Rental Fee Transparency and the Software Test for Property Managers
Regulators are shifting fee‑transparency from a best‑practice suggestion to enforceable law, with the FTC warning rental‑software providers and states mandating upfront disclosure of all mandatory charges. Property managers must now display administrative, amenity and move‑in fees consistently across listings, emails and websites. Failure to automate these disclosures can trigger civil fines and consumer‑complaint investigations. These developments turn fee transparency into a legal requirement and a competitive differentiator.
Practical AI Use Cases in Public Services: What’s Safe and What Works?
In February 2026 dxw and Basis hosted a workshop for public‑sector leaders on practical AI use cases, emphasizing outcomes over mere cost‑cutting. Participants shared successful pilots, identified friction points, and explored how AI can enhance relational services such as health...
Deposing the Sorcerer’s Apprentice
President Trump created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and installed Elon Musk as its temporary head. Musk announced that his team dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) over a weekend, prompting a lawsuit alleging violations of the...
Integrating FIDO Standards Into Secure OT Connectivity — A Practical Path to Resilience
The FIDO Alliance is mapping its phishing‑resistant passkeys, Device Onboard (FDO) and emerging Bare Metal Onboarding (BMO) to the UK NCSC’s Secure Connectivity Principles for Operational Technology. By replacing passwords with cryptographic credentials, FIDO eliminates the most common breach vector...
Impact of AI on Transport | TG Explains AI
TeleGeography’s podcast with Luis Colasante examines the emerging bottlenecks in AI infrastructure. He explains that AI‑driven data centers consume two to three times more power than traditional cloud facilities, positioning energy availability as the chief constraint on digital growth. The discussion...
AI Self-Governance: It’s a Continuous Process
In July 2024 mySociety published its first AI Framework, establishing a principle of using AI responsibly and only when it is the best tool for the job. To keep the guidance current, the organisation now follows a three‑pronged approach: a...
College of Policing Accounts ‘Disclaimed’ by Auditor for Second Year in Wake of IT Failure
The National Audit Office refused to endorse the College of Policing’s 2024‑25 accounts for a second consecutive year, citing lingering fallout from a botched migration to the Home Office’s Oracle‑based Metis system. The IT switch triggered inaccurate financial reporting and...
Why Do Sovereign AI Projects Fail? IBM’s Chief Scientist Ruchir Puri on the Pitfalls Governments Face
At the AI Everything 2026 conference in Cairo, IBM Research chief scientist Ruchir Puri warned that sovereign AI initiatives are tripping over three core organisational flaws: chaotic data, unrealistic expectations, and cultural resistance. He explained that without unified data governance,...
SmartBear Partners with Carahsoft
SmartBear announced an expanded partnership with Carahsoft, designating the latter as its Master Government Aggregator for federal, state and local agencies. The agreement routes SmartBear’s API development, automated testing and application monitoring solutions—including ReadyAPI, TestComplete, Swagger, Reflect, BugSnag and Zephyr—through...
“Free” Surveillance Tech Still Comes at a High and Dangerous Cost
The piece warns that "free" surveillance technology—delivered through vendor pilots, federal grants, and wealthy donor gifts—carries hidden civil‑liberty costs and long‑term financial obligations. It cites examples such as Denver’s drone trials, Denver’s contested Flock ALPR contract, Atlanta’s police foundation opacity,...
Three Strategies for Designing an E-Procurement System: Lessons Learned in Nuevo León, Mexico
Nuevo León’s Ministry of Administration, with the Open Contracting Partnership, launched a three‑stage e‑procurement redesign that began with a deep, collaborative diagnosis of existing processes, moved to a data‑driven functional and modular design, and concluded with a market‑engagement phase using...
ITS UK Annual Conference Agenda Revealed for Manchester Event
Intelligent Transport Systems UK (ITS UK) has released the agenda for its Annual Conference, scheduled for 3‑4 March at Manchester Central Convention Centre as part of the Interchange event. The Department for Transport’s chief scientific advisor, Patricia Thornley, will deliver the keynote...
EU Commission Breach – The Importance of Upholding Strong Device Management Infrastructure
Last week the European Commission disclosed a cyberattack that compromised its mobile device management (MDM) platform, exposing staff names and phone numbers. Security experts from Huntress, Keeper Security, and CyberSmart warned that MDM systems are now a primary attack vector,...
BBC – Live Facial Recognition Trialled at London Railway Station
The British Transport Police have launched a live facial‑recognition pilot at London Bridge railway station, marking the first real‑time biometric surveillance deployment on the UK rail network. The trial uses cameras that match faces against police watchlists as passengers move...
Improving the Written Questions System
MySociety has submitted written evidence to the UK Procedure Committee’s inquiry on Written Questions, urging tighter alignment with Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. The submission recommends that any rejected parliamentary question be retrospectively converted into an FOI request to enable...
