Know What's Happening in GovTech
Know What's Happening in GovTech
The U.S. Treasury submitted a congressional report under the GENIUS Act outlining how emerging technologies can combat digital‑asset crime. It disclosed over $9 billion in digital‑asset fraud losses in 2024, with investment scams rising 47% and North Korean actors stealing $2.8 billion. The agency identified four priority tools—artificial intelligence, digital identity solutions, blockchain analytics, and compliance APIs—for broader adoption by financial institutions. Treasury also called on Congress to clarify AML obligations for DeFi participants and announced guidance, standards partnerships, and possible freeze powers.
GOOGLE $GOOGL DEEPENS PENTAGON AI PUSH Google is rolling out a feature that lets civilian and military personnel build custom AI agents for unclassified work on GenAI .mil, the Pentagon’s enterprise AI portal - CNBC
NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence released a draft concept paper urging stakeholders to treat software and AI agents as identifiable entities within enterprise identity and access management systems. The paper proposes adapting existing IAM standards—such as OAuth, OpenID Connect,...
The Global Age Assurance Standards Summit 2026 will focus on practical deployment of age‑verification, estimation and inference technologies, building on the newly published ISO/IEC 27566‑1 standard. The draft summit communiqué adds a sixth principle—Human Rights and the Best Interests of...
The Internal Revenue Service has issued a fast‑track sources‑sought notice for a new Business Intelligence Platform to collect, research and validate corporate and partnership taxpayer data. The contract will cover one base year and up to four option years, providing...
The U.S. Army has launched the Strategic Capital Initiative (SCI), a public‑private partnership model that invites industry to co‑invest in modernizing installations, supply chains, and dual‑use technologies. By shifting funding from congressional appropriations to capital‑market financing, the Army seeks new...
Bell announced a strategic partnership with Montreal‑based Coveo to deliver sovereign AI solutions for federal, provincial and regulated‑industry clients. The deal merges Coveo’s AI‑Relevance Platform with Bell’s AI Fabric, a full‑stack offering built on Bell’s nationwide fibre network, data‑centre assets,...
The Tennessee Department of Human Services launched a unified benefits portal in 2022, consolidating dozens of phone lines and allowing residents to apply for multiple assistance programs on a single application. Integrated generative AI now summarizes calls and powers a...
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has issued its first two shared certificates for software‑engineering and data‑engineering candidates, making a vetted pool of talent available to federal agencies for two‑year temporary roles. Each candidate has cleared a technical assessment, resume...
The POPVOX Foundation submitted FY27 appropriations requests to House appropriations leaders, targeting four pillars: future‑proofing Congress with AI, bolstering constituent casework, enhancing security training, and improving the member experience. Key proposals include creating a Congressional Capacity and Technology Office (C‑TECH)...
A New Zealand parliamentary committee has recommended restricting social‑media access for users under 16 and creating an independent national online‑safety regulator. The ACT party issued a dissent, warning that the required age‑verification would effectively impose mandatory digital ID on all...
The European Parliament overwhelmingly approved a non‑binding report urging new copyright rules for AI, calling for payment to creators, mandatory itemised lists of works used in training, an opt‑out mechanism, and licensing enforcement. The 460‑71 vote signals pressure on the...
City officials and private businesses are adopting camera‑registry programs to streamline video evidence collection for investigations. Registrants voluntarily share camera locations, enabling police to map assets and request footage through secure cloud portals. Coupled with digital evidence‑management platforms, agencies gain...
Egypt has launched a pilot of the MOIEG-PASS app, a selfie‑biometric platform that combines national‑ID scanning with facial recognition to authenticate users for select government services. The initiative is a joint effort by the Ministries of Interior and Communications and...
New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes is drafting a bill that would place a moratorium on the sale of AI‑enabled, chatbot‑powered toys for children. The legislation comes as AI‑infused plush toys and dolls, already popular in China, are gaining traction...
