Digital Government

Facial-Recognition Tech Will Make Life a Perpetual Police Lineup for All

Facial-recognition technology combined with policy body cameras could “redefine the nature of public spaces."

Digital Government

IT Modernization Bill Could be Reintroduced in Congress This Week

Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, could introduce a tweaked version of the Modernizing Government Technology Act, which passed the House in September but stalled in the Senate during the lame-duck session.  

Digital Government

We Can Now Work Next to Our Robot Colleagues Without Getting Mauled to Death, Thanks to an Airbag

German researchers at the DLR Robotics and Mechatronics Center are working to create a safer workplace for both man and robot.

Digital Government

UK Officials Want to Fight Terrorism By Forcing WhatsApp to Release Users’ Messages

The UK home secretary on Sunday told the BBC it’s “completely unacceptable” that intelligence agencies can’t access WhatsApp messages.

Digital Government

Why Fake News Spreads: A Neurological Explanation

The logical part of your brain really, really likes listening to the social part, which just wants to fit in

Digital Government

The Russia Hearing That Wasn’t and What Else Congress Did

Health care may have dominated the week, but lawmakers also tackled internet privacy rights and how DHS buys tech.

Digital Government

Watchdogs worried about DOJ's tech

Oversight officials told Congress they are concerned about the Justice Department's cybersecurity, use of unreliable tech and inability to track contract and grant spending.

Digital Government

Software Used to Predict Crime Can Now Be Scoured for Bias

Predictive-policing startup CivicScape published its code online, allowing anyone to help ensure the algorithm doesn’t unfairly target certain groups of people.

Digital Government

Trump hotel lease is valid, says GSA

The lease President Trump signed with the GSA for the Old Post Office building in Washington is in compliance, an agency contracting officer said.

Digital Government

GSA employee, husband guilty in hiring scheme

A former senior GSA contracting official and her husband pleaded guilty in a conspiracy that spread falsified resumes liberally around federal agencies and contractors.

Digital Government

How Transparent Is Too Transparent, Oversight Committee Asks

Federal spending data, White House visitor logs and presidential tax returns were all the subject of a Congressional discussion on government openness.

Digital Government

There’s a Better Way to Treat Your Tech Addiction Than Hiding Your Phone and Laptop

We should learn to design and engage with it in ways that support our emotional well-being.

Digital Government

House panel takes on government transparency

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee explored legislative means to increase transparency in government at a March 23 hearing.

Digital Government

Homegrown Technology is Being Used to Help Millions at Risk From a Devastating Famine in Africa

Crowdsourcing can save lives.

Digital Government

Inbox Zero is a Waste of Time. This is How a World-Class Behavioral Economist Tames His Email

While the act of clearing out an inbox can feel as satisfying as cleaning the refrigerator, it’s ultimately just another way of wasting time.

Digital Government

HHS Wants More Blockchain In Health Records—Eventually

A recent code-a-thon showcased different ways the technology could be used to protect and share health records.

Digital Government

Why NOAA's New Chief Data Officer Isn't Fazed by Potential Budget Cuts

Ed Kearns will oversee data-related projects at the Commerce agency.

Digital Government

Can Trump Make Veterans' Health Care Great Again?

Trump has "a chance to lead, not just in the VA but in the country, in bringing the internet to health care,” former federal CTO Aneesh Chopra says.

Digital Government

House seeks clarity on FBI facial recognition database

Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform questioned the FBI over its use of facial recognition technology.