Digital, Data & Technology

Disrupting governments: choosing a pace for public sector innovation

Citizens increasingly expect the government’s digital services to match those of the private sector – but a rapid shift online risks leaving behind those service users who can’t or won’t […]

UK launches ‘edge computing’ centre

A national centre of excellence covering the Internet of Things (IoT) and ‘edge computing’ has been launched in London, bringing together academics from 11 UK universities, industry technologists and government […]

UK standards watchdog to examine use of AI

A UK watchdog has launched an inquiry into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in public services, with the aim of examining “whether the existing frameworks and regulations are sufficient […]

Australia funds expansion of identity scheme

The Australian government will inject $67.2m (US$48m) into a national digital identity scheme to enable citizens to access public services via an online portal. MyGovID is being developed by The […]

Trump nominates chief technology officer

President Trump will appoint his first chief technology officer (CTO) to shape policy and drive forward the government’s technology agenda, the White House announced on Thursday. Michael Kratsios, who has […]

Turning protest to participation: civic tech in France

France’s ‘gilet jaunes’ movement prompted the government to launch a massive, tech-enabled consultation – and it’s attracted more people than the ongoing street protests. This week a Paris conference explored […]

Automated for the people: putting robots to work

Robotic Process Automation technologies can take on swathes of routine, repetitive administrative work. But good delivery is key: at Innovation 2019, an expert panel picked out some of the lessons […]

UK ID verification scheme hit by “optimism bias and ill-defined objectives”, says watchdog

The UK’s flagship digital identity verification system has been severely criticised by the National Audit Office, in a move likely to reinforce the search for alternative models among other governments. […]

Social media clashes hit India’s civil servants

As India’s public debate moves online, civil servants are running up against the ‘Service Rules’ that govern their participation – prompting calls for the Rules to adapt to the digital […]

US threat to end security cooperation over Chinese telco

The US government ramped-up pressure on European countries last week over security cooperation, urging them to stop using Huawei technology in their IT infrastructure or forego US intelligence. Secretary of […]