Emerging Tech

114 Lawmakers Push to Fund Clean Energy Research

The group wants $500 million for the Energy Department’s advanced research projects agency, which would be eliminated under the White House’s 2020 budget request.

Digital Government

Survey: Four in Five Industry Tech Execs Favor Federal Privacy Law

Corporate America’s top tech officials favor a privacy law even if they aren’t sure how to adhere to it.

Digital Government

Expunging Criminal Records Offers Clear Benefits—But Few People Take Advantage

New research finds that automatic expungement of nonviolent criminal records could be a boon for eligible offenders, but few apply when the process is complicated.

Digital Government

OPM Is Giving CIOs More Direct Hiring Authority But Plans To Keep A Watchful Eye

The administration has been gathering feedback on giving agency CIOs more power over direct hiring authorities and plans to publish the final rule soon.

Digital Government

The Race to Code the Curb

Everyone—from ride-hailing cars to delivery trucks to bikes and scooters—wants a piece of the curb. How can smart cities map and manage this precious resource?

Emerging Tech

Interior Doubled Its Use of Drones in 2018

The agency flew more than 10,000 unmanned missions to survey federal land, monitor wildlife and respond to natural disasters.

Cybersecurity

Identity Theft Services Inefficient at Addressing Data Breach Risks, Watchdog Says

The Government Accountability Office also recommended that Congress should reconsider allowing federal agencies how much coverage is appropriate to offer.

Emerging Tech

Why Trump Wants to Go to the Moon So Badly

The administration has vowed to return Americans to the lunar surface in 2024 “by any means necessary.”

Digital Government

DEA Never Checked If Its Massive Surveillance Operations Are Legal, Watchdog Says

The administration “failed to conduct a comprehensive legal analysis” of three NSA-style bulk data collection programs, according to the Justice Department Inspector General.

Policy

HUD Sues Facebook For Violating Fair Housing Rules With Targeted Ads

Facebook’s ad system allowed companies to target users based on a number of protected classes, including race, sex, nationality and general interests.

Modernization

How NARA’s Helping Agencies on the Path to a Fully Electronic Government

Officials are developing ways for agencies to measure their efforts to achieve fully digital records management by the December deadline.

Artificial Intelligence

The Pentagon is ‘Absolutely Unapologetic’ About Pursuing AI-Powered Weapons

The controversy surrounding military artificial intelligence is rooted in “grave misperceptions” about what the department is actually trying to do, according to current and former Defense officials.

Digital Government

Trump's Top Budget Official Defends 2020 Pay Freeze to Congress

OMB chief pledges to work with agencies to develop performance and mission-based pay plans.

Digital Government

Empowering Regulators Could Stop the Next Equifax Breach, Watchdog Says

Giving the regulatory agencies more power to punish companies after breaches could make industry invest more in cybersecurity, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Modernization

Management, Not Money, Will Make or Break VA Modernization, Lawmakers Say

“We are no longer on the cusp of transformation, we are in the middle of it,” Secretary Robert Wilkie told senators.

Policy

Contractors and Advocacy Groups Push Back on State Efforts to Mandate Surveillance Software

State legislation pushed by one company to require contractors to install the software would compromise data privacy and carry steep costs for companies and governments, the groups argue.

Digital Government

OMB is Dropping the Ball on DATA Act Management, Watchdog Says

The office lacks a formal process for revising data standards, and it doesn’t clearly tell agencies when changes are made, the Government Accountability Office found.