Digital Government

GAO: Data problems could be costing feds billions

A new report attributes many federal agency redundancies to a failure to manage, or even collect, the right data.

Cybersecurity

Federal CIO: Hire faster, from every discipline

Federal CIO Tony Scott said getting new people -- and new roles -- into government as soon as possible is critical, and when it comes to cybersecurity, a range of disciplines is ideal.

Digital Government

OPM wants to fold deep web, social media into background checks

As a new security clearance agency develops, OPM's background checkers are seeking automated tools to review a variety of web-accessible information sources.

Digital Government

The taxman’s tech troubles

The agency spends $2.5 billion annually on IT across more than 20 major systems, yet it still relies on a central data processing setup that went online in the 1960s to keep its revenue-collecting cogs turning.

Modernization

Funding bought taxpayers better service

After a previous year of hang-ups and frustration, taxpayers are getting better treatment from the IRS in 2016 as auditors man the customer service phone lines.

Modernization

GAO says mostly good news on cloud contracts

Asked to examine cloud service agreements, GAO found room for improvement but said that overall, agencies are covering their bases.

Digital Government

Agencies dream of commercial app stores

The future of mobility lies in finding the right ways to update mobile apps securely without impeding their main selling point: speed.

Cybersecurity

FBI lawyer says encryption has a purpose

After accessing a terrorist's iPhone without Apple's help, the FBI says it will take cues from the American people when it comes to the future of encryption.

Digital Government

Crunch time for Data Act guidance

Senior officials at GAO and OMB agree that clear governance will make or break Data Act reporting, and that guidance will take shape in the next few weeks.

Digital Government

Comment flood slams federal website

A sudden burst of interest in copyright law threatened to take down Regulations.gov and, activists worried, keep people's voices from being heard.

People

Millennium Challenge Corporation lands new CIO

Vince Groh, deputy CIO with the Peace Corps, will take the IT reins at MCC.

Cybersecurity

Why feds need to talk to industry about cyber

In the age of increased risk, agency executives say, feds and industry must communicate to design workable incident response and risk management schemes.

Cybersecurity

Why data privacy is up to developers

Many users lack the tools, knowledge or inclination to control the flow of their data through the Internet of Things, which means developers are responsible for keeping data safe.

Digital Government

Crowdsourcing the price of everything

To break away from manual price data collection and get a more granular, useful picture of the American economy, the BLS might look to tech being deployed in the developing world.

Digital Government

CIOs: don't take the free movie tickets

Ethics violations could await agency leaders who see the movie on a vendor's dime.

Modernization

The long war for data standards

Getting the right underpinning governance isn't glamorous, but proponents say hashing out dry details will help unleash data's true potential.

Cybersecurity

Weak controls leave taxpayer data vulnerable

From patching to passwords, the Government Accountability Office is troubled by persistent shortcomings with the data security posture at IRS.

Digital Government

18F pushes for an even more open 'open source' rule

"Open source by default" ought to apply not only to code developed by government agencies, but also to virtually all code that vendors supply the government, a developer with GSA's startup urged.

Cybersecurity

What will it take to diversify the cyber workforce?

In its first national conference, the International Consortium of Minority Cybersecurity Professionals sought to lay the groundwork for getting more women and minorities into the cyber ranks.

Cybersecurity

Fraudsters' targets show cybersecurity success, says IRS commissioner

The breaches of IRS security tools are, in some ways, good signs, said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, because they demonstrate that the tools are making hackers' lives harder.