DIGIT’s Top Trending Stories

DIGIT Hosts Inaugural Expo

This week DIGIT held its inaugural Expo, Scotland’s largest tech and digital event, at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. With more than 1,800 attendees, the event was a resounding success.

The day was comprised of talks, breakouts and panel discussions, with opportunities for delegates to put their questions to the event’s expert speakers and to network. Topics covered included cloud computing, cybersecurity, data, DevOps, digital skills, connectivity and the potential impact of Brexit.

Complementing these topics were a series of panel discussions exploring the future of technology.

Want to find out more? Read the original article here.

Man Jailed in First ICO Computer Misuse Act Prosecution

A motor industry employee has been sentenced to six months in prison in the first prosecution to be brought by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). A car repair worker has been sentenced to prison for stealing customers’ personal data from his former place of work.

Mustafa Kasim stole personal information, including names, phone numbers and vehicle details of people involved in road accidents. Kasim was sentenced to six months in prison following a guilty plea at London’s Wood Green Crown Court.

The watchdog believes Kasim accessed thousands of customer records by using his colleagues’ login details to access a software system that estimates vehicle repair costs.

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DIGIT Interviews Martyn Wallace, Chief Digital Officer for the Scottish Digital Office

DIGIT recently spoke to Martyn Wallace, Chief Digital Officer for the Scottish Digital Office, about the office’s role in helping local councils to embed and realise the benefits of digital transformation in a tangible way. To date, the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government has worked with 31 councils across Scotland to help them build digital capability and capacity within local government.

The role of the digital office is to get the councils to take tangible steps forward in their digital transformation journey. In February 2018, the office reached its first milestone as it hit its ‘Release One’, which saw the publication of the office’s GDPR Digital Readiness program that is estimated to have saved Scottish councils more than £1 million.

Want to find out more? Read the original here.

In Case You Missed It…

Japanese Groom Spends £14,000 to Get Married to a Hologram

Akihiko Kondo has paid a hefty sum to marry the virtual woman of his dreams. According to Inside Edition, the 35 year-old man married Hatsune Miku, a singing hologram that uses a voice synthesizer to perform in sold-out shows worldwide.

Kondo’s family disapproved of the match and refused to attend the wedding, which cost an estimated £14,000. The bride was present as a stuffed doll version of herself. Speaking of his decision to marry his pixel bride, he explained that two-dimensional characters can’t cheat, age or die. “I’m not seeking these in real women,” he said. “It’s impossible.”

Want to find out more? Read the original here.

Prince William Criticises Social Media

Prince William has taken a swing at social media giants, accusing them of not being proactive enough about dealing with fake news, privacy issues and cyber-bullying. Speaking to the BBC, William said of social media companies: “Their self-image is so grounded in their positive power for good that they seem unable to engage in constructive discussion about the social problems they are creating.

“The tools that we use to congratulate each other on milestones and successes can also be used to normalise speech that is filled with bile and hate. The websites we use to stay connected can for some create profound feelings of loneliness and inadequacy.”

The prince and the Duchess of Cambridge had been invited to the BBC to try out a new internet safety app. During their visit, the royal couple met children and their parents who had helped design it.

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Facebook Messenger Adds New Feature that Lets You Unsend Messages

The new feature is now available for iOS and Android users of the Messenger app in only a handful of countries. Thanks to the new addition users will now be able to delete text messages, photos, videos, and links. The launch began this week in Poland, Bolivia, Colombia and Lithuania.

However, users have only ten minutes to unsend a message, and even after they’ve erased it receivers will see that a message has been sent and then deleted. Stan Chudnovsky, Facebook’s head of Messenger told TechCrunch: “The pros are that users want to be in control and if you make a mistake you can correct it. There are a lot of legitimate use cases out there that we wanted to enable.

“We need to make sure we don’t open up any new venues for bullying. We need to make sure people aren’t sending you bad messages and then removing them because if you report them and the messages aren’t there we can’t do anything.”

Want to find out more? Read the original here.