Cybersecurity

Privacy Gets a Boost

Privacy groups have been pushing for years to revise a federal privacy law that pertains to digital media. They got a start yesterday. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said they intend to hold hearings this spring on amending the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.

Modernization

Justice IG hits FBI's Sentinel IT program

Rising costs and delays with the FBI’s project for a Web-enabled electronic case management system worry the Justice Department’s inspector general.

Acquisition

Is GSA gunning for other GWACs?

Blogger Steve Kelman argues that the federal government is better off having GSA compete with other agencies for acquisition business.

Acquisition

Administration hopes for ripple effect from outsourcing policy

The administration wants a workforce that can carry out the government's operations and reduce the reliance on contractors.

Ideas

E-Pay Stubs: Thinking About Defaults

Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/blog/10/03/29/SAVEings/">announced</a> on Monday that the National Finance Center, which processes payroll for 675,000 federal employees, will start issuing electronic pay stubs as a default.

Modernization

NASA engineers join Toyota investigation

The Transportation Department, looking into alleged acceleration problems with Toyota vehicles, is getting help from NASA engineers with expertise in electronics and software.

Digital Government

HHS' PR Contract Draws Criticism

It didn't take long for controversy to swirl around a $26 million contract the Health and Human Services Department recently <a href=http://healthitupdate.nextgov.com/2010/03/madison_ave_to_gild_health_it.php>awarded</a> to a major public relations firm to sooth the public's fear that their privacy may be compromised as the medical industry moves to electronic health records. (Nearly 60 percent of Americans surveyed last year said they were not confident that their medical information would be properly protected in an EHR, according to <a href=http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/upload/7887.pdf>a poll</a> conducted by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University's School of Public Health.)

People

DOD IT nominee lacks military experience, but does that matter?

Teresa Takai's strong information technology and government background are enough to overcome her lack of military experience, industry officials say.

Digital Government

Public Sector Lags on IT Benefits

While providing a flexible and desirable working environment is necessary to attracting and retaining the younger, technology-oriented workforce, only 13 percent of state and local government agencies provide workers with laptop computers, according to a new <a href="http://www.govexec.com/pdfs/033110ww.pdf">study</a> by Intel and IT consultant Wipro.

Digital Government

White House wants industry's help on IT managment

The Obama administration wants to apply industry's best practices to how the government manages large, expensive IT projects.

Acquisition

OFPP proposes tests for deciding when to outsource work

OFPP publishes proposed policy to help agencies decide when work should be outsourced to contractors.

Modernization

White House gets its own EHR

Federal News Radio