Category: UK government
The UK buys a 45 percent stake in broke satellite startup OneWeb
After losing access to the EU's satellite-navigation system Galileo due to Brexit, the UK is hoping to replace it with OneWeb satellites. A government-led consortium has won an auction for the satellite internet company, which filed for Chapter 11 ba… Source
Read More
UK’s COVID-19 health data contracts with Google and Palantir finally emerge
Contracts for a number of coronavirus data deals that the U.K. government inked in haste with U.S. tech giants, including Google and Palantir, plus a U.K.-based AI firm called Faculty, have been published today by openDemocracy and law firm Foxglove — which had threatened legal action for withholding the information.…
Read More
Fitbit gains FDA authorization for its low-cost emergency ventilator
Fitbit has secured an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Fitbit Flow emergency ventilator. The ventilator hardware is low-cost, and doesn’t require very much training or expertise to use, making it a good solution for deployment in scenarios where healthcare systems are…
Read More
Study launched into how startups will return to offices — will WFH continue?
A comprehensive study into how startups will work in the future, in the wake of the global COVID-9 pandemic, has been launched by UK non-profit Founders Forum. The initiative comes in the wake of a number of organizations announcing extended offices closures and ‘Work From Home’ policies. The group hopes…
Read More
How will Europe’s coronavirus contacts tracing apps work across borders?
Solutions should allow Member States’ servers to communicate and receive relevant keys between themselves using a trusted and secure mechanism. Roaming users should upload their relevant proximity encounter information to the home country backend. The other Member State(s) should be informed about possible infected or exposed users*. *For roaming users,…
Read More
UK’s coronavirus tracing app strategy faces fresh questions over transparency and interoperability
The UK’s data protection watchdog confirmed today the government still hasn’t given it sight of a key legal document attached to the coronavirus contacts tracing app which is being developed by the NHSX, the digital transformation branch of the country’s National Health Service . Under UK and EU law, a…
Read More