Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Scottish Police Face Data Sovereignty Showdown with Microsoft

2025-08-29

Scottish police are grappling with significant data security and sovereignty challenges in their adoption of Microsoft Office 365. Microsoft's refusal to disclose data processing locations and methods, citing "commercial confidentiality," prevents the police from meeting the stringent data transfer restrictions of the UK's 2018 Data Protection Act. This raises concerns about data potentially being processed in countries lacking adequate data protection, including China and India, and highlights the risks of relying on cloud services without sovereign cloud capabilities. While aware of the risks, the police are constrained by the UK National Enabling Programme and existing contracts with Microsoft, making a swift change of supplier difficult.

Legacy Post Office Software Leads to Miscarriages of Justice; Victims Seek Redress

2025-04-06

Following the Post Office Horizon scandal, older software systems, Capture and Ecco+, are now implicated in further miscarriages of justice. Numerous former subpostmasters were wrongly convicted based on flawed data from these systems. The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) is urging affected individuals to come forward. 97 former subpostmasters have already contacted the SCCRC, with 64 having their convictions overturned. A new independent group, Scottish Postmasters for Justice and Redress, has also been formed to support victims. This highlights the potential for legacy systems to cause significant social harm and underscores the need for redress for those wrongly accused.

Russia-backed Hackers Crack Encrypted Messaging Apps

2025-02-22

Google's Threat Intelligence Group revealed that Russia-backed hacking groups have developed techniques to compromise encrypted messaging services like Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram, putting journalists, politicians, and activists at risk. Attacks involve exploiting Signal's 'linked devices' feature with malicious QR codes, accessing battlefield phones, and deploying phishing websites. These attacks are difficult to detect, potentially remaining unnoticed for extended periods. Signal has implemented security improvements, but users are urged to remain vigilant and avoid suspicious links.