Posts by Guy de Loimbard 421 publicly visible posts • joined 28 Oct 2020
A large wooden metaphor sits outside the Huawei launch event.
Just love it.
Along with the question of "What else does this device track and send home to the mothership?"
I don't think I'd be looking for a wrist based blood pressure checker, if my blood pressure was that skewed and needed regular checking, I'd rather give that telemetry and only that telemetry, to my actual medical practitioners via a medical appointment, not via the inner workings of Huawei and anyone else they care to share it with "as per the EULA"....
There was me, at home, creating VLANs for trusted and non trusted devices, pihole and various blocklists and wondering if it is too much and I'm being paranoid?
If LG were giving the devices away, but letting end users know the caveat to the free hardware, is your information is a free for all, that would be a different matter.
Asking you to pay for hardware then mining you too?
It really is taking the piss now isn't it?
That an awful lot of UK PLC legislation is window dressing.
Unfortunately it would appear that there are agencies and regulators aplenty that appear to have a gummy bite, having had their teeth removed.
Faceless corporations with deep pockets won't give a monkey about fines, as, in some cases, the fine represents a few moments of operating profits.
I agree that those executives at the top should be on the hook, but that requires a systemic change and some serious teeth.
If UK PLC is being taken to court, this is another colossal waste of taxpayers money in the UK.
I appreciate that bidding on UK Gov work should be open and transparent, but I've seen these commercial spats before and no good will come of it, particularly if it ends up in court.
Given that Capita aren't the bastion of virtue and excellence at most Government work it's won, I can see Sopra's angle to contest the outcome.
Maybe I missed the nuance, but I didn't see, with any clarity, who was being taken to court by Sopra Steria.
Let's hope it can be resolved out of court.
I echo your view and sentiment there.
However, which UK consultancy do we have that could deliver this?
Not being a pessimist, I'm quite serious, as I believe UK PLC contracts, should prioritise UK reinvestment, via UK companies first, but if we don't have UK companies on these bids in the first place, they're never going to get the opportunity.
Maybe they did bid, but weren't successful?
Who knows elsergiovolador, we do need to build up UK's capabilities as it seems our talent pool is being consumed by large internationals.
100%
I've supported a number of companies over the last decade that have chosen the offshore route for "Specialist Skills" and I have found an awful lot of individuals seconded, as lacking the "specialist skills" that are required.
As usual it's the suppliers you may have heard of that win the contract then send you the Z team.
That said, I've also had the pleasure of working with some extremely talented offshore teams too, but they are rare and the exception.
Agree with your view Cookiecutter.
The idea is great, the reality, as always, is another thing.
I've worked on a number of iterations of G-Cloud, it's a nause to get on, you have no guarantee of work and G-Cloud just seems to screen you out and default to the usual suspects.
The need to have endless and pointless 3rd Party Certifications does nothing to guarantee quality of service offered, merely acting as a gatekeeping tool to screen out SMEs, or others that don't meet the requirements for, of all things, Cyber Essentials, as an example.
Historically, I worked for an entity that went hell for leather to get an ISO27k certificate, on a shite Scope, just to get on a framework, to get through this gatekeeping.
We can do better, but there's more work required, IMHO.
Seems to me, IMHO, that this individual clearly had far too many permissions and rights to services and systems that were, more thank likely, not within his remit to have access to.
If Mr Smith was a new employee, what lunatic gave him unfettered access to these types of records?
There are a few salient points missing from this article I think, one that comes to mind, is what has Herefordshire Council been held to account for? Surely there are some lessons learned to make sure employee's have limited, need to know, type of access.
Also, I'd be keen to know how this individual was discovered, as Detect is one thing, but Protect would be a better control no?
Has long since lost its appeal.
There is so much knowledge and capability being lost, over time, by giving out contracts to the like of Capita.
The alleged savings are nowhere to be seen, not when you factor in delays, or in this case, people not receiving their rightfully due pensions.
UK PLC used to be good at so much stuff, but, unfortunately, successive ministers are increasingly gullible to the sales pitch of "look how much you'll save" from the sales teams of all these outfits.
Technology has it's uses, but bums on seats, doing good things and seeking to improve, without having think about profit, shareholder revenue, or targets, is desperately needed, i.e.an actual job held inhouse, not outsourced, may well help here.
I'm sure there is anecdotal evidence to the contrary, but I can't remember the last time I heard a soundbite extolling the virtues of how awesome an outsourced contract has been and actual benefit the the public purse, or the poor bastards on the receiving end of the shite service being delivered.
Yet more news that AI isn't the silver bullet for the werewolf.
We've a long way to go before any of this matures into a usable product, IMHO.
All I've been hearing for the last number of cycles around the sun is how AI/ML/Some Algorithm is going to save/destroy/( delete as necessary) humanity/jobs/humans/science/earth/the sun(delete as necessary)
FFS, can we just get on with something that actually makes a difference, instead of yet more news about AI is good/bad(delete as necessary)
Bah humbug - I hate wednesdays!
