iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Gary Henderson

@garyhenderson18.bsky.social

114 followers 48 following 256 posts

Director of IT in a UK school. Vice Chair of ISC Digital Advisory Group, ANME Ambassador and Digital Futures Group founding member. MIEE, Google Certified Educator, CISA, CISSP, CRISC. Views are my own.

Posts Replies Media

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

And so another academic year beckons complete with the busiest time of year for those working in IT in schools and colleges. Good luck, do what you "reasonably can", accept the chaos, and you will be fine...I hope! techandlearning.wordpress.com/2025/08/28/n...

techandlearning.wordpress.com

New Academic Year: Here we go again…

It’s the start of another academic year and for us in the tech side of EdTech, it is the busiest time of year. We have new staff and new students to get signed up and able to access sch…

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

Looking forward to hearing the Rt Hon Jim Knight and Laura Knight speaking about AI in schools and balancing the need for innovation with the need for responsibility. Promises to be an excellent session. #ISCDig25

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

So looking forward to today and the ISC Digital Conference. So many interesting speakers am just gutted I have to actually choose and cant therefore attend all the sessions. #ISCDig25

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 14/06/2025

"inaccessible without the use of Virtual Private Networks" So basically are accessible following a little bit of effort in installing commonly available VPN solutions. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tanzania blocks X because of pornography, says Information Minister Jerry Silaa

The content is contrary to the nation's "laws, culture, customs, and traditions", the information minister says.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

And yet another high street retailer is hit with a cyber incident. Seems to be a bit of a pattern at the moment. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Adidas says customer data stolen in cyber attack

The sportswear giant says criminals accessed its systems through a "third-party customer service provider."

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

So maybe the M&S cyber incident started with a third party. To me this highlights that, after direct social engineering attacks such as phishing campaigns, third parties are the next biggest risk. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Indian IT giant investigates M&S cyber-attack link

M&S said earlier this week that the hackers got into systems via a third party - but did not say who that was.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

AI which may resort to blackmail if threatened with being removed. Sounds like something we humans would do and isnt AI modelled on our intelligence ? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

AI system resorts to blackmail if told it will be removed

In a fictional scenario, the model was willing to expose that the engineer seeking to replace it was having an affair.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Really enjoyed speaking about cyber and AI at #EdexecLive today. My AI session was standing room only, I suspect as a result of the recent government announcements re: digital skills and AI.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Nvidia is definitely riding the wave of AI excitement at the moment. I wonder how long this will continue. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Nvidia weathers tariff uncertainty to see surge in revenues

Nvidia's share price rose by more than 5% in pre-market trading on Thursday after it beat Wall Street expectations.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Efficiency sounds good but at what costs? Flexibility? Services? Jobs? These things tend to exist in balance, so if we gain efficiency what are we losing? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Kent County Council to be subject of Reform's first Reform to begin Musk-style audits of councils

Reform says a team lead by an as-yet unnamed tech entrepreneur will review council spending in Kent.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

AI and the need for data vs. creativity and the people creating new and creative content; Can they co-exist? Does a creator want better AI solutions which might in turn see then out of work? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The AI copyright standoff continues - with no solution in sight

The bitter row over how to protect artists in the artificial intelligence age returns to the Lords.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

Every child will have contact with a stranger online. I dont think the issue here is strangers, as all my now friends were strangers once, but is where the conversation moves to the inappropriate or where it is clear that the person has malicious intent. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

'Every child will have contact with a stranger online' - charity

An anti-exploitation charity says its referral rates have risen by 233% in four years.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

Announcing the 3rd set of speakers for the ISC Digital Conference on June 19th at Roehampton Uni. Counting down with less than 2 months to go to what promises to be an exciting event. Get your tickets while there are still some left. www.isaschools.org.uk/event-calend... #ISCDigital25

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

Pirating of IPTV at an "industrial scale". Where there is money in it, I think this will continue to happen. It also introduces cyber risk as such illegal solutions dont tend to be secure. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Football and other premium TV being pirated at 'industrial scale'

New research singles out the Amazon Fire Stick as the most popular means of accessing illegal streams.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Its now just 2 weeks until the ISC Digital Conference at Roehampton; June 19th. Can't wait for what promises to be a packed and interesting day. A limited number of tickets are still available. www.isaschools.org.uk/event-calend... #ISCDigital25

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

A cyber attack and possible implications on livelihood and even life. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

TfL licencing delays a 'matter of life and death', family says

Robert Dale had a heart attack while waiting for his private hire licence to be renewed.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Are you sitting comfortably? After a recent task going poorly I got to thinking if the comfort we want is what we really need. Do we need desirable difficulty and for things to occasionally go a little Pete Tong? techandlearning.wordpress.com/2025/06/04/a...

techandlearning.wordpress.com

Are you sitting comfortably?

