Modernization

The Fingerprint Scanner You Don't Want on Your Smartphone

The FBI plans to offer agents smartphone apps for checking a suspect's biometric data against information in criminal records.

Modernization

Pentagon Smartphone Plan Is Off to a Slow Start

The Defense Department's program for adopting commercial mobile devices is officially operational, but problems remain.

Science & Tech

Every Country Will Have Armed Drones Within 10 Years

The proliferation of weaponized drone technology is inevitable, and there’s nothing the U.S. can do to stop it. By Patrick Tucker

Digital Government

House to Advance Bill to End Mass NSA Surveillance

The USA Freedom Act, with more than 140 co-sponsors, will get a vote in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

Cybersecurity

Intel Firm Links Ukraine Energy Debt With Potential Cyber Assault

Recorded Future drilled into a wide range of Web data to create a speculative timeline of potential network attacks.

Science & Tech

White House Looks Toward a Big Data Future

The Obama administration wades into the growing debate on big data. By Patrick Tucker

Digital Government

Trying to Limit the Collection of Personal Data Would Be a Lost Cause

The government should focus instead on making sure that data does the least harm, a White House report says.

Cybersecurity

Feds Would Have a Hard Time Keeping Zero-Days Under Wraps

The White House has established an interagency process to vet the pros and cons of disclosing future vulnerabilities.

Science & Tech

Future Planes Could Run on Fuel Made from Sunlight

Researchers concentrate sunlight to make solar kerosene. By Patrick Tucker

Cybersecurity

NIST Removes NSA-Tainted Algorithm From Cryptographic Standards

Snowden documents say NSA introduced weaknesses to the number-generating guidance.

Digital Government

There May Not Be Another Defense CIO Until 2017

Insiders are saying there isn’t enough time left in Obama’s second term to warrant a replacement for Teri Takai.

Modernization

The Supreme Court Is About to Decide the Future of Cell-Phone Privacy

Two cases before the Court on Tuesday will revisit Fourth Amendment principles that protect Americans from unreasonable searches during an arrest.