Digital Government
FCW Insider: Dec. 14
The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.
Cybersecurity
Reports: Suspected Russian Hackers Breach Commerce, Treasury Departments
U.S. officials are investigating what data may have been stolen and whether the hack is more widespread.
Ideas
Your Robot Vacuum Could Spy on You
Researchers managed to recover speech data with high accuracy.
Ideas
Why It's Hard to Get People to Take COVID Seriously
It's difficult for public health agencies to raise the right amount of fear in people, an expert says.
Digital Government
Trump Signs Stopgap Funding, Deferring Shutdown Threat for One Week
Many hurdles remain in avoiding a shutdown come Dec. 18.
Digital Government
Federal Employees to Get a Full Day Off on Christmas Eve
President Trump issues an executive order that breaks with recent precedent by granting vacation for all of Dec. 24, rather than a half-day.
Cybersecurity
Presidential Advisers Make the Case for a New Cybersecurity Center for Sharing Threats
Current federal efforts to help mitigate threats against privately operated critical infrastructure fall short, according to a National Infrastructure Advisory Council report.
Ideas
Computer Science Jobs Pay Well and Are Growing Fast. Why Are They Out of Reach for So Many of America's Students?
If students from certain groups are being shut out of the field, it means that public education is failing in its role as the great equalizer.
Modernization
$496M Contract Will Give DOD Engineering Capabilities, Official Says
A new Pentagon five-year contracting vehicle will support modernization and the development of the joint warfighting concept and promote technological innovation.
Emerging Tech
Intel Agencies Seek to Perfect Biometric Recognition from Drones
Intelligence and military researchers want to merge facial recognition with other biometric methods to identify people from long distances and steep angles
Acquisition
New rule lets contractors seek religious exemptions to anti-discrimination policies
The move will make it easier for companies that are organized around faith-based activities to evade certain civil rights laws and policies when making hiring decisions.
Emerging Tech
Army Issues $25M Sole-Source Contract to Monitor COVID-19 Vaccine Temperatures
The contract is part of the governmentwide effort to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are safely delivered.
Modernization
GSA sketches next steps for CEOS, Polaris and EIS
Small business, telecommunications and cloud productivity tool contracts are top of mind for GSA’s acquisition service in coming year.
People
Pandemic pivots at State, FCC
The necessary wave of IT adaptation to the pandemic showed federal CIOs and agencies they could move quickly and efficiently to modernize.
Ideas
5 Rules to Keep Breaking Barriers in Government
The pandemic disrupted how agencies conducted business but federal leaders can harness that momentum.
Digital Government
Senate passes NDAA but veto threat looms
Lawmakers in the House and Senate passed the annual defense bill by margins sufficient to override a presidential veto but some Republican may decide to switch their votes if President Trump decides to reject the bill for reasons unrelated to national security.
Cybersecurity
FBI, CISA, State Leaders Warn Schools About Ransomware Threats
The percentage of ransomware attacks perpetrated against schools more than doubled in 2020.
Ideas
Workers Are Looking for Direction from Management—and Any Map Is Better than No Map
The consequences of just continuing to wing it are piling up.
Digital Government