Long Live Mother Earth!

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https://youtu.be/8YQIaOldDU8

The global climate is a multi-faceted issue, especially when it comes to how human behavior (seven billion humans) impact the planet. Recognizing the importance of reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, the world’s nations adopted the first international agreement to limit the causes of anthropogenic climate change at the conclusion of the Paris climate talks on Saturday, 12 December 2015.

During this year’s conference, leaders from around the globe came together in Paris to attend one of the largest international conferences ever to review the implementation of the United Nations (UN) Framework on Climate Change to formulate a global resolution designed to slow and eventually halt climate change. Indeed, negotiators from over 195 countries came together to decide that the earth which we inhabit is worth saving—from deforestation, carbon emissions, human emissions and pollution, disappearing coastlines, rising sea levels, and extreme weather patterns—all of which are effects of climate change.

Climate change is the source of much controversy as many people do not believe it exists. Despite the various beliefs, climate change is real. In fact, since the climate talks in Paris are now over, the world has set quite a serious goal for itself: limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or failing that, 2 degrees Celsius. Achieving this goal is necessary because rising temperatures have already had negative impacts on ice caps and ocean chemistry (www.theguardian.com).

Listed below are just a few excerpts from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, “Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”:

  • (A) Parties account for anthropogenic emissions and removals in accordance with methodologies and common metrics assessed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and adopted by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement;
  • (B) Parties ensure methodological consistency, including on baselines, between the communication and implementation of nationally determined contributions;
  • (C) Parties strive to include all categories of anthropogenic emissions or removals in their nationally determined contributions and, once a source, sink or activity is included, continue to include it;
  • (D) Parties shall provide an explanation of why any categories of anthropogenic emissions or removals are excluded

Although this excerpt only represents a portion of the 32 page agreement, the tone of the document emphasizes the seriousness of the outcome this agreement is intended to produce. While climate change is not a problem that can be solved overnight, there are ways that individuals can make a difference to increase environmental sustainability while decreasing the size of one’s carbon footprint.

Ways that you can mitigate environmental degradation (www.nytimes.com):

  • Reduce your consumption of red meat:
    • According to the New York Times, “You are better off eating vegetables from Argentina than red meat from a local farm”
      • More carbon emissions come from the production of red meat and dairy than from the transportation of food.

         

  • Take advantage of public transportation (bus, train, subway, etc.):
    • People who commute by car to work on a daily basis significantly produce more carbon annually than those who rely on public transportation.
  • Eat everything in your refrigerator:
    • Americans waste up to an estimated 40 percent of household food—amounting to almost 1,400 calories per person daily
      • Food waste not only occupies a considerable amount of landfill space, it also adds methane to the atmosphere. as it decomposes, which subsequently increases carbon emissions.
      • Plan meals ahead of time, freeze food before it spoils, and reduce your portion sizes.

       

  • Drive less and avoid first class seating when traveling by plane:
    • Travelers can reduce their carbon footprint by traveling in economy class as first-class seats take up more room, which means more flights for the same number of individuals.
    • However, driving can be worse because driving from coast to coast creates more carbon emissions than a plane seat.
    • If you really want to do your part to reduce your carbon footprint, eliminate travel all together by connecting via Skype or other video chat avenues.

       

  • Adopt a dog or a cat:
    • Although dogs and cats have diets that are high in meat, their meat consumption comes mostly from leftover animal parts that we as humans do not want
      • According to the New York Times, when a cow is slaughtered, almost 50 percent of the animal is removed as unwanted or unfit for human consumption” and usually ends up in pet food as a byproduct of human meat consumption.

       

  • Replace your gas guzzling SUV, but avoid purchasing a second vehicle:
    • “Before you even start driving that new car to add to your first one, you’ve already burned up three and a half times your annual carbon budget” by encouraging the manufacturers to utilize raw materials and metals.
    • Improve your gas mileage by adhering to speed limits, driving defensively, and keeping your tires inflated (United States Department of Energy).

       

  • Consume less stuff, waste less stuff:
    • Avoid the consumption of useless raw materials.
    • Reduce the amount of waste you produce.
    • Remember that not all materials are worth recycling as the New York Times explains, recycling a magazine every day for an entire year saves less carbon than is emitted from four days of running your refrigerator.

