British Army zaps drones out of the sky with laser trucks
High-energy weapon proves its mettle in testing
Public Sector12 Dec 2024 | 103
Public Sector
Your Public Sector Pulse: Where Policy Meets Tech Innovation
There’s so much happening at The Register in our coverage of government tech, we’ve dedicated section for the Public Sector, which offers you a front-row seat to the intersection of governance and technology. From e-governance initiatives and cybersecurity protocols to digital transformation in public services, however fast (or slow) it happens, we bring you analyses, updates, and insights that matter.
Blocking Chinese spies from intercepting calls? There ought to be a law
Sen. Wyden blasts FCC's 'failure' amid Salt Typhoon hacks
Security11 Dec 2024 | 13
US Commerce Dept coughs up $6.1B Christmas present for Micron
Funding to support development of memory vendor's $125B fab expansion in New York and Idaho
Systems11 Dec 2024 | 9
US military grounds entire Osprey tiltrotor fleet over safety concerns
Boeing-Bell V-22 can't outfly its checkered past, it seems
Public Sector10 Dec 2024 | 81
Mystery border control outage causes misery at Malaysia/Singapore frontier
If this were a US scandal, we'd cal it 'Gategate'
On-Prem10 Dec 2024 | 2
How Chinese insiders are stealing data scooped up by President Xi's national surveillance system
Feature 'It's a double-edged sword,' security researchers tell The Reg
Public Sector08 Dec 2024 | 52
Elon Musk tops US political donor list with $270M+ for Team Trump
Plus, xAI scores another $6B to fuel Tesla tycoon's war on OpenAI
Public Sector07 Dec 2024 | 107
Facing sale or ban, TikTok tossed under national security bus by appeals court
Video slinger looks to Supremes for salvation, though anything could happen under Trump
Personal Tech06 Dec 2024 | 43
Europe's largest local authority settles on ERP budget 5x original estimate
Schools taken out of scope, but £108M plan still dwarfs initial £20M
Public Sector06 Dec 2024 | 44
Beijing wants Chinese outfits to seek alternatives to US silicon
And American components may be in short supply as Middle Kingdom bans rare earth exports
Public Sector05 Dec 2024 | 22
NATO tests aquatic drones to protect cables, coastlines
Floating the idea of a robot navy
Networks05 Dec 2024 | 10
Binance accused of tax evasion by India's finance department
Minister reveals 17 crypto players owe $100 million – with Binance the baddest of the bad
Personal Tech04 Dec 2024 | 7
Biden administration bars China from buying HBM chips critical for AI accelerators
Updated 140 Middle Kingdom firms added to US trade blacklist
Storage03 Dec 2024 | 7
Cryptocurrency policy under Trump: Lots of promises, few concrete plans
Analysis Pro-crypto lawmakers are in, but will that translate to action? Doubt it
Public Sector30 Nov 2024 | 64
Fine print in Intel's CHIPS Act deal includes requirement to keep control of its foundries
That will limit Chipzilla's ability to cash in and bail itself out
Public Sector29 Nov 2024 | 18
Australia passes law to keep under-16s off social media – good luck with that, mate
Also intros surveillance tweaks to protect very successful AN0M fake messaging app sting
Legal28 Nov 2024 | 84
T-Mobile US takes a victory lap after stopping cyberattacks: 'Other providers may be seeing different outcomes'
Funny what putting more effort and resources into IT security can do
CSO27 Nov 2024 | 9
Swedish authorities probe Oracle Cerner health record rollout
$190 million project under scrutiny after reported failures
PaaS + IaaS27 Nov 2024 | 10
UK financial regulator slammed for failed tech transformation
