(Telecompaper) Ericsson has urged governments to play a key role in developing strategies that support internet access and online education...

Brewers have taken exception to the draft notification on it and demanded its withdrawal

MIT, Harvard, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announce the formation of a loose association of interested U.S. state and local governments to promote sharing of software under open source licenses.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Accenture and MIT Digital Government Awards are showcasing technology breakthroughs that deliver public sector...

MIT, Harvard, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announce the formation of a loose association of interested U.S. state and local governments to promote sharing of software under open source licenses.

Arkansas has joined the growing number of states syndicating agency produced headlines for its citizenry using RSS. The Arkansas Government eNewsRoom is a news portal featuring a RSS 0.91 feed that indexes news releases in PDF format.

Those monitoring U.S. eGovernment progress and news should take a look at Multimedia Victoria, the Victorian Government's Repository of eGovernment Resources. Of particular note is its archives of State Government websites and egovernment reports. To find such a great resource...

The Award for Best Government Website went to www.govt.nz at the 2003 NetGuide Awards in Auckland on November 14. New Zealand's State Service Commission�s E-government Unit develops the portal and has authored a RSS standard for press releases and event-related content published by government agencies.

Two Irish County Councils and several other Irish, Northern Ireland, and UK government agencies are publishing press releases using the new Nooked hosted online RSS publishing service.

in some cases, Meta is automatically creating the pages #

The Irish government announces that it has given "provisional support" to Portmarnock hosting The Open Championship and the Women's Open.

Ministers could face a huge bill if they lose a legal fight over beleaguered bottle return plans.

People in Nuneaton, Warwickshire react to Labour's first budget in 15 years.

Michigan Rising Action’s Abby Mitch on holding elected officials accountable

Decision creates incentives for more secrecy

1. Trump says Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the Department of Government Efficiency  The Globe and Mail
2. Why is Elon Musk becoming Donald Trump's efficiency adviser?  BBC.com
3. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead new 'Department of Government Efficiency' in Trump administration  CTV News
4. George Conway: Musk, Ramaswamy to lead ‘nonexistent department’  The Hill

E-government serves as a vital channel for citizen interactions with the public sector, where user enjoyment is of paramount importance. To date, few studies have comprehensively examined the determinants of citizen enjoyment in e-government. To address this research gap, we administered a survey and gathered data from 363 Australian residents using myGov for tax filing. Our analysis revealed a pronounced discrepancy between reported enjoyment and the intention to continue using the services. Although users demonstrated a strong intent to use e-government services, this intent did not uniformly align with enjoyment. Additionally, informed by self-determination theory, we developed and tested an e-government service enjoyment model to study the impacts of effort expectancy, technophilia, technology humanness, and engagement in fostering user enjoyment. Unexpectedly, the results showed that information privacy concerns, commonly seen as a deterrent in e-government adoption, did not significantly affect enjoyment. Our findings advance the discourse on e-government service improvement.

