Modernization

Defense considers allowing cookies on its websites

The policy would likely require visitors to permit Defense sites to place on their computers tracking devices, which have become common on commercial sites.

Digital Government

Supreme Court upholds search of a police officer's messages

Justices avoid tackling the broader question of how much privacy government employees can expect when texting on work devices.

Digital Government

Florida site catches what the Census missed

The cloud-based platform will become a redistricting tool next year, using Census data collected this year.

Digital Government

Navy CIO Carey Casts Off

Rob Carey, the Navy's chief information officer, said in a statement he expects to weigh anchor and move to a new position inside government, most likely by the end of the summer.

Digital Government

Where's Your BlackBerry?

That's a question that 13 employees of the Veterans Affairs Department would have a hard time answering, said VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker said in a call with reporters on Wednesday. The unlucky 13 reported they lost their portable gizmos in the month of May.

Ideas

Twitter Down

Twitter, the ever-growing popular microblogging social network, has experienced some trouble in the past few days. Users increasingly have seen periods during which the site is over capacity and it slows down as a result. Company execs have acknowledged the site isn't quite ready to handle the high traffic demands, but as these delays become more regular, it begs the question: What should Twitter really be used for, and does the federal government fit that model?

Cybersecurity

Labor supports overhaul of FBI background checks

A consortium of 42 union and labor advocacy groups has endorsed a new bill that would improve the way the FBI performs criminal background checks used for pre-employment screening.

Cybersecurity

US-CERT needs stronger regulatory teeth, larger staff, IG says

The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team needs to be able to compel agencies to follow its computer security recommendations, according to the Homeland Security Department's inspector general.

Cybersecurity

Obama Cuts, But Not Security

If you had reservations about the importance of cybersecurity to President Obama, his fiscal 2012 budget guidance ought to give you some relief. The president has requested a five percent cut in discretionary spending, but only to all non-security agencies.

Digital Government

Security concerns persist about microchips used in smart devices

The military's use of smart phones and similar products could force the U.S. to confront the geopolitics of microchip manufacturing, blogger Brian Robinson writes.

Digital Government

Tougher Standards for Cyber Training?

The federal government must create robust training standards for cybersecurity workers and continually validate that those standards are effective, an expert on cybersecurity issues told a Senate committee on Tuesday.

Digital Government

The Default Problem for EMRs

Leaving systems on default settings have been a big problem for computer users when it comes to <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090729_2566.php>peer to peer programs</a> and even <a href=http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2007/09/hacking_so_easy_a_cave_man_can.php>major networks</a>.

Modernization

White House advisers soliciting ideas for 'golden triangle' technologies

The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology is the latest to create an open government Web platform to discuss what they are calling the "golden triangle" of new technologies.

Digital Government

Flatten your network to consolidate data centers

Network consolidation -- "flattening" -- is not the only component, but it is a key element of simplifying data center operations and improving data center performance, some industry experts say.

Cybersecurity

Interior loses CD with personal data for 7,500 federal employees

The Interior Department's National Business Center in Denver hasn't found a compact disc that contains personally identifiable information for 7,500 federal employees

People

Navy, GSA in search of tech leaders

Navy CIO Robert Carey is expected to take on new duties within the Navy, while the General Services Administration is looking for a deputy CIO to be the liaison to other senior GSA officials.