In sum, the Paris climate negotiations were a step in the right direction in regards to mitigating climate change. However, the most effective sustainable solution to climate change will require an absolute commitment by individuals, public policies, governing institutions and the global energy system to make fundamental changes in behavior that will foster the development of clean energy and reduce our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels. Ultimately, people around the world must be willing to act in ways that are conducive to sustainable environmental development for generations to come; after all, we only have one earth on which to live and thrive.

 

 

 

 

 

‘Internet of Things’, may change ‘Internet of Everything’

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The term; Internet of Things (IoT) emerged which means, a network of physical objects or “things” embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity, which are enabled to collect and exchange data. IoT is an ultimate idea which is going to change the entire internet system. Yes, something that neither the Government nor any agencies can afford to ignore.

Internet researchers believe that IoT is the future of internet; shouldn’t we gear-up for this change? This much-hyped idea is not just an alarm, but time for the entire market to evolve. Iot is exponentially much risky, challenging, yet rewarding than any technical arrangement that was deployed yesterday. Increasingly connected, sensor-laden and data-driven systems are poised to change everything from national security to office-space management. The only issue is that, implementing IoT would generate more data, therein increasing complexity which most of the agencies couldn’t handle.

Cisco posits that IoT will generate $4.6 trillion for the public sector before 2025 in value added and costs saved. And although the General Services Administration (GSA) has not yet come close to those sorts of returns, the agency— which manages nearly 10,000 government-owned buildings around the country— has pioneered IoT building management with its GSALink initiative. Read more in the Original article: Internet of Everything: A $4.6 Trillion Public-Sector Opportunity. Collecting 29 million data points per day from myriad sensors throughout its buildings, GSA is able to monitor everything from light use to humidity, enabling the agency to boost productivity and promote good health by optimizing conditions when workers are present and saving on energy costs when they’re not.

Other big adopters include the intelligence community and the Defense Department. Warfighters can benefit from sensors that improve their tactical awareness, while vitals monitors can help commanders know who’s healthy or injured. Gary Hall, chief technology officer for Federal Defense at Cisco said, “I do see the Defense Department out in front [of IoT].” Hall added that there is plenty of room for crossover. Municipal experiments with smart lighting or parking, for instance, could inform similar adoption on agency campuses or military bases. “I’ve been on a lot of military bases, and the parking situation could certainly be improved,” he quipped.

The term “Internet of Things” refers to the physical elements of a connected network — the “things” — while the term “Internet of Everything” is all encompassing including: servers, sensors, data flows between them, people interpreting the data and even people talking to other people about the system.

Now the most important question remains unanswered; Can humans deal with the volume?

The number of connected “things” is expected to balloon from around 16 billion today to 50 billion by 2020, with skyrocketing data generation spurring a need for a 750 percent expansion in data center capacity. Hall pointed to the problem of “big, large data” because both the overall volume and the size of individual files have exploded. That creates a need for pre-processing with machines rather than people. He stated that, “Humans can’t deal with the volume of data we’re producing”. The CTO of Federal Defence concluded by warning the Government agencies quoting, “It’s not something they can avoid.”

Editor’s Note: Ideas inspired from;

Noble, Zach. “Are Agencies Really Ready for the Internet of Things?
— FCW.”FCW. N.p., 1 June 2015. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year….to Avoid a Government Shutdown

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When we think of the holiday season, giving your time, resources and effort to make a positive difference in the world in which we live becomes an imperative for spreading holiday cheer. The United States Congress, however, has been putting forth their efforts for a different cause during this holiday season; preventing a government shutdown. In September, Congress was able to divert a government shutdown by collaborating on a provisional resolution to fund the government through December 11th, but with only a few days remaining until the 11th, a December shutdown now looms over Congress.

On 11 December 2015, the government will shutdown if Congress does not decide on several issues ranging from federal government spending to federal grant funding, from education to the nation’s refugee resettlement program. In order to avert a shutdown, congressional policymakers must pass a substantial funding bill in just a few short days.

