Digital Government

Why open data needs a mission

DJ Patil, the Obama administration's top data scientist, believes open data has the power to help reveal and remediate social problems, but the data doesn't mean much without a mission behind it.

Digital Government

Regulators mull what IOT means for spectrum

Federal officials cautioned of the dangers of hampering innovation with restrictive spectrum allocation.

Digital Government

Satellite, data projects on White House agenda

Global internet connectivity, artificial intelligence and a manned mission to Mars are some of the big ideas at the Frontiers Conference.

Digital Government

Preparing policy for AI-driven tech

A new White House report is aimed at boosting the development of artificial intelligence technology in the U.S.

People

5 steps to more effective CTOs

New report examines roles and reporting structures for federal chief technology officers.

Digital Government

White House pushes agency heads to expand open data

New guidance issued by two White House offices outlines best practices for agency leaders to open more data, engage with citizens digitally and solicit public feedback.

Digital Government

Court: Feds can't hide outside emails from FOIA

Emails that contain government records don't gain immunity from FOIA just because they reside on an non-governmental system, an appeals court decided July 5.

Digital Government

Flawed data complicates criminal justice AI

A White House effort is looking to eradicate biases from crime data, to make it more useful in machine-learning applications.

Cybersecurity

White House laments Cold War-era R&D structure

"Too often, the most agile and innovative companies are unwilling to work with government," the Office of Science and Technology Policy document says.

Digital Government

What can the government do about big data fairness?

Big data analytics are used in making determinations for credit, employment, and even criminal sentencing. Should the government make sure they are used fairly?

Digital Government

White House to probe role of AI in government

The White House has announced a series of public workshops on artificial intelligence and machine learning and will explore how AI can improve the delivery of government services.

Digital Government

White House techies explore the intersection of big data and ethics

A new report examines how big-data applications can uncover discrimination but also encode hidden biases.

Digital Government

Why big data needs a soul

The technologies that handle big datasets generated by federal agencies are adequate, but federal agencies have to plumb the depths of data's soul to make it useful.

Digital Government

Obama warns against 'absolutist' positions on encryption

The White House had said Obama would not weigh in on the Apple case, but he spoke at length on the issue of encryption in the first visit by a sitting president to the South by Southwest festival.

Digital Government

Obama administration rallies new open data push

The Obama administration opens another front in its long-standing bid to push open data as fuel for private sector innovation.

People

Soltani exits White House after clearance denial

Ashkan Soltani is stepping down from his post as senior adviser to White House CTO Megan Smith after failing to obtain a security clearance.

People

Ashkan Soltani to join White House tech team

The former Federal Trade Commission chief technologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist will be advising federal CTO Megan Smith.