Poor software projects among efforts to overhaul FCA that came up short, MPs find
Public Sector27 Nov 2024 | 7
FTC urges smart device makers to disclose software update lifecycles
You need to know in advance when your kit will be bricked or downgraded – it's the law
Public Sector27 Nov 2024 | 23
Popular
British Army zaps drones out of the sky with laser trucks
High-energy weapon proves its mettle in testing
Firefox ditches Do Not Track because nobody was listening anyway
Few websites actually respect the option, says Mozilla
Microsoft hijacks keyboard shortcut to bring Copilot to your attention
AI assistant goes native – sort of – for Windows Insiders
Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation admits to hole in security
Belly-busting biz says it's been hit by cowardly custards
Three more vulns spotted in Ivanti CSA, all critical, one 10/10
Patch up, everyone – that admin portal is mighty attractive to your friendly cyberattacker
Linux 6.12 is the new long term supported kernel
Mid-November release will be maintained for 'several years'
Cruise robotaxis parked forever, as GM decides it can't compete and wants to cut costs
Pictures The Register stumbles upon the place self-driving cabs appear to be rusting away into history
Apache issues patches for critical Struts 2 RCE bug
More details released after devs allowed weeks to apply fixes
Aliens, spy balloons, or drones? SUV-sized mystery objects spotted in US skies
No word from the FBI about where they are hiding aliens or UFOs
Google Gemini 2.0 Flash comes out with real-time conversation, image analysis
Chocolate Factory's latest multimodal model aims to power more trusted AI agents
STORIES
UK council still hadn't fully costed troubled Oracle project 2 years in
Updated Meanwhile, budget clambered from £2.6M to nearly £40M, says report
Databases26 Nov 2024 | 54
Indonesia tells Apple $100 million investment isn't enough to lift iPhone 16 sale ban
Wants Cook to look under the couch again and find at least another $15 million
Public Sector26 Nov 2024 | 11
Smile! UK cops spend tens of millions on live facial recognition tech
Labour government keen, though critics paint it as a severe threat to privacy
Software25 Nov 2024 | 71
Trump taps border hawk to head DHS. Will Noem's 'enthusiasm' extend to digital domain?
Analysis Meanwhile, CISA chief Jen Easterly will step down prior to inauguration
Public Sector23 Nov 2024 | 51
Why Google's Chrome monopoly won't crack anytime soon
Opinion Haven't we heard this story before?
Columnists23 Nov 2024 | 77
Mega defense corp Thales faces Anglo-French bribery and corruption probe
Authorities remain tight-lipped on specifics
Public Sector22 Nov 2024 | 14
GlobalFoundries nets $1.5B from CHIPS Act despite sanctions violation fine
DoC claims only 4 non-China foundries match GF's scale
On-Prem21 Nov 2024 |
DARPA-backed voting system for soldiers abroad savaged
VotingWorks, developer of the system, disputes critics' claims
Security21 Nov 2024 | 5
Prepare for an AI policy upending under Trump, say experts
Analysis Biden executive orders are as good as dead, and the industry will probably have more say in what comes next
Public Sector21 Nov 2024 | 27
Chinese cyberspies, Musk’s Beijing ties, labelled ‘real risk’ to US security by senator
Meet Liminal Panda, which prowls telecom networks in South Asia and Africa
CSO20 Nov 2024 | 32
Dell settles with Uncle Sam over Army bid-rigging claims
DoJ alleges merely overpriced offers from reseller followed inflated deals from IT giant
Public Sector20 Nov 2024 | 2
China wants mobile devices to limit usage time for minors, ensure they only see nice content
