The Obama administration is working on a plan to elevate the status of the United States Cyber Command and separate it from the National Security Agency, according to Reuters. U.S. Cyber Command will focus on developing cyber weapons to punish hackers and combat adversaries such as ISIS. After this transition, U.S. Cyber Command would become […]
An emergency responder trying to extinguish a wildfire in California can now receive immediate advice from a topography researcher at a remote university. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced on Monday the Next-Generation Incident Command System (NICS). NICS is a Web-based platform that can be accessed on mobile devices; […]
When Illinois deployed its first state computer system in 1974, Hardik Bhatt was just 2 years old. Since then, Illinois has deployed thousands of systems–one for every 20 of the state’s 60,000 employees, to be exact–with little or no thought given to how they should all work together. Forty-two years later, Illinois’ IT challenges have […]
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday made moves to ban sex offenders from playing Pokémon Go. The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision will prevent registered sex offenders under supervision from downloading, accessing, or playing Pokémon Go and other similar interactive games. “Protecting New York’s children is priority No. 1 and, as technology evolves, […]
Since 2003, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has settled HIPAA violations to the tune of $36 million, with the two most recent settlements coming from Oregon Health & Science University and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. HIPAA protections are granted by three separate, yet related, rules. The first one, the HIPAA Privacy Rule, […]
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday the appointment of Sree Sreenivasan as the city’s new Chief Digital Officer (CDO). Sree Sreenivasan (Photo: LinkedIn) “To move our city’s digital ecosystem into the 21st century, we need to ensure our city’s resources are at the fingertips of every New Yorker. With Sree Sreenivasan’s […]
The government and private industry should be doing more to prepare the American workforce for a technology-based future, according to panelists at an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) event on Wednesday in Philadelphia during the Democratic National Convention. “[Politicians] are going to have to be developing policies in their local areas to permit a […]
The Presidential Directive that defined roles and responsibilities of Federal agencies in the event of a cyber incident is being applauded as a step in the right direction by private sector cybersecurity companies. “Better defined coordination amongst government cybersecurity stakeholders is welcomed,” said Blue Coat CTO Aubrey Merchant-Dest. “Clarification on who to contact is important, […]
Laura Ferris, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Pittsburgh, has been bombarded by people asking which mobile applications they could use to identify whether their moles were malignant or benign. Curious as to the reliability of these apps, Ferris and her colleagues tested three inexpensive ones that provided immediate feedback. The doctors were […]
The Department of Energy is investing $19 million to improve the efficiency of the nation’s buildings. This investment will aim to develop advanced building technologies that will help Americans save money on utility bills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create jobs. “[Improving efficiency] presents one of our best opportunities for cutting Americans’ energy bills and […]