But so does having 700 frontline posts.
Policing has a deterrent effect that is often overlooked.
The whole of the UK and beyond is measuring budgets on how much tech they can get, which may or may not be useful.
Policing can often be seen to be using/trialling leading bleeding edge technologies, but, as it would seem by the lack of "bobby on the beat" boots on the ground, across the UK I hasten to add, the investment in tech appears to be greater than the thought of having actual police officers to respond to events that the tech has detected.
Of course Metropolitan sized police forces may be the outlier, but, in the UK at least, I can't remember the last time I saw a local constable on foot patrolling my locality.
Laugh.
A few things spring to mind:
1. Who dreamt up those numbers?
2. Who is the government trying to convince?
and
3. Anyone remember the numbers of Brexit Savings on the sides of the buses?
4. Also, does the government think Joe public believes any of this spin? (see 2)
Anyway, I'm sure £45 Billion will come in handy to spend on some other vanity project that will never deliver!
Back to you in the Studio!
This nonsense is as much about deflecting attention away from the leadership shenanigans in the UK Parliament as anything else.
Default for political parties to start "think of the children" BS when they want you to focus on something else.
I don't think for a minute this idea from UK Gov is based on any sensible research, just the latest soundbite to get spread over the UK press to divert attention from actual issues back in old blighty!!
You know, the ones that actually impact the population....... No? Okay, must be nudes on my device that are driving costs up then yes?
Agreed Ken!
However, it would appear that the CV has now become the first part of the interview.
As an example I was in "review" for a role I applied for, that review lasted over 2 months and I never spoke to a single human being, then out the blue I got the classic, "Thanks but other candidates blah blah blah".
I've been in business a while and trying to pitch myself based on a CV that demonstrates employment and capability, only to be fobbed off by a machine is somewhat annoying.
I wonder is the CV still relevant in this day and age of algorithms and ML/AI scraping?
Fair enough AC, appreciate your insight here.
How much is UC?
Does DWP seriously think someone can spend 35 hours a week apply for jobs?
Not sure the scatter gun/barn door shovel etc is the best course of action.
I totally agree that people claiming UC should demonstrate efforts to get to work, but there's got to be a better approach surely?
To the bottom?
Seriously, everyone has an app, or an "AI" for this or that.
We are making every stage of job advertising to fulfilment as painful and as soulless as possible, but to what end?
We keep hearing these horror stories of NEETs applying for "thousands" of jobs and getting nowhere.
Half the issue has to be people applying for almost anything because "Apply Now" buttons are easier than actually thinking.
To be fair, it doesn't make a difference what level of role your applying for, because this "AI" shite is ubiquitous and infiltrates all organisations, small and large.
Speaking from my own personal experience too, this isn't just a gripe from my end, it's there and an be evidenced quite easily. Just go apply for a job to experience the joy.
Of course I wait to be corrected by there being some outstanding outlier organisations, but generally it's few and far between.
"First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin.
Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less.
Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three.
Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three.
Five is right out.
Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naught in My sight, shall snuff it.'
I've worked in this space for a number of years, well over a decade to be fair.
Most people who want mobile phone type connectivity in a rural or remote area probably already have a satellite handset, if comms is a serious issue.
Terrestrial operators are looking for another niche and boost, to get sales into areas that are sparsely populated already.
Most indoor users, if that remote, have WiFi calling, assuming the local telco can provide enough bandwidth of course, so satcom not working indoors, whilst obvious, I don't believe is an issue.
If you consider the typical mobile/cell phone user is massively data centric now, what with all the apps on the typical smart phone, then this isn't something that typical SatCom providers will be able to provide at scale, via Satellite.
Unless you can offer 4 or 5G connectivity via Satellite to terrestrial users, then I think you're going to struggle with that slice of the market, if you use the same data that a typical urban user wants.
Is the idea to offer out of urban roaming via Satellite? If so, you'll need to provide more bandwidth so people can use Music Streaming, GNSS Maps etc. All of which start to fall over when presented with fragmented or limited bandwidth.
Bit of a non article in my opinion.
Lot's of "AI could" and "AI may".
I'm a bit agnostic when it comes to AI and cyber crims.
Yet to see the deluge and tidal wave surge of issues caused by AI and ne'r do wells.
The actual published article talks more about good KYC governance than actual AI threats, with a lot of "options" that threat actors could take, but doesn't seem to outline for sure, actual uptake of AI and how it's being deployed, merely hypothetical methods or use cases.
Is there a weighting applied to government contract awards?
The more shite you are the more likely to win another contract.
Reminds me of the Blackadder goes forth episode where General Melchett is explaining the cunning plan to do exactly the same as the last time! -->
Melchett:
Field Marshal Haig has formulated a brilliant new tactical plan to ensure final victory in the field.