Seeks grand alliance between manufacturers, developers and content providers – all in the name of socialism
Personal Tech20 Nov 2024 | 14
America's drinking water systems have a hard-to-swallow cybersecurity problem
More than 100M rely on gear rife with vulnerabilities, says EPA OIG
Public Sector19 Nov 2024 | 20
Northern Ireland schools ditch £485M Fujitsu deal after less than a year
Updated 'Mutual agreement' sees end of contract
Public Sector19 Nov 2024 | 32
India slaps Meta with five-year ban on sharing info from WhatsApp for ads
Shouldn't have abused messaging dominance, Zuck
Public Sector19 Nov 2024 | 6
Trump's pick to run the FCC has told us what he plans: TikTok ban, space broadband, and Section 230 reform
Loathes Big Tech and is not at all keen on net neutrality
Public Sector19 Nov 2024 | 123
T-Mobile US 'monitoring' China's 'industry-wide attack' amid fresh security breach fears
updated Un-carrier said to be among those hit by Salt Typhoon, including AT&T, Verizon
Networks18 Nov 2024 | 2
UK test-fires Spear mini cruise missile that will equip F-35 fighters
2-way datalink allows in-flight info updates including retargeting and abort
Public Sector18 Nov 2024 | 84
UK tax collector inks £366M in ERP deals to get systems into cloud
SAP and Deloitte winners in transition from legacy software to SaaS, which includes housing and transport ministries
Databases18 Nov 2024 |
EU stings Meta for nearly a billion bucks over competition-trampling Facebook Marketplace
Mark Z does not like this
Personal Tech15 Nov 2024 | 27
Google decides Europe's political ad rules are too hard to implement at scale
Will stop accepting ads instead before TTPA comes into force
Public Sector15 Nov 2024 | 26
Lenovo China clones the ThinkPad X1 Carbon with an old, slow, local x86
Four-core crawler can’t beat current – or ancient – AMDs or Intels
Public Sector15 Nov 2024 | 45
Reminder: China-backed crews compromised 'multiple' US telcos in 'significant cyber espionage campaign'
Updated Feds don't name Salt Typhoon, but describe Beijing band's alleged deeds
Research14 Nov 2024 | 5
All bark, no bite? Musk's DOGE unlikely to have any real power
Comment 'Department of Government Efficiency' expected to do little more than suggest changes, Congress will still decide
Public Sector14 Nov 2024 | 194
Here's how a Trump presidency could change the tech industry
Kettle Anything could happen in the next half ... decade
Public Sector13 Nov 2024 | 123
UK's Darpa clone faces tough test next spring as government considers future funding
With plant platforms and neural circuits on the program, Aria's leadership hope cross-party concensus continues
Public Sector13 Nov 2024 | 11
China's Volt Typhoon crew and its botnet surge back with a vengeance
Ohm, for flux sake
Public Sector13 Nov 2024 | 4
Fujitsu does not trust Post Office in use of Horizon data in future third-party prosecutions
Europe boss also speaks of 'nervousness' in any extension to the use of the controversial, aging system
Software12 Nov 2024 | 66
Canada closes TikTok's offices but leaves using the app a matter of 'personal choice'
Govt order destroys 'hundreds of well-paying local jobs', eh
Personal Tech08 Nov 2024 | 29
Flanked by Palantir and AWS, Anthropic's Claude marches into US defense intelligence
An emotionally manipulable AI in the hands of the Pentagon and CIA? Cool
AI + ML07 Nov 2024 | 4
Want advice from UK government website about tax 'n' stuff? Talk to the chatbot
Need to know how to set up a business? There's an (experimental) AI for that
Public Sector06 Nov 2024 | 31
Meta gives nod to weaponizing Llama – but only for the good guys
Change of mind follows discovery China was playing with it uninvited?
