Digital Government

What Would Happen if Patriot Act Section 215 Expires

Edward Snowden’s leaks revealed that NSA was interpreting the law to vacuum up millions of U.S. call records every day.

Digital Government

John Boehner on NSA: The Senate Must Act, But 'We’ll Certainly Look at What They Do'

The House speaker's remarks on Thursday suggest his chamber hasn't written off a "clean" renewal of the Patriot Act.

Cybersecurity

Here’s What the Senate is Planning to Do About NSA Spying

The majority leader is facing a choice between a bill he doesn’t like and a short-term extension he may not be able to get passed.

Cybersecurity

Congress Wants Companies Facing Cyberattacks to Share Data, and it‘s Not a Moment Too Soon

A longstanding reluctance to share information about cybersecurity threats and defensive measures has limited our ability to form teams of good guys.

Digital Government

Burr Preps NSA Backup Plan as House Threatens to Leave Town

McCarthy says the House won't budge from its insistence that the Senate pass the USA Freedom Act.

Cybersecurity

The Government Is Trying to Get Serious About Cyber as a Foreign Policy Issue

What if they held a hearing and only two senators came?

Digital Government

NSA Spying Heads to Critical Senate Showdown

Mitch McConnell will force a vote on a clean reauthorization of the Patriot Act next week as a deadline looms.

Digital Government

This Senator Is 'Shocked' by How Little Data NSA Is Collecting

The NSA bulk-data program is so scaled down, it might not even be effective, the Senate Foreign Relations chairman claims.

Digital Government

Rand Paul Threatens Filibuster Over NSA Spying

The GOP presidential hopeful joins Democrat Ron Wyden in threatening to block a bill reauthorizing the Patriot Act without NSA reforms.

Digital Government

Does the Patriot Act Justify NSA Surveillance? Law in Uncharted Territory as Deadlines Approaches

Will the Patriot Act mean something different if lawmakers renew it now that they know the full extent of NSA's spying?

Digital Government

Lawmakers Prod Agencies to Retool Energy-Guzzling Data Centers

The Energy Efficiency Government Technology Act would require federal data centers to run on more energy-efficient technologies.

Digital Government

Republicans Make Dubious Claims in Defense of NSA Surveillance

Mitch McConnell and his cohort of security hawks are stopping at nothing to renew the spy agency’s phone dragnet. But how fair is their defense?

Emerging Tech

Lawmaker Wants to Connect More Federal Buildings to the Internet of Things

Under the bill, the energy secretary would learn from smart buildings in the private sector, and apply those practices to federal buildings.

Digital Government

Do We Need to Add an 'A' to STEM?

The House's education and the workforce committee want art and design included with science, technology, engineering and math.

Digital Government

Senators Beg Techies To Bring Congress Into 21st Century

At Hack4Congress, developers attempted to write code that could improve campaign finance record keeping and facilitate cross-party dialogue.

Digital Government

With Patriot Act Deadline Closing In, House Advances Bill to Limit NSA Spying

Nearly two years after the Snowden revelations began, lawmakers are scrambling to rein in government surveillance—before it’s too late.

Emerging Tech

Congress Considers Roads for Robot Cars

But before that, lawmakers face an immediate transportation-funding shortfall.

Digital Government

Senate and House Bills Would Effectively End NSA Mass Surveillance

The effort would stop the spy agency’s bulk collection of U.S. phone records, the first and one of the most controversial programs exposed by Edward Snowden nearly two years ago.

Emerging Tech

Lawmakers Want a Few Good Hackers to Help Bring Congress into the 21st Century

Next week, Hack4Congress will bring together a wide array of participants to help solve challenges that could make Congress function more efficiently.

Cybersecurity

Private Investigators Say Hacked and Bankrupt USIS Didn’t Shirk Security

Investigators retained by USIS said the company deployed appropriate defenses and was cooperative with government probes.