Ideas

Drones: Playstation Mentality?

As the CIA increasingly is making drone strikes the centerpiece in the war on terror, it is shaking the boundaries of international law and risking "developing a 'Playstation' mentality to killing," warned a senior United Nations official last week.

Digital Government

Pentagon looks at TSA scanning technology to bolster security

The proposed security measure is among a host of ideas the Pentagon plans to roll out to boost building security after a gunman opened fire in March at the entrance to its headquarters and last year's Fort Hood, Texas, massacre.

Digital Government

Eight named Nextgov Award winners

Federal managers recognized for taking risks, overcoming bureaucratic inertia and cultural resistance to roll out technology that improves government performance.

Digital Government

Spreading the Virtual Word

Federal virtual reality enthusiasts gather to talk shop at an annual conference, but they know they'll need hard facts that the technology will improve outcomes if agencies are going to embrace the animated worlds.

Ideas

Saving NASA's Constellation Program

Lawmakers last week blocked President Obama's plans to liquidate the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Constellation program, reigniting hopes that the agency would be able to send astronauts up to the moon again.

Digital Government

Census Director Groves says computer glitches fixed

The next decennial count should include an Internet option, he says.

Ideas

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Box

A new online inbox to solicit anonymous comments from service members and their family members about the impact of reversing the ban on openly gay soldiers in the military went live this month.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity bill would penalize agencies for noncompliance

The Executive Cyberspace Authorities Act would require a review of cyber threats and proof of adherence to FISMA when submitting annual budgets.

Ideas

Broadband Legal Battles Loom

A legal battle looms on the horizon after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski released plans today on how the agency would fight to restore regulatory powers over the Internet.

Ideas

Building The Oil Spill Crisis Map

Texts, tweets and e-mails from those who have felt the effects of the Gulf Coast oil spill will be <a href="http://oilspill.labucketbrigade.org/">mapped out</a> with new crowdsourcing technology, giving the federal government another look at the impact of the crisis.

Cybersecurity

Standards agency moves closer to $1 billion lab overhaul

Policy bill streamlines NIST laboratories into operating units, including one for information security.

Ideas

DHS Consolidates Databases

The Office of Infrastructure Protection at the Homeland Security Department is in the midst of consolidating its dozens of infrastructure security databases--and adding new ones to the pool--to help government agencies and private partners better monitor threats.

Digital Government

Justices question public employees' expectations of privacy

The Supreme Court hears arguments concerning government workers' Fourth Amendment rights.

Ideas

Should All Texts Be Private?

Before you pick up that office-provided cell phone to send out <em>that </em>text, think again. On Monday, the Supreme Court will deal with the question: Is there a reasonable expectation of privacy for text messages transmitted on a police SWAT pager? The court's ruling could just impact feds' right to keep private any messages sent out on phones and pagers supplied by the government.

Digital Government

Lawmakers divided on extent of FCC's regulatory authority over broadband

Leader of Senate panel urges the agency to "bend the curve" to push National Broadband Plan forward.

Cybersecurity

House committee OKs bill to boost Homeland Security technology

Legislation would double the agency's cybersecurity research and development budget.

Ideas

DHS Testing Einstein 3

The Homeland Security Department has completed the first two stages of testing on the third and latest version of Einstein, a network security program that relies on commercially available intrusion detection services to monitor traffic in government agencies to guard against cyber threats.

Ideas

Centralizing Cloud Security

A governmentwide program that provides a centralized approach to security issues in cloud and multiagency IT systems soon will go into pilot.

Modernization

Census takes a walk on the cloud

Agency relies on cloud computing for 2010 decennial count and looks to build its own infrastructure for 2020.

Ideas

E-Pay Stubs: Thinking About Defaults

Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/blog/10/03/29/SAVEings/">announced</a> on Monday that the National Finance Center, which processes payroll for 675,000 federal employees, will start issuing electronic pay stubs as a default.