Policy
Senate Passes Bill to End Payments to Dead People
The bill follows an audit that found the IRS sent $1.4 billion in stimulus checks to deceased individuals.
Modernization
Inside the Navy Financial System’s Cloud Migration
The Navy is running $70 billion in annual financial transactions in Amazon Web Services’ GovCloud.
Modernization
VA Launches Digital COVID-19 Screening App for Patients and Employees
The answers can help staff direct individuals to the appropriate parts of the facility or if needed, additional screening.
Emerging Tech
Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Ban Federal Use of Facial Recognition Tech
If passed, federal agencies would not be able to run, fund, purchase or otherwise use data from facial biometric systems without congressional authorization.
Digital Government
Federal CIO Suzette Kent Tells Staff She’s Retiring
The government’s top IT leader is leaving government in July.
Digital Government
Contractor Confidence in Government Market Less Certain Amid Pandemic
The coronavirus has increased uncertainty in the public sector market.
Emerging Tech
Bill Calls for Federally Funded Research on Police Use of Force and Facial Recognition
The legislation would authorize millions to underpin the efforts it mandates.
Emerging Tech
How DHS Is Using Multicookers and Predictive Calculators Against the Coronavirus
The agency’s Science and Tech Directorate continues to focus its efforts on pandemic-fighting experiments.
Digital Government
New National Science Foundation Director Begins Six-Year Term
Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan officially became the 15th director of the government’s lead scientific research outreach and funding arm.
Cybersecurity
DHS Insider Threat Program Expanding to Anyone Who Accesses Agency Info
The Homeland Security Department will begin tracking all personnel—federal employees and contractors, with or without a security clearance—in the hunt for insider threats.
Emerging Tech
GSA Explores Production of a Common Operating Platform for Crisis Management
The Office of Mission Assurance details the agency’s needs in a new RFI.
Ideas
Rural America Is More Vulnerable to COVID-19 than Cities Are, and It's Starting to Show
Of the top 25 COVID-19 hot spots that popped up in the last two weeks, 18 were in non-metropolitan counties.
Ideas
Sloth Robot Is a Very Cute Way to Boost Conservation
The new high-tech tool could help save some of the world’s most endangered species.
Emerging Tech
Pokémon Go Wants to Make 3D Scans of the Whole World for 'Planet-Scale Augmented Reality Experiences.' Is that Good?
A new feature within the game will encourage players to create and upload 3D scans of real-world locations.
Ideas
Pandemic, Privacy Rules Add to Worries over 2020 Census Accuracy
People who work with statistics know that there needs to be “good data in” in order to get “good data out.”
Emerging Tech
Police Ties to Ring Home Surveillance Come Under Scrutiny
Many law enforcement agencies have been adopting a less sophisticated system of camera registries based on information volunteered by residents.
Artificial Intelligence
Bipartisan Senate Bill Would Increase Pentagon’s Artificial Intelligence Capacity
The bill would enable the Defense Department to ramp up hiring AI and cyber professionals.
Cybersecurity
Social Security Wants a New Way to Manage Access for 330 Million Americans
The agency is considering overhauling its identity credential and access management, or ICAM, system to manage secure access for all users.
Modernization
HUD Officially Moves to Next Phase of Centers of Excellence Program
After 20 months of analysis under Phase I, Housing and Urban Development announced the first two awards to begin improving the agency’s cloud adoption and customer experience.
Digital Government