Craig Basham Appointed Deputy CIO at the U.S. Secret Service
Craig Basham has been named Deputy Chief Information Officer of the U.S. Secret Service. He previously served as Deputy Executive Director of the DHS Office of the CIO, overseeing IT operations for more than 12,000 personnel across the National Capital Region and field offices. Basham’s background includes senior roles at DHS OCIO, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and service in the Army and DoD. His appointment supports the agency’s push to modernize IT, cybersecurity, AI, and emerging technologies.
Indonesia Bans Under‑16s From Social Media, Impacting 70 Million Kids
Indonesia has begun enforcing a new regulation that bars anyone under 16 from creating accounts on major social media platforms, affecting roughly 70 million children. The law targets sites such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox,...
New E-Bike Bill in Congress Could Bring Long-Awaited Federal Regulation
A bipartisan Safe SPEEDS Act has been introduced to give the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission authority to create national classifications, labeling and age guidelines for electric bikes, e‑motos and similar micromobility devices. The bill would replace the patchwork of state...
India’s Folk and Tribal Musicians Are Getting a YouTube-Sized Stage
On March 25, 2026 the Indian Ministry of Culture signed a Memorandum of Understanding with YouTube to bring folk, tribal and traditional musicians onto the digital platform. The agreement will equip artists with training in content creation, channel management, monetization,...
AI and Transparency: Fixing Government Waste
Sat down with Cary Volpert the founder of @tarlywaste who led @DOGE's work at the VA. The federal deficit is one of the biggest threats to America's future. We got into what it actually takes to fix government waste and...
Palantir's Blockbuster Earnings Week Fueled by DoD, FCA & Golden Dome Wins
Palantir Technologies posted a surprise earnings beat and announced three marquee contracts—a Department of Defense program‑of‑record designation for its Maven system, a UK regulator pilot, and a software role in the $185 bn Golden Dome missile‑defense initiative—signaling accelerating AI‑driven revenue growth...
Rail Baltica Uses GIS to Collect and Deliver Construction Data via a Single Platform
Rail Baltica, the 870‑km greenfield railway linking Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, has deployed an Esri‑based geospatial digital twin to centralise all construction data. The platform mandates weekly photo and video submissions and integrates specialist data, eliminating duplication and enabling rapid...
New York Unveils New In-House MTA App
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority launched a newly redesigned mobile app for subway and bus riders, built entirely by MTA staff. The in‑house platform emphasizes faster performance, more accurate real‑time arrival information, and a streamlined interface for low‑connectivity underground stations. New...
CustomerFirst: How We’re Transforming Services Together
The UK Government Digital Service has launched CustomerFirst, a two‑year pilot unit that applies a NewCo semi‑autonomous model to overhaul public services. Partnering with up to four agencies—including an initial collaboration with the DVLA and a co‑chair from Octopus Energy—the...
Croatia Funds 127 Charging Stations for Electric Buses
The Croatian Ministry of Economy approved €12.3 million (≈$13.3 million) to fund twelve electric‑bus charging projects across a dozen cities, installing 127 charging stations. The total investment for the stations is projected at €17.6 million (≈$19 million), with the shortfall to be covered by...
Container Security Now Central to Government Martech Stacks
Government marketing‑technology platforms are increasingly built on containerized infrastructure, making container security a core concern for public‑sector digital services. Over‑provisioned images and ineffective runtime scans expose agencies to heightened cyber risk, especially as sensitive citizen data flows through these systems....
The Staggering Cost of Connecting Every South African Household
South Africa requires between R108‑billion and R142‑billion (≈ $5.7‑$7.5 billion) to deliver 100 Mbit/s broadband to every household by 2035, according to a DBSA‑commissioned Digital Infrastructure Investment Study. The study, led by Networks Anonymous strategist Pieter Grootes, breaks costs into new‑build, replacement and...
Top ICT Tenders: SASSA Looks to Modernise WAN
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has issued a tender to modernise its wide‑area network across 461 offices in all nine provinces. The agency seeks a secure, resilient SD‑WAN solution that integrates its existing APN service, provides automated failover,...
Just Touching Your Phone At A Red Light Can Get You A Ticket In These Strict US States
A growing majority of U.S. jurisdictions now enforce "no‑touch" cellphone laws, prohibiting drivers from handling phones even at red lights unless mounted. The Governors Highway Safety Association reports 33 states, D.C., and several territories have such bans, with fines ranging...
Kantara Initiative to Collaborate with the OIDF on the Role of Authorised Auditor
The OpenID Foundation announced a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kantara Initiative, appointing Kantara as an Authorized Auditor for its independent conformance testing program. In this role, Kantara will evaluate organizations seeking Approved Testing Service Provider status, ensuring they meet...
Indian High Court Judges Endorse AI for Faster Courts, Warn Against Unchecked ‘Robo‑Justice’
At a National Judicial Academy conference in Chandigarh, Justice Anoop Chitkara and fellow judges praised AI and blockchain for speeding up case handling, but warned that unchecked ‘robo‑justice’ could erode human oversight. Their remarks signal a major policy shift for...
