Artificial Intelligence

Is it Unethical to Design Robots to Resemble Humans?

The more we humanize chatbots, virtual assistants and machines, the more we in turn display human emotions toward them.

Digital Government

Trump budget includes OMB bump, but cuts IT policy spend

The White House's budget proposal for fiscal year 2018 hacks civilian spending to offset proposed defense increases, but it includes a slight uptick in funding for OMB to fund management priorities.

Digital Government

Deportation Is Going High-Tech Under Trump

The process began with Obama, but the new administration is using technology designed for tracking down terrorists to surveil immigrants more than ever before.

Ideas

3 Human Traits We Must Bring to Big Data

Decisions based on bad data costs the economy $3.1 trillion a year.

Digital Government

An Insider's Take on What Went Wrong with DHS' Agile Contract

Former Digital Services Head Eric Hysen took to Medium to share his thoughts on FLASH’s failure.

Emerging Tech

NASA to Study Artificial Organs on the Space Station

The agency wants to know how microgravity may affect bodies traveling deeper in space.

Digital Government

Report: Most Government Sites Fail Security Audit

About 60 percent of federal sites failed the Online Trust Alliance's trustworthiness test.

Cybersecurity

White House Cyber Chief to Agency Leaders: Know Your Networks' Risks

CIOs and CISOs need to be involved in executive decision-making, White House Cyber Coordinator Rob Joyce said.

Cybersecurity

DHS: Russia tried to hack voting systems in 21 states

DHS officials confirmed for the first time that Russian hackers tried to penetrate voting systems in 21 different states in the run-up to the 2016 election, but said the hacking did not affect election results.

Cybersecurity

Former DHS boss says 'no evidence' of tampering in 2016 vote count

At a House Intelligence hearing, Jeh Johnson testified that Russian interference in U.S. elections did not extend to manipulating vote counts, as far as he knows.

Digital Government

Google Is Positioning its New Job-Search Product as an Effort to Save America

Google for Jobs is a useful feature. It’s similar to Google products that aggregate news articles from different websites.

Emerging Tech

Who Will Build the Next Big Tech Hub?

A new report digs into the metrics of America’s emerging tech hubs, and finds some surprises.

Cybersecurity

Why an HHS cyber center could confuse federal efforts

Senate oversight leaders are worried that Health and Human Services' efforts to establish its own cyber threat information center could sow confusion about federal policy.

Cybersecurity

Lawmaker: Cyber National Guard Could Fill Federal Workforce Gaps

Lawmakers hope to lure thousands of cyber professionals to government work with scholarships.

Cybersecurity

Senate Dem wants answers on reported Booz Allen leak

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) wants answers from Booz Allen Hamilton about its security posture and ability to manage sensitive intelligence data.

People

VA chief: fast firing authority will improve morale

President Trump is expected to sign a bill granting new authority to fire and discipline VA employees on an expedited basis. Secretary David Shulkin thinks the measure will help improve flagging morale at the agency.

Ideas

The Core Federal Services Council is Gone. Now What?

The Office of Managment and Budget's recent memo to reduce reporting burdens also eliminated a customer experience-focused group.

Cybersecurity

If You're Going to Set a Cyber Trap, Don't Do This

The Energy Department's IG found many problems with a planned "gotcha" exercise.

Cybersecurity

Can blockchain transform ID?

Accenture and Microsoft are teaming up on a plan to use biometric markers in a blockchain platform to verify identity for displaced persons who may lack official documentation.