Stories by Tash Shifrin

UK data protection minister did not know about breach

The UK government's data protection minister did not know about the huge data breach at HM Revenue and Customs until he heard the chancellor's statement in the Commons on November 20, he has admitted.

UK data breach leads to review of other databases

The schools secretary, Ed Balls, has ordered an independent assessment of security for the ContactPoint database that is set to hold the details of every child from birth.

E-mails confirm HMRC mistake was attempt to save money

E-mails released by the National Audit Office have confirmed that officials at HM Revenue and Customs did not want to remove sensitive information from child benefit data sent to the auditors because this would cost extra.

ICO pushes to criminalize data leaks

Criminal charges for data security breaches like that at HM Revenue and Customs could be brought against both organizations and individuals, if new laws proposed by the data protection watchdog are introduced.

HMRC kept bank data on lost discs to save money, say Tories

HM Revenue and Customs failed to "desensitise" the data on 25 million people that it lost in transit to the National Audit Office because removing bank details and other sensitive information would have required an extra payment to data management contractor EDS, the Conservative Party has claimed.

UK Government stands by security of ID cards data plans

The government has defended security measures for its £5.6 billion ID cards scheme in the wake of the data loss crisis at HM Revenue and Customs.

IT contractors: It's a lifestyle thing ...

IT contractors value the lifestyle benefits that freelance work offers above the financial rewards, new research has found.

Merrill Lynch picks VOIP-powered trading systems

Merrill Lynch has selected IPC Systems to provide advanced voice over IP (VOIP) trading systems in a global deal.

Foreign Office breached Data Protection Act

The UK Foreign Office has been slammed for breaching the Data Protection Act after a probe by the Information Commissioner into a security flaw on a website used by people applying for UK visas.

Web 2.0 'will drive business collaboration'

Business innovation will be increasingly driven by collaboration with external partners and customers, exploiting Web 2.0 technology Gartner analysts have predicted.

'Disruptive' internet challenges business, warn analysts

Businesses and public sector organizations face a wave of disruption from the internet as well as enjoying its benefits, Gartner analysts have warned.

SAP unfazed by rise of SAAS model, says CEO

SAP will not plunge into competing in the Software as a Service (SAAS) market for large companies, despite its launch of a hosted enterprise resource planning suite earlier this year, its chief executive has said.

UK police told to wipe old convictions from database

The data protection watchdog has ordered four police forces to delete old criminal convictions from the Police National Computer (PNC).

UK government CIOs agree action plan for failing IT projects

The U.K. government's CIO Council has agreed a procedure to intervene in major public sector IT projects where whistleblowers raise concerns.

UK gov't moves to protect data as formats grow obsolete

The U.K. government is to investigate ways to preserve its data so it can be used in future, even when storage formats become obsolete.