Government faces questions after review of 11 major UK data breaches
The government is facing calls to explain why it has yet to implement all the recommendations from a 2023 review into a spate of serious public sector data breaches, including the exposure of Afghans who worked with British military, victims of child sexual abuse and 6,000 disability claimants.On Thursday ministers finally published the information security review, which was triggered by the 2023 leak of personal data of about 10,000 serving officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland.The review by Cabinet Office officials into 11 public sector data breaches, encompassing the HMRC, the Metropolitan police, the benefits system and the MoD, found three common themes:A lack of controls over ad hoc downloads and exports of aggregations of sensitive data.The release of sensitive information via “wrong recipient” emails and failure to use bcc properly.Hidden personal data emerging from spreadsheets destined for release.
The release of the review, 22 months after it was completed and a month after the leak of an database of 18,700 Afghans became public, was welcomed by Chi Onwurah, chair of the science, innovation and technology committee.But she said: “It’s concerning that it took an intervention from my committee and the information commissioner to make this happen.”The Afghan data breach led to people fearing for their safety under the Taliban and to the UK government offering relocation to thousands of Afghans under a secret scheme.The government said it had delivered on 12 of the 14 recommendations about toughening up data security.Onwurah said: “The government still has questions to answer about the review.
Why have only 12 of the 14 recommendations been implemented? And why has it kept the very existence of this review a secret for so long, even after the 2022 Afghanbreach became public?“For the government to fulfil its ambitions of using tech to boost the economy and transform our public sector, it needs the public to trust that it can keep their data secure.If it can’t, how can anyone be comfortable handing over their personal information?”The information commissioner, John Edwards, called on the government to go “further and faster to ensure Whitehall, and the wider public sector put their practices in order”.He told the Cabinet Office minister, Pat McFadden, on Thursday that “as a matter of urgency, the government should fully implement the recommendations of the Information Security Review”.It was not immediately clear which of the 14 recommendations had yet to be implemented.The full list included the government working with the National Cyber Security Centre to assess existing guidance on technical controls for products and services hosting information marked “official”, the need to launch a cross-government “behavioural influence communications campaign to address persistent poor information handling practices”, and the necessity of a “review sanctions for negligence”.
McFadden and Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, told Onwurah in a letter on Thursday: “Good progress has been made but we must guard against complacency.This is an area on which we must keep a consistent focus to ensure standards continue to improve.”A government spokesperson said: “This review concluded in 2023 under the previous government.“Protecting national security, including the security of government data, is one of our primary responsibilities.Since taking power, we have strengthened security guidance across departments, updated mandatory training for civil servants, and announced plans to upgrade digital infrastructure across the public sector as set out in our Blueprint for Modern Digital Government.
”
Honor Magic V5 review: fantastic foldable phone that needs better Android software
Honor’s latest foldable phone-tablet attempts to usurp Samsung as the leader of the pack with a super-thin body, massive battery and a ginormous camera lump on the back.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.The Magic V5 is an impressively thin piece of engineering, slimmed down to about 8
How Elon Musk’s billionaire Doge lieutenant took over the US’s biggest MDMA company
Months before Antonio Gracias took a leading role in the dismantling of the federal government by the “department of government efficiency” (Doge), he was at Burning Man.In the dusty Nevada desert, Gracias, a billionaire private equity investor and one of Elon Musk’s closest friends, attended Nova Heaven, a sunrise rave tribute to victims of the Hamas-led 7 October terrorist attack, and found himself dancing next to Rick Doblin – the US’s most prominent advocate for psychedelic drugs.As hundreds of burners shuffled their sandy feet to psytrance music, Gracias started up a conversation. He had a piece of business advice.Doblin, 71 with an avuncular smile and tranquil, confident demeanor, is the founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (Maps), and has spent decades trying to legalize drugs such as MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, for use in the treatment of trauma
Tesla sales in Europe slump 40% as BYD new car registrations more than triple
Tesla sales slumped 40% across Europe in July compared with a year earlier as Elon Musk’s electric car company faces increasingly tough competition from its Chinese rival BYD.There were 8,837 sales of Tesla cars last month across the EU, the European Free Trade Association and the UK, according to figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). That compared with 14,769 at the same point last year.New car registrations for BYD across Europe rose to 13,503 last month, compared with 4,151 a year earlier. BYD now has 1
Nvidia sets fresh sales record amid fears of an AI bubble and Trump’s trade wars
Chipmaker Nvidia set a fresh sales record in the second quarter, surpassing Wall Street expectations for its artificial intelligence chips. But shares of the chip giant still dropped 2.3% in after hours trading, in a sign that investors’ worries of an AI bubble and the repercussions of Donald Trump’s trade wars are not quelled.Nvidia’s financial report was the first test of investor appetite since last week’s mass AI-stock selloff, when several tech stocks saw shares tumble last week amid growing questions over whether AI-driven companies are being overvalued.On Wednesday, Nvidia reported an adjusted earnings per share of $1
Teen killed himself after ‘months of encouragement from ChatGPT’, lawsuit claims
The makers of ChatGPT are changing the way it responds to users who show mental and emotional distress after legal action from the family of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who killed himself after months of conversations with the chatbot.Open AI admitted its systems could “fall short” and said it would install “stronger guardrails around sensitive content and risky behaviors” for users under 18.The $500bn (£372bn) San Francisco AI company said it would also introduce parental controls to allow parents “options to gain more insight into, and shape, how their teens use ChatGPT”, but has yet to provide details about how these would work.Adam, from California, killed himself in April after what his family’s lawyer called “months of encouragement from ChatGPT”. The teenager’s family is suing Open AI and its chief executive and co-founder, Sam Altman, alleging that the version of ChatGPT at that time, known as 4o, was “rushed to market … despite clear safety issues”
US parents and teachers: share your experiences of AI in schools
Students in grades K-12 have been invited by Melania Trump to take part in a nationwide contest designed to encourage the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help solve community issues. The first lady wants students to “unleash their imagination and showcase the spirit of American innovation” by participating in the government-sponsored contest.We want to hear from parents and teachers on their experiences of AI in schools. How do you feel about it being used in education? Do you support it or are you against it?You can tell us what you think of the use of AI in schools by filling in the form below.Please include as much detail as possible
USA 31-31 Australia: 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup – as it happened
Australia and USA draw thriller to bring belated jeopardy to Rugby World Cup
Joy for Samoa as Harmony Vatau kicks their first World Cup points for 11 years | Andy Bull
John Mitchell demands England improve despite record World Cup win over Samoa
‘It’s only going to get bigger’: Australia embraces the Japanese game that turns rubbish into sport
England 92-3 Samoa: Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 – as it happened