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It is off to the caucuses for the remaining Democratic presidential candidates after running a gauntlet of debates, fundraising and public opinion polls. But how did we get here? For answers, you have to look back 85 years.
Sen. John Rodgers of Vermont said of his own bill that would make it illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to have a cellphone. The Democratic senator proposed the bill simply to draw attention to cellphones’ high correlation to distracted driving, cyberbullying and suicides. He said Vermont’s Legislature “seems bent on taking away our Second Amendment rights,” when in actuality, cellphones are more dangerous than a gun. (The Hill — January 10, 2020)
The donation that Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO, has promised to give to the Australian wildlife recovery effort. Many are upset by the number as it is less than Bezos makes in 5 working minutes.
The U.S. senator wants GPS apps to make information about road restrictions available so truck drivers can reroute if they won’t fit under a bridge. The update would reduce traffic backups and save the state wasted transportation funding.
New Mexico cannot financially afford an undercount in the 2020 Census, but many residents don’t speak the languages provided on the forms, so the state is stepping in. It’s “a good opportunity to recognize the diversity in our state.”
New Orleans, La., City Hall has cleared thousands of city computers after last month’s cyberattack, but the public records system still has a few weeks before it will be fully recovered. The FBI is still investigating the attack’s source.
The city is now the fourth in Massachusetts to ban official use of the technology, with more following close behind. State officials are concerned that the software is discriminatory and will “lead to harmful ‘false positive’ identifications.”
The relatively new role of the state chief data officer is catching on, with a designated professional support network, growing public pressure for data-based policies, and more than half of U.S. states now staffing.
A nascent concept out of the United Kingdom captures the promise and pitfalls of a technology-laden future. As its anticipated arrival date of 2030 comes closer, feet grow colder. Is the story the same here?
A quick look at tech trends and issues public leaders may face in 2020 coming out of last week’s Consumer Electronics Show.
Eduardo Estrada, a Huawei spokesman at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas amid the company’s demos of consumer products. Last year, the Chinese telecom giant was the target of the Trump administration crackdown over alleged 5G dumping in the U.S. and suspicions of spying. (Washington Post - January 10, 2020)
The number of new U.S. astronauts officially added to NASA ranks last Friday. “The new graduates may be assigned to missions destined for the International Space Station, the Moon, and ultimately, Mars. With a goal of sustainable lunar exploration later this decade, NASA will send the first woman and next man to the surface on the Moon by 2024. Additional lunar missions are planned once a year thereafter and human exploration of Mars is targeted for the mid-2030s.”
New York’s Lockport City School District has facial and object recognition that it can no longer use after the state changed the rules. A school board trustee thinks the district should get a refund for the $1.4 million purchase.
E-Bikes have become an extremely common transport option in California’s Bay Area but they might not be suited for all. Cars are cheaper for many and, in some cases, can provide shelter that bikes can’t.
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.
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