GovTech News and Headlines
GovTech News and Headlines
GovTech Pulse
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is hiring a Director General to lead emerging technology and artificial intelligence, offering a salary of up to £174,000. The role will shape the UK’s strategy, investment and regulation across AI, quantum computing, robotics, synthetic biology and advanced materials. It will manage a multidisciplinary team of about 500 staff and coordinate policy, risk and security considerations. Applications close on 22 March, with the position based in London, Manchester or Darlington.
The European Free Trade Association‑Singapore Digital Economy Agreement (ESDEA) has entered into force for Singapore and Norway, following its signing in September 2025. The pact establishes binding rules for cross‑border data flows, electronic payments, and paperless trade, while prohibiting data‑localisation...
Vietnam will assign a unique identification code to every land plot, apartment, house and land‑attached asset starting March 1, 2026, integrating them into a single national land database. The digital platform will consolidate rights, planning data, transaction history, mortgage status and tax...
PhilTower MIDC became the first independent tower company in the Philippines to join the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP). The move ties its aggressive rollout of built‑to‑suit towers to a formal workforce development framework, supporting the national “Build...
The Australian Digital Health Agency has launched the Digital Health Implementer Hub, replacing its Developer Portal to simplify how health services, software developers and system providers connect to national digital health infrastructure. The hub adds a personalized case‑management system, dynamic...
Indonesia is rolling out a two‑pronged strategy to protect minors online, beginning with the enforcement of Government Regulation No. 17 (PP Tunas) in March 2026. The law obliges digital platforms to implement age verification, content filtering and other safety controls. Complementing the regulation,...
Hong Kong and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create a structured AI partnership. The MoU outlines joint efforts in AI research, data infrastructure, governance standards, and talent development. Both jurisdictions aim to accelerate...
The NSW Audit Office reports that only 40% of the state’s 128 councils have formal AI policies, and merely 11% possess a strategic AI adoption plan. While 90 councils have deployed 109 AI tools, most lack a central inventory, leaving...
The United States, via Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is urging diplomats to counter foreign data‑sovereignty measures, calling EU regulations overly burdensome and a threat to innovation. At the same time, France announced it will replace Microsoft Teams and Zoom with...
The Department of Defense’s National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) project, launched in 2016 to modernize personnel vetting after a series of cybersecurity breaches, still lacks a reliable delivery schedule, the Government Accountability Office reported to Congress. Designed to serve every...
Several U.S. states are introducing legislation to pause data‑center expansions that support artificial‑intelligence workloads. The measures aim to give regulators time to assess water and power consumption, grid impacts, and potential electricity cost increases for local communities. These pauses follow...
Australia’s Home Affairs department has remained silent on ongoing talks with the United States about expanded data access for the Visa Waiver Program. The discussions, which began under the Biden administration in 2022, aim to increase the flow of traveler...
Melbourne will host two new TAFE Centres of Excellence, funded with $50.6 million from state and federal sources. The campuses will be located at Frankston and Moorabbin, raising the nation’s total VET excellence sites to 16. Minister for Skills and Training...
Accelint announced the appointment of Josh Kussman as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategy. Kussman, an entrepreneur, attorney, and former homeland security leader, joins after consulting stints and senior roles at Avantus Federal and Sentinel. His track record...
Escalating geopolitical tensions have amplified Iran‑backed cyber activity, with state‑sponsored groups such as Charming Kitten, APT33, and MuddyWater intensifying spear‑phishing, zero‑day exploits, and custom malware campaigns. These actors target a broad spectrum of sectors, from US political institutions and critical...
The NHS is consolidating patient engagement by expanding the NHS App as a national digital front door, aiming for 95% of appointment bookings by 2028 and targeting £11 million in annual savings from phasing out third‑party patient portals. The Wayfinder programme...
Africa’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem is being hailed as a catalyst for growth, yet its future hinges on whether it can be harnessed for peace. Young, connected Africans are already building AI‑driven early‑warning tools and civic platforms that can defuse...
