People

Low participation in SSA video contest is latest in a lackluster series

News analysis: A public relations expert offers remedies for recent video contests sponsored by the Social Security Administration and other agencies that generated relatively few entries.

Digital Government

HHS works on framework for health IT standards

David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health IT, told a House subcommittee that HHS is working on a framework for standards and interoperability of health IT.

Digital Government

Health care agency to spend $473M on IT projects

A DHS agency will spend $473 million for comparative effectiveness research on allowing patients to compare treatments.

Cybersecurity

DHS still falls short on management and integration, GAO official says

The Homeland Security Department's transformation efforts got a mixed review from a Government Accountability Office director.

Modernization

Web clearinghouse for student loans not needed, GAO says

The Education Department would face numerous problems if it tried to create an online clearinghouse for public and private student loan information, report says.

Cybersecurity

Intell fusion centers need to set performance goals, GAO says

The intelligence fusion centers created for sharing intelligence information need to be evaluated on their performance, the GAO says.

Digital Government

Do agencies still have year-end spending sprees?

We tried to find out what agencies are spending their year-end money on, but it might not work like that anymore.

Modernization

Apps for Healthy Kids contest winners announced

Nutrition and fitness games using the Web and mobile devices won $60,000 in prizes today in first lady Michelle Obama's "Apps for Healthy Kids" competition.

Cybersecurity

DHS tests cyber response plan in global drill

The Homeland Security Department began its second day of a three-day global cybersecurity exercise intended to test readiness for large-scale cyberattacks.

Modernization

Agencies get advice on record retention in the cloud

Agencies face problems deploying records into the cloud while maintaining their record preservation responsibilities, according to an NARA official.

Acquisition

SSA's tracking of computer buys is a mess, IG says in report

It's not possible to know if the Social Security Administration overpaid or underpaid for some computers because the recordkeeping is so poor, according to a new report.

Cybersecurity

Lawmakers pressure DHS on financial modernization program

Two House Democrats have written the White House to criticize a Homeland Security Department financial system upgrade expected to cost as much as $1 billion.

People

FBI agents cheated on computerized exam, IG says

The FBI's inspector general today alleged that agents and supervisors cheated on an operations exam delivered online.

People

NSF urges lawmakers to back use of better science data

Officials worry about measuring the direct benefits of federal scientific research spending.

People

National Library of Medicine opens application portal

The National Library of Medicine introduced a new website to help developers and the public create mashups.

Digital Government

Why international aid needs a viral social media presence

Networking on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube enables agency to advance its 'Third Goal': Sharing the experience with other Americans.

Modernization

Electronic tax-filing system gets few takers

The IRS had expected millions of taxpayers to file online using its new system this year, but fewer than 1 million did, according to a new audit.

People

FCC website goes open source with Drupal

The Federal Communications Commission is transitioning FCC.gov to the Drupal open-source content management system.

Cybersecurity

DHS gets average grade on public transit info sharing

The Homeland Security Department could do a better job of streamlining the security information flow to public transit agencies, according to a new GAO report.

People

GSA launches online clearinghouse for federal alerts, notifications

The General Services Administration added a new site to its USA.gov Web portal that offers access to thousands of real-time federal notifications and alerts.