GovTech Blogs and Articles
GovTech Blogs and Articles
GovTech Pulse
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Every morning
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Academics, advocates, and policymakers have long advocated for a new digital regulator (NDR) to oversee AI and technology markets. On February 25, 2026, GWU’s Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics and Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator convened a summit of leading experts to examine the need and design of such an agency. The organizers released a research agenda outlining unanswered questions across competition, data privacy, and safety, aiming to spur further scholarly work. The agenda acknowledges over 20 existing studies while inviting additional contributions.
The U.S. regulatory gap lets automakers market Level 2+ (or Level 2++) driver‑assistance systems without dedicated safety oversight, despite their robotaxi‑like capabilities. A proposed liability rule would presume any crash caused by non‑malicious driver inattention to be a product defect, shifting the...
Thomson Reuters, a global information provider, has been identified as a key data source for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), supplying personal identifiers such as names, addresses, vehicle registrations, Social Security numbers, and ethnicity data through its CLEAR brand....
Le Monde’s investigation, dubbed “StravaLeaks,” identified roughly 18,000 French military personnel who publicly shared workout data on the Strava app. The disclosed routes pinpointed high‑value assets, including the Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group, nuclear‑submarine base Île Longue, and even the movements of...
Researchers at Urban tested retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) with large language models on Minneapolis' 467‑page zoning code to see if AI can simplify permit queries. The benchmark showed that RAG‑enhanced models returned more accurate, context‑aware answers than baseline LLMs. City officials...
Sen. Mike Lee warned that tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of noncitizens are illegally registered to vote, citing a federal database used by nearly two dozen states. FactCheck.org found the tool frequently misclassifies lawful voters as noncitizens, producing...
Recent justice‑technology news highlights a surge of AI‑related legal mishaps, from an Oregon attorney fined for citing AI‑generated case law to a wave of AI‑driven lawsuits cluttering courts. The FBI’s admission of purchasing Americans’ location data and a 93 GB breach...
Rackspace Technology and Rubrik have launched the UK Sovereign Cyber Recovery Cloud, a ransomware‑focused recovery service that keeps all data, hardware and management within UK borders. The offering provides an automated, isolated "clean‑room" environment that can restore public‑sector and regulated...
The Welsh Government has appointed three suppliers—Airband, Fibrus and Openreach—for Lot 1 and Airband, Fibrus and Wifinity for Lot 2 of its Extending High‑Speed Broadband (EHSB) scheme. The program, funded with a reclaimed £70 m budget (approximately $90 m), targets roughly 29,000 hard‑to‑reach premises...
Illinois lawmakers are racing to pass House Bill 4442, which would extend the state’s High Speed Rail Commission through 2030 and keep the Chicago‑St. Louis corridor alive. The line, already upgraded to 110 mph on the Lincoln Service, is touted as...
On January 5 2026 the General Services Administration issued an IT Security Procedural Guide that instantly raises cybersecurity requirements for any contractor handling Controlled Unclassified Information. The guide forces compliance with NIST SP 800‑171 Rev 3, selected SP 800‑172 Rev 3 controls, and privacy controls from...
AI regulatory sandboxes are emerging worldwide as structured testbeds for emerging technologies. Three primary models—regulatory, operational, and hybrid—offer varying degrees of oversight and infrastructure. These sandboxes intervene at different stages of policy development, often using waivers to permit experimentation before...
Connecticut’s Prevention Data Portal, launched in 2018, showcases how cross‑sector data sharing can improve public‑health outcomes without massive new infrastructure investments. The portal aggregates local, state, and federal datasets, delivering free epidemiological profiles, data stories, and infographics on mental health,...
The blog warns that Britain is rapidly evolving into a surveillance‑heavy state as AI‑driven monitoring tools move from niche law‑enforcement use to nationwide deployment. Facial‑recognition cameras, predictive analytics and data‑sharing agreements are being rolled out under the banner of public...
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,...
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...
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,...
