(12/17/2007) Public and private consultations are underway in the U.K. as the government pursues its data sharing plan that was part of a comprehensive review, which was initially announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in October. One of the issues being addressed is the possibility of amending the Data Protection Act. | (12/14/2007) Interoperability is the number one issue facing Canadian first responders with respect to improving their ability to enhance public safety. This was one of the key findings of a survey, Keeping Canadians Safe, released yesterday by the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) which polled 144 chiefs of fire, police, paramedic and emergency response organizations. | (12/12/2007) Despite added costs and complexity, business and government sectors are becoming wedded to data encryption, even though at times it's like an arranged marriage driven by regulatory compliance and fear of data-breach fiascos. | (12/12/2007) Despite added costs and complexity, business and government sectors are becoming wedded to data encryption, even though at times it's like an arranged marriage driven by regulatory compliance and fear of data-breach fiascos. | (12/12/2007) The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency can provide a good example for corporate CIOs on how to handle electronic records by not doing what the CIA had done. Recent reports that the CIA destroyed videotapes of interrogations of two terrorist suspects may be a case in point and a timely reminder for CIOs tasked with electronic evidence preservation rules since last December. | (12/10/2007) Computer systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (http://www.ornl.gov/), an American science and technology lab under the U.S. Department of Energy, has reportedly suffered a cyber attack last week and there were indications other institutions may have also been targets. | (12/10/2007) Dutch lawmakers have proposed legislation that would mandate the use of the Open Document Format (ODF) across the entire Dutch government, despite fierce lobbying by Microsoft Netherlands. A group promoting open standards sees no threat, however, and has invited Microsoft to join its ranks. | (12/7/2007) Inside CIO Government Review this December. | (12/7/2007) Privacy officials have welcomed a proposed legislation that would give law enforcement a better arsenal of tools to go after fraudsters and identity thieves, but cautioned the statute alone will not eradicate the increasing problem of identity theft. | (12/6/2007) As more and more services move online, identifying and authenticating citizens in cyber-space are becoming more difficult for governments. Citizens want one-stop service but they also want assurances their personal information is kept private. Securely sharing identity information while remaining within the confines of privacy legislation, therefore, is a challenge the public sector is working to overcome. |
  | |  | | Blog Spotlight: Sandford Borins |  | As Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Toronto, Sandford Borins brings InterGovWorld.com readers exclusive insights into how and why the public sector is changing. You'll find new perspectives and questions, observations and objectives, lessons and answers. Cover to Cover, the blog by Prof. Sandford Borins, appears every Thursday. Inside Cover to Cover | |
| | | Unified Communications |  | Unity is a word often heard in the public sector, with myriad agencies and departments looking to foster collective thinking around some of today's most pressing issues. The word, however, doesn't usually get mentioned in the same breath as technology. That's a situation, though, that might soon be changing, thanks to a new software platform known as unified communications.
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