Digital Government

Report gives Obama administration mixed review on secrecy practices

White House receives high and low marks for transparency memo, seeking input on classification policy and for its overhaul of stimulus tracking Web site, open government group says.

Digital Government

White House reverses its ban on access to visitor logs

But some open government groups call for real-time disclosure, saying the executive office's decision to post the records online after 90 to 120 days is too long to wait.

Ideas

O Gov Directive Making a Comeback

A White House transparency initiative announced the day after the Inauguration -- the details of which have been <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Data-from-Public-Consultation-on-Open-Government/">delayed for months</a> -- is about to make a comeback, according to officials with the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Digital Government

Concern grows over emphasis on technology to push transparency

Some members of the open government community want the Obama administration to address policies that would make information disclosure a central part of doing business, not just creating Web sites and applications.

Digital Government

Stimulus watchdog site exempted from paperwork rules

Recovery Act board cuts through the red tape of reduction act to collect stimulus reports on time.

Modernization

Wealthy, well-educated more likely to engage in online civic activities

The findings from a study indicate the Obama administration might have more work to do to meet its goal of increasing broad public involvement in policymaking.

Digital Government

Administration has yet to make proposed security policy revisions public

Transparency groups want an opportunity to comment before suggestions for preventing over-classification of government information are sent to the president.

Ideas

Storm Spike Due To Stronger Tech

On the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the agency charged with weather forecasting recently found that more storms have been identified since the late 19th century because of advances in information technology, not because there are more storms.

Digital Government

Regulations.gov glitch prevents comments from reaching agencies

July outage, revealed a month later, should have been reported immediately, transparency advocates say.

Modernization

NASA could outsource flights, insource IT

While budget woes leave future space missions in question, the department's cloud computing programs could help curb costs.

Digital Government

Feds get tips on social media outreach from Defense Department

Defense department leads the way in connecting with bloggers, news aggregators and other Web sites.

Ideas

Bernanke on IT and Productivity

After Ben Bernanke was appointed to his first term as chairman of the Federal Reserve, he gave a commencement speech on the connection between information technology and economic prosperity to the class of 2006 at his alma mater, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The man that President Obama on Tuesday reappointed for another term as chairman observed three years ago that IT investments don't always translate into productivity gains immediately.

Ideas

Hand-Cleaning CDC Social Media

The administration quickly should spread hand-cleaning and other public health messages through social media to prepare young people for the expected 2009-H1N1 epidemic, a presidential advisory group reported on Monday.

Digital Government

Administration defends security of health IT

Government officials and federal advisory panel work to update privacy rules for the electronic age.

Digital Government

Obama's e-health agenda receives cash infusion

Administration officials this past week have publicly tied the benefits of health IT to the president's larger, more controversial health care reform effort.

Ideas

Classification Comments from Public?

A coalition of public interest groups has yet to hear from the national security adviser about its request that he allow public comment on a review of classification policy before delivering it to the president next week.

Ideas

HHS Issues Breach Notification Rules

The administration on Wednesday announced safeguards intended to protect consumers from health information technology breaches, as the White House moves forward on its healthcare overhaul.

Cybersecurity

USDA unit bans browsers other than Internet Explorer

Decision to enforce policy takes employees who work on public Web sites by surprise.

Digital Government

Online tool sheds sunlight on court records

Academics create Web application that provides free public access to court documents nationwide.

Cybersecurity

Cloudy Outlook

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