AI + ML06 Nov 2024 | 9
French govt finance panel mulls nationalizing Atos
Protecting IT projects for military and other bits of the public sector
Public Sector05 Nov 2024 | 20
CHIPS Act funding in question as House Speaker waffles on plan to repeal bill
UPDATED Breaking with Trump, Mike Johnson now suggests streamlining regulation out of funding bill
Systems04 Nov 2024 | 20
If Trump gets elected, get your tech buying done asap
60% tariffs on all Chinese goods are going to slam the IT sector
Personal Tech01 Nov 2024 | 255
Uncle Sam lays out plans for $825M EUV R&D site in New York
Given the cost of EUV litho machines, the Netherlands' ASML might be the real winner here
Systems31 Oct 2024 | 22
US Army should ditch tanks for AI drones, says Eric Schmidt
And what do you know, Google's former CEO just so happens to have a commercial solution
AI + ML30 Oct 2024 | 161
US Army turns to 'Scylla' AI to protect depot
Ominously-named bot can spot trouble from a mile away, distinguish threats from false alarms, says DoD
AI + ML29 Oct 2024 | 3
Merde! Macron's bodyguards reveal his location by sharing Strava data
It's not just the French president, Biden and Putin also reportedly trackable
Security29 Oct 2024 | 24
Feds investigate China's Salt Typhoon amid campaign phone hacks
'They're taunting us,' investigator says and it looks like it's working
Security28 Oct 2024 | 7
UK’s new Minister for Science and Technology comes to US touting Britain's AI benefits
Interview $82B in investment shows we've still got it as a nation
Public Sector28 Oct 2024 | 15
Indonesia bans iPhone 16 over Apple’s undelivered investment promises
ASIA IN BRIEF Plus: Singapore building two Supercomputers; Toyota to rebuild IT with Fujitsu AI; Are Samsung engineers jumping ship?
Public Sector27 Oct 2024 | 5
Congress to Commerce: Sanction more Chinese chip firms to stop Huawei's evasion
We don't really need a letter full of circumstantial evidence to prove what we already know needs doing
Systems24 Oct 2024 | 38
Yet another UK government seeks to reform GDPR
Yes, the law that needs to be harmonized with Europe for tech businesses' data to flow freely
Public Sector24 Oct 2024 | 39
China's top messaging app WeChat banned from Hong Kong government computers
Google and WhatsApp also binned, which is far easier to explain than canning a local hero
Security24 Oct 2024 | 14
NHS would be hit by 'significant' costs if UK loses EU data status, warn Lords
As another government yet again seeks to reform UK GDPR, legislators say data must continue to flow
Public Sector23 Oct 2024 | 189
Uncle Sam extends 25% CHIPS Act tax credit to wafer, solar panel manufacturing
Meanwhile, Infinera snags up to $93M of the dwindling subsidies
Public Sector22 Oct 2024 |
US lawmakers push DoJ to prosecute tax prep firms for leaking taxpayer data to big tech
TaxSlayer, H&R Block, TaxAct, and Ramsey Solutions accused of sharing info with Meta and Google
Security22 Oct 2024 | 6
India, Nvidia, discuss jointly developed AI chip
Current capabilities mean local manufacturing is not likely – but a chip tuned to Indian needs could work
Systems22 Oct 2024 | 4
US moves ahead with crackdown on data brokers selling to six 'countries of concern'
Biden's Executive Order finally getting its day in the sun, soonish
Public Sector21 Oct 2024 | 7
Post Office CTO had 'nagging doubts' about Horizon system despite reliability assurances
As 'heat' built from campaigners, tech boss kept telling MPs everything was fine
Public Sector17 Oct 2024 | 81
Elon Musk's X isn't important enough to feel the full force of EU regulation
DMA gatekeeper status denied, meaning X can carry on without extra compliance chores
Public Sector17 Oct 2024 | 75
Asian tech ministers fear effective AI regulation will prove elusive
New Zealand isn't bothering. Singapore fears harms are inevitable
Public Sector16 Oct 2024 | 1
Uncle Sam reportedly considers capping AI chip shipments to Middle East
Meanwhile, ASML shares plunge as China export curbs hit forecast
Public Sector16 Oct 2024 | 5
DARPA pays $6M to see fully autonomous Black Hawk helicopters
Resupply like Call of Duty? Not yet - only one planned for now
Offbeat15 Oct 2024 | 4
Keir Starmer tells regulators to chill as Microsoft exec takes wheel of advisory council
What could possibly go wrong?
Public Sector15 Oct 2024 | 84
Vietnam plans to convert all its networks to IPv6
Wants 'super-large capacity, super-wide bandwidth' datacenters – and more submarine cables
Public Sector14 Oct 2024 | 20
Keir Starmer hands ex-Darktrace boss investment minister gig
What's harder? Convincing people to invest in a beleaguered security business or a tiny island everybody hates?