Aim/Purpose . The quantitative comparative ex post facto research study covered in this paper aims to fill gaps in the literature by focusing on whether gender influences perceptions of leadership; diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA); and job satisfaction among federal employees within the Department of Justice using empirical data. The study also explores whether there are relationships between the perception of leadership and job satisfaction and the perception of DEIA and job satisfaction. Background. Since 2002, the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has administered the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), which measures employee perceptions of whether and to what extent successful organizational conditions exist in their agencies. Areas currently assessed within the FEVS include training, job satisfaction, leadership effectiveness, management effectiveness, work-life balance, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. The exploration of variations in perceptions of leadership, DEIA efforts, and job satisfaction among U.S. federal employees by gender and other criteria are crucial areas for research that are underrepresented in the literature. This is not only important for the United States federal government, which is grappling with high attrition rates, but also for public administrations around the world. Methodology. A quantitative ex post facto research design was used to analyze data from responses of U.S. federal employees working for the Department of Justice. Leadership, job satisfaction, and DEIA were all measured using aggregate scores from pre-determined question sets. Differences based on gender were analyzed using t-tests. Additionally, chi-squares and Spearman’s rank correlations were employed in order to explore whether there is a relationship between the perception of leadership and job satisfaction and the perception of DEIA efforts and job satisfaction among U.S. federal government workers. Contribution. The findings of this study aid in providing empirical data to support the need for federal government leadership to understand the impact of employees’ perceptions on their willingness to continue working in the federal government. The research study was grounded in Public Service Motivation Theory, which centers around factors that motivate individuals to pursue and maintain careers in the public service sector. More specifically, this study supported the public service motivation theory in that it looked at gender as a mitigating factor in public service motivation as well as explored the role of leadership and DEIA as a correlating factor to job satisfaction. The results of this research have practical implications for federal government leaders interested in increasing employee motivation and retention and who should be considering the range of sociocultural and demographic characteristics that have been found in the research to impact employee perceptions and experiences. Findings. The analyses found differences in perceptions of leadership, DEIA, and job satisfaction among United States Federal Government employees based on gender. Additionally, perceptions of leadership and DEIA were both found to influence job satisfaction. The first research question explored in this study used a t-test to consider whether the perception of leadership among U.S. federal employees differed based on participant gender with significance found. The second research question examined whether the perceived job satisfaction of U.S. federal employees differed based on gender, with statistical significance detected. The third research question focused on whether perception of DEIA differed when gender was explored and the results of the t-test indicated a significant difference in perceptions of DEIA when gender was considered. The fourth research question considered the relationship between the perception of leadership and job satisfaction. A Chi-square and a Spearman Rank Correlation were performed, and a relationship was found to exist. Research question five explored whether a relationship exists between the perception of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives and job satisfaction, with significance found following a chi-square and a Spearman rank correlation. Recommendations for Practitioners. Leadership behaviors of managers and the existence of DEIA policies play a critical role in employees’ job satisfaction and commitment. The recommendations for organizational leadership in the public service sector include addressing gender inequality in work practices and environments and cultivating more inclusive organizational cultures. Recommendations for Researchers. The lack of inclusion of socio-cultural norms in the research on public service motivation is a gap that has yet to be sufficiently addressed and is an area of research that should be explored. Impact on Society. Research on public service motivation in local, state, national, and international government employment can aid organizations in developing strategies for improving recruitment, selection, and retention in public service organizations. This information can advance scientific knowledge on transforming management and leadership practices across sectors. Future Research. Future research can expound on what has been done here by examining in more detail how various identities, and more specifically intersecting identities, within the LGBTQIA+ community as well as other historically marginalized groups, impact such factors as perceptions of leadership, job satisfaction, employee motivation and retention, and work-life balance. Perceptions of specific DEIA initiatives should also be further explored.

Aim/Purpose: Facebook has made it possible for organisation to embrace social and network centric knowledge processes by creating opportunities to connect, interact, and collaborate with stakeholders. We have witnessed a significant increase in the popularity and use of this tool in many organisations, especially in the private sector. But the utilisation of Facebook in public organisations is at its infancy, with many also believing that the use of Facebook is not a common practice in many public organisations in Nigeria. In spite of this fact, our discernment on the implications of Facebook usage in public organisations in Nigeria, especially organisations at the local level, seem to be remarkably limited. This paper specifically sought to ascertain if Facebook usage influenced inward and outward knowledge sharing in the selected local government councils in Delta State, Nigeria Methodology: The qualitative method was adopted. The study used interview as the primary means of data gathering. The study purposively sampled thirty-six employees as interviewees, twenty from Oshimili South and sixteen from Oshimili North local government councils respectively. The thematic content analysis method was used to analyse interview transcripts. Contribution: This research made distinct contributions to the available literature in social knowledge management, specifically bringing to the fore the intricacies surrounding the use of Facebook for knowledge sharing purposes in the public sector. Findings: The local government councils were yet to appreciate and utilise the interactive and collaborative nature of Facebook in improving stakeholders’ engagement, feedback, and cooperation. Facebook was used for outward knowledge sharing but not for inward knowledge sharing. Recommendations for Practitioners: Local government councils should encourage interaction via Facebook, show willingness to capture knowledge from identifiable sources, and effectively manage critical knowledge assets in order to build trust, cooperation, and confidence in the system. To gain strategic benefits from the use of Facebook for synchronous communication of knowledge, local government councils should ensure that the use of such technology is aligned with strategic plans and that directional change is in line with the new knowledge economy, where interaction and collaboration through technology are seen as strategic imperatives for continued success and sustainability. In addition, local government councils need to train stakeholders on effective use of Facebook for knowledge sharing, with special emphasis on how, why, who, when, and where to use such tool for knowledge sharing activities.