New Jersey Joins Dozens of States to Ban Surveillance Pricing in Grocery Apps
New Jersey lawmakers introduced a bill prohibiting grocery‑delivery platforms from using personal data to set individualized prices, joining at least 11 other states considering similar measures. The effort follows Consumer Reports findings that algorithms can raise prices by as much...
DoD Expands Software Factories to Embed DevOps Across All Services
The Department of Defense announced the expansion of its software factories to embed DevOps practices—continuous integration, automated testing and rapid deployment—across the Air Force, Army and Marine Corps. The move formalizes soldier‑developer pipelines and aims to curb duplication while accelerating...
States Award $45.6 M to Deloitte, Accenture, Optum to Enforce One Big Beautiful Bill Act
State governments have signed contracts worth at least $45.6 million with consulting firms Deloitte, Accenture and Optum to re‑engineer eligibility systems under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The changes are expected to push 7.5 million people off Medicaid by 2034 and...
Queensland Bans Under‑16 E‑bikes as Deaths Rise, Sparking National Safety Debate
Queensland has introduced a ban on e‑bike riders under 16 and 28 safety reforms after eight youth deaths in the past year. The measures, including a learner’s licence for 16‑17‑year‑olds and a 10 km/h footpath speed limit, aim to curb a...
Philippines DOE Targets 1,471MW Grid Boost by April 2026
The Philippines Department of Energy aims to add 1,471 MW of generation capacity to the national grid by April 2026, encompassing 22 projects that are near completion. The bulk of the new supply—about 1,284 MW—will come from 12 solar farms, complemented by hydro,...
Philippines DOE Targets 1,471MW Grid Boost by April 2026
The Philippines Department of Energy aims to add 1,471 MW of generation capacity to the national grid by April 2026, primarily through 12 solar projects delivering about 1,284 MW. The portfolio also includes hydro, biomass, wind and a 20 MW integrated renewable storage system,...
Speeders Beware: 125 Traffic Cameras Are Coming to L.A., Along with Hefty Fines. What You Need to Know
Los Angeles will install 125 automated speed cameras across its 15 council districts between April and July, targeting school zones, high‑risk corridors, and accident‑prone streets. Drivers caught exceeding the limit by 11 mph or more face fines ranging from $50 to...
Falsely Accused, Bail Granted; Fraud Was Impersonator Scheme
I want to address what happened to Neeraj and me last week. Of course, it was quite shocking to us as well and honestly very disheartening. But today, we want to talk about what actually happened and more importantly, what...
Over 38,000 GPUs Onboarded on AI Compute Portal Under IndiaAI Mission
The Indian government’s IndiaAI Mission, backed by roughly $1.27 billion, has onboarded more than 38,000 GPUs through a centralised compute portal, offering subsidised access to startups, researchers and academia. The mission has already approved 190 AI‑related projects spanning government agencies, MSMEs...
Macra Declares Advances Towards Tower Deployment Through DMAP
The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) announced that the Digital Malawi Acceleration Project (DMAP) is moving forward with plans to procure service providers for more than 90 new communication towers across the country. DMAP has pledged to deliver 100 towers,...
What Recent Data Reveals About Commuter Safety Trends
Recent analysis of San Diego traffic data shows rising safety challenges across highways, interchanges, and pedestrian zones. Tourist influx and complex interchanges increase collision risk, while cyclists and pedestrians remain vulnerable. City officials are responding with infrastructure redesigns, dedicated lanes,...
New ACMA Rules to Make Telcos More Accountable for Outages
Australian regulator ACMA will enforce new network‑outage transparency rules from 30 June 2026, requiring telcos to publish a historic register of major unplanned disruptions resolved after 31 March 2026. Providers must disclose twenty specific data points, including outage type, duration, geographic breakdown and affected...
Every Soldier a Software Builder: Governing the Army’s New Digital Workforce
The Army is turning its soldiers into software builders by leveraging accredited digital platforms such as Army Vantage and GenAI.mil, allowing rapid creation of mission‑critical tools without new cybersecurity approvals. To prevent duplication and abandoned projects, the author proposes a...
FINRA’s “Burdensome” 2.5TB Data Tamed by AWS
@FINRA 's MMAT recent BK response/filling (March 27th) states an estimated 2.5 terabyte of trading data for #MMAT / #MMTLP. They called this BURDENSOME. At first glance perhaps this may look like a big, scary dataset... But lets take a closer...
Ukraine Names National AI “Syaivo” After Public Vote
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s national AI model for government services has been named “Syaivo” (“the shining”) following the results of an open public vote. https://t.co/d8dab88lga
South Africa’s Taxman Is Coming for Online Earners
South Africa’s revenue service (SARS) is intensifying efforts to identify and tax online earners, from influencers to crypto traders, using platform data and advanced analytics. The crackdown arrives as more Africans generate income outside traditional employment, raising compliance challenges for...
