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Zeeland Public Schools received a state grant in September for the purchase of electric buses, three of which are already on the road. They’re healthy, quiet, and an opportunity to teach environmental education.
More than two dozen employees received an email in December containing malware, but county information technology staff detected and contained it before the exposure of any county resident data.
The former director of the California Independent System Operator, which oversees 80 percent of the state’s power system, says cyberthreats against the grid face a number of barriers to success.
While Facebook has announced a plan to ban most deepfake videos to stem misinformation campaigns related to the 2020 presidential election, not all manipulated media will be prevented under the policy.
An unnamed Boeing pilot wrote to another in a 2017 exchange, released Last Thursday as part of a 100-page release of internal documents from Boeing to Congress during the time of the 737 MAX certification. (Seattle Times, January 9, 2020)
The amount requested by Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to replace old computer technology that’s being used by the state for things like payroll and accounting. The money will be stretched across the next eight years, starting with a $1.5 million installment in 2020’s budget. The upgrade will help the state phase out old systems, like paper timesheets, “which are still being used across Rhode Island state government.”
Before they can be allowed back into the Big Apple, legislation needs to properly address the many safety concerns that scooters present. Once the laws are in place, then maybe scooters can play in NYC again.
Rep. Mike Smith is introducing legislation to record all legislative proceedings, stream them online, and make the content archived and accessible on the Internet. “It’s astounding to me we haven’t done this already.”
Congress is hoping to take on election security concerns by reviewing voting machine makers’ cyberprotection practices, ownership and source of parts, something that hasn’t been required in the past.
The Massachusetts State Police will install automated vehicle locators in 2,900 state police vehicles. This second version of trackers will be hardwired to the vehicles to improve accountability, safety and service.
Mobile payment options can be found everywhere from the grocery store to the barbershop. But does that mean your banking information is everywhere, too? It’s not really clear for many users.
This week, Governing’s Future of Security takes a look at the latest developments in election security, ransomware and the growing use of surveillance tools, such as facial recognition, inside of public schools.
Lorena Gonzalez, Seattle, Wash., City Council president, said of the council’s hope to pass a bill that would “prohibit corporations from contributing to candidates or political action committees spending on local elections if foreign investors own a substantial stake in those companies.” This bill is a direct response to Seattle’s 2019 elections when Amazon contributed $1.5 million to the local city council election. (The Hill — January 9, 2020)
The amount of time that telecommunications companies would have to have in backup power for all cellphone towers in high-risk fire areas, as proposed by California lawmakers. The legislation was drafted after a Federal Communications Commission report revealed that during a power shutoff in late October, 874 cell towers were offline. Millions of people were affected during the shutoff and some were so isolated during the outage they couldn’t even call 911. “This bill is not about checking your Facebook status. It’s about life and death.”
The 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas features a host of new exhibits and conversations about how smart city design, transportation, security and equity will evolve in the years to come.
Most educators will say that robots in the classroom are a bad idea. There are administrative tasks that robots could potentially do but “we need to be thinking more deeply around ethics” before they’re a permanent feature.
Verizon will establish 5G in Lake Nona, and then Tavistock will create tech-testing programs that use the 5G. The Orlando suburb already has an autonomous shuttle, but officials are excited to be “a real-world testbed.”
Threats of cyberattacks are increasing and consumers shouldn’t forget about their cars. Practically mobilized computers, cars are just as vulnerable than other electronic devices that use the Internet.
Alameda, Calif., officials were debating if the license plate cameras would assure some residents of safety or perpetuate racial profiling. The city decided to use the cameras but wants feedback on effectiveness.
New technologies can move the focus from cleaning up problems to preventing them, while putting taxpayer money to more efficient use. But governments lag the private sector in employing these evolving tools.
Tim Cook, Apple CEO, wrote in an open letter in 2016 regarding the FBI’s request that Apple help break into a cellphone following a mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. In 2016, Apple replied to the request, saying that backdoor method to get into the devices would threaten the security of its customers. On Monday, the FBI sent another letter to Apple requesting that the company unlock two iPhones that were believed to have belonged to the suspected gunman from the Pensacola, Fla., Naval Air Station shooting that occurred in December. (Business Insider — January 8, 2020)
The amount of single-day sales that the Apple App Store brought in on New Year’s Day. The company reported the record-setting amount of single-day sales in conjunction with the announcement that the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve brought in another record: $1.42 billion. The total amount of money that the App Store brought in last year was $54 billion.
In anticipation of a tech-driven world, Alabama wants to focus on topics like automation, robotics and cybersecurity. Too often government is left behind regarding tech. “We do not want that to happen here at the robotics park.”
The event was reminiscent of the Wright brothers’ first flight 116 years ago, “But first in flight isn’t just something that we were — it’s something that we are.” Only this aircraft can go 80 mph with 600 pounds of cargo.
The system has been used in elections in six counties so far and will be implemented statewide come February. The voting machines use screens and paper to ensure security and will be used for the spring presidential primary.
The Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission has undertaken the development of a modern Web-based and intelligent system to be used for filing and managing compensation claims from workers.
Two nonpartisan apps, Register2Vote and MapTheVote, are helping Democrats get higher voter turnout than in previous years. But the increase in voter registration still might not be enough to turn the tides.
Gov tech is a young but quickly growing field. Our sister site, Government Technology, took a hard look at gov tech’s progress over the past five years and outlined the leading trends of the industry for the upcoming year.
The Office of Science and Technology Policy’s U.S. deputy chief technology officer, Lynne Parker, said regarding the proposed artificial intelligence (AI) regulations that the White House released on Tuesday. The regulations are specific to how federal agencies create new AI regulations for the private sector, and there’s a month-long period before the rules take effect during which the public can provide feedback. (AP News — January 7, 2020)
The proportion of growth of tech jobs in New York City over the past decade. Big tech companies like Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon all have plans to move to New York City and establish large offices. By 2022 there is projected to be 20,000 workers between the four giants.
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