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the key research foci, methodologies, and theoretical perspectives adopted by researchers when studying E-government accessibility for persons with disabilities (PWDs), particularly in developing countries. The study aims to develop a conceptual framework for designing accessible E-government for PWDs in developing countries. Background: Studies on E-government accessibility for persons with disabilities in developing countries have been minimal. The few studies conducted until now have failed to integrate PWDs, a population already marginalized, into the digital society. Accessibility has been identified by researchers as a major hindrance to PWDs participating in E-government. It is imperative therefore to examine the manner in which researchers investigate and acquire knowledge about this phenomenon. Methodology : The study synthesizes literature from top IS journals following a systematic literature review approach. The data synthesis focuses on identifying key concepts relating to E-government accessibility for PWDs. Contribution: The study contributes to the field of E-government, with a focus on how E-government services can be made accessible to PWDs. The study calls on researchers to reflect on their epistemological and ontological paradigms when examining accessibility of E-government services in developing countries. Findings: The findings show that most researchers focus on the evaluation of E-government websites and predominantly adopt quantitative methods. The study also reveals that the use of technological determinism as a theoretical lens is high among researchers. Recommendations for Practitioners : The study recommends that E-government web developers and policy makers involve PWDs from design to evaluation in the development of E-government applications. Recommendation for Researchers: The study advocates the need to conduct studies on E-government accessibility by employing more qualitative and mixed approaches to gain in-depth and better understanding of the phenomenon. Impact on Society : This study creates greater awareness and points out inadequacies that society needs to address to make E-government more inclusive of and participatory for PWDs. Future Research: Further empirical work is required in order to refine the relevance and applicability of various constructs in EADM so as to arrive at a framework for addressing E-government accessibility for PWDs in developing countries.