Lightpath has secured a General Services Administration Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract, enabling federal agencies to procure its AI‑grade fiber infrastructure through the GSA eBuy platform. The agreement also extends to state, local, and education (SLED) agencies via cooperative purchasing,...
AirData, the world’s leading drone fleet management platform, has unveiled a dedicated Public Safety Program aimed at law‑enforcement, fire and emergency response agencies across 60 regions. The service promises a guided, self‑serve onboarding that can activate an agency’s account in...
new show with @cognition's @russelljkaplan on what software abundance could mean for state capacity. https://t.co/4r9Jhw6Jo6 we get into: Why government software is so broken — Despite spending over $100B annually on IT, critical systems at agencies like the Social Security Administration and U.S....
Cabinet revolt deals fresh blow to Starmer’s digital ID scheme https://t.co/zEruHhoJwo Scheme is probably a strong word, in the circumstances. I think it was more of a digital identity notion, really. https://t.co/5CrtaAkTco
Rhode Island lawmakers are reviewing Bill H7957, which would prohibit courts and government agencies from compelling individuals to surrender private cryptographic keys that unlock cryptocurrency wallets and other digital assets. The legislation allows subpoenas for digital assets but limits requests...
AI agents capable of querying databases and completing transactions are flooding government websites, mixing benign searches with potentially harmful automated actions. Existing public portals, built for human users, lack safeguards against large‑scale machine traffic, exposing agencies to fraud, service hoarding,...
The EU’s new eID Wallet, mandated by eIDAS 2.0, remains stalled because the Commission’s draft implementing acts weaken core privacy safeguards. EDRi and eight NGOs warn that the proposals reduce untraceability, mandate facial biometric data, and limit pseudonym use, shifting privacy...
BlueGenAI and Thunderyard announced a strategic partnership to accelerate government modernization. The deal combines BlueGenAI’s AI‑powered GMAP platform with Thunderyard’s federal delivery expertise. GMAP automates legacy system ingestion, requirements generation, design, build and deployment, aiming to reduce risk and compress...
Big Brother Watch’s senior legal officer Jasleen Chaggar condemned the UK government’s proposed national digital ID scheme, describing it as a multi‑billion‑pound project lacking democratic approval. The campaign highlights that nearly three million citizens have signed a petition opposing the...
Federal IT leaders are urged to extract more value from the cloud, VPNs, and collaboration tools acquired during the pandemic as agencies navigate return‑to‑office mandates. Optimizing platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet, expanding zero‑trust and endpoint management, and...
The UK government released a digital ID consultation, recasting the programme from a migration‑control tool to a means of simplifying citizen interactions with public services. The proposal now lets individuals choose between a government‑issued credential, private‑sector alternatives, or traditional documents,...
Skyhigh Security announced that its Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) solution has earned FedRAMP High authorization, the most rigorous cloud security certification for U.S. federal agencies. The DSPM now joins Skyhigh’s CASB and Secure Web Gateway as FedRAMP‑certified offerings, meeting...
The Department of Defense is spending billions on maintaining legacy platforms, such as 1970s‑era F‑15C/Ds, instead of funding emerging autonomous and AI‑driven programs. Integration hurdles with outdated systems are inflating costs and slowing innovation across air, sea, land, and undersea...
Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, launched a public consultation on child online safety, proposing possible age limits and stronger verification for social‑media accounts. The consultation, open to parents, educators, youth and digital professionals, will gather...
The Democratic Republic of Congo has launched a molecular marking program for petroleum products, using invisible chemical tracers to track fuel from import to retail. Partnering with Authentix Inc., the initiative aims to curb smuggling and improve tax compliance. Early...
It was great to be invited to share my thoughts on @TechTVL’s programme on ID cards. Despite the governments u-turn this is a must-watch episode: https://t.co/nq5lBQUzsx https://t.co/rtUOJd8frY
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has begun deploying about 350 body‑worn cameras to customs officers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, supported by a new Central Command Centre that records and monitors interactions in real time. The initiative targets long‑standing bribery...
