Digital Government
Congress Expects to Pass Another Stopgap Spending Bill to Keep Agencies Open Through Dec. 20
Lawmakers hope to pass full-year appropriations before the new deadline and avoid another holiday season shutdown.
Emerging Tech
Lawmakers Want to Ban Unauthorized Drones from Flying Over Stadium Concerts
The FAA currently only issues temporary flight restrictions during sporting events, but a bipartisan group of senators wants to protect stadium skies during all types of events.
Artificial Intelligence
Report: Government Needs Investment, Cooperation on AI
A report commissioned by industry and government AI leaders highlights national security challenges around artificial intelligence.
Digital Government
Defense Secretary Says to Expect ‘Trimming, Reducing, Some Eliminations’ in 2021 Budget
Esper touts "good progress" in high-level review intended to cut fat and find funds for projects to counter China and Russia.
Cybersecurity
Election Commission Needs More Authority In Face of 2020 Threats, Report Finds
“The federal government regulates colored pencils . . . more strictly than it does America’s election infrastructure,” the nonpartisan Brennan Center notes.
Digital Government
Agencies Are Sending Better Data to USASpending But Still Have Room for Improvement, GAO Says
Confusion over data standards, process and transparency remain.
Modernization
Can CBP Stand Up an Electronic Health Records System in 90 Days?
Lawmakers eager to see Customs and Border Protection digitize its health care system are pushing a bill that would give the agency three months to go from paper to electronic records.
Cybersecurity
House Committee to Hold Hearing on the Online Exploitation of Veterans
A veteran, a scientist and representatives from Facebook and Twitter are all set to testify.
Policy
Federal Lawmakers Push '.Gov' Web Addresses For Local Governments
A new U.S. Senate bill comes amid concerns that online criminals can “spoof” the public with fake government websites.
Digital Government
Justice Department Announces ‘Strike Force’ to Combat Procurement Crimes
The interagency partnership aims to prevent bid-rigging at all levels of government.
Cybersecurity
DISA Official: ‘No One Knows’ How Cyber Standards Will Impact Contractor Pool
Many small businesses might find themselves excluded from the Pentagon’s most sensitive tech projects under the new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification.
Cybersecurity
A Plan to Engage Hackers in Election Security
The Information Technology-Information Sharing and Analysis Center wants to create a coordinated vulnerability disclosure program that could alert vendors about security flaws in their voting systems.
Ideas
The Zero-Day War? How Cyber is Reshaping the Future of the Most Combustible Conflicts
Recent history has shown that states often use their offensive cyber arsenals to achieve surprisingly de-escalatory effects.
Ideas
Twitter Is Banning Political Ads – But the Real Battle for Democracy Is with Facebook and Google
Twitter’s political ad ban will have little effect on elections around the globe.
Digital Government
Border Agents Can Now Get Classified Intelligence Information. Experts Call That Dangerous.
The Trump administration is creating a center that will give immigration agents access to information from U.S. intelligence agencies. Migrants and others denied entry will be unable to see the evidence against them because it is classified.
Digital Government
Trump Revokes Obama Order That Had Limited Hiring Options for Some Contractors
Contracting experts had been critical of the lack of flexibility for managers under a rule requiring certain companies to hire employees from their predecessors.
Ideas
How Automation Can Lead to Better Ethics Compliance
For one thing, it can help formalize the process.
Cybersecurity
Interior Grounds All Drones With Ties to Chinese Companies
The decision comes months after agency officials approved purchases of aircraft built by the Chinese firm SZ DJI Technology.
Cybersecurity
Civilian Vendor Cybersecurity Certification Would Look Very Different From DOD
A civilian counterpart to the Pentagon’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification would need to suit the varying missions across government, according to federal deputy CIO Margie Graves.
Digital Government