Artificial Intelligence
AWS GovCloud gets high-level security approvals for Anthropic and Meta AI models
Select versions of the Claude and Llama foundation models will be available for public sector customers via the AWS GovCloud.
Digital Government
Civic tech leaders worry DOGE is ‘tarnishing’ its tools to improve government
USDS, the White House team DOGE took over in January, was a flagship civic tech organization. Six months later, civic tech is figuring out what’s next.
Cybersecurity
CISA’s executive director is leaving the agency
Bridget Bean had been with CISA for over three years, during which time she also briefly served as the acting director of the cyber agency.
Artificial Intelligence
Democrats raise alarm over AI-driven contract cuts at VA
Connecticut Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said DOGE’s use of an AI tool resulted in the “wholesale slashing” of VA contracts.
Artificial Intelligence
Senate reconciliation bill text tweaks state AI regulation ban
The Senate Commerce Committee would block some funding from states that want to regulate the technology. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of lawmakers have said any moratorium should be dropped altogether.
Artificial Intelligence
Trump’s AI and Crypto Czar touts AI policy that prioritizes U.S. proliferation and innovation
David Sacks called for removing regulatory red tape that is getting in the way of broader AI innovation and adoption.
Acquisition
US spy chief wants intel community to get away from building its own tech
Speaking at the AWS Summit in D.C., Tulsi Gabbard pushed for industry to provide the U.S. spy community with tech tools, and said AI systems have already been helping analysts with major tasks like document declassification.
Acquisition
AWS launches second secret cloud region for defense, intel customers
The company intends to have the new region live by the end of the year.
Ideas
Tech Trends Transforming the Public Sector
COMMENTARY | Emerging technologies like generative AI are already transforming public sector services.
Emerging Tech
IBM bets on novel error-correction for scalable quantum computing
The company’s forthcoming quantum processor, IBM Starling, was unveiled today, with officials saying it promises efficiency without burdensome overhead.
Digital Government
Trump guts Biden-era digital identity policies, citing false claims about immigrants
The rollback of policies that were intended to help counter fraud comes even as the Trump administration says that fighting fraud is a top priority.
People
FBI’s Brett Leatherman to take lead of bureau’s cyber division
Leatherman said in a recent LinkedIn post that FBI Director Kash Patel elevated him to the role.
Cybersecurity
US agencies assessed Chinese telecom hackers likely hit data center and residential internet providers
Data center giant Digital Realty and mass media titan Comcast were documented as likely victims of the Salt Typhoon cyberespionage group, people familiar say, marking a potentially major expansion of the group’s initial telecom hacking campaign discovered last year.
Ideas
SecDef’s recipe for procurement: A dash of DOGE with a pinch of Obama
COMMENTARY | The Defense Department’s recent contracting directives are sweeping, but will they be successful?
Cybersecurity
Trump cyber executive order aims to amend ‘problematic’ parts of Biden, Obama cyber orders
The order strips certain Biden-era cyber directives and looks to orient federal cyber policy around concrete technical measures, including secure software development, quantum-resistant encryption and labeling standards for IoT devices.
Cybersecurity
DOJ files complaint to get nearly $8 million in stolen funds back from North Korea
The DPRK has long been tracked as a cyber actor that uses worker schemes to steal funds for its missile program and other regime goals.
Exclusive
Digital Government
Direct File is 'beloved by its users,' internal IRS report says
The IRS is reportedly ending the Direct File, but a report obtained via the Freedom of Information Act says that 94% of users rated their experience as “excellent” or “above average.”
Artificial Intelligence
Inside OpenAI’s wishlist for the House AI-Energy working group
Comments submitted by OpenAI leadership to a House group dedicated to AI and energy reiterated the need for broad infrastructure investments.
Ideas
This CISA Project should serve as the roadmap to managing cyber risk and efficiency in a cloud era
COMMENTARY | Advanced threats, including ransomware, supply chain breaches and nation-state attacks, exploit the fact that the current approach to cloud security needs improvement.
Cybersecurity