People
A modest proposal to improve government IT
Alan Balutis and Don Upson debate the wisdom of a cabinet-level IT shop -- and a thorough reorganization of about a dozen other agencies.
Digital Government
NDAA brings back drone registration
The defense bill restores FAA registration requirements for small-drone operators, after rules were struck down by the Court of Appeals.
Digital Government
What are voting machine companies doing about cyber?
Five voting machine companies responded to questions from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and largely downplayed the threat to their products, pointing to other dangers in the election system.
Artificial Intelligence
Homeland Security Has A Plan To Fight Zombie Devices
The report urges more public-private cooperation on botnet takedowns and more and better cyber standards.
Emerging Tech
Third Time's a Charm? NOAA Reschedules Next-Gen Weather Satellite Launch
Wind delayed the two previous launch dates.
Modernization
How does civil service efficiency square with agency reorgs?
While shared services and other tech can help streamline government, federal workforce experts are skeptical about whether budget cuts can spur productivity.
Artificial Intelligence
More Than 50 Experts Just Told DHS That Using AI for “Extreme Vetting” Is Dangerously Misguided
The controversial program, which hasn’t yet been implemented, would screen digital information to determine whether a person is fit to stay in the United States.
Cybersecurity
Which Bugs Will Hackers Exploit First? Machine Learning Promises a Better Guess
Most vulnerabilities are known; defenders need a better way to know which ones pose an imminent threat.
Ideas
How Can Agencies Prepare for the Software Future?
Federal agencies and their IT teams must adapt from a hardware-centric model to an increasingly software-defined world.
Artificial Intelligence
Your Boss Might Be Better as an Algorithm
One day we will inevitably start working for AI instead of it working for us.
Policy
Agencies a Step Closer to Open Data, Chief Data Officers
The OPEN Government Data Act, tucked inside the Foundations for Evidence-based Policymaking Act, passed the House.
Cybersecurity
House Panel Investigates Retaliation Against HHS Cyber Leads
Leaders of the HHS cyber center were reassigned amid allegations of contracting misconduct.
Policy
IT Modernization Bill Heads to President
Congress passes the Modernizing Government Technology Act as part of the defense authorization bill.
Policy
Lawmakers to Agencies on FITARA: Get It Together
A House oversight committee pushed IT leaders to set more ambitious upgrade goals after its fifth assessment of federal agencies’ technology.
Digital Government
Why the U.S. Fails at Worker Training
Automation and globalization are making some workers’ skills obsolete. Why can’t the federal government figure out how to successfully prepare Americans for the future?
Digital Government
Senate panel grills former Lockheed exec about potential conflicts
John Rood, the Lockheed Martin executive nominated for undersecretary of defense for policy, is drawing questions on how he would treat his former firm.
Digital Government
Silicon Valley's Worship of Innovation Can Get in the Way of Actual Change
Too often the tech industry skips past what it means to make innovation work, especially at scale.
Modernization
MGT passes Congress in 2018 NDAA
The legislative push to get federal agencies up to speed on IT, eliminating creaky and expensive legacy systems will end with the president's signature.
Cybersecurity
Hiccups for CBP's new port system as it nears completion
Customs and Border Protection's years-long march toward a unified import-export data system is nearing conclusion, but not without a couple of last-minute glitches.
Artificial Intelligence