Know What's Happening in GovTech
Know What's Happening in GovTech
In early 2026 investigators uncovered hidden license‑plate readers concealed in trailers and other roadside objects across Southern California, revealing a covert surveillance network operated by Border Patrol and ICE. The network feeds license plates, vehicle data, GPS coordinates, and facial images into AI‑driven programs that flag "suspicious travel patterns" and power tools like ICE's Palantir‑based ELITE system. Simultaneously, ICE executed a rapid procurement sprint, securing contracts for spyware, facial‑recognition, and location‑data platforms while doubling its workforce and expanding detention capacity to over 160,000 beds. The expansion is underpinned by massive spending on cloud services from Microsoft, Amazon, and Palantir, embedding commercial tech deeply into immigration enforcement.
One thing that it is worth re-thinking is our perspective on when, and how, it makes sense to build "democratic things". This includes: * DAOs and voting mechanisms in DAOs * Quadratic and other funding gadgets * ZKpassport voting use cases, incl freedomtool...
Victoria’s auditor‑general reports that the state’s $149.3 billion pipeline of major infrastructure projects lacks a single, authoritative public source. While VAGO notes incremental reporting improvements, data remain fragmented across multiple platforms, preventing a full view of individual project status and costs....
On March 5, 2026, a.i. solutions entered a CRADA partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey to embed artificial‑intelligence and machine‑learning tools into Landsat’s flight operations. The collaboration will automate anomaly triage, telemetry trending, and orbital mechanics analysis for the sun‑synchronous Landsat constellation....
James Potter, director of strategic solutions at L3Harris, highlighted the accelerating adoption of 3GPP‑standard mission‑critical (MCX) services across utilities, public‑safety agencies, and mass‑transit operators. He noted that MCX offers higher data rates and native broadband capabilities, positioning it as a...
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced a sole‑source purchase of Skydio R10 indoor drones via Atlantic Diving Supply. The R10 is engineered for GPS‑denied, confined‑space reconnaissance with autonomous navigation, collision‑resistant construction, and cellular 5G/LTE connectivity. The acquisition reflects a growing...
Onondaga County deputies in Clay, N.Y., used a drone and helicopter to rescue two men stranded in a marsh while they attempted to save a lost dog. An AirTag helped locate the dog, and the drone pinpointed its position in...
The Department of Defense demanded Anthropic remove AI guardrails, prompting a standoff. Anthropic refused to allow unrestricted use for domestic surveillance or fully autonomous targeting, leading the Pentagon to label the firm a supply‑chain risk and threaten contractors. The dispute...
Biometric technologies are accelerating digital government transformations worldwide, highlighted by the OECD’s latest Digital Government Index showing strong gains for countries such as Portugal and Chile. The University of Cambridge launched a Digital Identity Regulatory Programme backed by the Gates...
The Trump administration has drafted GSA guidelines that would force AI vendors to grant the government an irrevocable license for "all lawful use" of their systems. The draft also bans ideological or partisan bias in AI outputs and requires companies...
Could there be more to the new #AI guidelines from the US General Services Administration (GSA) than “a government-wide effort to strengthen #procurement of AI services” and mitigate #supplychain risks? Via @joemillerjr & @GeorgeNHammond @FT https://t.co/nB2mq431A9
Brandon Abley, CTO of NENA, detailed the organization’s ongoing standards work, emphasizing the i3 framework that underlies most next‑generation 911 (NG911) deployments. He highlighted emerging capabilities such as AI‑driven call processing and translation identification to improve multilingual emergency response. Abley...
Tampa International Airport has launched Enhanced Passenger Processing (EPP) in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, using touchless facial‑comparison technology for U.S. passport holders. The system verifies identity in six to eight seconds, allowing travelers to bypass traditional document...
On March 3 2026, CMS announced that Medicare.gov will accept CLEAR, ID.me and Login.gov as login options, effectively embedding federally‑backed IAL2 identity verification into the nation’s largest payer platform. The move addresses a $5 billion annual fraud problem and signals that verified digital...
State chief information officers have elevated artificial intelligence to the top of their 2026 agenda, displacing cybersecurity after a 12‑year run. The NASCIO survey shows more than 90% of states are piloting generative AI projects and have established task forces...
