Digital Government

Survey: Tech Employees Less Comfortable Negotiating Salary in COVID-19 Era

Fewer employees at large tech companies are talking salary with their managers during the pandemic.

Cybersecurity

With furloughs looming, union pleads for deal on USCIS funding

The immigration agency is seeking $1.2 billion to keep employees working through an anticipated financial shortfall it links to the pandemic.

Artificial Intelligence

Facial Recognition Algorithms Struggle to Detect Faces Under Masks, NIST Study Finds

A new study from the National Institute of Standards and Technology found facial recognition algorithms developed pre-pandemic struggle to identify masked faces.

Ideas

Lawmakers Keen to Break Up 'Big Tech' Like Amazon and Google Need to Realize the World has Changed a Lot Since Microsoft and Standard Oil

Those cases may seem similar to today’s situation, but this era is different in one crucial way: the global technology marketplace.

Emerging Tech

How the Energy Department Is Powering NASA’s Soon-to-Launch Mars Rover

Undersecretary for Science Paul Dabbar offered a glimpse into the agency’s efforts beyond Earth.

Acquisition

DHS seeks permanent flexible acquisition authorities

Temporary acquisition authorities that aid the Department of Homeland Security in getting innovative commercial technologies and goods in response to the COVID-19 crisis should be lasting tools in the department's acquisition toolbox, the agency's top acquisition official told a Senate panel.

Ideas

Racing the Clock on Election Security

There are less than 100 days left until the presidential election.

Cybersecurity

Researchers disclose widespread bootloader vulnerability

New research from Eclypsium details a simple buffer overflow bug that could impact billions of devices using Linux and Windows operating systems.

Digital Government

FCW Insider: July 29

The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.

Digital Government

Quick Hits

None

Modernization

CBP Gets $15M from Modernization Fund to Ditch Its Last Mainframe

The Customs and Border Protection Agency plans to upgrade a system that tracks imported goods and still relies on COBOL. 

People

Senior execs group pushes OPM re-org

As part of a plan to revitalize federal employment, the Senior Executives Association is looking to take the government's top human resources official out of the political fray with a 5- to 8-year appointment.

Digital Government

The State of Customer Experience

Federal agencies had been working to improve service delivery—then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. 

Digital Government

NIH Commits $58 Million to Advance Data Science in Africa

The ultimate hope is to help advance quantitative and qualitative research and health on the continent.

Digital Government

4 Million Americans Waited Over an Hour in Line at Social Security Field Offices in 2019

Two separate Social Security Administration inspector general audits provide a detailed picture of customer experience over the past decade at the agency.

Cybersecurity

Navy shifts to zero trust mindset to deal with COVID-related telework

Yesterday's buzzword has become today's security imperative, according to the department's CISO.

Modernization

CBP lands TMF award to modernize legacy system

Customs and Border Protection won a $15M award to update a COBOL-based fee collection system and move it to the cloud.

Digital Government

HUD IG Warns Agencies to Watch Out for Bidding Fraud

Procurement officials should be on alert for anticompetitive bidding scheme and possible collusion, the agency’s inspector general says.

Ideas

A Test and Trace Strategy for Reconnecting to Government Networks

Agencies shifted to large-scale work from home operations but little thought has been given to how to secure these networks when workers return to the office. 

Digital Government

COVID: We need to talk about social responsibility

Individualism is a big part of American culture, Steve Kelman notes. But it's not the only part, and leaders must encourage others.