Mamdani Appoints Lisa Gelobter as NYC CTO
Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Lisa Gelobter as New York City’s Chief Technology Officer and Commissioner of the Office of Technology and Innovation. Gelobter, a veteran technologist who helped create the GIF and launch Hulu, will oversee digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and...
Iran's Internet Shutdown, Anthropic's UK Partnership, and the Dutch Dilemma of Strategic Autonomy
This episode examines the growing push for digital sovereignty in Europe, spotlighting the Dutch dilemma over US‑owned cloud providers, France’s decision to replace Zoom and Teams with a home‑grown video platform, and broader AI‑driven public‑service reforms. It highlights how the...
Coalition Urges California to Revoke Permits for Federal License Plate Reader Surveillance
A coalition led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Imperial Valley Equity & Justice has asked Governor Gavin Newsom and Caltrans to immediately revoke permits that allow federal agencies such as Customs and Border Patrol and the DEA to install...
Mergers, Monopoly Prices, and Accountability - Episode 676 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast
In this episode, Chris Mitchell, Doug Dawson, and Sean Gonsalves dissect recent telecom mergers, examine Starlink’s attempts to influence the BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) funding rules, and discuss new research linking reduced competition to higher consumer prices. They...
When Law Becomes Data: What Brazil’s LexML Reveals About Akoma Ntoso
Brazil’s LexML portal, built on the open‑source Akoma Ntoso XML standard, aggregates official texts, court decisions, and bills into a single searchable system. While the platform centralizes legislative documents, it fails to integrate political metadata such as bill sponsors or...
Untitled
Ré Dubhthaigh of Dublin City Council highlights that place data is far more complex than simple addresses, encompassing centuries of urban growth. The council must navigate 800+ years of layered, messy data while delivering real services, not starting from a...
Savage Giving Specific IT Power Back to the State Agencies
In this episode, Maryland CIO Katie Savage discusses how the state is balancing the creation of centralized enterprise IT services with the need to empower individual agencies to retain specialized technology expertise. She outlines the strategies used to standardize core...
California City Approves $683K Drone Program for Police Emergencies
Santa Ana City Council approved a Drone as a First Responder program, allocating up to $682,900 to purchase five Skydio drones over three years. The drones will be deployed only for clearly defined emergencies such as active crimes, searches, and...
From NIMBY to YIMBY: A Playbook for Data Center Community Acceptance
The data‑center industry is moving from a defensive NIMBY stance to a proactive YIMBY strategy, driven by tools like the Digital Infrastructure Framework that give local governments clear evaluation language and negotiation leverage. Communities such as Loudoun County now see...
Utah Advances Policy-First Digital Identity Framework Centered On Individual Control
Utah is drafting comprehensive State‑Endorsed Digital Identity (SEDI) legislation that puts individuals in control of their cryptographic keys while the government acts only as an endorser. The policy relies on open standards, supports both long‑lived and short‑term credentials, and preserves...
Federal Agencies Embrace Networking as a Service to Modernize Their Networks
Federal agencies such as CISA and the VA are rapidly adopting Network as a Service (NaaS) to replace legacy network infrastructure. By partnering with FedRAMP‑authorized providers like Cisco Meraki and Juniper Mist, they gain cloud‑native agility, scalable security, and AI‑driven...
A Smarter Single Market: Why Transparency and Data Must Drive EU Procurement Reform
The EU’s upcoming Public Procurement Directive revision aims to replace paper‑based, fragmented processes with a digital, data‑driven system. Advocates call for EU‑wide data standards, mandatory publication of contracts above roughly €30,000, and open, machine‑readable access via APIs. Such reforms would...
CMS’ Roadmap for Switching to FHIR-Based Digital Quality Measures
CMS announced a roadmap to transition its quality measurement programs from eCQMs to FHIR‑based digital quality measures (dQMs). The agency released draft dQM packages covering 17 inpatient, 4 outpatient, and 49 clinician measures and opened a public comment period through...
The Best-Kept Secret Federal Feedback Loop Model
The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) operates as an independent office within the IRS, reporting directly to Congress and enforcing the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. By turning individual service requests into actionable data, TAS provides targeted recommendations to the IRS and...
Around the Commercial Drone Industry: Air Taxi Demos, Police Drone Programs, and Weather Forecasting
SkyDrive Inc. will showcase its SD-05 eVTOL passenger drone in Tokyo this February, a public demonstration that precedes a planned 2028 market launch and supports Japan’s 2030 commercial vertiport roadmap. In Ohio, six police agencies have adopted Skydio drones, fielding...
Bridging Continents: Lessons Learned From Singapore and Estonia’s Tech Journeys
Singapore and Estonia, despite their size, have cultivated vibrant tech and startup ecosystems anchored by strong government backing and well‑connected investor networks. Recent initiatives such as the Estonian Business Hub in Singapore enable cross‑border trade missions, exemplified by startup ÄIO’s...