A cyber intrusion that occurred at the U.S. Marshals Service in December 2019 exposed 387,000 individuals’ names, addresses, birth dates, and social security numbers to attackers, an agency spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk yesterday. […]

In a two-week period during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Small Business Administration (SBA) processed more total loans than it had in 14 years, according to Melvin Brown II, director of the Enterprise Business Management Office within the agency’s CIO Office.  At the May 13 FCW Workshop on Data and Analytics, Brown shared the data management tips that helped the agency succeed. […]

Federal CIO Suzette Kent provided several examples today of different ways that Federal agencies are using data in the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus, and emphasized the critical importance of IT modernization in battling the pandemic. […]

Gulam Shakir, chief data officer of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), shared his views on the changing data landscape at the April 28 FedInsider Safeguarding Data Through Backup and Recovery webinar. […]

Before the Department of Defense (DoD) can fully embrace new artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is doing the behind-the-scenes data prep to get workers and defense technology ready for the transition. […]

A month deep into the coronavirus pandemic, the problem isn’t finding news on the COVID-19 virus and its impacts, it’s finding too much of it – and having to sort it all out to discern the bottom-line impacts. […]

Dimitri Kusnezov, deputy undersecretary for artificial intelligence (AI) and technology at the Department of Energy (DoE), revealed that the department relies on data workflows to make high-risk and mission critical decisions. […]

A Federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted Charles Edwards, former acting inspector general (IG) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), today on 16 charges, including theft of “sensitive government databases containing personal identifying information (PII)” of DHS and U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employees. […]

The European Union (EU) released a white paper on artificial intelligence (AI) and its continentwide data strategy Feb. 19 in an effort to position itself as the “global leader of digital transformation.” […]

In a recent report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would be able to improve and diversify its workforce through improved data collection and analysis capabilities. […]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) released two draft guides on data management and protection in the wake of cyberthreats. […]

Access to valuable data and the transition to cloud infrastructure could help the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) access life-saving procedures for patients across the country, according to a presentation by HHS CIO José Arrieta at FCW Workshop: Health IT on Dec. 4. […]

Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Margaret Weichert praised the value of data management and public-private partnerships to improve Federal government service delivery at ACT-IAC’s Data Driven Decision-Making Forum on Nov. 22. […]

Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., a co-chair of the House Cybersecurity Caucus and one of the few widely acknowledged experts in Congress on cybersecurity, said on Nov. 14 that a lack of data “baselines” on security issues continues to hamper efforts in Congress – and the nation as a whole – to improve security. […]

Two Federal Trade Commissioners – one a Republican and the other a Democrat – agreed on Oct. 28 that the agency has the tricky task of balancing both consumer data privacy and business interests, and must find that balance even as the fast pace of technological advancement makes the value of prescriptive regulation uncertain.  […]

With the upcoming release of the Federal Data Strategy’s final action plan on the horizon, Federal chief data officers (CDOs) agreed on Sept. 25 that the strategy holds plenty of promising features to advance their work, including an official CDO council that will help them share ideas and experiences. […]

Although extensive national dialogue over data privacy legislation have yet to yield a tangible Federal policy, data privacy experts who have worked with lawmakers provided insight at the Brookings Institution on Sept. 16 about the evolving nature of data privacy concerns in the country, as well as further challenges and policy areas a Federal law will have to address. […]

The intelligence community (IC) is establishing a hub in Washington and is encouraging industry and Federal partner collaboration in developing its data-analyzing artificial intelligence (AI) strategy known as the Augmenting Intelligence Using Machines (AIM) Initiative, IC Chief Data Officer Nancy Morgan said today. […]

The U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) is seeking an online resource for its McDermott Library that will combine military, global security, and armed conflicts data, according to a solicitation released today. […]

A U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) records management service has not only been collecting data and information on its own personnel, but of other Federal employees and members of the public. […]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in a July 2 report that poor contract change data management and monitoring in the General Services Administration (GSA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) contributes to inconsistencies agency officials and industry representatives have found in the length of contract change processes. […]

With initiatives like the Federal Data Strategy, the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, and the President’s Management Agenda pushing agency use of data, a new study from the Partnership for Public Service and Grant Thornton examines the best practices for agencies looking to use their data to drive better results. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is looking for technical and acquisitional aid from partners in refining its database to implement artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, DHS Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) Office CIO David Bottom said today at the AI World Government conference. […]

The Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goal Action Plan to Leverage Data as Strategic Asset released June updates under the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) on June 20, which indicated movement in the Federal Data Strategy’s development, as well as strategies the CAP Goal team is taking to overcome data use and strategy challenges. […]

The Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB’s) Office of Federal Procurement Policy Deputy Administrator Lesley Field explained how OMB is working on its category management, training procurement officers, and data use modernization to accelerate and sharpen Federal procurement at the Acquisition Innovation CXO Tech Forum today. […]

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the finalized framework of the Federal Data Strategy, as well as a draft of its year one action plan today, cementing the administration’s approach to data under the President’s Management Agenda and setting out new activities for agencies to complete. […]

Despite near-universal trust in the science of mathematics, human biases can readily creep into data analysis and design of algorithms, leading author and algorithmic auditor Cathy O’Neil to warn that biases baked into algorithms may create sweeping consequences for both individuals and society as a whole.  […]

As government agencies start and continue to migrate to cloud platforms, it is important to adopt multi-cloud environments and back it up with smart use of data, said Department of Agriculture (USDA) Associate CIO Edward Reyelts and Maryland Department of Information Technology (IT) Secretary Michael Leahy. […]

Data alone isn’t the new bacon. Data fusion is the new bacon, and data exploitation is the new gold. […]

Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Mont., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, introduced the Commercial Facial Recognition Privacy Act yesterday in a bipartisan effort to regulate facial recognition technology to protect consumers and their data. […]