Cybersecurity

Federal Agencies Say ‘No Evidence’ Hackers Affected Colonial’s Operational Technology 

A leading GOP lawmaker is pressuring CISA to release data on the agency’s pipeline cybersecurity initiative. 

Modernization

Funding is only part of the answer for UI modernization

State workforce agencies have funding for unemployment modernization and administration thanks to pandemic relief legislation but there are policy impediments, experts said.

Policy

Online, Mug Shots Are Forever. Some States Want to Change That.

People are innocent until proven guilty, but the public release of mug shots taken at the time of arrest can become a barrier to housing, employment and personal relationships.

Digital Government

3 Companies Settle Over Millions of Fake Comments on FCC’s Net Neutrality Rollback

Broadband companies funded an effort responsible for 8.5 million fraudulent comments supporting the repeal, according to a New York attorney general report.

Digital Government

Coalition Urges Congress to Boost Funding for Census Modernization

A group of Census experts and data users are asking appropriators to provide $2 billion in funding to the Census Bureau in fiscal 2022.

Cybersecurity

Feds Eliminate Fee for '.Gov' Web Addresses

Smaller localities in particular have said that the $400 annual cost was a barrier to adopting the government-specific URL.

Digital Government

Republican Men Are Vaccine-Hesitant, But There's Little Focus on Them

About 13% of American adults don’t want a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Ideas

COVID-19 Nomads Heed Pandemic Call of the Road

As some affluent, mobile professionals decamped from cities, states are dialing up the competition to attract them permanently.

Cybersecurity

Single Sign-in For Government Services Expands to States, Localities

The federal government is looking to partner with state and local governments to grow its Login.gov service, which it says is secure and user friendly.

Modernization

How One State Will Work With the Feds On a Major Tech Overhaul

Wisconsin has turned to a federal team of tech experts as the state seeks to revamp its antiquated unemployment computer system.

Modernization

For State's COVID Contact Tracing Apps, Privacy Tops Utility

More than 28 million people in the United States have downloaded the mobile apps or activated exposure notifications on their smartphones

Cybersecurity

America’s Drinking Water Is Surprisingly Easy to Poison

The experts say the sorts of rudimentary vulnerabilities revealed in the breach are common among America’s 151,000 public water systems.

Policy

Pandemic Drives Phone, Computer ‘Right-to-Repair’ Bills

The pandemic has made living without a computer harder than ever.

Emerging Tech

Police Departments Experiment With 70-Pound Robot Dog

Departments have deployed the cyber K-9s in hostage situations and as part of the covid response. Proponents say the robots can help keep officers out of harm's way, while critics worry how they could be used without clear policy guidelines in place.

Cybersecurity

Hackers Seized on the Pandemic. Some States Are Fighting Back.

Cyberattackers have forced states to take down websites, stolen $36 billion in unemployment payments and exposed millions of residents’ personal information to scammers.

Cybersecurity

Report: Mobile Phishing to Steal Government Credentials Increased 67% in 2020

State and local governments are more exposed than federal agencies in the new teleworking age, but threats have increased across the board.

Cybersecurity

CISA, DHS Bolster State and Local Cybersecurity Programs

CISA added another vendor to an intrusion detection plan and DHS increased the required cybersecurity spend for certain FEMA grants. 

Modernization

Lawmakers Call for Federal Program to Upgrade Unemployment Systems

Many people filing for unemployment during the pandemic have experienced long delays. Subpar technology is one of the factors commonly blamed for problems.