Earth observation (EO) data are now widely accessible through open archives, cloud platforms and shared tools, yet true public use remains limited. The article argues that openness is more than data availability; it requires institutional capacity, sustained funding, and clear...
The World Health Organization announced a partnership with Singapore’s state‑owned investment firm Temasek to develop interoperable digital health wallets, beginning with vaccine and prophylaxis certificates in the 11 ASEAN member states. The effort builds on recent International Health Regulations amendments...
Ookla has entered a 12‑month crowdsourced data partnership with France’s telecom regulator Arcep. The deal adds Speedtest‑derived speed and latency measurements to Arcep’s mobile performance and coverage mapping platform. This integration broadens the granularity of network data across the country,...
Devon residents are being urged to apply for the UK government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme before its August deadline. The scheme offers up to £4,500 (≈ $5,700) per eligible home or business, but vouchers require at least two premises, leaving isolated...
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced the No Adversarial AI Act, which would permanently prohibit federal agencies from purchasing or using artificial intelligence developed by China, Russia, Iran or North Korea. The bill tasks the Federal Acquisition Security Council...
Hong Kong has amended its National Security Law, making it a criminal offense to refuse police access to passwords or decryption assistance for any personal electronic device. The rule applies to all individuals, including U.S. citizens, whether arriving or merely transiting...
Police in North Dakota used AI facial‑recognition software to link a blurry suspect photo to Angela Lipps, a 71‑year‑old grandmother who had never left her Tennessee hometown. Despite her lack of travel history, officers raided her trailer, arrested her at gunpoint...
A recent 404 Media report reveals that Georgia State Patrol used a Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) to issue a traffic ticket for a motorcyclist holding a phone, contradicting the vendor’s claim that its technology is not employed...
Indonesia will enforce a new regulation on March 28 that sets a minimum age of 16 for creating accounts on any digital platform deemed high‑risk, including social media, AI chatbots, and gaming apps. The law requires platforms to conduct a...
Phase 2 of Awaab’s Law, due later in 2026, expands the mandatory hazard‑remediation regime for social landlords to five additional categories such as excess cold, structural instability and fire risks. The government estimated Phase 1 already adds about £129 million (≈ $161 million) in...
Public sector digital services must adopt private‑sector‑style user experiences, treating platforms as evolving products rather than one‑off projects. Made Tech leaders stress early collaboration between policy and delivery teams, launching minimum viable products (MVPs) to gather real‑world feedback. Rapid sprints...
Norway and Iceland have signed agreements to join the European Union’s GOVSATCOM and IRIS2 secure communications programmes. GOVSATCOM, launched in January, provides interim secure satellite capacity, while the €10.6 billion IRIS2 project will deploy about 290 satellites by 2030. Iceland will...
The Oulu City Library hosted Faktabaari’s Fact Tour, bringing together fact‑checkers, cybersecurity experts and officials to discuss the merging of information operations and cyber threats. Speakers highlighted how the same digital techniques—bot networks, AI‑generated deepfakes, and phishing—are used by both...
Hong Kong’s National Security Law implementation rules were amended to criminalize refusal to provide passwords for seized electronic devices, imposing up to one year in prison and a fine of HK$100,000 (≈US$12,800). The changes were issued by decree, bypassing Legislative...
Recent discussions suggest artificial intelligence could finally make central economic planning viable, echoing the 1970s Chilean Cybersyn experiment. Proponents argue that modern AI’s massive data processing could overcome the classic socialist calculation problem identified by Mises and Hayek. The article...
Singapore’s Monetary Authority has invited Ripple to join its Borderless, Liquid, Open, Online, Multicurrency initiative, using the XRP Ledger and Ripple’s USD‑linked stablecoin (RLUSD) to settle cross‑border trade. The pilot automates payment release the moment a shipment is verified, eliminating...
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to obtain records on the WISeR program, a multi‑state Medicare pilot that uses artificial intelligence to evaluate prior‑authorization requests. WISeR,...
