UK government scraps controversial plans for adult site age checks
The UK government's plans for age verification checks on porn site users, which were delayed in June of this year, have now been scrapped, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced today.
The checks would have required users to register a credit card or buy a 'porn pass' in order to access adult material online.
Which countries are best at protecting your privacy?
We all know that standards of privacy and surveillance vary around the world. But which places are best at protecting your privacy?
Research from security testing site Comparitech finds that no single country is consistent in protecting the privacy of its citizens, most are actively monitoring citizens, and only five could be deemed to have 'adequate safeguards'.
UK tech startups confident of growth in spite of Brexit worries
A new survey of 100 business leaders in early stage, UK-based technology companies finds that 73 percent are confident or very confident they will increase their turnover in the coming 12 months.
Although this is seven percent down on the previous quarter, 79 percent say they intend to hire more staff (up six percent) and 66 percent hope to raise investment (up seven percent) according to the latest Tech Tracker report from Studio Graphene.
If it's Wednesday you're probably on the internet
New research from the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that average daily internet traffic is highest on Wednesdays, while evening traffic peaks on a Tuesday.
The ONS used data from the London Internet Exchange (LINX) network statistics portal to analyze usage trends across the country.
UK office workers waste 1.8 billion hours a year because of poor technology
Office workers across the UK are wasting 14 days per person each year -- or 1.8 billion hours a year in total -- because the technology they’re given isn't good enough.
A new study of 2,000 office workers from technology solutions company Insight shows 80 percent at some point have felt they don't have the technology they need to do their jobs properly. While 34 percent also say not being equipped with the right technology makes remote and flexible working difficult and stressful.
NHS: The Long-Term Plan
On the 7th January, NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens launched the Long-Term Plan -- a 10-year plan setting out what the National Heath Service will be prioritizing in the next decade -- to much fanfare. It’s unlikely the launch passed anyone in the UK by – the press coverage blanketed the start of the longest month of the year a bit like the snow. The key messages show continuity from the Five Year Forward Plan -- integrated care remains the panacea to many of the challenges the NHS faces.
While the focus remains on the UK's exit from Europe, we are unlikely to see a new health bill that will support movement towards integrated care. So, how will the industry achieve this cornerstone of the Long Term Plan without formal governance in place to make it work? Of course, integrated care requires collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem, for partners to act as one. For anyone who has worked with, or even been a patient within the health system, this seems a tall order. But there a number of ways to achieve it; set up a partnership board with each provider having a seat at the board -- a shared sovereignty model if you will, in other areas we are likely to see one provider take a lead position or a third option of a partnership approach whereby innovative contracting is used with shared financial risk.
Seven out of 10 Brits want tougher penalties for breaching privacy rules
According to a new survey carried out by YouGov for data privacy company myGaru 71 percent of of UK adults want to see tougher action in penalizing companies that abuse data privacy by misusing third party data.
Around a third of the public (34 percent) have already made changes to the privacy settings of one or more of their social media accounts since the Cambridge Analytica Facebook scandal and 19 percent say they would make more or new changes in the future.
UK gets an easier way to switch mobile providers
If you've ever tried to switch mobile phone providers in the UK you'll know that if you want to keep your existing number after the transfer it involves getting a PAC (porting authorization code) from your old provider.
Obtaining this has in the past involved phoning them up and having them plead with you not to leave while offering you all kinds of special deals to persuade you to stay. Well not any more.
Parents' lack of cybersecurity knowledge holds back children's career choices
The majority of UK parents are in the dark when it comes to advising their children on a career in cybersecurity, research from cybersecurity training provider, SANS Institute, shows.
Although IT remains one of the top choices of career that parents would make for their children, parents have very little idea about the lucrative area of cybersecurity. This is exacerbating the skills gap in cyber security that the UK is currently facing -- with the industry not doing enough to promote itself.
UK age verification rules could put users at risk
With age verification checks for users of adult sites in the UK set to come into force this summer, cyber security company F-Secure says that the new rules could increase the risk of identity theft and other cyber crimes.
Under the new laws, British internet users will be required to verify their age in order to access adult content websites. This could be by sharing personal information such as passport, driving license, phone number or credit card details with third-party age verification platforms, or by buying a 'porn pass' at a store.
UK consumers want businesses to do more to protect their data
Protecting your digital footprint is growing more important and the results from a survey of 2,000 UK adults by Kaspersky Lab finds that people believe there is not enough business or state protection currently in place to defend it.
The study finds 41 percent of UK respondents think that businesses should do more to protect their personal data, including passwords, addresses and bank account details, from hacking.
UK bans Huawei from supplying 'core' parts of 5G network
Amid concerns about the company's security, and its possible links to the Chinese government, Huawei has been banned from providing essential parts of the UK's 5G network.
The Chinese telecoms firm has already been hit with bans and restrictions in the US and other parts of the world, and Huawei has been criticized for its "very, very shoddy" security. Now UK prime minister Theresa May has taken advice from the National Security Council and implemented a partial ban on Huawei's involvement in 5G in the UK, permitting it to only supply "non-core" technology.
Data breaches more common than rain in the UK
The UK has something of a reputation for its wet climate, and its citizens for constantly talking about the weather. So it may come as a surprise to find that in the UK the chance of experiencing a data breach is higher than that of encountering a rainy day.
A survey by technology services company Probrand shows 43 percent of UK businesses having suffered a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months as against just 36.4 percent chance on average of encountering a wet day.
Brits are more scared of spiders than cybercrime
Cybercrime and hacking has overtaken flying, dogs and clowns in the top 10 list of things the British are most scared of, but still only ranks in sixth place behind spiders, heights, snakes, dentists and small spaces.
Arachnids top the list despite there being less than a one-in-a-million chance of being bitten by a spider badly enough to warrant going to hospital in the UK.
Students aren't aware of cybersecurity career opportunities
It's well known that there is a skills shortage in cyber security, with a predicted global shortfall of 1.8 million cybersecurity professionals by 2022.
But new research, commissioned by cybersecurity training organization the SANS Institute and conducted by respected research firm Vanson Bourne polled 4000 students across the UK and EMEA and reveals a lack of awareness of careers in the sector.
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