Aim/Purpose: Blockchain technology (BCT) has emerged as a potential catalyst for transforming government institutions and services, yet the adoption of blockchain in governments faces various challenges, for which previous studies have yet to provide practical solutions. Background: This study aims to identify and analyse barriers, potential solutions, and their relations in implementing BC for governments through a systematic literature review (SLR). The authors grouped the challenges based on the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework while exercising a thematic grouping for the solutions, followed by a comprehensive mapping to unveil the relationship between challenges and solutions. Methodology: This study employs the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 methodology, combined with the tollgate method, to improve the quality of selected articles. The authors further administer a three-level approach (open coding, axial coding, and selective coding) to analyse the challenges and solutions from the articles. Contribution: The authors argue that this study enriches the existing literature on BC adoption, particularly in the government context, by providing a comprehensive framework to analyse and address the unique challenges and solutions, thus contributing to the development of new theories and models for future research in BC adoption in government settings and fostering deeper exploration in the field. Findings: The authors have unveiled 40 adoption challenges categorised using the TOE framework. The most prevalent technological challenges include security concerns and integration & interoperability, while cultural resistance, lack of support and involvement, and employees’ capability hinder adoption at the organisational level. Notably, the environmental dimension lacks legal and standard frameworks. The study further unveils 28 potential solutions, encompassing legal frameworks, security and privacy measures, collaboration and governance, technological readiness and infrastructure, and strategic planning and adoption. The authors of the study have further mapped the solutions to the identified challenges, revealing that the establishment of legal frameworks stands out as the most comprehensive solution. Recommendations for Practitioners: Our findings provide a big picture regarding BC adoption for governments around the globe. This study charts the problems commonly encountered by government agencies and presents proven solutions in their wake. The authors endeavour practitioners, particularly those in governments, to embrace our findings as the cornerstone of BC/BCT adoption. These insights can aid practitioners in identifying existing or potential obstacles in adopting BC, pinpointing success factors, and formulating strategies tailored to their organisations. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers could extend this study by making an in-depth analysis of challenges or solutions in specific types of countries, such as developed and developing countries, as the authors believe this approach would yield more insights. Researchers could also test, validate, and verify the mapping in this study to improve the quality of the study further and thus can be a great aid for governments to adopt BC/BCT fully. Impact on Society: This study provides a comprehensive exploration of BC adoption in the government context, offering detailed explanations and valuable insights that hold significant value for government policymakers and decision-makers, serving as a bedrock for successful implementation by addressing roadblocks and emphasising the importance of establishing a supportive culture and structure, engaging stakeholders, and addressing security and privacy concerns, ultimately enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of BC adoption in government institutions and services. Future Research: Future research should address the limitations identified in this study by expanding the scope of the literature search to include previously inaccessible sources and exploring alternative frameworks to capture dynamic changes and contextual factors in BC adoption. Additionally, rigorous scrutiny, review, and testing are essential to establish the practical and theoretical validity of the identified solutions, while in-depth analyses of country-specific and regional challenges will provide valuable insights into the unique considerations faced by different governments.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to investigate the influence of e-government public services on public trust at the local government level, addressing the pressing need to understand the factors shaping citizen perceptions and trust in government institutions. Background: With the proliferation of e-government initiatives worldwide, governments are increasingly turning to digital solutions to enhance public service delivery and promote transparency. However, despite the potential benefits, there remains a gap in understanding how these initiatives impact public trust in government institutions, particularly at the local level. This study seeks to address this gap by examining the relationship between e-government service quality, individual perceptions, and public trust, providing valuable insights into the complexities of citizen-government interactions in the digital age. Methodology: Employing a quantitative approach, this study utilises surveys distributed to users of e-government services in one of the regencies in Indonesia. The sample consists of 278 individuals. Data analysis is conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling, allowing for the exploration of relationships among variables and their influence on public trust. Contribution: This study provides insights into the factors influencing public trust in e-government services at the local government level, offering a nuanced understanding of the relationship between service quality, individual perceptions, and public trust. Findings: This study emphasises information quality and service quality in e-government-based public services as crucial determinants of individual perception in rural areas. Interestingly, system quality in e-government services has no influence on individual perception. In the individual perception, perceived security and privacy emerge as the strongest antecedent of public trust, highlighting the need to guarantee secure and private services for citizens in rural areas. These findings emphasise the importance of prioritising high-quality information, excellent service delivery, and robust security measures to foster and sustain public trust in e-government services. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners must prioritise enhancing the quality of e-government services due to their significant impact on individual perception, leading to higher public trust. Government agencies must ensure reliability, responsiveness, and the effective fulfilment of user needs. Additionally, upholding high standards of information quality in e-government services by delivering accurate, relevant, and timely information remains crucial. Strengthening security measures through robust protocols such as data encryption and secure authentication becomes essential for protecting user data. With that in mind, the authors believe that public trust in government would escalate. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers could investigate the relation between system quality in e-government services and individual perception in different rural settings. Longitudinal studies could also elucidate how evolving service quality, information quality, and security measures impact user satisfaction and trust over time. Comparative studies across regions or countries can reveal cultural and contextual differences in individual perceptions, identifying both universal principles and region-specific strategies for e-government platforms. Analysing user behaviour and preferences across various demographic groups can inform targeted interventions. Furthermore, examining the potential of emerging technologies such as blockchain or artificial intelligence in enhancing e-government service delivery, security, and user engagement remains an interesting topic. Impact on Society: This study’s findings have significant implications for fostering public trust in government institutions, ultimately strengthening democracy and citizen-government relations. By understanding how e-government initiatives influence public trust, policymakers can make informed decisions to improve service delivery, enhance citizen engagement, and promote transparency, thus contributing to more resilient and accountable governance structures. Future Research: Future research could opt for longitudinal studies to evaluate the long-term effects of enhancements in service quality, information quality, and security. Cross-cultural investigations can uncover universal principles and contextual differences in user experiences, supporting global e-government strategies in rural areas. Future research could also improve the research model by adding more variables, such as risk aversion or fear of job loss, to gauge individual perceptions.

Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the drivers of user satisfaction in e-government services and its influence on continued use intention and citizen trust in government. It employs the integration of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Information System Success Model (ISSM). Background: Electronic government, transforming citizen-state interactions, has gained momentum worldwide, including in India, where the aim is to leverage technology to improve citizen services, streamline administration, and engage the public. While prior research has explored factors influencing citizen satisfaction with e-government services globally, this area of study has been relatively unexplored in India, particularly in the post-COVID era. Challenges to widespread e-government adoption in India include a large and diverse population, limited digital infrastructure in rural areas, low digital literacy, and weak data protection regulations. Additionally, global declines in citizen trust, attributed to economic concerns, corruption, and information disclosures, further complicate the scenario. This study seeks to investigate the influence of various factors on user satisfaction and continuance usage of e-government services in India. It also aims to understand how these services contribute to building citizens’ trust in government. Methodology: The data were collected by utilizing survey items on drivers of e-government services, user satisfaction, citizen trust, and continuance use intention derived from existing literature on information systems and e-government. Responses from 501 Indian participants, collected using an online questionnaire, were analyzed using PLS-SEM. Contribution: This study makes a dual contribution to the e-government domain. First, it introduces a comprehensive research model that examines factors influencing users’ satisfaction and continuance intention with e-government services. The proposed model integrates the TAM and ISSM. Combining these models allows for a comprehensive examination of e-government satisfaction and continued intention. By analyzing the impact of user satisfaction on continuance intention and citizen trust through an integrated model, researchers and practitioners gain insights into the complex dynamics involved. Second, the study uncovers the effects of residential status on user satisfaction, trust, and continuance intention regarding e-government services. Findings reveal disparities in the influence of system and service quality on user satisfaction across different user segments. Researchers and policymakers should consider these insights when designing e-government services to ensure user satisfaction, continuance intention, and the building of citizen trust. Findings: The findings indicate that the quality of information, service, system, and perceived usefulness play important roles in user satisfaction with e-government services. All hypothesized paths were significant, except for perceived ease of use. Furthermore, the study highlights that user satisfaction significantly impacts citizen trust and continuance use intention. Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings suggest that government authorities should focus on delivering accurate, comprehensive, and timely information in a secure, glitch-free, and user-friendly digital environment. Implementing an interactive and accessible interface, ensuring compatibility across devices, and implementing swift query resolution mechanisms collectively contribute to improving users’ satisfaction. Conducting awareness and training initiatives, providing 24×7 access to online tutorials, helpdesks, technical support, clear FAQs, and integrating AI-driven customer service support can further ensure a seamless user experience. Government institutions should leverage social influence, community engagement, and social media campaigns to enhance user trust. Promotional campaigns, incentive programs, endorsements, and user testimonials should be used to improve users’ satisfaction and continuance intention. Recommendation for Researchers: An integrated model combining TAM and ISSM offers a robust approach for thoroughly analyzing the diverse factors influencing user satisfaction and continuance intention in the evolving digitalization landscape of e-government services. This expansion, aligning with ISSM’s perspective, enhances the literature by demonstrating how user satisfaction impacts continuance usage intention and citizen trust in e-government services in India and other emerging economies. Impact on Society: Examining the factors influencing user satisfaction and continuance intention in e-government services and their subsequent impact on citizen trust carries significant societal implications. The findings can contribute to the establishment of transparent and accountable governance practices, fostering a stronger connection between governments and their citizens. Future Research: There are several promising avenues to explore to enhance future research. Expanding the scope by incorporating a larger sample size could enable a more thorough analysis. Alternatively, delving into the performance of specific e-government services would offer greater precision, considering that this study treats e-government services generically. Additionally, incorporating in-depth interviews and longitudinal studies would yield a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamic evolution of digitalization.

