Digital technologies research publications

POSTnote

Automation in Military Operations

Thursday, 22 October, 2015

Automated technology is increasingly used in military activities such as intelligence gathering, navigation and weapons delivery. The most widespread use of automated technology to date has been remotely piloted air systems. However, each of the main military domains – air, land and sea – make use of automation. This POSTnote outlines current and potential future applications of automation in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and in combat. It then summarises debate over legal, ethical and societal issues, including debate over whether a pre-emptive ban is needed on future lethal autonomous weapons systems.
POSTnote

Trends in ICT

Monday, 19 October, 2015

This note looks at developments in information and communication technology (ICT) and their relevance for UK policy in the next five years. It examines the capability, use and economic impact of ICT; technical barriers; and implications for cybersecurity, privacy and internet governance.
POSTnote

Forensic Language Analysis

Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

This note examines forensic language analysis, the scientific validity of procedures and their applications, and explores the issues surrounding their use.
POSTnote

Trends in Compulsory Education

Tuesday, 22 September, 2015

This POSTnote focuses on trends in UK compulsory education and outlines where trends differ between individual nations.
POSTnote

UK Broadband Infrastructure

Friday, 29 May, 2015

The growing use of smart phones and data intensive services (such as video streaming), has increased demand for both fixed and mobile internet. This POSTnote looks at patterns in broadband access and use, and the technical and policy challenges of enhancing UK broadband infrastructure to meet future needs.
POSTnote

Sugar and Health

Thursday, 28 May, 2015

Sugars can be added to food and drinks or occur naturally in fruit, vegetables and milk. A high sugar diet increases the risk of tooth decay and weight gain, and high consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks is associated with type 2 diabetes. This paper describes trends in sugar consumption in the UK, the public health implications and outlines policy options.
POSTnote

Measuring Living Standards

Monday, 30 March, 2015

This POSTnote outlines different approaches to setting and measuring thresholds and their strengths and limitations. It also summarises research on recent trends in living standards and the key factors that influence them.
POSTnote

The darknet and online anonymity

Monday, 09 March, 2015

A very small proportion of websites use sophisticated anonymity systems, which allow their operators to conceal their identity if they wish to. This part of the web is commonly referred to as the darknet. The darknet helps citizens to protect their security and privacy and to circumvent censorship. It also facilitate organised crime, such as the billion dollar drug market known as Silk Road. This POSTnote discusses the challenge of preventing such crimes without compromising the other uses of anonymity technologies.
POSTnote

Big and Open Data in Transport

Friday, 08 August, 2014

This POSTnote examines key factors affecting the growth of big data in transport and current and future applications, focusing on road and public transport. It also explores challenges to opening up, collecting, disseminating and using big data, and to sharing data whilst protecting users’ privacy.
POSTnote

Alternative Currencies

Friday, 08 August, 2014

This POSTnote outlines the different types and aims of these currencies. It also sets out how alternative currencies are being used and highlights regulatory and policy challenges regarding consumer protection, financial crime and taxation and benefits.
POSTnote

Big Data and Public Health

Tuesday, 22 July, 2014

This POSTnote examines the sources of data, their current and potential uses for health improvement, and the legal and practical issues raised by data use for public health or research purposes.
POSTnote

Big Data and Business

Tuesday, 15 July, 2014

POSTnote exploring how big data is being used by UK companies and the challenges and opportunities it presents.
POSTnote

Big Data Overview

Tuesday, 15 July, 2014

This POSTnote gives an overview of big data.
POSTnote

Big Data, Crime and Security

Thursday, 10 July, 2014

This POSTnote examines the use of large and varied data in three key areas: crime prevention, crime detection and national security. It also covers regulatory issues and public perception about privacy, civil liberties and social benefits.
POSTnote

Surveillance of infectious disease

Wednesday, 26 March, 2014

This briefing describes current surveillance efforts and examines new technological developments and their likely impacts on UK and international public health.

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