The Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University – which focuses on data and technology issues to drive more equitable practices in society – has named Cori Zarek executive director.

New York State has temporarily halted the use of facial recognition technologies in schools pending further investigation of the technologies.

The New York-based Northwell Health has launched a new mobile app to teaching tips to students, trainees, and faculty.

The Commonwealth of Virginia is using $10 million in Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to create a new statewide technology platform to connect Virginians with health and social services.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City’s 311 call center has answered a record-setting 23.5 million calls in 2020. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said the call count, which is the highest in the center’s 18-year history, was due to the unprecedented need for essential services and information.

The House and Senate approved a bill that will support the adoption of “.gov” domains across to state, local, and tribal governments, as part of the provisions in the $1.4 trillion bill to fund the Federal government.

A new survey released by MeriTalk and Splunk finds that public sector IT decision makers are increasingly planning around zero trust security concepts, with that thinking driven by current and future requirements for telework capabilities, among other security management needs. However, agencies face challenges in migrating to zero trust, including the need to invest in foundational technologies, according to findings from the survey of 150 Federal IT decision makers and 150 state, local, and higher education (SLED) IT decisionmakers on their agencies’ efforts around zero trust.

Malicious actors are targeting K-12 schools with a strong increase in ransomware attacks and other cyber threats, according to a Joint Cybersecurity Advisory released December 10 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC).

After months with no movement and a weekend full of deal-making, Congress is expected to pass a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package as part of a broader Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) omnibus spending bill. The relief includes a new round of Payment Protection Program (PPP) funding, money for broadband deployment and emergency use, and money to remove banned Huawei and ZTE equipment.

The State of Illinois has launched the Connect Illinois Computer Equity Network, which is intended to expand digital access for low-income households throughout the state.