the line in calls to block Chinese technology
Michael Kratsios, chief technology officer of the US and a key advisor to President Donald Trump, has doubled down on calls for Western governments to block Chinese technology in a vitriol-laden speech in Lisbon, Portugal.
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7 Nov
Tony Blair: Technology is vital to defeating populism
Technology is key to combatting the surge in populism in the West that has led to both the election of US President Donald Trump and Brexit, according to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
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1 Nov
ICO: “Slow down” police deployment of facial recognition
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has warned that police forces need to “slow down” on the deployment of facial recognition technology due to its potential for “widespread invasiveness”.
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1 Nov
How the threat of hacking looms over the 2020 election
With the UK bracing for a general election and campaigning ahead of the US 2020 presidential election now in full swing, the threat of election hacking is once more a key topic of conversation.
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30 Oct
NSO Group lawsuit exposes uncomfortable truth of 21st-century espionage
WhatsApp has filed a lawsuit against Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group, raising questions around the complicated role the private sector plays in facilitating government surveillance and the dangers posed by its cyberweapons ending up in the wrong hands.
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15 Oct
With voter ID plans criticised, what election technology alternatives are there?
Members of the public may soon be required to show a form of ID, such as a driving licence or passport before being able to vote in a UK general or local election.
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14 Oct
London financial services jobs “defying political chaos”, but uncertainty remains
With continued uncertainty over when the UK will leave the EU, many businesses have been left with more questions than answers when it comes to Brexit planning.
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11 Oct
MPs call for strict commercial drone regulations
Parliament’s Science and Technology Committee has published its report on commercial drones, calling on the government to provide a clear “vision” for the safer use of drones through regulations and criminal penalties for their misuse.
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11 Oct
World leaders scramble to reassure public over 5G safety
A host of world leaders have been forced to make statements about the safety of 5G after public fears about the technology’s impact on health and the environment have increased, prompting protests in some countries.
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9 Oct
Ecuador is in serious need of proper data protection laws following massive breach
In an era when some of the largest corporations in the world have failed to properly secure the personal data of billions of people, lawmakers have become keen to push legislation aimed at giving consumers greater control over their personal data.
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7 Oct
IBM CEO: US needs “consistent consumer privacy regulation”
IBM CEO Ginni Rometty has backed the introduction of GDPR-style regulation across the US.
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3 Oct
UK government issues no-deal Brexit preparation checklist for tech firms
The United Kingdom’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has published a checklist for businesses providing technology and digital services to best prepare for a no-deal Brexit.
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27 Sep
Huawei’s Guo Ping: “R&D collaboration benefits both Huawei and the UK”
Huawei rotating chairman Guo Ping doesn’t give interviews often, so when a small group of journalists from UK publications, including Verdict, were given the chance to ask him questions at a media roundtable in Shenzhen, China, it was a rare and valuable opportunity to hear the thoughts of one of the Chinese tech giant’s most
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24 Sep
EU’s right to be forgotten ruling leaves questions unanswered
The EU’s top court has ruled in favour of tech giant Google in a landmark case about the ‘right to be forgotten’, but privacy and legal experts have warned the issue has not been fully resolved.
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19 Sep
UK must invest in automation to “thrive in the fourth industrial revolution”
The UK could struggle to compete with other economies if it does not invest more in robotics and automation.
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11 Sep
Amnesty International calls for tougher spyware regulations
Human rights organisation Amnesty International is urging governments around the world to introduce tougher spyware regulations that ensure spyware companies respect human rights.
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10 Sep
Tech industry reacts to Brexit latest: ‘Give us certainty’
Parliament is prorogued, the House of Commons speaker is stepping down and prime minister Boris Johnson has lost six votes in as many days.
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9 Sep
The UK is not “recession ready” according to financial think tank
The UK’s lack of preparation could make the next recession “unnecessarily painful”, a think tank has warned.
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6 Sep
Have you heard the Amazon is on fire? The power of social media in awareness raising
Forest fires happen annually in the Amazon as a result of forest life cycles, but this year the Amazon rainforest is burning at 84% the rate it did last year, according to the Brazilian Space Agency.
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5 Sep
@Boris Johnson has left the group: WhatsApp in Westminster
From fake news to Facebook, WhatsApp has attracted the media spotlight for a number of reasons.
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5 Sep
The cybersecurity industry does not trust politicians to get regulation right
The overwhelming majority of the cybersecurity industry does not trust politicians to effectively regulate digital security, despite believing that more legislation is sorely needed.
