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Gary Henderson

Gary Henderson

@garyhenderson18.bsky.social

110 followers 48 following 260 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.

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Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · 6d

A quick use of AI and I get the answer: "a panoramic view of Canberra, Australia, taken from the top of Mount Ainslie Lookout". Correct?

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Aug 28

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...

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…

techandlearning.wordpress.com

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 19

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

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 19

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 · Jun 14

"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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 13

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."

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 12

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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 11

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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 10

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 · Jun 10

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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 9

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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 8

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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 7

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 · Jun 6

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

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 6

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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 5

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

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 5

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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 4

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...

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 …

techandlearning.wordpress.com

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 4

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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 3

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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · Jun 2

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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · May 31

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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · May 30

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.

Gary Henderson @garyhenderson18.bsky.social · May 29

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 · May 28

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.