As the new House speaker, Paul Ryan has been urging Republicans to stand in solidarity on issues that include acting to tighten security on the nation’s refugee resettlement program following the November terrorist attacks in Paris. Furthermore, Speaker Paul Ryan is encouraging his colleagues not to let Democrats use the calendar deadline against them when a government funding bill comes to the floor before December 11th. At the same time, Senate Democrats have already begun to prepare their end-of-year strategy for passing an omnibus spending by holding a bipartisan Senate lunch discussion on December 3rd in which policymakers will zero in on how to handle pending tax legislation and the nearing spending bill deadline (www.politico.com).

In the event that Democrat and Republican lawmakers cannot compromise to pass legislation to fund the federal government, a government shutdown would inconvenience citizens across the country and burden many whose personal economy is tied to the federal government in one way or another (www.money.cnn.com). The diagram below highlights eight negative impacts that occur as a result of a government shutdown:

The good news, according to politico.com, is that virtually no one in Democratic or Republican leadership believes there will be a government shutdown. Indeed, Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill have entered a phase of deal negotiation that includes the trading of proposals to fund the federal government through the end of fiscal year 2016. In fact, one part of the ‘omnibus’ spending bill that both Democrats and Republicans are open to reforming is the Visa Waiver Program, which currently allows travelers from 38 countries to visit the United States for three months without a visa (www.politico.com). However, the Visa Waiver Program is just one of about one hundred different policy provisions that both parties must successfully negotiate before December 11th.

As the budget showdown looms during this holiday season, we can only hope that policymakers will keep in mind the greater good for the country while maintaining a sense of holiday spirit. For those who may be less hopeful, it would be wise to contact your local representatives to voice your concerns about the impending budget showdown. After all, government spending and federal grants pay for healthcare, schools, public safety, and a plethora of other programs that affect all Americans all year round.

Government Login System; A Critical Business.

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Website, an ultimate tool to match and keep-up with the ever-growing market. What makes it so special? The architecture? The feel? The Service? Or the ability to take control as per our convenience? Be it a personal website or a government website. Every website demands for security, especially those involving transactions.

Federal Agency’s website is always on the front lines when it comes to deliver services to the public. Majority of American Population go online to seek government services. According to the survey, the Research Center estimated that 82% of the U.S. Internet users search for information and complete a transaction on a government website, including 40% of those via smartphones. So, the utmost important ingredient here is; Security.

What makes a website secure? Yes the Login Portal to authenticate users. But Federal Agencies have their own protocol, therefore individuals who want to access government applications and services generally must create a username and password for each agency site they visit. And agencies maintain their own identity management systems to authenticate users. This approach invites data redundancy: Same user maintains multiple passwords whilst the government maintains multiple systems for managing credentials. Security suffers as well; weak and stolen passwords rank among the top ways an online system can be compromised.

In response, the federal government has been moving toward an identity management approach that will let people use the same credential to conduct business with multiple agencies, thereby creating a common mechanism for transmitting identity information and introducing stronger authentication. “The usability of secure identity solutions is something that the market has been struggling to improve for years,” said Jeremy Grant, senior executive adviser for identity management at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. “We’ve had no problem developing ‘secure’ identity technologies, but if people don’t use them, then they really don’t offer much security.”

Since the passage of the E-Government Act of 2002, myriad federal services have emerged online. A 2014 Government Accountability Office report noted that agencies operate more than 11,000 websites. As more people make the Web their default choice for government interactions, the need to provide safe access has become even more important. The sharp rise in the use of mobile devices to access federal websites adds another dimension to the security challenge. The White House’s 2012 Digital Government Strategy states that “policies governing identity and credential management may need to be revised to allow the introduction of new solutions that work better in a mobile world.”

In 2009, the White House published a Cyberspace Policy Review that included the need to create a “cybersecurity-based identity management vision and strategy” on a list of 10 action items. That paper led to the launch in 2011 of the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, which works with private- and public-sector entities to support the development of interoperable identity credentials. That move set the stage for a cloud-based, federated identity management solution.