Intermountain Health will begin providing 24/7 emergency medical services to eastern Yellowstone County, Montana, starting July 1. The partnership with Yellowstone County and the Worden and Shepherd fire districts includes purchasing two ambulances and hiring ten paramedics and EMTs. It addresses...
Iran launched ballistic missiles at Gulf targets after joint Israeli‑U.S. strikes, and the United Arab Emirates’ air‑defense network successfully intercepted several projectiles using THAAD and Patriot systems. The missiles were destroyed before reaching their intended sites, but debris from one...
New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation has amended Part 494 to require commercial property owners to register and report leakage of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Large equipment (≥1,500 lb) must report annual leakage starting March 2026, medium‑size units (200‑1,499 lb) register by June 2026 with reporting...
Deaconess Illinois Medical Center in Marion has broken ground on a new EMS transport hub slated for completion in May. The 4‑ambulance facility will relocate EMS operations from Harrisburg to a centralized Marion campus, providing on‑site crew living space. Hospital...
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) partnered with Ivalua to overhaul its procurement function, delivering over 400 million AED (more than 100 million USD) in savings across 2024‑2025. Streamlined contract‑lifecycle management and a centralized repository cut procurement cycle times by 23 %...
Singapore’s government announced that all GST‑registered businesses must adopt the InvoiceNow e‑invoicing network by April 2031. Built on the international Peppol framework, InvoiceNow lets firms exchange invoices digitally, cutting manual entry, errors and payment cycles. The scheme includes up to SG$5,000...
Hanoi has launched the Hanoi Innovation Centre (HIC), a joint‑stock company designed to accelerate digital transformation and nurture creative industries. The centre will serve as a hub linking data, technology, policy and culture, offering experimental spaces for AI, big data,...
Victoria has opened a new data centre campus in Brooklyn, featuring two advanced facilities designed to meet growing AI and high‑performance computing demand. The state plans a third building on the site and a separate campus at Laverton North, expanding...
Malaysia is accelerating AI adoption by directing more government contracts to domestic technology firms, especially SMEs. Deputy Minister Sim Tze Tzin emphasized expanding local participation in AI projects to build expertise and boost productivity across manufacturing, logistics, services and digital...
Tony Allen previewed the 2026 Global Age Assurance Standards Summit, set for April 14‑16 in Manchester. The gathering is the first since the release of ISO‑IEC 27566‑1, the inaugural international standard for age‑assurance technologies. A master class will focus on...
The World Bank’s new white paper, “ID Meets Instant,” outlines a conceptual model that merges verifiable digital ID with fast‑payment systems via a portable Payments Identity Credential. Built on a trust framework linking national ID authorities and payment providers, the...
The Hudson Institute released an analysis urging the careful rollout of digital wallets in Gaza to improve financial oversight and limit Hamas’s funding streams. It highlights the sector’s $14.2 million damage, near‑total loss of bank branches, and the scarcity of functional...
Immigration lawyers in Canada launched the nonprofit AIMICI after discovering that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been using undisclosed automated decision‑making tools such as the Chinook summarisation system, machine‑learning triage, facial‑recognition and generative AI. The group aims to...
Bipartisan senators have reintroduced the Satellite Cybersecurity Act to address growing cyber and electronic‑warfare threats against commercial satellite constellations. Low‑cost systems such as Starlink now underpin military command, intelligence, logistics and civilian services, making them attractive targets. The article highlights...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is evaluating artificial‑intelligence tools to improve the precision of Medicare Advantage coding and hospital billing. The initiative is part of the Trump administration’s proposed CRUSH (Combatting and Reducing Unnecessary Spending and Healthcare...
The recent episode of HBO’s drama "The Pitt" portrayed a hospital’s IT systems being shut down by ransomware, forcing clinicians to revert to paper‑based processes. Hours later, the University of Mississippi Medical Center confirmed a real ransomware breach that crippled...
The federal government unveiled a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, allocating $10 billion per year to states for preventive care, workforce development, and technology upgrades. HHS also announced stricter enforcement of information‑blocking rules, creating a portal for patient‑data complaints. Simultaneously, officials...
