Artificial Intelligence
Capturing AI’s potential needs a ‘two-way street’ between the feds and states, cities
A senior White House official said all levels of government need to work together on artificial intelligence to “move faster” to tackle big problems.
Cybersecurity
CISA directs agencies to mitigate widespread VPN bugs
Two unpatched flaws in Ivanti's Connect Secure VPN are being exploited by hackers in the wild.
People
Uncle Sam wants you to help train government HR to hire tech talent
Several agencies are hosting a challenge with prize money meant to spur innovation in how the government hires techies.
Cybersecurity
Pentagon’s cyber red teams get clearer roles, governance
A document released by DOD’s chief information officer attempts to “address gaps in existing guidance” when it comes to the activities of the department’s cyber red teams.
Modernization
At VA, cloud is still emerging tech
The agency's CIO said that "cloud still has huge potential for us."
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Policy
Congress averts shutdown, punts funding debate into March
Both the Senate and House approved a six-week stopgap on Thursday, just one day before a shutdown deadline.
Digital Government
Enhanced analytics can make tech export controls more effective, experts say
Export controls designed to limit Beijing’s access to sensitive U.S. technologies can be strengthened further if officials leverage AI and data science to identify gaps and weaknesses.
Modernization
GSA, OMB lag on FedRAMP improvements, GAO finds
The congressional watchdog wants agencies to streamline the cloud approval process.
Emerging Tech
Securing emerging tech requires export controls and international partnerships, officials say
During a House hearing on Wednesday, witnesses discussed how to ensure sensitive U.S. technologies and data stay away from Beijing.
Digital Government
VA’s compliance with accessibility requirements still lacking, watchdog says
The Department of Veterans Affairs “did not effectively manage website accessibility to ensure Section 508 compliance,” according to an audit conducted by the department’s Office of Inspector General.
Ideas
Connecting researchers and legislators can lead to policies that reflect scientific evidence
COMMENTARY | Legislators make policy based on the information at hand, which isn’t always the latest scientific findings.
Defense
Experts expect some support for small businesses facing CMMC compliance
The Pentagon’s draft CMMC rule doesn’t exempt small firms from the security standards for defense contractors and subcontractors, but that doesn’t mean they won’t receive any help meeting the requirements.
Emerging Tech
Government needs to regulate facial recognition tech, says National Academies
A facial recognition risk management framework, new legislation and more are among the recommendations in a new report requested by the FBI and DHS.
Cybersecurity
CISA, FBI warn on risks of China-made drones
The new guidance is meant to alert critical infrastructure operators to potential security risks, including data exfiltration and cybersecurity risks, posed by unmanned aircraft systems manufactured in China.
Digital Government
Senators call for Transportation to offer ‘accessible, mobile-friendly’ service animal form
Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., called the paperwork that disabled Americans need to complete before traveling with their service animals “poorly designed and needlessly difficult to complete.”
Ideas
Reining in AI means figuring out which regulation options are feasible, both technically and economically
COMMENTARY | One form of regulating AI is watermarking its output – the equivalent of AI signing its work.
Artificial Intelligence
Can NIST get it all done?
The small technology agency has a big share of the responsibility for executing on the Biden administration's executive order on artificial intelligence.
Policy
Senate starts process to pass more stopgap funding measures to avoid a government shutdown
Facing a potential shutdown at the end of the week, Congress aims to push the deadlines into early March.
Emerging Tech
US Geological Survey inks partnership to look beneath Earth’s surface using quantum sensing
The U.S. Geological Survey entered into a new collaborative partnership with quantum technology company Q-CTRL to explore if quantum sensing can help find critical minerals and predict natural disasters.
Digital Government