Cybersecurity
Senate Dem queries OMB over cyber acquisition
Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has asked OMB to outline how it is leveraging several existing authorities for acquiring IT security technologies.
Digital Government
The taxman’s tech troubles
The agency spends $2.5 billion annually on IT across more than 20 major systems, yet it still relies on a central data processing setup that went online in the 1960s to keep its revenue-collecting cogs turning.
Modernization
Funding bought taxpayers better service
After a previous year of hang-ups and frustration, taxpayers are getting better treatment from the IRS in 2016 as auditors man the customer service phone lines.
Digital Government
Navy Christens First Robot Ghost Ship
Autonomous vessels like this submarine hunter will play a growing role in future naval missions and will soon crowd the seas.
Cybersecurity
DHS information network gets new authentication tech
DHS has implemented backend authentication for users of the Homeland Security Information Network.
Digital Government
Facial-Recognition Software Might Have a Racial Bias Problem
Depending on how algorithms are trained, they could be significantly more accurate when identifying white faces than African American ones.
Acquisition
Renato 'Renny' DiPentima
For a legend of the federal IT community, decades of mentoring might be his most enduring legacy.
Digital Government
The Dark Side of Big Data
Surveillance and public-benefits programs gather large amounts of information on low-income people, feeding opaque algorithms that can trap them in poverty.
Modernization
Are Agencies Striking Strong Deals with Cloud Providers?
Agencies need to strengthen service level agreements with cloud providers, GAO noted.
Digital Government
Official: DHS Looking to Silicon Valley for Help on Internet of Things Security
During a budget hearing, a lawmaker asked Science & Technology under-secretary Reginald Brothers how the Department plans to secure the Internet of Things.
Digital Government
With New Programs, GSA Wants Startups to Sell To the Government. Will They Work?
The “Making It Easier” initiatives are a first step, but aren’t enough to attract startups to the federal market alone, experts say.
Digital Government
Can Google Build a City that Works Like the Internet?
Creating physical urban spaces that run on data—in ways that resemble the connectivity of the internet itself—has been a dream of Larry Page’s since he publicly floated the idea of “Google 2.0” in 2014.
Emerging Tech
Video: Here's What Riding a Virtual Reality Coaster Looks Like
Making loop-the-loops more intense, one headset at a time.
Emerging Tech
Can Bitcoin Save the World? Probably Not
The cryptocurrency is a powerful tool for early adopters and middle-class entrepreneurs, but it may not provide the opportunities in the developing world that its advocates claim.
Digital Government
US v. China: Who Gets to Define the Terms of Hacking?
An U.S. attempt to stem Chinese cybersecurity breaches was thwarted by the revelation that the two countries were actually doing similar things.
Modernization
WhatsApp Encryption Won’t Keep Your Messages Secret Unless You Also Do This
Privacy activists shouldn't get excited just yet.
Cybersecurity
It Only Costs $20 to Steal Someone’s Identity Online
Like any marketplace worth its salt, supply and demand set prices.
Digital Government
Homeland Security Exploring Body Cameras for Border Patrol
The agency issued a request for information for both body-worn cameras and vehicle-mounted camera systems.
Modernization
GAO says mostly good news on cloud contracts
Asked to examine cloud service agreements, GAO found room for improvement but said that overall, agencies are covering their bases.
Digital Government