Aim/Purpose: To explore the incidence of addiction potential within the Iranian public working population, describing how many Iranian public employees fall within the diagnostic categories of low, moderate, and high addiction potential. Also, to investigate the predicting role of occupational variables such as perceived stress, job security, and job satisfaction on addiction potential and belonging to low, moderate, and high addiction potential diagnostic categories. Background: Substance addiction among employees can lead to several negative consequences at the individual and organizational levels. Also, it is the fourth cause of death in Iran. However, few studies have been conducted on the topic among employees, and non among Iranian employees. Methodology: The study participants were 430 employees working in governmental offices of the North Khorasan province, Iran. Descriptive statistical analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to explore the incidence of addiction potential within the analyzed population and to investigate whether occupational variables such as perceived stress, job security, and job satisfaction predicted low, moderate, or high addiction potential. Contribution: This paper suggests that perceived stress might act as a risk factor for developing addiction, whereas job security and job satisfaction might be protective factors against the likelihood of addiction development. Findings: More than half of the sample showed moderate to high addiction potential. Perceived stress was positively related to addiction potential. Job security and job satisfaction were negatively related to addiction potential. Recommendation for Researchers: When addressing the topic of substance addiction, researchers should focus on the preventative side of investigating it; that is, addiction risk rather than already unfolded addiction. Also, researchers should be mindful of the cultural context in which studies are conducted. Future Research: Future research might investigate other relevant occupational predictors in relation to employee addiction potential, such as leadership style, work-life balance, and worktime schedule, or expand on the relevant causal chain by including personality traits such as neuroticism.

So, any thought of disobeying them must be destroyed – along with anyone daring to spread the idea that the oath is to the Constitution, not to a regime and its unlawful orders.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, rewarding two of Trump’s well known supporters from the private sector.

Musk and Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,“ Trump said in a statement.

Trump said the new department “will provide advice and guidance from outside of government,“ signaling the entity would operate outside the confines of government.

However, it would work with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach” to government never seen before.

Trump said their work would conclude by July 4, 2026, making it a “gift” to the country on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Musk, ranked by Forbes as the richest person in the world, already stood to benefit from Trump’s victory, with the billionaire entrepreneur expected to wield extraordinary influence to help his companies and secure favorable government treatment.

Musk gave millions of dollars to support Trump’s presidential campaign and made public appearances with him. Trump had said he would offer Musk a role in his administration promoting government efficiency.

He has many links to Washington, opens new tab and his lineup of companies includes electric car company Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab, social media platform X and rocket company SpaceX.

“This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!” Musk said, according to Trump’s statement, which called the new government initiative “potentially ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time,“ referring to the U.S. plan to build the atomic bomb that helped end World War Two.

Ramaswamy is the founder of a pharmaceutical company who ran for the Republican presidential nomination against Trump and then threw his support behind the former president after dropping out.

“We will not go gently, @elonmusk,“ Ramaswamy said on X.

Musk reposted the announcement from Trump on his X account and added comments such as that, “The merch will be (fire),“ using three fire emojis, and, “People have no idea how much this will move the needle!”

He also posted: “Threat to democracy? Nope, threat to BUREAUCRACY!!!”

The acronym of the new department - DOGE - coincides with the name of the cryptocurrency dogecoin that Musk promotes.

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Privacy: Our analog parents had the ability to read news anonymously, however they wanted, wherever they wanted, and whenever they wanted. For our digital children, a government agent might as well be looking over their shoulder: the government knows what news sources they read, what articles, for how long, and in what order.

For our analog parents, reading the news was an affair the government had no part of, or indeed had any business being part of. Our analog parents bought a morning newspaper with a few coins on the street corner, brought it somewhere quiet where they had a few minutes to spare, and started reading without anybody interfering.

When our digital children read the news, the government doesn’t just know what news source they choose to read, but also what specific articles they read from that news source, in what order, and for how long. So do several commercial actors. There are at least three grave issues with this.

The first is that since the government has this data, it will attempt to use this data. More specifically, it will attempt to use the data against the individual concerned, possibly in some sort of pre-crime scheme. We know this that since all data collected by a government will eventually be used against the people concerned, with mathematical certainty.

