Digital Government

Government at work -- curbing curbside congestion

Steve Kelman looks at another area where civil servants are quietly working to make our lives better.

Modernization

How AI-powered bots could drive the conversation on pending federal regs

Two years after bots flooded the FCC's public comments system over net neutrality, a new report finds publicly available AI tools make it easier than ever to overwhelm public feedback on federal websites

Digital Government

NOAA taps cloud providers for data

The agency that provides daily weather data for commercialization officially moves it to the cloud by tapping three of the largest commercial providers.

Cybersecurity

Lawmakers seek answers on HUD's use of facial recognition

Responding to press accounts, a group of lawmakers want to know if the Department of Housing and Urban Development is supporting the use of biometric surveillance in public housing properties.

Digital Government

TMF gets $25 million boost in funding bill

The move increases the total capitalization of the IT modernization fund to $150 million.

Digital Government

TTS hones customer focus for opioid treatment site

New leaders at Technology Transformation Service are concentrating on customers’ needs, rather than IT requirements.

Digital Government

On election security, U.S. government leaving much on the table

Expert witnesses warned Congress that the U.S. government has largely failed to address a number of known security shortfalls related to the 2020 and future elections.

Digital Government

House panel mulls new election tech specs

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee will mark up new legislation Nov. 14 that would mandate new research into voting machine cybersecurity vulnerabilities and update the way the government certifies such equipment.

Digital Government

Report: election vendors need more federal oversight

A virtual oligopoly over voting technology by three private vendors and a lack of federal regulatory pressure has led to dangerous security vulnerabilities in the nation's election infrastructure, according to a new report.

Digital Government

VA's pivot to agile

With 10 months on the job, Veterans Affairs CIO Jim Gfrerer is pushing his organization toward a culture of constant delivery.

Digital Government

Vendors roll with GSA changes

Vendors say they are OK with some of GSA's moves to acquisition interfaces and contract consolidation.

Digital Government

Cyber firm sows chaos in election hack simulation

The fictional city of Adversaria became ground zero in an election security training exercise pitting real federal and law enforcement officials against mysterious cyber group aiming to disrupt and undermine voter confidence.

Digital Government

Implementing evidence-based policymaking

Agencies and the White House are getting into the weeds of how to put the OPEN Government Data Act into effect.

Digital Government

Voting machines still easy prey for determined hackers

A security exercise to demonstrate voting machine vulnerabilities has captured the attention of some in Congress, but one Democratic chairman said "it's all for naught" if Republicans aren't on board.

Digital Government

Security, modernization and people are key IRS challenges

The IRS should focus the next year on modernizing IT, improving security controls for its primary e-filing tool, eliminating critical vulnerabilities in servers used for personal devices and addressing its "serious" human capital crisis, according to Treasury auditors.

Digital Government

Election security lessons from Illinois

Officials express confidence that 2020 won't be a repeat of 2016, but testimony from state and local officials indicate that substantial security holes still exist.

Digital Government

One small policy change means a big difference for citizens

The CASES Act is a significant step in the right direction for enhancing the citizen experience. Legislators should use this as a guidepost to rework other outdated policies that were originally intended to protect citizens but are long overdue for a refresh.

Digital Government

No clear solutions to combat foreign election meddling

The Senate’s report confirms previous research and investigations on Russian social media activity in 2016, but sees little role for Congress in preventing future deceptions.

Digital Government

Former officials flag disinformation as top threat to U.S. elections

Three years after Russia waged a covert propaganda campaign against U.S. voters, the federal government has done little to address the problem through legislation or executive action.

Digital Government

Improving CX isn't all about tech

The White House is stressing upgrades in customer experience and some front line officials say the human touch is key.