Cybersecurity
New Funding for Election Security Assistance Doesn’t Go Far Enough, Experts Say
Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Congress appropriated $425 million for states to help secure election infrastructure.
Ideas
Why Saying 'OK Boomer' at Work Is Considered Age Discrimination – but Millennial Put-Downs Aren't
Workers aged 40 and older are protected by a federal statute that prohibits harassment and discrimination on the basis of age.
Emerging Tech
Proposed FAA Rule Would Kickstart New Economy For IDing Drones
The new remote ID rule would require all unmanned aircraft systems to have a unique identifier that can be tracked by the FAA, law enforcement and the general public.
Policy
OMB Finishes Major Tech Policy Overhauls in 2019
The Office of Management and Budget reworked several policies—some of which hadn’t been updated in a decade.
Digital Government
Trump Finalizes Pay Raise for Feds in 2020
The new pay tables are out: Federal employees will see a 2.6% increase in basic pay next year, with an average 0.5% increase in locality pay.
Digital Government
OPM Proposes Making It Easier to Rehire Former Feds
Under a new plan from the Office of Personnel Management, federal agencies would be able to rehire former federal workers at a higher pay grade than their previous job, provided they were high performers.
Digital Government
Agencies Will Start 2020 With 20 Data Actions to Complete by Year’s End
The administration released the Federal Data Strategy Action Plan for the next year, adding four more action items from the draft released in summer.
Cybersecurity
Homeland Security Releases TIC 3.0 Use Cases with Additional Guidance
The government’s cybersecurity department released a draft set of use cases and other guidance to help agencies build secure networks in the age of cloud and mobile.
Emerging Tech
Lawmaker Asks DHS Secretary to Reassess Facial Recognition Programs After NIST Report
A National Institute of Standards and Technology report found age, race and gender could impact the accuracy in some commonly-used facial recognition algorithms.
Digital Government
Trump Signs 2020 Spending Bills, Averting Midnight Shutdown
The $1.4 trillion measures boost funding for most agencies and provide a 3.1% pay raise to civilian feds.
Policy
Congress Approves Bill to Crack Down on Scam Robocalls
“There are no blue robocalls; there are no red robocalls — only despised robocalls.”
Digital Government
Russia Plans to Cut Off Some Internet Access Next Week
The Dec. 23 test aims to evaluate a system meant to control traffic, veil hackers, and quash dissent.
Emerging Tech
U.S., Japan Sign International Statement on Quantum Cooperation
The move comes as both nations are making strategic investments to accelerate advancements across the quantum landscape.
Modernization
App Rationalization Is Not About 'Low-Hanging Fruit'
While agencies often look for quick wins on new administration policies, the application rationalization process is not one of those areas, an official said.
Digital Government
How California’s Consumer Privacy Act Will Become the Digital Law of the Land
Under the law, the onus is on consumers to request that companies disclose or delete their personal data. But more states and the federal government could still jump into the privacy debate.
Digital Government
The Governmentwide Tech Guide to the 2020 Spending Deals
The 2020 appropriations package includes billions for tech upgrades at some agencies, as well as funding for governmentwide modernization projects. In some cases, that money comes with strings attached.
Policy
Lawmakers Raise Concerns About a China-Led World Intellectual Property Organization
As WIPO searches for a new leader, U.S. lawmakers worry about China’s nomination.
Digital Government
Agencies Can Start Prepping Systems for DUNS Transition
The government will need to prepare for next year’s transition or risk the federal contracting version of Y2K.
Digital Government
Experts Praise New Acquisition Workforce Training Requirements
The “significant” provisions will align the public and private sectors, said one.
Modernization