Modernization
Federal CIO Outlines the Administration's 2020 Tech Priorities
Suzette Kent flagged priority data sets and a focus on supply chain security.
Cybersecurity
Silicon Valley Lawmaker Proposes Cyber Training for Every Federal Employee
Rep. Ro Khanna plans to introduce a bill that would require feds to learn basic cyber hygiene, including how to securely navigate the internet of things.
Policy
Privacy Bill Could Put Dishonest Tech Execs Behind Bars
The Mind Your Own Business Act would expand FTC authorities and introduce comprehensive new protections for consumers’ personal data.
Emerging Tech
House Committee Votes to Increase Funding for Energy’s DARPA by $2.9B
The House Science, Space and Technology Committee moved a bill to reauthorize ARPA-E with additional funding, as well as new restrictions and oversight.
Cybersecurity
Industry Wants More Legal Cover for Sharing Supply Chain Threats
Sharing potential threats are critical for ensuring companies avoid shady vendors, but under current laws, firms that do so could wind up in court.
Digital Government
EPA Rule Will Make Its Custom Code Open Source By Default
As part of the new policy, EPA will create an enterprise code inventory to classify the extent to which all custom-built software will be shared with other agencies and the general public.
Ideas
What America Didn’t Anticipate About China
For too long, policy makers ignored the possibility that China could transform the U.S., rather than the other way around.
Policy
Tech Giants Fight Digital Right-to-Repair Bills
Twenty states considered bills to allow independent repair shops and tinkerers to fix broken smartphones, laptops and other equipment.
Artificial Intelligence
Building the Public’s Trust in AI Is Key to Coming Guidance, White House Official Says
The administration’s assistant director for artificial intelligence shared details about an in-the-works memo to modernize agencies’ regulatory approaches to the emerging tech.
Digital Government
Senate Bill Would Open Some Weather Agency Models to the Public
The bill would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to share more weather modeling data with third parties and review possible innovations.
Cybersecurity
Budgetary, Technical Hurdles Continue Hampering 2020 Election Security Prep
A Congressional field hearing in Illinois highlighted how far states and local jurisdictions have come since 2016, and how far they have to go.
Digital Government
Trump Signs Order Requiring Agencies to Offset Some New Spending
Researchers have suggested the Bush-era policy could hurt program management.
Digital Government
How Trump's Defiance of Impeachment Probe Could Leave Federal Employees Criminally Liable
As White House pledges no cooperation, experts say employees have options to remain on a legal path.
Cybersecurity
Senate Intel Committee: Russia Is Already Trying to Influence the 2020 Election
In its report, the Republican-led committee pushes back against Trump’s efforts to point fingers elsewhere.
Cybersecurity
The Pentagon is Standing Up a Nonprofit to Assess Vendor Cybersecurity
The organization would be responsible for running the department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification.
Modernization
GSA to Take Corrective Action on DEOS Cloud Contract
The General Services Administration will rework the Defense Enterprise Office Solutions contract to address a bid protest.
Cybersecurity
DOJ Makes Another Plea for Encryption Backdoors
While officials have long framed end-to-end encryption as an impediment to fighting terrorism, the department is now focusing on its impacts on child sex abuse.
Emerging Tech
FAA Certifies UPS to Operate Nation’s First Drone-Delivery Airline
The company’s subsidiary will expand its unmanned aircraft operation to transport potentially life-saving medical supplies.
Modernization
TSA’s Cloud Future Will Be A Hybrid of Agency-Approved Services
The agency released its Cloud Strategy 2.0, which calls for a mix of public and private cloud, but only from vendors pre-cleared by TSA.
Emerging Tech