Smarter Gov Tech, Stronger MerITocracy
GSA General Services Administration

The General Services Administration (GSA) released a draft of the Data Ethics Framework – part of the Federal Data Strategy action plan – earlier this week detailing Fed standards for using data appropriately and government use cases. […]

While many agencies are looking to modernize their legacy systems or digital government services, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is undertaking a more unique modernization project – automating the identification of beluga whales. […]

CISA
Veterans Affairs
Connolly

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., released a statement today on the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) report that found the Public Buildings Service (PBS) did not always receive timely notice of positive COVID-19 test results from building occupants or provide timely notification of positive COVID-19 cases. […]

The Pentagon is a very large building that houses a lot of the authorities for the U.S. Military. It's big. This photo doesn't do it justice, but they're kinda rightly concerned about people flying drones around there.

Defense contractors can conduct R&D projects of potential interest to the Defense Department (DoD) and may be reimbursed for their work, but the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that DoD does not review how these projects fit into the department’s modernization priorities. […]

election security

Last week the White House announced $140 million in funding towards seven artificial intelligence institutes across the country. Now the private sector is getting in on the action with four major tech companies pledging more than $160 million for eight new AI institutes. […]

NIST

While Congress has been slow to act on privacy issues, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is getting out ahead of any Federal legislation when it comes to addressing the matter. […]

cybersecurity

Shane Barney, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) component, on Sept. 1 credited increased use of data automation for improving security operation center (SOC) operations at the agency. […]

DHS

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) component agency want to expand use of biometrics with a new rule that would implement the technology for identity verification, document production, records management, and even to prove familial relationships. […]

Health and Human Services HHS

Back in August, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) consolidated 11 different contract opportunities under an Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) vehicle into a single contract with telecommunications giant, Verizon. […]

cybersecurity

Cybersecurity agencies of the nations in the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance released a joint cybersecurity advisory to serve as a “playbook” for investigating incidents and highlight technical approaches to uncovering malicious activity. […]

In a pivot to focus on IT modernization, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is embracing agile development with much success, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released August 31.  The government watchdog agency said, however, that the agency would benefit from more clarity about the role of contracting officials in the new model.  […]

Health and Human Services HHS

The Department of Health and Human Services has appointed Perryn Ashmore acting CIO, following the departure of former CIO Jose Arrieta on August 28. […]

DHS

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Data Privacy Office said in an August 14 report that its use of Computer Matching Agreements (CMA) under the 1988 Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act (CMPPA) saved taxpayers several hundred million dollars in 2019 through the use of technology that enables DHS to compare data from multiple automated systems. […]

A new publication by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) details how cloud computing is hurting forensic science investigation efforts, and calls for more research into standards and tech that could mitigate those challenges. […]

As large scale telework continues across the Federal government, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security (CISA) released a remote vulnerability and patch management guide yesterday to supplement the Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) 3.0 Interim Telework Guidance released in April. […]

White House

The Department of Energy and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy today named nearly two dozen members from DoE National Laboratories, the tech sector and academia to the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee that will advise the Trump administration on policies related to quantum information science. […]

NASA

According to a new report by NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), NASA is not adequately securing its networks from unauthorized access by IT devices, and has not fully implemented controls to remove or block unauthorized IT devices from accessing the agency’s networks and systems. […]

Census 2020 image-min

In August, the Census Bureau announced that it would be delivering appointment data by the statutory deadline of December 31, 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic causing delays. Compressed timeframes, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), could present challenges to monitoring ongoing IT risks, among other issues. […]

telework

Officials at the General Services Administration (GSA) have started internal discussions on the impact that pandemic-driven employee telework may have on longer-term uses of government office buildings and other facilities, said Beth Anne Killoran, GSA’s Deputy CIO, at an August 26 event organized by Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM). […]

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