In an attention economy, data about what we pay attention to, how much, and for how long, are absolutely crucial predictive behaviors. And in the hands of a government which makes the crucial mistake of using it to predict pre-crime, the results can be disastrous for the individual and plain wrong for the government.

Of course, the instant the government uses this data in any way imaginable, positive or negative, it will become Heisenberg Metrics — the act of using the data will shape the data itself. For example, if somebody in government decides that reading about frugality probably is an indicator of poverty, and so makes people more eligible for government handouts, then such a policy will immediately shape people’s behavior to read more about frugality. Heisenberg Metrics is when a metric can’t be measured without making it invalid in the process.

(The phenomenon is named after the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which is traditionally confused with the Observer Effect, which states you can’t measure some things without changing them in the process. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is actually something else entirely; it states that you can’t measure precise momentum and position of a subatomic particle at the same time, and does not apply at all to Heisenberg Metrics.)

The second issue is that not only government, but also other commercial actors, will seek to act on these metrics, Heisenberg Metrics as they may be. Maybe somebody thinks that reading fanzines about motorcycle acrobatics should have an effect on your health and traffic insurance premiums?

The third issue is subtle and devious, but far more grave: the government doesn’t just know what articles you read and in what order, but as a corollary to that, knows what the last article you read was, and what you did right after reading it. In other words, it knows very precisely what piece of information leads you to stop reading and instead take a specific action. This is far more dangerous information than being aware of your general information feed patterns and preferences.

Being able to predict somebody’s actions with a high degree of certainty is a far more dangerous ability than being vaguely aware of somebody’s entertainment preferences.

Our analog parents had the privacy right of choosing their information source anonymously with nobody permitted (or able) to say what articles they read, in what order, or for what reason. It’s not unreasonable that our digital children should have the same privacy right, the analog equivalent privacy right.

Privacy remains your own responsibility.

A veteran spy catcher who helped bring down one of the most notorious Russian spies in American history thinks a mole is burrowed in the U.S. government.

President-elect Donald Trump is to return to Washington with the distinct advantage of having previously served in the Oval Office. He is wiser.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved an audacious plan to employ booby-trapped pagers in September against members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, his office said Monday.

The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin.

The post Trump says Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy will form outside group to advise White House on government efficiency appeared first on Boston.com.

At New Philanthropy Capital’s annual conference, charity leaders discussed their experiences of engaging with the new government

As well as creating the hub with a £27,000 grant, the government has given out 17 grants totalling £1m to charities and social enterprises

Young Enterprise Scotland, which has 31 staff, accuses the Scottish government of failing to follow through on funding assurances

It is being hailed as a ‘once in a generation opportunity’ to make the sector’s voice heard but what might the new agreement between the sector and the government include? Andy Ricketts reports

The new initiative was announced by the government in the Budget today

The proposed measure presents a ‘real chance’ for meaningful partnership but will require commitment to collaboration, Baroness Delyth Morgan tells the House of Lords

The NCS Trust, the charity set up to operate the scheme, will also be wound down, MPs are told

The government has earmarked four areas for spending until 2028

Funding models must also include provisions for inflation-based adjustments, the report says

The Charity Retail Association is pushing for better volunteering practices and a renewed focus on reuse

Labour plans to engage with the sector on policy development and delivery, Lilian Greenwood tells a voluntary sector hustings event

Washington – Nearly 30 percent of employers that rank among the top violators of federal wage and safety laws receive federal contracts, according to a report issued Dec. 11 by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee after a yearlong investigation.

Austin, TX — The Texas Department of Insurance’s Division of Workers’ Compensation has published a plain language glossary intended to make workers’ comp insurance easier to understand.

Sacramento, CA – Federal agency statistics vastly undercount the number of nonfatal injuries and illnesses in the agricultural industry, according to a new study from the University of California Davis School of Medicine.

A government shutdown would limit OSHA inspections to “life and property,” and a new initiative on respirable crystalline silica wouldn’t “get off the ground,” agency administrator Doug Parker said Sept. 27.