People
Biden selects NSA veteran as national cyber director nominee
White House officials named former National Security Agency official Harry Coker, Jr. as the nominee to replace former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis amid the ongoing implementation of the new National Cyber Strategy.
Cybersecurity
VA CIO says a zero trust ‘North Star’ is essential to secure veteran data
VA Chief Information Officer Kurt DelBene told Nextgov/FCW that the department “faces a unique challenge” in adopting zero trust because of the need to secure veterans’ personal information.
Artificial Intelligence
Defense Department seeks insights on AI’s ability to diagnose brain injuries
The department wants to understand whether artificial intelligence and other technology prototypes can help diagnose, monitor and treat traumatic brain injuries.
Cybersecurity
IRS needs better documentation for its cyber threat hunts, watchdog says
A new report noted that a lack of “established policies and procedures” could prevent the tax agency from meeting federal requirements.
Cybersecurity
Cracks in ICE’s access controls increase agency cyber risk, watchdog finds
This isn’t the first DHS agency to come under fire for its access control deficiencies.
Ideas
CMS findings identify barriers to effective healthcare
COMMENTARY | Many of these issues are multifaceted and complex to address, and they would require collaboration between public and private sectors.
Modernization
Federal agencies plan to spend $770M ramping up their electric vehicle usage this year
The Biden administration has ambitious goals to electrify the federal fleet, but many obstacles remain.
Cybersecurity
'Evolving' CISA program helped agencies quickly respond to recent cyber incidents
CISA’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program uses close collaboration with federal agencies to identify and respond to cyber threats, including last month’s MOVEit breach.
CXO Briefing
CBP wants blockchain capability for its trade portal modernization
The law enforcement agency is conducting market research into distributed ledger technology that could be included in its efforts to update a trade processing portal.
Modernization
Labor Department shifts unemployment modernization plans after Congress slashes funding
The department is also facing questions from Republican lawmakers about how it’s using unemployment-focused funding.
Artificial Intelligence
Biden: New AI agreement will 'shepherd' responsible innovation, but legislation still needed
President Joe Biden made remarks following the announcement of new private sector AI accords, but members of Congress from both parties agreed with the need to develop regulatory law.
Digital Government
DOD’s data integration experiments help to identify benefits and barriers to new tech
“We want to fail,” the deputy chief of the Pentagon’s AI office said about a series of experiments supporting the Defense Department’s JADC2 efforts.
Policy
The Senate is on a bipartisan glidepath toward avoiding a shutdown, Schumer says
The way forward is still complicated by the House, which is pushing partisan spending bills along party lines.
Ideas
First contact with aliens could end in colonization and genocide if we don’t learn from history
COMMENTARY | SETI has been listening for markers that may indicate alien life – but is doing so ethical?
Artificial Intelligence
7 tech companies agree to White House’s new trustworthy AI commitments
While the Biden administration is working to engage in voluntary commitments with Silicon Valley, a planned executive order will codify next steps in securing the emerging technology.
Cybersecurity
FTC, HHS warn of potential privacy and security risks embedded in online health sites
The agencies noted hospitals and telehealth providers could be exposing sensitive patient health information through online tracking tools like Meta Pixel and Google Analytics.
Acquisition
VA’s work with outside vendors draws lawmaker scrutiny over conflicts of interest
Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., said VA’s claim it “had no occasions” where it identified an actual or potential conflict of interest with its contractors was “not believable.”
Cybersecurity
Justice to merge 2 offices in step with cyber implementation plan
The agency has been granted new and important roles under the Biden administration’s plan to safeguard U.S. digital networks.
Ideas
Eliminating bias in AI may be impossible – a computer scientist explains how to tame it instead
COMMENTARY | Blindly eliminating biases from AI systems can have unintended consequences.
Artificial Intelligence