I had cause to undertake a task the other day which brought me well outside my comfort zone. Am not going to go into any great detail as to the nature of the task but it is enough to say it was …

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Crypto being used to fund political parties, where crypto lacks any real legislation or governance. I sense the potential for this to be misused to bypass financial regulation in relation to political fund raising. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Reform UK to accept Bitcoin donations, says Farage

The party would be the UK's first to accept the cryptocurrency as regulation discussion continues.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

I get the logic of delaying access to smartphones for children however doesnt this just push the problem further down the line? When they get to year 10 will they receive additional support on smartphones and the implications and risks? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Berkshire parents join smartphone-free campaign

Two schools in Berkshire are asking students to hand phones in at the start of the school day.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

Nice to see a data centre project including consideration of power needs and environmental sustainability. As we use more AI tools, we will need more data centres. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Planned Elsham Wolds data centre could create up to 1,000 jobs

The proposed site at Elsham Wolds in North LIncolnshire would be used to train AI models.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

The best way to test security is to have someone external try to break in. This is why from a cyber point of view penetration testing and re-teaming are both worthwhile activities. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Meet the team breaking into top-secret HQ's

Hear from the team who test security by breaking into secure facilities.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

How much does the content children have access to shape their views of the world? I suspect quite a bit however the challenge is technology now provides access to all this content, which wasn't previously accessible. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

'I thought the abuse was normal - he was my first proper boyfriend'

Lucy’s relationship was "like something out of a rom-com”, but quickly became abusive.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

People "will find a way to harmful content"; The kids sum it up perfectly. The solution therefore has to be a combination of education and some legislation. At the moment I feel the force lies too much on prohibition and legislation as the answer. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

People 'will find a way' to harmful content, say teenagers

A group of students reflecting on Ofcom's crackdown say harmful content is difficult to get rid of.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Scammers focus is on financial gain without any care for the damage, upset and harm they cause. As such our vulnerable are likely most at risk, so it is for everyone to be vigilant and try to support and protect those who scammers may seek to target. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Romance fraud: Widowed grandmother conned out of £27k

The family of woman who lost almost £30,000 in scams say she was targeted after being widowed.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

Information moves fast, independent of whether it is true or false, and some would suggest that false info moves faster. We need to be more critical and careful on what we share, comment on, etc as our interactions can feed the flame of false content. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Rumoured assault in Bracknell 'appears to be fake', police say

Details of the rumoured sexual assault were shared on Facebook but it has not been reported to police.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Cyber attacks are often reported but this time the true length and depth of impact is being reported. The impact goes way beyond the initial attack or ransomware, but spans a period of recovering which can run to months or even years. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Kent shoppers still experiencing cyber-attack impact

Shoppers in West Kent are still experiencing shortages at Co-op and M&S after recent cyber-attacks.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

AI and policing has always been a sensitive subject although in this case there is some suggestion of exploring the ethical risks and meeting ethical standards. One of AIs strengths is patterns, so I can see potential in this usage. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Cheshire Police harnessing AI to help officers catch stalkers

Cheshire Police is the UK's first force to use AI to help spot early warning signs of stalking.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

Not sure how I feel about AI being used to recreate dead people; Is it even a recreation? But love the point at the bottom of the article on how tech can be used "to break a window or rip down a wall' or "as a tool to build a house" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

AI version of dead Arizona man addresses killer during sentencing

With the help of artificial intelligence, a man was 'brought back to life' at his killer's sentencing to deliver a victim's statement himself.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Another example of the need to take care when outlining the impact of an attack; You might find yourself to be wrong once proper investigation has been undertaken. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Co-op DragonForce cyber attack includes customer data, firm admits

The firm previously said there was "no evidence that customer data was compromised".

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Two porn sites investigated for suspected age check failings......what only two? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Two porn sites investigated for suspected age check failings

The UK demanded in January that porn sites show how they were beefing up age verification to stop children accessing them.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

It is now less than 1 month to the ISC Digital Conference, with so many amazing speakers on the agenda it promises to be an excellent event. Tickets are still available: www.isaschools.org.uk/event-calend... #ISCDigital25

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

Online bank outages; Did we have these issues in the days of the passbook? (Showing my age there!) But equally the ability to easy pay, transfer, get loans, etc. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Pay day banking outages hit 1.2m people, banks reveal

In a letters to MPs, four major banks have set out the extent of the disruption caused in February's outage.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

Apple vs. a US Judge; Is it uncompetitive if your business created and manage the market? Without the business the market, wouldnt exist as it is. These issues grow as tech and markets coalesce around a few big tech vendors. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Apple hits back at US judge's 'extraordinary' contempt order

The legal battle - started by Epic Games - could determine the future of the highly lucrative App Store.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Its now a month to the ISC Digital Conference being held this year at Roehampton University on June 19th. Ill be there, speaking on cyber security for schools and colleges. Tickets are available here> www.isaschools.org.uk/event-calend... #ISCDigital25

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Online safety vs. privacy but this time revolving around Wikipedia rather than social media. Its a balancing act sadly. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Wikipedia legally challenges 'flawed' online safety rules

It argues the regulations could threaten the privacy and safety of Wikipedia's volunteer contributors.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