The Scottish Government will launch Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSD Scotland) on 1 April 2026, merging NHS Education for Scotland and NHS National Services Scotland into a single body. PSD Scotland will lead workforce planning, infrastructure, innovation and, crucially, digital transformation across...
London’s Metropolitan Police will pilot Operator‑Initiated Facial Recognition (OIFR), a handheld app that matches live facial images to police databases. The six‑month trial, budgeted at £763,000, will deploy about 100 devices and is overseen by the Mayor’s office and the...
A UK Companies House identity‑verification process is stalling as users report mismatched GOV.UK One Login emails and a 14‑day completion window that falls over the Easter school holidays. The author, who unsuccessfully applied for a non‑executive director role, highlights repeated...
The UK government is tightening its grip on digital platforms to safeguard women and girls online. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall warned Snapchat, Meta, YouTube and TikTok to accelerate safety measures or face regulatory action. Recent policies include a 48‑hour takedown...
Estonia is launching MaaS X‑tee, a unified digital ticketing platform that will let passengers plan trips and buy tickets across trains, buses, trams, ferries, micromobility and car rentals from a single interface. The Estonian Government Chancellery and Transport Authority awarded Turnit...
The Ontario Court of Appeal granted the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) permission to intervene in R. v. Kawall, a criminal appeal concerning the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) and a photograph taken in a public place. The trial...
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is overhauling its Open Data Communities (ODC) platform to meet modern open‑data standards. A new cloud‑hosted URL will improve reliability, while the Indices of Multiple Deprivation will be published in CSVW...
The International Day for Digital Learning highlights how public education has rapidly embraced digital tools after COVID‑19 forced school closures for 1.6 billion learners. By 2023 the global e‑learning market surpassed $300 billion, driven by adaptive platforms, AI analytics, and hybrid classroom...
HM Treasury has awarded a £17,000 contract to Red Badger to create an Agile Practice Service for its Corporate Centre Group. The three‑month engagement, running from 12 January to 31 March 2026, will deliver a standardized Agile model, toolkit and light‑touch standards. Red...
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has launched a digital‑badge scheme to help young people showcase skills to employers. Partnering with the Region of Learning, the programme targets NEET individuals and embeds badges in the Youth Guarantee and regional internships....
Scotland’s publicly owned CalMac Ferries has launched a £7.5 million, five‑year tender to find a strategic digital partner for its customer‑facing platform. The existing system, built on the open‑source Umbraco CMS and hosted on Microsoft Azure, supports three websites and mobile...
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is considering shortening the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) compliance window for significant data fiduciaries from 18 months to 12 months. The proposal is still under review, with the government awaiting detailed...
Bahrain is launching a Wage Protection System (WPS) that obliges all employers to disburse salaries via licensed banks or Central Bank‑regulated payment providers, creating an electronic audit trail of wage payments. The reform replaces fragmented payment methods with a unified,...
Sellafield Ltd, the government‑owned operator of the UK’s nuclear waste‑processing site, has revised its IT procurement strategy, moving from a two‑lot approach to a single, consolidated contract for hosted infrastructure and application management. The new seven‑year deal is valued at...
PublicTechnology editor Sam Trendall argues that the term “transformation” has become a hollow buzzword in the UK public sector, diluting its impact. Repeated grandiose language around digital change is causing staff disengagement and masking the reality of delayed, under‑funded programmes....
The UK Cabinet Office’s non‑corporate communication guidance (NCCC), refreshed in April 2023 after a decade, was slated for a review by 31 December 2025 but has not yet been examined. Constitution minister Nick Thomas‑Symonds confirmed a forthcoming review of both the guidance and...
Research by Mustard for the Legal Choices portal shows that 29 of 40 participants reported increased knowledge of their legal issue after using the site. Half of the users felt more confident, and 15 said the experience influenced their next...
Congressional Democrats are pressing the NTIA for guidance on how the $21 billion in BEAD non‑deployment funds will be allocated, especially regarding states that enact AI regulations. The NTIA delayed its expected guidance to gather more feedback at its State Broadband...
