Modernization

CIOs’ Wishlist for New Congress and Administration IT Leadership

Three department IT leaders share their top asks from the new Congress and yet-to-be-appointed federal CIO.

Cybersecurity

Lawmaker SolarWinds Concerns Spill Over in Week of Defense Hearings

In multiple hearings, lawmakers sought solutions to pressing technology-based security issues.

Ideas

COVID-19 Revealed How Sick the U.S. Health Care Delivery System Really Is

In reality, the U.S. health care sector is not a system at all.

Policy

Lawmaker to Reintroduce Net Neutrality Legislation Within Weeks

Supporters say giving the Federal Communications Commission greater authority over internet service providers is more important in the wake of the pandemic. 

Modernization

Remote Work and Hack Mitigation Show Need for IT Modernization Funding, Lawmaker Says

Rep. Ro Khanna detailed efforts to ensure agencies have resources for legally mandated updates.

Cybersecurity

FBI Director Says Extremists Flocking to Encrypted Apps Poses New Challenges

Christopher Wray told lawmakers tech companies are the ones making policies about encryption.

Digital Government

Cybersecurity and IT Remain Top Concerns on GAO’s High-Risk List

Agencies showed some slight progress on IT issues, though cybersecurity took a step backward in the latest report.

Emerging Tech

Police Departments Experiment With 70-Pound Robot Dog

Departments have deployed the cyber K-9s in hostage situations and as part of the covid response. Proponents say the robots can help keep officers out of harm's way, while critics worry how they could be used without clear policy guidelines in place.

Ideas

Huge Number of COVID Infections Are from People with No Symptoms

Researchers also found that non-symptomatic cases substantially contribute to community transmission.

Artificial Intelligence

U.S. Unprepared for AI Competition with China, Commission Finds

Retaining any edge will take White House leadership and a substantial investment, according to the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.

Modernization

Draft Senate COVID Relief Bill Includes $1B for Technology Modernization Fund

The fund gets a second chance at a boost after a $9 billion proposal didn’t make it to the House-passed bill.

Digital Government

Cloud Security

Federal agencies are rethinking how they secure information as they move more mission-critical operations to the cloud.

Ideas

Securing Space: The Next Frontier of Credential-Based Attacks

Like many other sectors, the space industry needs to secure its supply chain from start to finish.

Ideas

Common App Announces Changes to Create More Inclusive College Application Process for LGBTQ+ Students

The Common App board announced it will reframe its sex and gender questions, barriers to higher education LGBTQ+ people face.

Cybersecurity

Hackers Seized on the Pandemic. Some States Are Fighting Back.

Cyberattackers have forced states to take down websites, stolen $36 billion in unemployment payments and exposed millions of residents’ personal information to scammers.

Modernization

DISA Tech Programs Paved the Way for DOD Mass Telework

Two Defense Department officials pointed to culture as a key challenge counteracting innovation.

Ideas

The Art of (Big Tech) War

The uncomfortable truth is the government is the underdog in this fight.

Digital Government

IG: ‘Tens of Billions’ in Fraudulent Unemployment Claims in 2020

A Labor Department Inspector General memo suggests a massive uptick in fraudulent unemployment claims brought on by COVID-19.

Digital Government

Tech Among Top Priorities for Biden’s CIA Director Pick

William Burns also said he’d look to build morale at the agency in part by speaking “truth to power.”