A NIST-managed National Program Office coordinates NSTIC activities. The office collaborated with the General Services Administration to draft the requirements for the Federal Cloud Credential Exchange and awarded a contract to SecureKey Technologies in 2013 to create the exchange. FCCX was designed to let people use third-party credentials to access federal services online. In addition to improving the user experience, the governmentwide exchange would help agencies sidestep the cost of credentialing the same person numerous times.

FCCX is now known as Connect.gov and falls under the auspices of GSA. The program allows people to use digital credentials provided by government-approved sign-in partners to confirm their identities when requesting access to online government services. When they log in, users consent to share what Connect.gov describes as a “limited set of personally identifiable information.” Connect.gov then serves as the pipeline for transmitting identity information from the sign-in partner to the agency’s online application.

Editor’s Note: Ideas inspired from;

John, Moore. “How many parties does it take to provide a single government login?– FCW.”

FCW. N.p., 22 May 2015. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Reverse auction gets GSA the code for $1

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As an experiment in micro purchasing, the General Services Administration’s 18F digital services development group set out to test whether it could buy chunks of code – rather than a full application – for less than $3,500.

Using GSA’s Contract-Award Labor Category tool, 18F asked for bids on loading labor category data from the Schedule 70 into CALC. With the reverse auction starting at $3,499, 18F hoped to test the viability of micro purchasing, plus encourage open source solutions from companies new to the government market.

18F got much more — or less – than it bargained for. The winning bid came in at $1.

Brendan Sudol, the $1 bidder, met the requirements and even loaded the data a few days ahead of the deadline. His code had “100 percent test coverage, an A grade from Code Climate, and included some new functionality to boot.”

But why the $1 bid?

“I love reading about the innovation and impact that 18F, USDS and company are having in the government, and it’s made me want to help contribute to the cause,” Sudol told FCW, GCN’s sister site. “Plus, I use open source technology on a daily basis, and saw this as a great opportunity to give back.”

Not everyone was excited by the turn of events, however.

In the project’s Github chatter, other bidders questioned the legality of Sudol’s offer when they saw bids plummet from $1,250 to $1 in a single day. Was it even legal for feds to pay so far below minimum wage? They also questioned the bidding setup, because as it stands, it appears one bidder could log a $3,499 bid, a colluding bidder could log a $1 bid and bidding would cease. The colluding $1 bidder then just has to fail to deliver within the 10-day time limit, and the higher bidder would get the project at the maximum rate.

“It’s legit,” Zvenyach told FCW, responding to the question about minimum wage. “It’s a business not an individual, and the bid is not a labor rate.”

“In some respects, this result was the best possible outcome for the experiment,” Zvenyach wrote. “It proved that some of our core assumptions about how it would work were wrong. But the experiment also validated the core concept that open-source micro purchasing can work, and it’s a thing we should try to do again.”

Throughout the course of the experiment, Zvenyach said 18F saw 16 different bidders jump in on the action, including several woman-owned, minority-owned and service-disabled-veteran-owned small businesses. Eight of the bidders, Sudol among them, registered on SAM.gov only after hearing of the experiment.

Sudol, who said he worked with his friend and colleague Andy Chosak to complete the work, noted that this was his first time working for the feds, and he was happy to do it dirt cheap. “This is $1 more than I make from the other little web projects I like to work on in my free time,” Sudol told FCW. “And this one actually is meaningful and helps the community.”

 

Editors Note: Ideas referred from;

Noble, Zach. “18F Hacked Procurement and Got Code for $1.” Web log post.
Https://fcw.com/. N.p., 09 Nov. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

The Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of…Anger?

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“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

The quote —an excerpt from The Declaration of Independence—paints a rather ideal picture of how everyday Americans influence the United States political system. As an American voter, do you ever ask yourself if your elected and prospective elected leaders of government represent the needs of the average or majority of American citizens? Do you question your happiness with the current state of the American political system? If the answer to any of these questions is “no”, you are not alone; American voters are becoming increasingly angry with the United States political system.

In fact, according to a late October 2015 survey conducted by Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies, over sixty percent of Americans are angry because they feel the political system only works to serve the interests of the insiders with money, influence, and power, such as those on Wall Street or in Washington, instead of working to serve and enhance the well-being of everyday people (www.nbcnews.com).

