Digital Government

House passes defense spending bill with fourth-estate cuts

The $717 billion 2019 National Defense Authorization Act sailed through the House.

Modernization

A silver bullet for budget formulation

As agencies push modernization, they should ditch risky spreadsheets and leverage automation to improve budgeting processes.

Artificial Intelligence

The Future of AI Depends on High-School Girls

Women make up one-quarter of computer scientists. But in the field of artificial intelligence those numbers are likely much lower.

Policy

Lawmaker Threatens USDA Officials with 'Legislative Metrics' to Preserve Telework

Rep. Gerry Connolly calls Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s recent rollback of telework at the agency “retrograde.”

Cybersecurity

Army looks to retool risk management

Col. Donald Bray, the Army's acting cyber director, explained how the service is adapting the Defense Department’s risk management framework guidance to fit its operational needs.

Cybersecurity

Looking forward to a more-flexible CDM

Agency officials hope the new CDM DEFEND vehicle will eliminate mismatches between cybersecurity solutions and legacy tech at agencies and promote better communication between vendors and program managers.

Digital Government

A Court Has Ruled That Donald Trump Blocking Users on Twitter Is Unconstitutional

A decision for the social media age.

Cybersecurity

FBI Stands Firm on ‘Going Dark’ Problem While Acknowledging Inflated Data

The bureau may have overstated by three times or more the number of encrypted devices it couldn’t access last year.

Policy

Pentagon Bans Personal Devices from Classified Areas

That includes phones, smartwatches and other devices that can transmit, store and receive data.

Digital Government

Trump can't block Twitter critics, judge rules

A federal judge took the side of First Amendment advocates and blocked social media users in a ruling that sets limits on what public officials can do to curate their Twitter accounts.

Acquisition

CDM acquisition gets simpler

The General Services Administration is building more flexibility into the acquisition vehicles for cybersecurity services that are part of the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation Program.

People

CIOs push back on FITARA scores

Officials at two agencies with low Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act grades pushed back on their scores and outlined their future modernization plans before a House panel.

Emerging Tech

The Surprising Company Beating Apple and Google in Mobile Payments

Nothing motivates people quite like coffee.

Digital Government

U.S. Digital Service Will Teach You How to Buy the Latest Tech

Federal employees can learn best practices for digital procurement in a new certification program.

Artificial Intelligence

A County Using Amazon’s Facial Recognition Worried About Giving Off “A Big Brother Vibe”

The county has reportedly used the facial recognition tools about 20 times per day.

Modernization

Pentagon cracks down on personal mobile devices

Under a new policy, Defense employees and contractors are restricted from bringing their personal mobile devices into secure areas designated for processing, handling and discussion of classified information.