Trust Trumps Technology Efficiency in Government Services
Citizen trust or tech efficiency? If they don't trust you, it doesn't matter how efficient your tech is. #GovTech #AI #Trust https://t.co/adWNax9779
Alstom to Deliver Belgrade’s First Metro Line
Alstom has secured a €915 million (≈$1 billion) contract to deliver Belgrade’s first fully automated metro line, Line 1, spanning 15 kilometres with 15 stations, 11 of which are underground. The turnkey deal includes 32 driverless Metropolis three‑car trains, Urbalis CBTC signalling, power supply,...
How Milan Used the Olympic Games to Accelerate Investment in Transportation
Milan leveraged the 2026 Winter Olympics as a mobility stress test, accelerating public‑transport investments to ease road congestion and integrate northern Italian provinces into the European rail network. The city transformed the Porta Romana rail yard into an Olympic Village...
White House App Sparks Concern over Location Tracking and Privacy Issues
The White House released a new mobile app to provide citizens with breaking‑government news, livestreams, and policy updates. Shortly after launch, users on X flagged the app’s request for location, storage and network permissions, sparking privacy concerns. Security researchers identified...
AI and Standards to Track the Value of Volunteering
The Open Data Institute, Do IT and Team Kinetic, backed by the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport, have launched a unified open data standard for volunteering opportunities across the United Kingdom, accompanied by an AI‑powered ChatGPT demo tool. The...
AI to Be Traffic Sheriff in Nottingham
Nottingham City Council has awarded Alchera Technologies a contract to build an AI‑powered transport data platform, funded by the Department for Transport’s Future Transport Zones programme. The cloud‑based system will ingest real‑time feeds from sensors, cameras, EV chargers, and public‑transport...
BRINC Drones – Product Marketing Manager
BRINC, a public‑safety technology firm, has built an ecosystem of drones and ruggedized throw phones that deliver real‑time visual data to first responders. Its solutions are deployed by more than 600 agencies across the United States and the company has...
DPA and DSIT Reuse Strategy Reduces Digital Exclusion
The UK’s IT Reuse for Good Charter, a joint effort by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Digital Poverty Alliance and partners, has redistributed more than 22,000 laptops, tablets and smartphones to people in need. The programme targets...
DoT, NOAA Develop Paths to Modernize Critical Systems
The panel discussed how federal agencies are modernizing legacy IT systems to improve safety, efficiency, and resilience. Ankur Saini detailed the FMCSA’s new MODIS platform, a cloud‑based, one‑stop registration system that reduces fraud and streamlines trucking compliance. Rick Miner described...
FDA Launches New AI-Powered System to Track Drug and Vaccine Side Effects
The FDA launched the AI‑powered Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) on March 11, 2026, consolidating VAERS, FAERS and other databases into a single, real‑time platform. AI automates data entry and categorization, replacing quarterly updates with instant reporting. Early testing showed...
Episode 402: Paul Allen: The Promise of AI, Governance and Public Trust
In the latest episode of *Corruption, Crime and Compliance*, entrepreneur Paul Allen—founder of Ancestry.com and Soar.com—introduces CitizenPortal.ai, an AI‑driven civic intelligence platform designed to make government activity more transparent and accountable. Allen argues that artificial intelligence should augment, not replace,...
India Launches Nyaya Setu AI Chatbot at National Legal Tech Consultation
Vice‑President C.P. Radhakrishnan chaired a national consultation on tech‑enabled legal services, unveiling the Nyaya Setu AI chatbot and drawing roughly 1,200 stakeholders, including Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. The launch is part of the DISHA Scheme’s Tele‑Law initiative, aimed at...
Salesforce AI Bots to Field Calls for U.S. Labor Department
Salesforce is rolling out its Agentforce AI platform at the U.S. Department of Labor to answer calls and triage roughly 2.8 million cases each year. The system, built on Salesforce Government Cloud, will handle everything from unemployment insurance to OSHA logs,...
Market Reset: India Pulls the Plug on Chinese CCTV Makers
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will stop certifying Chinese CCTV brands such as Hikvision and Dahua from April 1, effectively barring them from the market. The new essential requirements mandate disclosure of component origins and vulnerability testing, forcing...
Judge Halts Pentagon's Attempt to Flag Anthropic as Supply‑Chain Risk
A U.S. district judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Department of Defense from labeling AI startup Anthropic as a supply‑chain risk. The ruling underscores a clash between defense‑sector security protocols and the fast‑moving AI industry, with both sides vowing...
Artificial Intelligence in Federal Courts: A Random-Sample Survey of Judges
A new study surveyed 502 federal judges, receiving 112 responses, to gauge AI usage in the judiciary. While most respondents have tried AI tools, 38% admit they never use them, and daily or weekly use remains rare. Judges favor integrated...
Trump Pushes Silicon Valley Into Nuclear Regulation, Sparking VC Surge
The Trump administration has placed 31‑year‑old lawyer Seth Cohen at the helm of nuclear policy, accelerating deregulation and inviting a flood of Silicon Valley capital into nuclear startups. The move follows the firing of NRC commissioner Christopher Hanson and a...
Saudi Central Bank Issues Open‑Banking Licences to Fintech Firms
The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced the issuance of open‑banking licences to fintech companies, granting them formal access to banks' data APIs. The regulatory step aims to accelerate digital payments, lending and wealth‑tech services in the kingdom, though the exact...