View the full survey here.

Indeed, a majority of the electorate—the body of persons entitled to vote in an election—are angry at the political system regardless of their party, race, educational background, and income level. For instance, when a those surveyed were asked about the extent of their anger, the survey found that 72 percent of men, 67 percent of women, 69 percent of whites, 68 percent of African Americans, 65 percent of Hispanics, 73 percent of college graduates, 67 percent of non-college attendees, 71 percent of those in the lowest income bracket, and 67 percent of those in the highest income bracket are angry at current political institutions.

But why are so many different groups of American voters so dissatisfied? The answer may partially lie in the general voting behavior patterns as well as the longstanding voting rules and protocol by which voters must abide. The infographic below finds that American voters are not actively voting enough, thus denying their voices to be heard. Another example of voter resentment could be due to a lack of voter participation in midterm elections—elections in which representatives are chosen to become members of the United States Congress.

While elected officials may not always hold themselves accountable in serving the interests of the majority, the Obama administration has recently announced the launch of a new program called “the White House Leadership Development Program”, an initiative designed to indoctrinate a new cohort of top career federal managers who will serve to modernize the government. According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), a diverse group of sixteen highly scrutinized individuals will act to engage more frequently in complex, cross agency challenges to improve government agencies and produce positive outcomes from such challenges (www.govexec.com). These future leaders have undergone a rigorous selection process in which they demonstrated their ability to effectively collaborate, communicate, adapt, perform strategic planning, demonstrate politically awareness, and identify and overcome unconventional challenges. It is important to realize that these future leaders will ultimately be held accountable by voters to foster positive reformations in the American political system.

So, when will elected officials become more accountable to everyday American citizens? Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer, but there are ways in which the general public and elected officials can instill confidence (or the pursuit of happiness) among American voters. The most obvious way to decrease public discontent is to ensure that qualified voters exercise their constitutional right to vote; keep in mind that one characteristic of a legitimate democratic society is the occurrence of routinely held free and fair elections. After all, democracy is contingent upon the integrity of majority rule and individual rights.

Better data, Better decisions, Better government

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A year ago, Congress passed the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, or the DATA Act. Since then, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) have engaged with the communities that create and use this data and taken important first steps towards creating a more data driven government, and making federal data more transparent and available to the American people. Today marks the beginning of the next phase of implementation of the DATA Act.

Rolling Out Data Standards

Currently, the Federal Government produces huge amounts of data about how it spends money, but in some cases the same words are used in different ways. These inconsistencies make it difficult to use this data in a comprehensive way. Over a two-year period, starting today, the DATA Act requires Federal agencies to streamline this fragmentation and report Federal funds, broken down into specific categories like how much funding an agency receives from Congress and how much they are spending on specific projects and awards. It also requires agencies to use common government-wide data standards when posting that information to USAspending.gov – standards that aren’t currently applied across all agencies for all uses.

Today we are beginning the rollout of 57 data standards. Some are final based on public input we have already received, and others will require additional input as we finalize them this summer. As a result of input from our partners in Congress, industry stakeholders, federal agencies, and taxpayers through feedback on our public GitHub collaboration space, 15 final data standardsavailable today will be used by all agencies for all federal spending data posted on USAspending.gov, the Federal Government’s one-stop shop for spending data.  We are also releasing 12 additional proposed data standards and 30 existing data elements that we are in the process of standardizing across the government. Conversation and collaboration with the public has been key to our progress thus far and we encourage you to visit our online collaboration space on GitHub for more information on these proposed standards.

In addition to data standards, we have been testing new formats for exchanging data across the Federal Government. In particular, Treasury’s pilots have demonstrated how we can digitally tag award data through the eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) format. This process is called the DATA Act Schema and it has been released online and will continue to be refined with public input.

Helping Agencies & the DATA Act Playbook

To ensure the government has the necessary tools to adopt these standards within the two-year timeline, OMB also issued guidance to agencies on Increasing Transparency of Federal Spending by Making Federal Spending Data Accessible, Searchable, and Reliable. And to assist agencies with implementation, Treasury created a DATA Act Playbook with eight key steps that, if followed together, will help agencies leverage existing capabilities to drive implementation of the DATA Act. Treasury will continue to refine the Playbook and will hold meetings and workshops with agencies to provide updates on DATA Act activities, encourage agency collaboration, and share important insights and information.

