Government Technology

Since World War II, the National Security Agency (NSA) and its predecessors have protected the United States’ most sensitive information. As technological advancements have created a more interconnected world with ever-increasing threats, NSA’s mission has expanded. NSA has embraced new responsibilities and operational authorities to ensure our networks remain secure.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 20211 (CAA) requires the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) to submit annually for seven years a report focused on cybersecurity to Congress. The CAA calls for a description of measures the Board has undertaken to strengthen cybersecurity within the financial services sector and with respect to the Board’s functions as a regulator, including the supervision and regulation of financial institutions and third-party service providers.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, North American and European governments generously funded the discoveries of such famous paleontologists and geologists as Henry de la Beche, William Buckland, Richard Owen, Thomas Hawkins, Edward Drinker Cope, O. C. Marsh, and Charles W. Gilmore. In this book, Jane Davidson explores the motivation behind this rush to fund exploration, arguing that eagerness to discover strategic resources like coal deposits was further fueled by patrons who had a genuine passion for paleontology and the fascinating creatures that were being unearthed.

Our world order is under pressure as never before. From new authoritarian regimes in the US, Turkey and Russia to the imminent breakup of the European Union and a social media awash with intolerance, things look set to fall apart just as abruptly as the Soviet Union did some 30 years ago. How did we get here, and what do we do now? In this searching new exploration of our crisis, Paul Mason argues that at its heart lies an attack on the idea of humanity itself.

A Ph.D. biochemist and immunologist goes through the data on one of the greatest public policy disasters in human history—the lockdown response to COVID. How deadly was COVID originally and after it had evolved for a year or two? How many COVID deaths were prevented by the lockdowns? How many people did the lockdowns throw into depression? How many people did the lockdowns kill by deaths of despair? But the good news from the lockdowns is it shows citizens are willing to make enormous sacrifices for their society and that we can transform society on a dime.

We live in an age when the pursuit of authenticity—from living our 'best life' to eating artisan food—matters more and more to us, but where the forces of inauthenticity seem to be taking over. Our world is full of people and products that are not what they seem. We no longer know whether we are talking to a person or a machine. But we can fight back—and this award-winning book shows us how. Authenticity argues that although our counterfeit culture is shaped by the most powerful forces of evolution, economics and technology, we can still come together to reclaim reality.

As is often observed, Trump is a symptom of a virus that has been incubating for at least 50 years. But not often observed is where the virus is imbedded: in the psychic core of our identity. In American Manifesto: Saving Democracy from Villains, Vandals, and Ourselves, Bob Garfield examines the tragic confluence of the American preoccupation with identity and the catastrophic disintegration of the mass media.

In this rambling essay, Bertrand Russell reflects on the future of the world while the memory of the First World War was still strong in the public imagination. Russell notes the concomitant development of technology and the rise of political autocracies and explores whether man can be considered fit to handle the vast new powers at his disposal.

This audiobook narrated by Teri Schnaubelt explains how to put democracy at the heart of AI governance.

A Life in Trauma is a frank, remarkable account of a career spent helping others, offering a positive outlook on the potential of Ireland’s healthcare system in the future. Concern. Compassion. Doubt. Despair. Anger. Hope. Imagine juggling these feelings every day in a situation where your work could mean the difference between someone's life or death.

This work offers a critical and in-depth analysis of how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and social networks are transforming power dynamics in contemporary society. By exploring the intersections between technology, digital governance, and social control, the book reveals the ethical and political implications of the use of these innovations.

Many of the patients at Mother of Mercy walk for days in order to arrive at the hospital's gates. Others are carried by friends, or survive the jarring ride over dirt paths in the back of the rare pickup that exists in the Nuba Mountain region of southern Sudan. Most are victims of the war that has been waged from the air against the people of Nuba by the Sudanese government for years. All Nubans know to seek refuge in a foxhole when they hear the drone of the bombers overhead; and they all know, in the aftermath, is to bring the maimed to Dr. Tom Catena, the only surgeon for thousands of square miles.

Advanced AI technology is now able to create video of people doing things they never did, in places they have never been, saying things they never said. In the hands of rogue states, terrorists, criminals or crazed individuals, they represent a disturbing new threat to democracy and personal liberty. Deep Fakes can be misused to shift public opinion, swing Presidential elections, or blackmail, coerce, and silence individuals.

The emergence of genomic science in the last quarter century has revolutionized medicine, the justice system, and our understanding of who we are. We use genomics to determine guilt and exonerate the falsely convicted; devise new medicines; test embryos; and discover our ethnic and national roots. One might think that, given these advances, most would favor the availability of genomic tools. Yet as Jennifer Hochschild explains in Genomic Politics, the uses of genomic science are both politically charged and hotly contested.

Silicon Valley is imperializing the planet. With nearly bottomless supplies of cash and ambition, a small group of companies have been gradually seizing symbolic and practical civic leadership in America and worldwide. But Silicon Valley does not answer to the electorate; nor have they been voted into office. And the perils of their influence are only now making themselves known.

In this dynamic account, award-winning author Paul Fleischman arms teens with the basic tools to uncover vested interests and falsehoods by vetting sources, following the money, and checking references so that they can make informed decisions about what actions to take in the worldwide battle against climate change, overconsumption, and dwindling resources.

The United States is experiencing a profound crisis when it comes to mental health care. In a recent Senate Committee on Finance hearing on youth mental health, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy shared that Americans wait 11 years, on average, between onset of symptoms and first receiving treatment. The consequences are plain to see: higher suicide and drug overdose rates, more Americans without a safe place to sleep, more children experiencing depression and anxiety. The house is on fire, and the nation is short on firefighters equipped to put out the blaze.

The world's preeminent environmental organization began with a layer of soot on the windowsill of a Greenwich Village apartment. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) founder John H. Adams, a pioneer of environmental action, was working as a lawyer for the U.S. Attorney's office when he and fellow lawyers teamed up to form a grassroots environmental advocacy group.

"What is Public Procurement?" offers a clear, detailed exploration of one of the most critical functions within the public sector—the procurement process. Aimed at both novice and seasoned professionals, this resource breaks down complex procedures and emphasizes the far-reaching impact of procurement decisions on public welfare and national economic development. Why This Book? Public procurement represents a significant portion of government expenditure, accounting for up to 22% of a country's GDP in some cases. This process is integral to ensuring that goods, services, and ...

The National Security Agency (NSA) formed a Cybersecurity Directorate in 2019 with the charge to prevent and eradicate threats to the United States’ National Security Systems and critical infrastructure, with an initial focus on the Defense Industrial Base and its service providers. Drawing on the NSA’s rich information assurance legacy, the Cybersecurity Directorate refocused to meet the demands of the present and the future. It integrated key parts of the NSA’s cybersecurity mission into a more public-facing organization determined to raise the cybersecurity bar.