The issue is criminals need to get it right once to breach an org, but those defending need to get it right every single day of every year. So you can spend as much as you like and it still wont be enough to stop the risk. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Cyber attacks 'more sophisticated' says former West Midlands Mayor

Former John Lewis boss Andy Street says businesses are spending millions defending themselves.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 17/05/2025

So install of a 5G mast is blocked. I wonder if in a year or so there will be a complaint regarding access to a mobile signal? Its all about balance; We cant have the connectivity without the masts. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

RBWM council rejects new 5G mast near Ascot racecourse

A proposed site close to Ascot racecourse is refused over concerns about its affect on the scenery.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

How can schools justify spending money on pouches for students to lock their devices away? I suspect in this case the school may have a partnership judging by the banner in the photo. Mobiles need managed, but I dont think bans or spending on locks is the way. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Pupils at two Edinburgh schools will have to lock up their mobiles

Portobello and Queensferry High Schools will try to make campuses "phone-free" zones by locking devices away for most of the day.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

We think of cyber crime and criminals, but what of legitimate businesses making money from creating spy and surveillance tools? The tools are often the same or similar, but its the user or usage which differs; Does that matter? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Maker of Pegasus spyware told to pay $167m for WhatsApp hack

Journalists and activists say the software is used by authoritarian regimes to spy on them.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

For me the problem is always going to be that monitoring of posts is too slow; When something goes viral it gets there quickly, far quicker than any moderator can act. And thats before you even consider WHO is responsible for deciding what is misleading. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ofcom needs more powers to remove misleading posts, says watchdog

It says the 2024 summer riots showed the regulator does not have the tools to stop the spread of viral misinformation.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Big retailers get hit with a cyber incident and its all over the news as it impacts our ability to shop, etc, but school incidents take lesser place in the news. With student data potentially in the wild surely the impact here is greater? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Suffolk's Framlingham College targeted in cyber attack

The school says is it working with specialist technical experts and has isolated the issue.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Have got annoyed at the driver assistance tools on a couple of cars recently, bleeping at me or even taking over. Is this an example of the human not be fully considered in design? Is the a risk where AI is concerned? techandlearning.wordpress.com/2025/05/12/b...

techandlearning.wordpress.com

I have recently had the opportunity to drive a more modern car, at least one which is more modern than my usual day to day run around. Now I love my technology but I can’t help but thin…

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

Social media allows anyone to share content on anything; Thats great in some ways but in others totally horrible and upsetting as in this case. But as long as some people like or repost, and dont report, it will go on happening. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Max Dixon: Stop killers 'glorifying' deaths online, mums say

Leanne Ekland, mother of Max Dixon, says a video posted by her son's killer from prison showed "no remorse".

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

Tried this little Fake (AI) or Real test; Got some right but some wrong; this shows how difficult it is to spot AI fake content, and this situation is only going to get worse. So whats the solution? www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/art...

Celebrity AI images featuring Jack Black, Aimee Lou Wood and Usher - BBC Bitesize

Challenge yourself with this edition of our monthly AI or real quiz and see if you can get top marks!

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

Trade wars and national pride/needs and borders vs. a global world in terms of ideas, engineering and labour. Now square that circle! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Designed in US, made in China: Why Apple is stuck in tariff tussle

China sits at the heart of Apple's supply chain - and has benefited hugely from it. Can they break up?

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Cant believe it was a year ago that I got to speak in Venice at FutureShots ahead of my first (and last) experience on a Gondola. Great memories (and some trauma) remain. How time flies. techandlearning.wordpress.com/2024/05/11/t...

techandlearning.wordpress.com

The Gondola Incident

I was very lucky to recently be invited to speak at the FutureShots conference in Venice at the amazing H-Farm campus, following on from a session working with IT staff in Cardiff, so it was a busy…

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Living life online runs the risk of inviting people the world over in. I think there is a big question as to how we separate our personal and professional personas given we are each, but a single person. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Lilly Sabri: I won't put my relationships on social media again

The influencer explains how she rebuilt her life after a podcast implicated her fiancé had had an affair.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Strong protections for children in relation to social media; Will that include addressing where parents are putting photos of their kids online, where their accounts have poor security and privacy settings? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Harry and Meghan call for stronger social media protections for children

They told the BBC they want to ensure "no more kids are lost to social media" in unveiling a memorial.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

How to keep your child safe online? I suspect the key is openness, support, discussion, shared experiences online and more are the answer; its culture, empathy, etc. But that isnt always enough sadly. www.bbc.co.uk/news/technol...

What the Online Safety Act is - and how to keep children safe online

Tech firms are being urged to do more to stop young people accessing unsuitable material.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

"overhaul algorithms"; these are often machine learning algorithms where we dont have full visibility into how we work; Its like asking doctors to re-engineer the human algorithm to reduce aggression. Its not that simple. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ofcom finalises rules for tech firms to protect children online

Websites will have to instate age checks and tighten up algorithm recommendations for young users.

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