{"id":64,"date":"2012-01-08T17:06:52","date_gmt":"2012-01-08T17:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.quintessential.org.uk\/wordpress\/?page_id=64"},"modified":"2026-01-30T11:02:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T11:02:16","slug":"government-it","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/samathieson.com\/sa-mathieson\/government-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Government IT"},"content":{"rendered":"

I first wrote about government IT when working at Computing in the late 1990s, covered it often as a freelancer, then worked as news editor at Guardian Government Computing from February 2008. I edit In Our View<\/a>, the magazine of the Society for Innovation, Technology and Modernisation (Socitm).
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Cops get more facial recognition vans as UK bets big on AI policing<\/a>, The Register, 28 January 2026<\/p>\n

Cop cops it after Copilot cops out: West Midlands police chief quits over AI hallucination<\/a>, 19 January 2026 and Cops put Microsoft Copilot in holding cell after controversial hallucination<\/a>, 28 January 2026, both for The Register<\/p>\n

DVSA’s clapped-out booking system gets bot slapped as new boss rides in<\/a>, The Register, 18 December 2025<\/p>\n

England keeping pen and paper exams despite limited digital expansion<\/a>, The Register, 17 December 2025<\/p>\n

MI6 chief: we’ll be as fluent in Python as we are in Russian<\/a>, The Register, 16 December 2025<\/p>\n

How Estonia made digital ID work through choice, transparency and trust<\/a>, PublicTechnology.net, 13 November 2025<\/p>\n

England’s local government shake-up promises to be a massive tech headache<\/a>, The Register, 31 October 2025<\/p>\n

UK to roll out mandatory digital ID for right to work by 2029<\/a>, 26 September 2025; Digital ID, same place, different time: In this timeline, the result might surprise us<\/a> (opinion comparing new plan to Blair\/Blunkett ID cards), 29 September 2025; Explain digital ID or watch it fizzle out, UK PM Starmer told<\/a>, 1 October 2025; Digital ID is now less about illegal working, more about rummaging through drawers<\/a>, 24 October 2025, all for The Register<\/p>\n

A survivor’s guide to LGR<\/a>, Socitm In Our View, 9 June 2025, interviewing two people who have been through local government reorganisation in Cumbria and Somerset<\/p>\n

Socitm event roundup: Information Security for London (ISfL) annual conference<\/a>
\nSocitm, 6 March 2025<\/p>\n

Blackpool\u2019s Silicon Sands vision and how AI supports social work in Coventry \u2013 six things we learned at Socitm President\u2019s conference<\/a>
\nPublicTechnology.net, 21 June 2024<\/p>\n

Designing services for all<\/a> (with additional reporting by Benjamin Hughes)
\nSocitm In Our View, June 2024. The magazine’s main feature on ensuring local public services are open to everybody, both by providing alternatives to digital channels and by making digital ones more accessible.<\/p>\n

Socitm Says podcast on Generative AI with Kurt Frary and Sam Nutt<\/a> (carried out interviews and presented)
\nSocitm, 15 January 2024<\/p>\n

Socitm In Our View<\/a>, June 2022. Including article by me on how local authorities and the Welsh Government work together, p16.<\/p>\n

Socitm In Our View Daily<\/a>, 8-12 June 2020. Rapid coverage of Socitm’s online President’s Week event, written by me and published on the same day. Individual editions available here: Monday<\/a>, Tuesday<\/a>, Wednesday<\/a>, Thursday<\/a> and Friday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Socitm In Our View<\/a>, May 2020. Including article by me on what local government can learn from other sectors on homeworking, p14.<\/p>\n

Governing by data: Limits and opportunities<\/a>
\nComputerWeekly.com, Mar 25, 2020<\/p>\n

Did the Government Transformation Strategy point the way to the future?<\/a>
\nCivil Service World, Mar 20 2020<\/p>\n

How software can support public involvement with democracy<\/a>
\nComputerWeekly.com, Dec 11, 2019<\/p>\n

How tech leads local government innovation in Vienna, Helsinki and Belfast<\/a>
\nComputerWeekly.com, Jul 19, 2019<\/p>\n

Socitm In Our View<\/a>, June 2019. Including article by me on ways to encourage more women to work in IT, p12.<\/p>\n

Which government department suffers the most data breaches?<\/a>
\nPublicTechnology.net, May 10, 2019 and Civil Service World, May 2019<\/p>\n

Socitm In Our View<\/a>, April 2019. Including article by me on social care use of home technologies, p12.<\/p>\n

‘I feel in control of my life’: Alexa’s new role in public service<\/a>
\nSociety Guardian, Feb 7, 2019<\/p>\n

Socitm In Our View<\/a>, Autumn 2018. Including article by me on local authority use of disruptive technologies, p12; and news article researching popularity of council apps.<\/p>\n

National ID cards might not mean much when up against incompetence of the UK Home Office<\/a>
\nThe Register, Jun 19, 2018<\/p>\n

Socitm In Our View<\/a>, Spring 2018. Including article by me on ethics, automation and artificial intelligence in local public services, p14.<\/p>\n

UK government’s cloud spending hits saturation: Love of Microsoft endures<\/a>
\nThe Register, May 10, 2018<\/p>\n

How the Parliamentary Digital Service is working to keep the Commons secure<\/a>
\nPublicTechnology.net, Apr 20, 2018<\/p>\n

Cut off: Big government IT wallets snap shut on BT’s fingers<\/a>
\nThe Register, Feb 7, 2017<\/p>\n

Big tech’s grip loosens on UK.gov IT spend<\/a>
\nThe Register, Jan 13, 2017<\/p>\n

