John Curran

MeriTalk

John Curran is MeriTalk's Managing Editor covering the intersection of government and technology.

President Biden signed an executive order today that prohibits Federal agencies from using – on an operational basis – commercial spyware technology if the use of that technology would pose risks to U.S. national security, or if the technology “has been misused by foreign actors to enable human rights abuses around the world.”

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said on March 22 that it is gathering data on the U.S. cloud computing market and its service providers to get a better handle on the market power of providers, their impact on competition, and “potential security risks.”

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workforce database

U.S. Digital Response, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that helps government organizations respond quickly to critical public needs by pairing them with pro-bono technologists, has named Hillary Hartley chief executive officer.

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State Department
workforce
FirstNet
OPM CIO Guy Cavallo

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is driving forward on one of the Biden administration’s key technology agenda items – citizen service improvement – by reworking the agency’s main OPM.gov website so it makes more sense to the several different populations who rely on it the most.

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IRS

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen mounted a robust defense today of how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is already benefiting from an influx of funding from Congress under legislation approved last year, and why the money is necessary for longer-term improvements.

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Cyber-Defenders-2023

Who’s on your list for the Most Valuable Players in helping to ensure the nation’s cybersecurity? MeriTalk wants to hear from you – now through April 14 – with nominations for our 2023 Cyber Defenders Awards that will honor those individuals who have made significant contributions across cyber programs in Federal IT.

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Budget Federal spending

The Biden administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget request includes a total of $74 billion of IT spending for Federal civilian agencies and $12.7 billion for cybersecurity spending, according to a budget appendix released by the White House on March 13.

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John Curran
MeriTalk