Government agencies, NGOs, and local officials in the Philippines are intensifying efforts to protect children from online sexual abuse, including AI‑generated explicit content. The Lingap Pangkabataan and World Vision groups, under the CLEAR‑CAR project, are promoting digital literacy and parental...
The Army’s FUZE Innovation Engine, launched in September, applies a venture‑capital‑style funding model to accelerate defense prototypes and move successful technologies from lab to field in months rather than years. By combining rapid financing with forward‑deployed acquisition officers, FUZE creates...
At MOSIP Connect 2026 in Rabat, the open‑source tool openbq was unveiled as the MOSIP implementation of the BQAT biometric quality investigation platform. The launch highlights MOSIP’s focus on biometric data quality, especially for brownfield migrations where legacy data can...
Epsilon3, a Los Angeles‑area startup, has secured contracts with the U.S. Air Force and Space Force to automate manual testing and launch procedures using AI‑driven software. The platform digitizes test plans, tracks aircraft and satellite testing, and provides real‑time analytics to...
Australia’s Department of Finance has opened consultation on the Digital ID Amendment (Redress Framework) Rules 2026, proposing the world’s first statutory redress mechanism for digital identity. The two‑phase framework already imposes baseline notification and complaint‑handling duties, and the new rules...
The U.S. Navy is testing the Operational Medical Care Delivery Platform (OPMed CDP), an electronic medical‑records system built to capture patient data aboard ships and sync with U.S. military health networks. Designed to function offline when satellite bandwidth is limited, the...
At the Zscaler Public Sector Summit, Idaho National Laboratory’s CISO Robert Roser warned that artificial intelligence is accelerating the sophistication of phishing and ransomware attacks targeting government and critical‑infrastructure networks. He noted AI lowers the technical barrier for less‑skilled hackers,...
Defense Logistics Agency CIO Adarryl Roberts outlined a "connected enterprise" framework that embeds AI across supply‑chain functions, from procurement to finance. The agency is constructing a data‑mesh backbone to feed "control tower" dashboards, giving senior leaders real‑time logistics visibility. Deterministic...
Houston Independent School District will convert Gregg Elementary and Clemente Martinez Elementary into “Future 2” schools focused on artificial intelligence starting next school year. The decision follows a board vote to close 12 schools because of declining enrollment, and Betsy Ross...
The U.S. Air Force is piloting a customer‑relationship‑management (CRM) strategy built on ServiceNow to unify fragmented legacy systems and multiple ServiceNow instances. By centralizing citizen, contractor and partner interactions, the Air Force aims to deliver a consistent digital experience while...
European public‑sector IT spending is pivoting away from U.S. vendors as governments seek digital sovereignty. Germany, Denmark and France are replacing Microsoft Office, Windows, Teams and Zoom with open‑source or home‑grown alternatives, citing cost savings and strategic independence. The German...
MagneGrip announced a complete clean‑air solution for fire stations, combining source‑capture exhaust removal, AirHAWK air‑purification units, and a continuous air‑quality monitoring platform. The source‑capture system extracts diesel emissions at the vehicle tailpipe, preventing contaminants from entering living and apparatus areas....
The Department of Homeland Security is replacing its top cyber leaders, with Chief Information Security Officer Hemant Baidwan departing later this month and Deputy CISO Amanda Day leaving at February’s end. Their exits are part of a broader IT realignment...
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has pushed forward reforms and awarded $6.5 million to nine Tribal applicants as part of the $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) funded by the 2021 infrastructure law. A new Urban Institute report, however,...
Robotics ethicist Kate Darling warned that U.S. policy is falling behind the rapid deployment of automation in warehouses and factories. She argued that profit-driven decisions, not technical capability, will shape the future of work unless stronger regulatory guardrails are introduced....
Scotland’s ScotAccount digital identity platform is broadening verification beyond biometrics by introducing knowledge‑based verification (KBV) and tapping alternative public‑sector data sources. Existing alternatives such as landline‑based two‑factor authentication for older users, the Young Scot NEC, and a CivTech‑sponsored vouching pilot already...
The Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) has elevated the data mapping for VA Form 26‑1820 and the HUD FHA Addendum to candidate recommendation status, making standardized XML datasets available for industry use. The VA mapping translates the loan disbursement report...