Blackadder:
Ah. Would this brilliant plan involve us climbing out of our trenches and walking very slowly towards the enemy?
Captain Darling:
How could you possibly know that, Blackadder? It's classified information!
Blackadder:
It's the same plan that we used last time and the seventeen times before that.
Melchett:
Exactly! And that is what is so brilliant about it! It will catch the watchful Hun totally off guard! Doing precisely what we've done eighteen times before is exactly the last thing they'll expect us to do this time! There is, however, one small problem.
Blackadder:
That everyone always gets slaughtered in the first ten seconds.
Enter into the arena, Capita et al!!
Do we really think throwing them another bone to see if "this time, they may just get it right".
I wonder how many ministers, past and present, have some sort of vested interest in Capita?
Understanding the exploitability factor is another.
I get this tool is an eye opener, but some things I've seen,that were declared as emergency patches, often addressed a vulnerability that could only be exploited by physically having access the hardware.
We're in danger of sinking below the waterline with all of this scaremongering!
Anyone else have a view on how to address this?
IMHO, just ignore the ramblings of the pancake smoker and decide whether the service being provided is:
1. Fit for purpose
2. Value for money
Once you've answered those you can decided if the Musk man's random statements really have any bearing on what you've got.
Of course, if you really feel strongly enough, you can vote for the Monster Raving Looney Party and show them, as they have as much chance of seditiously taking over the UK as the Muskman does.
Going after small fry.
Well isn't that par for the course? Spend millions, to claw back a few thousand, whilst sweetheart tax deals are being thrown around for all an sundry, if you have the right level of billionaire status of course.
I'm all for reducing fraud on our already horrifically high welfare bill in the UK, but adding another £2 Million to the cost isn't going to help.
Also, too light on the details, I can't imagine you'll be getting a national service for that cost either.
HMRC "AI" Agent persued Winston Churchill's Estate for unpaid taxes, dating back to 1915, relentlessly....
Or, of course, insert your wildest, most absurd reality, and that, is likely what we'll see off the back of this at some point.
"Must be true Compooter sez so!
Now, peasant, sell a kidney for this insane bill we've just dreamt up!
Yours Sincerely,
Mr Colin O'Pilot
(C.O'Pilot- Head of HMRC Collections)"
Love to see how that's going to be policed in England.
Hopefully it will be something really good, like giving parents a day in court and remove some money, as we all know that's the best way to deal with the scourge of phones in School /Sarcasm.
Joking aside, something with the best of intentions, but not sure how this is going to pan out, from policy, implementation and consequence management.
Indeed!
I echo your thoughts Doctor Syntax.
We have been riding the coat tails of everyone else for far too long in the UK.
The UK, and others, should start to look at the next decade's worth of investment and think where it truly needs to be.
No "Sovereign" Cloud will cut it I'm afraid.
We need to support the minnows and help them, where applicable, get a fair market share.
Also, we need to wean ourselves off all this US centric software that we don't truly need.
Just my opinion of course, or do we need to get a manumission to be free?
I've seen WordPress compromised repeatedly.
The moment you hand a CMS to a non technical team, there will be issues.
The maintenance and upkeep is ignored as let's be honest, how much change will a surgery operating under an NHS domain really need?
Do they really need something like Wordpress to tell the octogenarians that don't use the website how to get their prescriptions this week?
Business needs and an impact analysis would help.
I'm all for citizen developers, but once they've mastered security (never going to happen) then give them the keys to the kingdom, or give them a much more secure and watered down access to WP. i.e here's how you update the one page you'll need to tweak.
Totally.
The rules already exist, but, as you've already pointed out, the application of said rules varies by conflict, country and perceived necessity of outcome
Also, rules are no good without enforcement and potentially repercussions that persuade one to follow them for fear of the consequences.
YMMV on most of this, but no one is following the Law of Armed Conflict explicitly anymore as far as I can see.
That is all.
I also note this statement from the article: ""Should the recently announced introduction of ID cards achieve universal coverage....." So it's a done deal is it?
So what is the point in this "consultation" apart from playing some weird theatrical act and of course, relieving the treasury of more taxpayer money.
Yet more BS from that side of the pond's administration.
Reminds me of some of the bone sound bites you hear from political parties this side of the pond to point score on the run up to what ever local or national elections are coming.
I would like to think, that when this "idea" was started, it was with the best of intentions, but poorly executed, or I'm just really optimistic/naive :)
It's worth a glance at this draft legislation to begin to understand what the driving forces are for this - below is an excerpt:
SEC. 3. App store obligations.
(a) In general.—Each covered app store provider shall—
(1) at the time an individual creates an account with the covered app store provider—
(A) request age information from the individual; and
(B) verify the individual’s age category using a commercially available method or process that is reasonably designed to ensure accuracy
