Government considers role of technology in enforcing quarantine
Minister says mandating isolation is ‘right course of action’
Only one in 15 staff needed to run new border system has begun using platform
Home Office chief reveals two thirds of users also need to be trained
Government agency for high-risk STEM research to launch next year
Cummings-backed unit, which will be called Aria, will be up and running by the end of 2022
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Scottish Tech Army helps 70 organisations
Charities affected by the pandemic have been helped out by group of IT and digital professionals
Committee calls for electoral modernisation – including automatic registration on 18th birthday
Peers also urge the introduction of prompts when accessing government services and an online tool for checking registration
Government declines to set date for contact-tracing app
Head of Test and Trace programme Baroness Harding says she does not want to specify a timeframe as projects often do not ‘run in a smooth way’
How Brexit Britain could become a surveillance state
The UK has tended to only introduce data-protection laws in conjunction with EU legislation and, according to Ray Walsh from ProPrivacy, the post-Brexit world may see the country prioritise authorities’ access to personal data over citizens' right to privacy
How big is the UK’s cyber skills gap?
A major government-commissioned study found that about half of UK organisations are lacking basic security skills. PublicTechnology talks to the researchers behind it to find out where the skills gaps are and how they can filled
Gove believes Whitehall reform plans will not suffer because of close association with Cummings
Cabinet Office minister said that, despite the controversy that often surrounds the PM’s top adviser, ‘people are interested in Dominic and his ideas’
Welcome to Cyber Week
Introducing a dedicated week of features, interviews and exclusive research
The fog of cyberwar
For governments and armed forces around the world, the digital domain has become a potential battlefield. But this new realm of warfare brings with it many ethical and legal complications. PublicTechnology talks to digital ethics expert Dr Mariarosaria Taddeo to find out more.
Cyber national security: how the UK has prepared itself for major attacks
We are approaching the fourth anniversary of the foundation of the NCSC and the threats it was created to respond to loom larger than ever. PublicTechnology examines the growth of the UK’s cyber-defence capability
Government spends £400m to acquire bankrupt satellite firm
After being shut out of EU satellite programme in light of Brexit, UK joins consortium with Indian telecoms giant Bharti to buy OneWeb
Treasury ‘got it wrong’ over tweet celebrating pubs reopening
Ministry deleted post encouraging people to ‘raise a glass’ after backlash
Government defends Test and Trace as proportion of contacts being reached drops sharply
In the first two weeks tracers were successfully reaching more than nine in ten identified close contacts, but this has now fallen to less than three quarters
Government turns to Instagram to seek policy guidance from teenagers
New initiative will seek to gain views of people aged 13 to 25
Fewer frameworks and more ministerial muscle – how government can make good on its SME agenda
The results of techUK’s annual GovTech SME Survey suggest the Digital Marketplace has made a positive impact on access to the public sector tech market but, according to Henry Rex, there are barriers still to be overcome
Regulatory clampdown urged as CMA finds £400 per household goes to Google and Facebook each year
CMA says that all of society will lose out ‘if the market power of these firms goes unchecked’
Gove urges structural change of ‘government machine’ in call for reform
Minister discusses need for new training campus and greater use of data in evaluation of projects
Report finds ‘profound failings’ in Scottish NHS IT systems
Holyrood committee is sharply critical of technology underpinning the prescription of medicines
Home Office ramps up video asylum interviews as backlog passes 50,000
The oldest claim awaiting decision was filed eight years ago and 10,000 more were added to the waiting list in the first three months of 2020 alone
Highland spaceport to gather climate change data
Local council approve plans for satellite launch site
Treasury and Bank of England ‘consider next steps’ on possible cryptocurrency reserve
Minister claims government wants UK financial institutions to lead on the use of digital currencies
Contact-tracing success rate drops
Data shows declines in the proportion of both confirmed cases and their contacts being reached by tracers