The American Hospital Association (AHA) submitted formal recommendations to the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and the Office of the National Coordinator (ASTP/ONC) regarding the Health Data, Technology and Interoperability (HTI‑5) proposed rule. The rule seeks to deregulate certification criteria,...
Los Angeles Unified School District launched the “Ed” AI chatbot in March 2024, a high‑profile effort led by Superintendent Alberto Carvalho to place the district at the forefront of educational technology. The project hinged on a $6 million contract with Boston...
Unison, a federal acquisition software provider, used its bulk modification tool to issue more than 3,800 contract changes for an unnamed agency in a single click. The automation replaced weeks of manual drafting, handling FAR deviation updates required by the...
Identy entered the NIST Friction Ridge Image and Features Technology Evaluation (FRIF) TE Exemplar One‑to‑Many test and posted results that rank it among the top three fingerprint recognition providers worldwide. In the Class B (4‑4‑2) border‑crossing scenario it achieved a false‑negative...
A Congressional Joint Economic Committee report estimates that data‑broker breaches have cost American consumers roughly $20.8 billion. The analysis, sparked by investigations from The Markup and CalMatters, links the loss to four major breaches that exposed over 650 million records in the...
Filevine has released a comprehensive guide titled “Legal AI: What Government Agencies Need To Consider,” aimed at helping public‑sector legal teams navigate the rapidly expanding AI market. The guide outlines how AI can improve government legal workflows, offers a framework...
The Pentagon is moving from network‑centric to data‑centric security, embedding zero‑trust principles across the Navy and Marine Corps. Initiatives such as Project Dynamis and the Operation Cattle Drive effort aim to accelerate secure data sharing, reduce technical debt, and modernize...
The UK Treasury and OfDIA issued guidance linking the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF) to anti‑money‑laundering (AML) obligations, stating that certified digital verification services (DVS) satisfy Regulation 28 customer‑due‑diligence (CDD) requirements. Regulated firms must still retain record‑keeping duties...
Samsung has agreed to stop collecting and processing Automated Content Recognition (ACR) viewing data on its smart TVs in Texas unless consumers give explicit consent, resolving the state’s lawsuit filed in December. The company will roll out clear disclosure and...
European regulators have escalated concerns over AI‑generated non‑consensual deepfakes, issuing a joint statement through the European Data Protection Board that cites 61 authorities worldwide. The statement targets platforms that embed generative image models, highlighting the surge of child‑focused sexual exploitation...
London’s Metropolitan Police will pilot an operator‑initiated facial‑recognition (OIFR) mobile app, powered by NEC’s NeoFace, with 100 officers over six months. The technology promises on‑the‑spot identity checks, avoiding arrests for station‑based verification. At the same time, a series of false‑match...
Senator Ron Wyden has blocked Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd’s nomination to lead the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command, citing insufficient experience for the urgent cyber threat landscape. Meanwhile, the Army is piloting AI to speed doctrine writing, the Ninth Circuit...
The U.S. Army’s 1st Special Forces Command has awarded Clearview AI a new contract to extend its facial‑recognition software subscription from March 2026 through March 2027, with options to continue until 2030. The agreement covers five software licenses and maintains...
Multitude Insights announced a $10 million Series A round, led by Primary Venture Partners and joined by several other investors. The funding will accelerate deployment of its AI‑powered BLTN platform, a secure system for creating, sharing, and analyzing police intelligence across jurisdictions....
Sytemap, formerly HouseAfrica, is building a blockchain‑based map directory that digitises private developers’ land records across Lagos and other Nigerian states. By geo‑referencing each plot with satellite imagery and recording allocations on an immutable ledger, the startup aims to eliminate...
State and local governments are confronting a wave of cyberattacks, with 86% of incidents causing operational disruption that impacts schools, hospitals and public services. Tight budgets, legacy systems and a fierce cyber‑talent shortage hinder effective response. Experts argue the focus...
