David V. Bowen, Audata Ltd. 

The CIC biometric signature software, based on software originally written in the UK for the Atomic Energy Authority, has been in active commercial use for almost 20 years.  During that time one of the most frequently asked questions is “Are Biometric Signatures Admissible in Court [in the UK and Europe]?”  The question has been augmented by a major government campaign to support Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) signatures, and by thought (resulting in a published standard) about the legal admissibility of electronic documents. 

Most of us only read the first few results a search engine returns.  So it’s in the interests of business to be at the top of the list.  However take care when choosing the keywords you use to optimise your web sites ranking, in extreme situation it could get you site removed completely.  See BBC Technology article for more information.

Audata can help you choose meaningful META tags for your website.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee are this week launching a new inquiry into personal internet security. With the ever growing use of home computers, the spread of broadband, and the rise in internet banking and commerce the importance of proper internet security measures has never been greater.

The inquiry will provide the first in depth Parliamentary study of an issue that will be of ever increasing importance to the public, business and Government.

The Committee are inviting evidence on a range of issues to do with personal internet security. Members are keen to receive evidence from members of the public who have had direct experience of problems with internet security.

Culture and Arts Minister, Maria Eagle, MP, has outlined details of a new policy on libraries of the future.

Speaking at the launch of 'Delivering Tomorrow's Libraries', the Minister said: "The library service for the 21st century should be flexible and responsive because society is changing and public services must adapt to match the changing needs of the public.

"Libraries should provide a focal point for social, cultural and economic life in the community. They should help people to expand their knowledge by providing a wealth of books and information, together with advice on how to use them. In short, public libraries should be for everyone, people of all ages, at every stage in their lives."

The valuable digital assets of many cultural and scientific institutions across Europe representing the cumulated knowledge of generations are becoming increasingly vulnerable and at risk of being no longer accessible, given the fast evolution of computer hardware and software.

The European Union, under the Information Society Technologies R&D programme, is co-funding (providing 8.8 M Euro out of the total planned spend of 16 M Euro) a new project aiming at addressing this risk.

Doctors in this week’s BMJ have their say on whether patients should have to opt in or out of electronic patient records.

The medical profession is concerned that, in the proposed summary care record, data will be accessed with no further input from the patient, and this is not being made sufficiently clear to the public, write Drs Paul Cundy and Alan Hassey in a letter to this week's journal.

"Patients and clinicians must have confidence that information will be secure and shared only with patient consent," they say.