Artificial Intelligence
Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Curb Algorithmic Bias
The Algorithmic Accountability Act would force companies to check whether their tech is making biased, inaccurate, discriminatory or otherwise unfair decisions.
Digital Government
NIST Expands Hiring Authorities for Top-Level Tech Talent
The standards-setting agency is making it easier for hiring managers to onboard IT managers, engineers and scientists through new direct hiring authorities.
Modernization
Pentagon Says No JEDI Conflict, Narrows Field to AWS and Microsoft
The Pentagon’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud contract could be awarded by mid-July.
Digital Government
Watchdog Questions NSA’s $636 Million in Award Fee Incentive Contracts
Justifications of costs and benefits may not have served government’s interests.
Emerging Tech
Report: China’s Closing the Innovation Gap
Experts say the United States needs its own robust national strategy to compete in advanced technologies.
Artificial Intelligence
FDA Proposes Regulations for AI-Powered Medical Devices
Because AI retrains itself over time, the administration wants to keep tabs on what’s happening under the hood.
Digital Government
House Democrats Recommend Zero Money for OPM Reorganization
House Oversight Committee Democrats urged appropriators to effectively block an effort to merge the Office of Personnel Management with the General Services Administration.
Cybersecurity
DHS Cyber Chief is Ready to Update Federal Tech Hiring
The department is preparing to roll out a new personnel system that will let officials “hire people based on their skill sets, not what’s on a piece of paper,” said Chris Krebs.
Cybersecurity
Senate Bill Promises Retaliation If Russia Again Meddles in Elections
The bill would force the U.S. to sanction Russian industries.
Emerging Tech
114 Lawmakers Push to Fund Clean Energy Research
The group wants $500 million for the Energy Department’s advanced research projects agency, which would be eliminated under the White House’s 2020 budget request.
Digital Government
Survey: Four in Five Industry Tech Execs Favor Federal Privacy Law
Corporate America’s top tech officials favor a privacy law even if they aren’t sure how to adhere to it.
Digital Government
Expunging Criminal Records Offers Clear Benefits—But Few People Take Advantage
New research finds that automatic expungement of nonviolent criminal records could be a boon for eligible offenders, but few apply when the process is complicated.
Digital Government
OPM Is Giving CIOs More Direct Hiring Authority But Plans To Keep A Watchful Eye
The administration has been gathering feedback on giving agency CIOs more power over direct hiring authorities and plans to publish the final rule soon.
Digital Government
The Race to Code the Curb
Everyone—from ride-hailing cars to delivery trucks to bikes and scooters—wants a piece of the curb. How can smart cities map and manage this precious resource?
Emerging Tech
Interior Doubled Its Use of Drones in 2018
The agency flew more than 10,000 unmanned missions to survey federal land, monitor wildlife and respond to natural disasters.
Cybersecurity
Identity Theft Services Inefficient at Addressing Data Breach Risks, Watchdog Says
The Government Accountability Office also recommended that Congress should reconsider allowing federal agencies how much coverage is appropriate to offer.
Modernization
Survey: Only One-Third of Agencies Are Sending NARA Electronic Records
Many are still relying on manual processes, the survey found.
Emerging Tech
Why Trump Wants to Go to the Moon So Badly
The administration has vowed to return Americans to the lunar surface in 2024 “by any means necessary.”
Digital Government
DEA Never Checked If Its Massive Surveillance Operations Are Legal, Watchdog Says
The administration “failed to conduct a comprehensive legal analysis” of three NSA-style bulk data collection programs, according to the Justice Department Inspector General.
Policy