Data Governance
The perimeter is gone. Security has to follow the data.
COMMENTARY | Many zero trust plans are still anchored to the old idea of the border. That protects a version of government IT that no longer exists.
Government service delivery needs standard definitions, former government tech leaders say
A patchwork of technical definitions mean Americans are missing out on benefits and agencies face an additional administrative burden, a new paper from Democratic think tank Searchlight Institute says.
Energy expects $74M in annual savings from new AI and data tools
The agency is expanding an enterprise data platform to all department elements and increasingly using artificial intelligence in daily operations.
FDA launches updated AI and consolidated data platform
The Food and Drug Administration’s flagship internal AI tool, Elsa, is being integrated with the data platform so that staff can accomplish work more easily.
Treasury is creating a database with pandemic aid recipients’ sensitive information
Critics say the scope established in the agency’s systems of record notice “is an astonishing and dramatic departure from prior Treasury practice.”
Trump’s goal to create state-by-state citizenship lists isn’t feasible, experts say
A Tuesday executive order mandating that DHS create state-by-state citizenship lists is Trump’s latest effort to exert some control over state-run elections.
Agency data leads worry about staff capacity to tackle statutory requirements, survey finds
The Data Foundation found that some 40% of chief data officers lost six or more employees last year.
Safe AI pathfinding is essential for government adoption, officials say
GSA's architecture lead for AI services said standardized evaluation helps users identify the right models for their needs.
Lawmakers raise questions about security of health data shared with AI tools
“I do think there's some consumer safeguards that should be implemented,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said about the way AI firms may apply users’ healthcare data.
IRS CEO largely dodges questions about data sharing at IRS, SSA
Frank Bisignano cited “current litigation” for why he could not provide further details about IRS data sharing with ICE, and he disputed court records detailing how DOGE employees handled data at SSA.
LGBTQ data is disappearing under Trump, reports find
Government agencies have gotten rid of gender identity and sexual orientation data elements from over 360 data collections over the last year.
Senators demand details on DOGE’s data access following revelations of improperly shared SSA data
While Sens. Michael Crapo, R-Idaho, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are asking for more information from SSA, Democrats in the lower chamber want to compel the agency to hand it over using a “resolution of inquiry.”
Featured eBooks
Long before TikTok, the clock Was ticking on standards for foreign-owned apps
COMMENTARY | If the U.S. lacks consistent standards for protecting user data, other nations can develop algorithms and technologies that advance their own interests.
Report: Federal statistical system needs help to meet its ‘basic mission’ in the face of upheaval
Statistical agencies have lost scores of staff under the Trump administration, threatening their ability to meet their mission, according to a new report from the American Statistical Association.
Social Security occupational data update appears stalled after agency drops regulatory overhaul
The Social Security Administration has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to update the occupational data used in disability adjudications. When the agency will actually move to newer data is unclear.
Nearly 20 Democratic states inadvertently share driver data with ICE, lawmakers say
Nlets, a nonprofit law enforcement info-sharing network, can share state residents’ information with immigration agencies, federal lawmakers said Wednesday.
Exclusive
Labor Department looks to pilot intaking unemployment claims for states
The effort follows the department’s notice that it may create a national claims database, a move critics say raises cybersecurity, privacy and surveillance risks.
Class action lawsuit alleges data consolidation within USCIS is illegal
Plaintiffs represented by a coalition of advocacy groups have argued that drawing searchable data from other government agencies into a system maintained by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services “far exceed” that system’s scope.
Democratic report: DOGE is risking Americans’ data by operating outside federal law
A report released by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said a lack of restrictions on DOGE employees’ collection of sensitive data can result “in serious cybersecurity vulnerabilities, privacy violations, and risk of corruption.”
Senate Finance Chair wants details from SSA following whistleblower allegations of data endangerment
Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, says he has reviewed information from SSA’s former chief data officer alleging that DOGE put sensitive agency information at risk. Now he wants information from the agency itself.