Finally, leveraging the leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we have begun a pilot program to test and explore ways to simplify the reporting process for recipients of federal grants. We are approaching this pilot in a non-traditional way, with the goal of using the next two years to identify and test multiple ways to improve.  To start, today, we have launched a repository for common data elements and a new section of Grants.gov  with information about the grants lifecycle, which will test how data standards can translate to actual time saved in reporting and how to put all information about Federal grants in one place.

While we are pleased with the progress that has been made so far on the DATA Act implementation within existing budgetary resources, this is a complex project with challenges ahead. The FY 2016 Budget proposes $84 million to allow agencies to make progress in implementing the DATA Act and increase Federal spending transparency. With better data, we will make better decisions and ensure that every dollar is well spent.

For more information about our efforts under the DATA Act and how the public can participate, please visit USAspending HERE.

David Mader is the Controller of the Office of Federal Financial Management at the White House Office of Management and Budget. David Lebryk is the Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

 

Editors Note: Ideas referred from;

Mader, David, and David Lebryk. “Better Data, Better Decisions, Better Government.”
The White House. The White House, 08 May 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

Want Your Tax Refund? Better Take a Selfie First

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In this technology-driven day and age, critics of smartphone consumers condemn users about their fondness for taking selfies (a photo taken of oneself with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media), which critics believe are causing people to become increasingly vain, narcissistic, and self-absorbed. But, could taking a selfie make you richer? According to www.nextgov.com, some state revenue agencies and motor vehicle departments are receiving federal tax returns to verify the smartphone selfies of taxpayers in order to distribute refunds.

That’s right, selfies are not just for posting to social media platforms anymore; they are for security too. Indeed, in late 2016, residents of North Carolina and Georgia will be permitted to download a ‘selfie matching’ facial recognition application meant to deter thieves from claiming state tax refunds in their name. MorphoTrust, the biometric technology provider of this innovative mobile application, remains cognizant of the fact that confidential biographical data alone is not enough protection against identity theft as more and more personal data is readily available online. More compelling evidence of identity theft comes from the federal government when in August 2015, it disclosed that identity thieves entered stolen private information of over 300,000 individuals, and filed for $39 million in fraudulent funds. In another case, TurboTax had to suspend its state return filing services earlier this year after numerous states reported thieves using false identities to collect refunds.

In spite of rising rates of cyber-criminal activity, thousands of North Carolina and Georgia residents will be able to prevent anyone from filing and collecting their refund if they do not possess the same facial features, personal information, and driver’s license credentials beginning in late 2016, according to officials. To explain how this facial recognition application will have a positive effect for taxpayers, the designers describe how the MorphoTrust mechanism will work (www.nextgov.com):

  • An individual will download a MorphoTrust application that will be available on several smartphone models
  • The user will scan the barcode on their driver’s license with the phone
  • The individual uses the phone to take a photo of the front of the license so that DMV can verify it is a valid license
  • Users then take a selfie by opening their phone cameras and taking a self-portrait
  • The taxpayer consequently consents to having the barcode scan and photo cross-matched with data in the DMV’s records

Furthermore, the images that are transmitted will not be stored nor shared by MorphoTrust, the DMV, or the taxpayer to ensure absolute protection for the application user. This kind of identity security is important especially with the increasing incidences of hacking, data breaches, and phishing scams that are targeting individuals and government agencies, like the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which is now facing a class action lawsuit over a breach of 4.2 million federal employees’ personal data.

To heighten awareness of internet users, President Obama has recognized the importance of cybersecurity to our nation by designating October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month. According to the Department of Homeland Security, National Cyber Security Awareness Month is designed to engage and educate public and private sector partners through events and initiatives with the goal of raising awareness about cybersecurity and increasing the resiliency of the nation in the event of a cyber incident (www.dhs.gov).