Florida’s House of Representatives approved HB 543, a sweeping transportation package that includes provisions to revive the state’s mobile driver’s license (mDL) program. The bill, passed 107‑1, introduces strict data‑privacy safeguards, limiting how businesses can use digital ID information and requiring...
The digital‑identity market is reshaping its leadership as Fourthline, GLEIF and AU10TIX announce new C‑suite appointments. Fourthline named Paul Stoddart CEO to drive geographic and vertical expansion amid the upcoming EU AMLR. GLEIF created a combined Chief Operating and Financial...
Congress is advancing two bills to strengthen the nation’s weather forecasting and disaster response capabilities amid staffing and budget cuts at NOAA and the National Weather Service. Rep. Eric Sorensen’s National Weather Safety Board Act would create an independent board,...
New York State’s Office of Mental Health launched a hybrid semantic‑interoperability framework that leverages HL7 FHIR, SNOMED CT, ICD‑10 and the Gravity Project to unify data across 22 critical‑time‑intervention (CTI) teams. The solution reconciled six to seven disparate EMR sources, converting...
MDOT MTA partnered with Swiftly to equip bus operators with the Onboard App, delivering real‑time schedule comparisons via GPS‑enabled tablets. A 15‑day pilot in late 2025 boosted on‑time performance by 25 % and cut early arrivals by 37 %. The agency targets...
The Boston Federal Reserve is championing FedNow, its real‑time payments platform, to draw more banks into instant‑payment services. A forthcoming Fed survey shows nine in ten consumers would increase bank usage if instant payments were offered, while 55% reported overdraft...
In this episode, Nash County Public Schools’ CTO Tremaine McQueen and Senior Network Engineer J.R. Williams discuss how they evaluated, selected, and rolled out a new remote support platform from BeyondTrust to serve over 3,000 endpoints across 24 schools. They...
The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed a bipartisan package that reauthorizes the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity program and adds $250 million in grants over five years. The legislation targets underfunded rural electric cooperatives, giving them federal assistance...
Shanghai has rolled out a cross‑border digital identity platform that enables foreign firms, starting with Singaporean investors, to register online. The new system replaces paper‑heavy notarisation with distributed identifiers, verifiable credentials and blockchain checks, shrinking registration time from a week...
The UAE Central Bank just built the world's first sovereign financial cloud — AI for AML, fraud, CBDC, zero-trust access, quantum-resistant encryption. Sovereign compute is now a national infrastructure decision, not a vendor one. World's First Sovereign Cloud System for Finance...
U.S. transit tunnels, many built before modern fire‑safety codes, rely on NFPA 130 emergency lighting standards that set a minimal 0.25 foot‑candle illumination. Recent incidents—from the 2015 WMATA smoke event to the 2024 BART fire—exposed the inadequacy of these low‑level requirements,...
The UK government has launched a dedicated cyber profession, jointly overseen by the National Cyber Security Centre and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The initiative creates a Cyber Resourcing Hub and a career framework aligned with UK Cyber...
A federal judge ruled that the U.S. Navy must provide public access to all non‑classified court‑martial records and preliminary hearing documents. The decision follows ProPublica’s 2022 lawsuit alleging First Amendment violations by the Navy’s secrecy policies. The order requires transcripts...
Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) has launched a £4.9 million procurement for a National Intelligent Integrated Audit Solution to monitor user access across the NHS Wales single patient record, clinical applications and data repositories. The cloud‑based platform must ingest audit...
The Federal Reserve’s FedNow service now powers FEMA’s disaster‑relief payouts, moving funds from days or weeks to seconds. Transaction limits have been raised to $10 million, enabling large‑scale disbursements directly to states, municipalities and households. This capability is part of a...
Network International announced two strategic deals to deepen its footprint in North Africa. In Libya, it partnered with Al Seraj Islamic Bank to deliver an end‑to‑end digital payments platform, Visa sponsorship and prepaid issuing capabilities. In Egypt, the firm enabled...
Swedish central bank urges public to horde cash in case of payments disruption https://t.co/ckNfNUQsve "The Riskbank is currently working on improving the possibility of making offline payments by card to strengthen resilience." https://t.co/yLYmWsDoh0
The National Audit Office warns that the UK Government’s Shared Services Strategy is unlikely to meet its £1 billion savings target due to governance flaws, funding uncertainty, and IT integration problems. The programme, intended to standardise finance, payroll and HR across...
