Web Headlines

Headlines from around the Web for Tuesday, Dec. 18.

Compiled by Melanie Bender

ACSI: E-Gov Losing Ground with Citizens

Government Computer News

The latest American Customer Satisfaction Index, released Monday by the University of Michigan, shows that citizens’ enthusiasm for e-government is tempering a bit. But they are still more satisfied with e-government than with the federal government overall.

Ohio E-Voting System Security Bashed in New State Report

ComputerWorld

E-voting in Ohio faces a host of potential security, equipment and process changes following the release of an 86-page report that criticizes the existing e-voting systems used in the state. The report concludes that security shortcomings in Ohio's e-voting systems are a continuing danger to the accuracy of elections there.

New Police Radio System in New York State Draws Scrutiny

The New York Times

A $2 billion emergency radio network intended to connect all emergency agencies and local police and fire departments in New York State has failed its first major test, prompting concerns from some state officials and causing the state’s second largest city, Buffalo, to opt out of the system.

E-Voting Decertification Leaves Elections in Turmoil

The Denver Post

Colorado's looming primary and presidential elections were thrown into turmoil Monday when many of the state's electronic voting machines were deemed unreliable and unsecure by Secretary of State Mike Coffman.

Data Storage Researcher Says Businesses Generally Ignoring E-Discovery Rules

CIO Insight

A year and 16 days after the institution of the revised Federal Rules of Civil Procedure on Dec. 1, 2006, about two-thirds of U.S. businesses remain unprepared to meet strict court requirements for the discovery and handling of electronic evidence, according to a data storage researcher.

Government Researchers, Academics Present New Threshold for Network Stability

Government Computer News

A researcher for the Energy Department's Los Alamos National Laboratory led a team to further define the point at which complex networks become unstable, inefficient or even unusable. Thanks to a further refinement in a mathematical notion known as percolation theory, they found these thresholds lower than previously assumed.

Energy Usage Benchmark May Help IT Buyers Find Greener Servers

ComputerWorld

Standard Performance Evaluation Corp. (SPEC), a nonprofit company that creates performance benchmarks widely used by server vendors, has released a test suite designed to enable system buyers to comparison-shop on the basis of energy efficiency.

USAspending.gov Gets Lukewarm Reception

Washington Technology

The Office of Management and Budget’s publicly accessible database of government contracts, grants, loans and other transactions is receiving mixed reviews from the contracting community.

Deal on Verifying Workers Reached

Chicago Tribune

Illinois has temporarily backed down from enforcing a controversial new state law that blocks employers from using a federal database to check workers' immigration status.