Digital Government
How and When GSA’s New Central Contracting Portal Will Lose the ‘Beta’
The next major transition to beta.SAM—the FPDS contract award data reporting tools—is coming next month, with the legacy SAM.gov next on deck.
Modernization
Library of Congress Touts New Enhancements, More to Come for Congress.gov
The central portal for legislative data—including bills, hearings and historic documents—has been getting a continual makeover since 2016, with a host of new improvements rolling out this year.
Cybersecurity
CISA Warns of Vulnerabilities in Popular Domain Name System Software
Security advisories note attackers could remotely exploit flaws to cause a denial of service.
Modernization
One State Launches Online Tool to Help Residents Gauge Risk of Exposure to Covid-19
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services launched the "Decision Tool" after contact-tracing data showed an increase in the number of positive coronavirus cases linked to mass gatherings.
Modernization
FPDS Reports Will Officially Move to beta.SAM by Mid-October
Users will no longer be able to run contract award reports through FPDS.gov, though that site will retain other capabilities.
Cybersecurity
CISA Finalized Directive on Vulnerability Disclosure Policies, Congressman Says
The binding operational directive would create a legal path for ethical hackers to report website vulnerabilities to government agencies.
Modernization
USDA Unveils Fresh Round of Farmers.gov Updates
New features on the Farmers.gov portal include a dashboard to help farmers track H-2A related application decisions in real time.
Artificial Intelligence
Study: Customers Increasingly Turn to Self-Support Amid Pandemic
Customers have increased their reliance on chatbots and self-support sessions since the coronavirus began.
Digital Government
Federal Register Tech Issue Caused by Oversized Document
The site directed users to a temporary rundown of regulatory notices for April 30 while two federal offices worked to resolve the issue.
Cybersecurity
Pentagon Launches Coronavirus Mythbuster Site
The Defense Department created a web portal to fact-check bad information circulating about the coronavirus and the military’s response.
Modernization
COVID-19 Forces a New Approach to Public Health Communications
No one likes to wait for answers to questions regarding health issues, especially when there is a lot of uncertainty and conflicting information.
Modernization
OMB to Agencies: Time to Finish IPv6 Transition
Before the end of fiscal 2021, agencies will need to have a plan in place to hit 80% IPv6-only systems by 2025.
Digital Government
Census Advocates Spread the Word on New Online Forms
March letters will kick off the decennial count.
Ideas
Where Everyone Goes When the Internet Breaks
Downdetector is a simple, ugly utility, which becomes a weird little life raft for displaced communities when their websites crash.
Digital Government
Data Center Issue Prompts GAO to Revert Redesigned Website Back to an Old Version
The new site’s host company, Contegix, is still working to resolve the technical difficulties, a GAO official said.
Modernization
GAO Launches Upgraded, Mobile-Friendly Website
Agency officials hope it’ll increase users’ access to the watchdog’s work.
Modernization
Federal Contracting Community Shreds FBO Replacement Site in Letter to GSA
“If this had the same notoriety as Healthcare.gov, people would have been fired.”
Ideas
Astroturfing Is Bad But It's Not the Whole Problem
The shift to a digital process has made commenting easier yet also inadvertently opened the floodgates to voluminous, duplicative and, yes, even “fake” comments.
Digital Government
Court Shuts Down Hundreds of Fake Government Sites After FTC Complaint
A court approved a preliminary injunction pending a full trial.
Modernization