Infosecurity \u2013 the GCHQ way<\/a>
\nComputerWeekly.com, Sep 29, 2016<\/p>\n

Ireland’s govt IT: Recession and job cuts forced us to adapt<\/a>
\nThe Register, Aug 24, 2016<\/p>\n

MI5 staff repeatedly overrode data surveillance rules<\/a>
\nComputerWeekly.com, Aug 10, 2016<\/p>\n

How MI5 and MI6 gather your personal data for surveillance<\/a>
\nComputerWeekly.com, Jun 17, 2016<\/p>\n

Investigatory Powers Bill: Spooks willingly entering the light?<\/a>
\nThe Register, Mar 1, 2016<\/p>\n

Brits learning from the Continent? Authority, digi gov wheezes and the Autumn Statement<\/a>
\nThe Register, Nov 26, 2015<\/p>\n

Shadow state? Scotland’s IT independence creeps forth<\/a>
\nThe Register, Nov 12, 2015<\/p>\n

Councils explore options for online mapping tools<\/a>
\nComputerWeekly.com, Aug 20, 2015<\/p>\n

How spies spy<\/a> (what recent reports reveal about GCHQ)
\nThe Register, Jul 24, 2015<\/p>\n

Every man, woman and child in the UK paid HP \u00a321 last year<\/a> (details of big suppliers to government, using Freedom of Information and open data)
\nChannel Register, Nov 12, 2013<\/p>\n

Thought you didn’t need to show ID in the UK? Wrong<\/a>
\nThe Register, Nov 6, 2013<\/p>\n

Why Bletchley Park could never happen today<\/a>
\nThe Register, Oct 25, 2013<\/p>\n

UK.gov’s e-Borders zombie still lurks under the English Channel<\/a>
\nThe Register, Sep 24, 2013<\/p>\n

One year to go: Can Scotland really declare gov IT independence?<\/a>
\nThe Register, Sep 18, 2013<\/p>\n

UK gov’s smart meter dream unplugged: A ‘colossal waste of cash’<\/a>
\nThe Register, Jul 19, 2013<\/p>\n

Cornwall council’s privatisation compromise<\/a>
\nGuardian Society, Jan 23, 2013<\/p>\n

Roadside cameras suffer from large gaps in coverage, police admit<\/a>
\nThe Guardian, Aug 27, 2012 (with Rob Evans, on ANPR Freedom of Information case)<\/p>\n

MI5 makes 1,061 bugging errors<\/a>
\nGuardian Government Computing, Jul 1, 2011<\/p>\n

Privacy groups take Royston’s ANPR plans to ICO<\/a>
\nGuardian Government Computing, Jun 10, 2011<\/p>\n

Open up the numberplate recognition camera system<\/a>
\nGuardian Comment is Free, May 17, 2011<\/p>\n

Minister destroys national identity register<\/a> (with gallery of Damian Green feeding hard drives into an industrial shredder)
\nGuardian Government Computing, Feb 10, 2011<\/p>\n

A tale of two cameras<\/a> (council CCTV in Wandsworth and West Oxfordshire)
\nGuardian Government Computing, Sep 23, 2010<\/p>\n

The ANPR secret<\/a> (Thames Valley Police and the M5)
\nGuardian Government Computing, Feb 3, 2010<\/p>\n

Devon and Cornwall Constabulary divulges police ANPR cameras in Torbay<\/a>
\nGuardian Government Computing, Aug 19, 2009<\/p>\n

Oxfordshire reveals ANPR traffic camera sites<\/a>
\nGuardian Government Computing, Aug 3, 2009<\/p>\n

The myths of the fingerprints<\/a> (ID cards and biometric passports)
\nGuardian Government Computing, Jun 26, 2009<\/p>\n

CSC and IBM win ID contracts<\/a> (which are already ready for the abolition of ID cards)
\nGuardian Government Computing, Apr 7, 2009<\/p>\n

Pushing the button<\/a> (e-democracy in Bristol)
\nGuardian Society, Mar 23, 2006<\/p>\n

Image control<\/a> (Labour’s battle with extreme pornography online)
\nGuardian Online, Jul 28, 2005<\/p>\n

In the name of the law<\/a> (Charles Clarke\u2019s plans for tackling crime with ID cards assessed)
\nGuardian Online, Jul 14, 2005<\/p>\n

Your life in your hands<\/a> (how the emergency services track mobile phones)
\nGuardian E-public, Dec 1, 2004<\/p>\n

Private pain, public gain: learning from the private sector<\/a>
\nPublic Service Magazine, October-November 2004<\/p>\n

Knowing me, knowing you<\/a> (the database state, featuring comment from rising MP David Cameron)
\nGuardian Online, Jun 24, 2004<\/p>\n

Eyes on the child: should you use mobile phone tracking?<\/a>
\nGuardian Online, Jan 29, 2004<\/p>\n

Image problem<\/a> (David Blunkett’s plans for biometrics and ID cards)
\nGuardian Online, Nov 20, 2003<\/p>\n

Video ring to unite islanders<\/a> (Orkney Island Council and videoconferencing, picture above)
\nGovernment Computing, Sep 2002<\/p>\n

You can ring, but you can’t hide<\/a> (what mobile phone companies hold on customers)
\nGuardian Online, Nov 29, 2001<\/p>\n

Smallest post office gets net<\/a> (Dores in the Highlands of Scotland)
\nGuardian Online, Jul 26, 2001<\/p>\n

In sight of the law<\/a> (how the authorities track citizens)
\nGuardian Online, Mar 1, 2001<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I first wrote about government IT when working at Computing in the late 1990s, covered it often as a freelancer, then worked as news editor at Guardian Government Computing from February 2008. I edit In Our View, the magazine of the Society for Innovation, Technology and Modernisation (Socitm). 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