Digital Government

DARPA wants to blow up military design process, start over

The government's blue-sky R&D agency launches a new effort to reinvent the design and manufacture of defense equipment using computer aid and crowdsourcing.

People

Gov 2.0 applications carry legal risks

Agencies trying to use social media face legal hazards, but GSA attorney Elizabeth Hochberg says most can be overcome.

Cybersecurity

E-mail remains the top source of data loss, survey finds

A survey by Proofpoint finds that e-mail is still the leading source of data loss, but losses via social media channels are on the rise.

Modernization

Dump that data: Agencies need not preserve Web 2.0 content

Federal agencies are dealing with questions about how much of the content on their social media platforms must be saved as an official record, according to a new report.

People

'Cut the crap' and other lessons for new IT projects

Focus on the job you want to accomplish and not on the technology you are using to get the job done, says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s senior adviser for knowledge management.

Modernization

5 ways to use social media for better emergency response

More people now use social media tools to report emergencies or call for help, and they expect government response agencies to be actively engaged in using the technology, too.

People

Social media helps NRC combat brain drain

NRC has deployed professional networking tools to support online communities of interest that can “get the information that is needed to the right person” quickly and simply.

Cybersecurity

Are you mad as hell about social media access?

A post on a social media site about blocked access draws support from others.

People

NASA opens photo-sharing site

NASA is inviting the public to add information and other comments on its historic photo collection on Flickr Commons.

Digital Government

DOD's social media chief signs out

Floyd Price is leaving his DOD post in charge of social media programs after a year on the job.

Digital Government

Five years after Katrina, government IT still feels storm's fury

Five years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, the region continues to rebuild and the federal government is still trying to fix information technology-related problems that the storm and its aftermath exposed.

Modernization

Agencies told to avoid links to political sites

Federal agencies with a presence on Facebook and Twitter must be careful not to link to any political Web sites, according to new guidance.

Digital Government

How to stop Facebook friends from tracking you

Facebook's new Places feature allows others to tag your locations, and Facebook has turned it on by default. Here's how to turn it off.

Digital Government

National Guard Bureau tells what not to write on Facebook

The National Guard Bureau is giving advice to guard members on what to write -- and not write -- on social media sites.

Digital Government

Facebook: A Swedish perspective

Blogger Steve Kelman is struck by the extent to which Facebook has become part of Swedish culture.

Modernization

Dozens of federal agencies check in at Foursquare

The Foursquare geographic social media site is chock-full tips for visitors to federal buildings.

Digital Government

6 reasons to worry about cybersecurity

The adoption of new technologies and platforms, such as cloud computing and social networking, opens new avenues for increasingly sophisticated attacks. Meanwhile, old methods of attacks are getting smarter.

Cybersecurity

Could WikiLeaks set back information sharing?

Former CIA director Michael Hayden says the recent posting of classified material about the war in Afghanistan exposes the risks of information sharing among intelligence agencies. But the government’s use of IT could be a bigger threat to personal privacy.

Digital Government

NARA wants you to 'like' the Constitution

The National Archives and Records Administration has started a Facebook fan page for the U.S. Constitution.

People

Social media emerge as digital avenue for emergency response

The public increasingly is turning to Facebook and Twitter for help in emergencies -- and it expects government agencies to be paying attention, according to a new Red Cross survey.