Cybersecurity
DHS: App Vetting Tools Are a Must-Have for Agencies, Despite Their Flaws
There’s still no ideal way to integrate mobile security tools, but that shouldn’t stop agencies from using them, according to Homeland Security researchers.
Modernization
Leveraging Technology to Clear Criminal Records
Cook County, Illinois, will automatically expunge low-level convictions for marijuana offenses using software from Code for America.
Modernization
Lawmakers: VA’s Main Website—Designed To Be One-Stop For Vets—Is Missing Critical Links
Three lawmakers penned a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie asking the agency to add Congressionally-mandated links to VA.gov and the eBenefits site.
Modernization
Facebook Expands Tool That Lets Local Governments Send Alerts
The system will offer authorities a way to send targeted notifications about emergencies and other issues to residents.
Cybersecurity
DHS Asks for Feedback on Vulnerability Disclosure Program
Officials plan to create a public form where security researchers can submit weaknesses they uncover in the agency’s IT infrastructure.
Digital Government
Pentagon Sees ‘No Major Concerns’ With Raytheon-United Technologies Merger
The Defense Department’s top weapons buyer, Ellen Lord, gives stamp of approval to what would be the second-largest defense and aerospace company ever.
Ideas
Multicloud Only Works if the Pentagon Starts Looking at It Holistically
By utilizing multicloud, Defense can move past the lag of legacy systems and begin replacing with new innovative technology.
Digital Government
GSA Hits First Deadline On New Federal Identity Management Policy
The agency was tasked with creating a catalog of identity, credential and access management options within three months of a memo issued by OMB.
Artificial Intelligence
Patent Office Wants Public Feedback on Artificial Intelligence Inventions
The agency will accept comments for 45 days.
Emerging Tech
New Rule Will Let Energy’s Labs Show Off Latest Tech To Attract Industry
The Energy Department has a mandate to push new technologies into the private sector. A new rule allows the labs to hold demos to get industry excited.
Digital Government
TSA Agents Say They’re Not Discriminating Against Black Women, But Their Body Scanners Might Be
The full-body scanners at airports across the country frequently give false alarms for Afros, braids, twists and other hairstyles popular among black women.
Digital Government
When Transgender Travelers Walk Into Scanners, Invasive Searches Sometimes Wait on the Other Side
Transgender and gender nonconforming people say they have been pressured to expose their genitals during TSA searches at airports. The encounters stem from shortcomings in the agency’s technology and insufficient training of its staff.
Policy
Phone Companies Make Pact with State Attorneys General to Combat Robocalls
As part of the agreement, 12 phone carriers pledged to implement call-blocking technology and to monitor their networks for illegal robocalls.
Digital Government
Trump Signs Constituent Services Bill into Law
A bill to modernize constituent services is now the law of the land.
Cybersecurity
CISA Chief Unveils Vision for Federal Cybersecurity
Civilian agencies shouldn’t all be forced to manage their own cyber risks, Chris Krebs said.
Cybersecurity
Senators Question Traffic Safety Agency About Cyber Dangers Posed by Internet-Connected Cars
Sens. Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal want to know why investors have been made more aware of the potential cyber risks than the general public.
Digital Government
Defense Department Inaction Is Hurting Effort to Improve Pentagon Efficiency
Officials are nearly two years late in meeting some congressional requirements, a watchdog found.
Cybersecurity
Playing Defense Against Chinese Tech Threats ‘Will Only Get Us So Far,’ Lawmaker Says
Rep. Mike Gallagher said the government needs to take a more active role in curbing the global rise of Huawei and other Chinese tech companies.
Cybersecurity
Coordinated Ransomware Attack in Texas Seen as Escalation From Prior Hacks
Twenty-three local governments were attacked over the weekend. The willingness of city governments to pay ransoms may be emboldening opportunistic hackers, security experts warn.
Ideas