Public Sector11 Oct 2024 | 53
GSA plows ahead with face matching tech despite its own reliability concerns
A week after saying remote ID verification tech is unreliable, the GSA is expanding access to other agencies
Software10 Oct 2024 | 3
Advania UK gobbles up IT services rival CCS Media
Exclusive Acquisition signals consolidation in the market
Public Sector10 Oct 2024 |
Post Office CEO tells inquiry: Leadership was in 'dream world' over Horizon scandal
Hired in 2019, he claims the recruitment failed to mention ongoing litigation
Public Sector10 Oct 2024 | 49
UK Regulatory Innovation Office vows to slash red tape – but we've heard it all before
Comment The real issue is a reluctance to invest
Public Sector09 Oct 2024 | 38
Workday beats Oracle and Microsoft in UK 'Matrix' ERP deal
The SaaS-only provider and Cognizant snag £144.3M in gov software shake-up
Databases08 Oct 2024 | 8
Google Cloud to help India export its Digital Public Infrastructure
Bundles free government apps to help digital diplomacy – and maybe find some new customers
Public Sector04 Oct 2024 | 2
AI’s energy appetite too big for Texas grid, regulators warn
Updated Datacenters coming online in the next 15 months will need to supply at least some of their own power
On-Prem04 Oct 2024 | 26
Singapore tires of Big Tech's slow and half-hearted help for abused users
PM promises agency to handle complaints as he outlines new digital nation plan
Public Sector02 Oct 2024 | 3
US govt hiding top hurricane forecast model sparks outrage after deadly Helene
Taxpayer-funded data locked behind insurance firm's paywall
Science01 Oct 2024 | 82
Uncle Sam lends $1.5B to reignite Michigan nuclear plant in 2025
Up and atom!
Public Sector01 Oct 2024 | 52
California governor vetoes controversial AI safety law, tells everyone to start over
Newsom doesn't want Golden State to lose its golden goose
AI + ML30 Sep 2024 | 14
Remote ID verification tech is often biased, bungling, and no good on its own
Only 2 out of 5 tested products were equitable across demographics
Public Sector30 Sep 2024 | 10
China calls for realtime censorship of satellite broadband
Great Firewall reaches all the way into space
Networks30 Sep 2024 | 27
IBM and Oracle to support 280,000 users after winning mega ERP govt tech contract
Pair of industry giants set to take on £711M upgrade supporting four UK departments
Public Sector27 Sep 2024 | 38
FTC sues five AI outfits – and one case in particular raises questions
From allegations of lying about capabilities to fake reviews. Plus: Biden AI robocaller finally fined $6M
AI + ML26 Sep 2024 | 16
India extends IT hardware import license scheme that enraged Big Tech
And hints at revised rules to come later this year
Systems26 Sep 2024 | 7
Altman reportedly asks Biden to back a slew of multi-gigawatt-scale AI datacenters
With 2.5 million Blackwell GPUs, would gobble enough energy to power millions of homes
Systems25 Sep 2024 | 26
US Army drafts AI to combat recruitment shortfall
No more cold calls: Recruit 360 pinpoints top prospects from millions
AI + ML25 Sep 2024 | 15
Fujitsu wins spot on £600M framework after vowing to sit out public sector
Post Office scandal? What scandal?
Public Sector25 Sep 2024 | 22
FBI raids HQ of US govt IT giant Carahsoft
Still business as usual, we're told
Public Sector24 Sep 2024 | 3
Ancient US air traffic control systems won't get a tech refresh before 2030
Updated If they don't crash first, say government auditors
Off-Prem24 Sep 2024 | 41
Capita wins £135M extension on much-delayed UK smart meter rollout
Outsourcing firm has been building network for over a decade now – how's that going?
Networks24 Sep 2024 | 234
Biting the hand that feeds IT
