Barack Obama

News

• GAO: US gov't IT reform slower than claimed

  By Grant Gross | 24 May, 2012 18:42

  The efforts of U.S. President Barack Obama's administration to streamline and improve the government's IT systems aren't proceeding as quickly as officials have suggested, a federal auditor said Thursday.

• Obama orders agencies to optimize Web content for mobile

  By Grant Gross | 23 May, 2012 20:06

  U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered all major government agencies to make two key services available on mobile phones within a year, in an effort to embrace a growing trend toward Web surfing on mobile devices.

• Obama orders agencies to optimize Web content for mobile

  By Grant Gross | 23 May, 2012 17:58

  U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered all major government agencies to make two key services available on mobile phones within a year, in an effort to embrace a growing trend toward Web surfing on mobile devices.

• House passes CISPA cyberthreat sharing bill, despite privacy concerns

  By Grant Gross | 27 April, 2012 09:19

  The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a cyberthreat information-sharing bill that critics say will give U.S. government agencies access to the private communications of millions of Internet users.

• CDT, White House oppose CISPA cyberthreat sharing bill

  By Grant Gross | 26 April, 2012 12:33

  As the U.S. House of Representatives prepares to debate a controversial cyberthreat information-sharing bill, a key deal with a vocal digital rights group has fallen apart.

• Obama authorizes sanctions against surveillance tech in Syria, Iran

  By Grant Gross | 24 April, 2012 01:33

  U.S. President Barack Obama has signed an executive order allowing the U.S. government to block the sale of any technology used to track or monitor dissidents in Syria and Iran by the governments there.

• Obama signs bill focused on crowdsourced investments

  By Grant Gross | 06 April, 2012 05:55

  U.S. President Barack Obama has signed legislation that eliminates restrictions preventing entrepreneurs from seeking crowdsourced funding online and removes some other financial regulations for small businesses.

• White House launches big data R&D push

  By Grant Gross | 30 March, 2012 03:34

  Six U.S. government agencies will spend more than US$200 million to help the government better organize and analyze large volumes of digital data, in a new "big data" research and development effort announced by President Barack Obama's administration Thursday.

• US gov't IT spending to be tight over short term

  By Grant Gross | 29 March, 2012 03:34

  U.S. government agencies will have tight IT budgets over the next 12 to 18 months, but opportunities for small IT vendors exist as many agencies divide up contracts into small chunks, IT and financial services representatives said Wednesday.

• NTIA: Gov't and mobile operators may need to share spectrum

  By Grant Gross | 28 March, 2012 05:17

  The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration has identified 95 MHz of wireless spectrum now used by government agencies that could be used for commercial mobile service, but mobile operators may have to share the spectrum with the current inhabitants.

• FTC chairman: Do-not-track law may not be needed

  By Grant Gross | 27 March, 2012 04:17

  A do-not-track law focused on protecting Web users' privacy may not be necessary, with private groups working to implement recommendations from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the agency's chairman said Monday.

• Study: Expansion of IT trade pact would bring huge benefits

  By Grant Gross | 16 March, 2012 06:48

  An expansion of a 15-year-old IT trade agreement could bring huge benefits to the U.S. economy, including about 60,000 new jobs, according to a study released Thursday.

• White House names Park as new CTO

  By Grant Gross | 10 March, 2012 06:20

  U.S. President Barack Obama has appointed Todd Park as the new CTO for the U.S. government.

• US lawmakers ask if federal workers have email privacy

  By Grant Gross | 07 March, 2012 07:35

  Two Republican lawmakers have asked President Barack Obama's administration to investigate whether agencies are regularly monitoring federal workers' private email accounts after reports of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration firing employees over comments made in personal email messages.

• NTIA: Mobile privacy may be a top priority in new push

  By Grant Gross | 01 March, 2012 06:40

  Transparency about the personal data that mobile applications collect may be at the top of the agenda as the U.S. Department of Commerce begins work on privacy codes of conduct for online businesses.