Romania’s water agency, coal‑power producer and oil‑pipeline operator have suffered ransomware attacks linked to Russian‑aligned groups such as Qilin and Gentlemen, which the country’s top cyber official says are timed with its support for Ukraine. The EU possesses a cyber‑sanctions...
Rostelecom announced that, under the second stage of Russia’s federal digital‑divide programme, it has extended GSM and LTE mobile coverage to 1.8 million residents across 7,881 villages. The rollout, carried out with its subsidiary T2, began with the first base station...
In Kyiv, advisor Denys Nazarenko explains how the city’s digital infrastructure, built during the pandemic, became a lifeline during Russia’s renewed attacks on energy systems. The municipal command‑and‑control center aggregates data from sensors and services, feeding the Kyiv Digital app...
Smart technology and cross‑industry collaboration could eliminate the last major frictions in air travel—border checks and lost baggage. SITA estimates digitized border control can shave up to 80% off processing times, while IATA’s OneID initiative is gaining momentum worldwide. Bangalore’s...
The Dutch research project Beschikkingen in Beeld examined how administrative decisions are disclosed as open data under the upcoming Wet open overheid. Mapping over 500 government bodies, the study found fewer than 40 agencies proactively publish individual decisions, highlighting the infancy...
A new report by Open State Foundation estimates that open data creates roughly $3.85 bn of annual societal value in the Netherlands, driven by innovation, efficiency, accountability and participation. Real‑world cases – the Regional Climate Monitor dashboard, the citizen‑run Zonopjebakkes app,...
The Democratic Republic of Congo announced a plan to tighten telecom controls by banning the sale of pre‑registered SIM cards and requiring all existing users to re‑identify themselves. The proposal was debated at a Council of Ministers meeting on March 20...
Cameroon’s Directorate General of Customs has rolled out an electronic duty‑collection system for mobile phones, tablets and other devices, effective March 16. The initiative follows a dramatic drop in customs revenue from roughly $19 million to just $160,000. By digitizing the...
Granicus, a digital‑engagement platform for more than 7,000 public‑sector agencies, continues to rely on Wowza Media Systems for its hybrid video infrastructure. The company operates roughly 70 cloud‑based Wowza instances alongside over 100 on‑prem deployments, enabling live and on‑demand streaming...
dxw is partnering with the UK Government Digital Service to overhaul the GOV.UK Publishing Service. The effort shifts the platform from a pre‑packaged content store to on‑the‑fly generation via a revamped Publishing API, reducing data sync errors. GraphQL support adds...
State legislatures are launching new low‑income broadband subsidies as the federal Affordable Connectivity Program winds down. New Mexico’s LITAP offers up to $30 monthly, funded by a $1.50 telecom surcharge, while Oregon increased its subsidy to $15 and added a...
Hong Kong amended its national security law, granting police authority to demand passwords and decryption tools, with up to one year in jail for refusal. A U.S. report warns that retirements and a steep drop in students studying China will...
In January 2024, Princeton researcher J. Alex Halderman demonstrated in federal court that a Dominion voting machine could be hijacked using a ballpoint pen, a $20 card reader and a $30 homemade smart card, exposing a vulnerability that leaves no...
The Port Authority of the Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas secured roughly €2 million (about $2.2 million) from Italy’s Fund for Technological Innovation and Digitalization to build a private 5G network at the Port of Gioia Tauro. The project, which earned a top‑score...
The FAA forecasts that nearly two million drones will operate in U.S. airspace within a few years, yet state and local governments lack affordable, real‑time monitoring solutions. Federal proposals such as Part 108 and expanded JIATF‑401 authority aim to tighten counter‑UAS...
The POPVOX Foundation highlights a growing "pacing problem" where rapid technological change outstrips the ability of parliaments worldwide to understand, adopt, and regulate new tools. It categorises the challenge into three dimensions: external (lawmakers’ tech literacy), interbranch (executive branches moving...