Unfortunately, selfies are not yet the norm for identity verification nor identity protection. However, the Department of Homeland Security has provided Americans with the following internet user advice to practice in order to keep themselves, their personal information, and their assets safe online (www.dhs.gov):

  • Set strong passwords and don’t share them with anyone.
  • Keep your operating system, browser, and other critical software optimized by installing updates.
  • Maintain an open dialogue with your employees, co-workers, and colleagues about Internet safety.
  • Limit the amount of personal information you post online and use privacy settings to avoid sharing information widely.
  • Be cautious about what you receive or read online—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Ultimately, internet users who are active in the online community must be as protective about their information as they are about family and finances. Since online security is far from “theft-proof”, my advice is to create and frequently change passwords, secure your wireless networks, and be a good online citizen.

The infographic shown below is useful for both small businesses and individuals as cybersecurity is a major component of safety in today’s digital age.

Government Information Sharing Is Now A Resolved Challenge.

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When it comes to information sharing, several security aspects are questioned, whether information sharing is occurring within an organization across units or external to an organization the sharing of information can be fraught with challenges. Over the years, keeping government data a secret and sharing it over the dynamic and prolific internet is just as easy as a click. But is it safe? With the emergence of online crime through cyber criminals and competitors continually attempting to acquire secure data the answer has become a resounding “no”.

The Center for Technology in Government, (CTG) University at Albany, New York has released a toolkit; Government Information Sharing: A Planning Toolkit, designed for government professionals to help guide the process of sharing information. In this digital world it sounds like a relatively easy and seamless concept; but it’s as complex as predicting the future which could go either ways. Therein every government organization allots a percentage of capital and time in order to secure the data over shared network.

Government enterprises face many performance challenges that can be addressed more successfully through better information-sharing initiatives. Regardless of the size and complexity of these initiatives, they are all made less challenging when participating organizations have a joint action plan that outlines what information sharing is necessary to be successful and what investments in capabilities must be made to close the gaps between capability required and capabilities available. Decisions to invest in information-sharing initiatives must be grounded in such an action plan. This toolkit is designed for government professionals tasked with planning and implementing initiatives that rely on effective information-sharing. It provides a process for assessing where capabilities for information-sharing exist and where they must be developed to achieve targeted goals. Assessment results provide a basis for action planning to fill capability gaps.

The CTG also developed Government Information Sharing: Dimension Worksheets, which deals with the degree of modeling and architecture development that is already in place to support the information-sharing objectives. Planning and design of effective information sharing and interoperability depend to a significant degree on a clear and detailed analysis of the entire enterprise involved. Such a description identifies the service and operational components of the enterprise and describes how they are connected to each other and what technologies are used to implement them. These models may also include detailed analyses of business processes within which the information sharing takes place.

Sabre88, LLC is secure. Are you?

The Trans-Pacific Partnership and what it means for EVERYTHING

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Free-Trade is a staple of American democracy. Free-trade and globalization has allowed America and countries around the globe to open up their markets by removing trade barriers such as tariffs; allowing goods and services from around the world to compete with domestic products and services. According to The House Small Business Committee, “International trade is a critical component for the long-term growth and viability of small businesses and the U.S. economy overall. In 2012, total U.S. exports reached $2.2 trillion, which is nearly 14 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. Those exports helped support nearly 10 million jobs, including about 4 million small business jobs” (SmallBusiness.House.Gov). Ultimately, the exportation of goods and services provide small businesses with greater opportunities to reach new markets, increase revenue, and create jobs.

World Map of Every Country’s Highest-Valued Export. Image Source: Business Insider

Lately, in the world of free-trade policy, there has been an increase in news coverage of the United States as it enters the final stages of negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The Office of the United States Trade Representative officially defines the TPP as the author of the rules for global trade—rules that will help increase Made-in-America exports, grow the American economy, support well-paying American jobs, and strengthen the American middle class (www.ustr.gov/tpp/). In spite of such great expectations, many members of the general public are not exactly aware of this agreement or what it entails. So, what exactly is the TPP and what does it mean for everything?

According to the New York Times, the TPP is the largest regional trade accord in history, and if implemented, would set new terms for trade and business investment among 12 countries whose combined annual gross domestic product (GDP) of nearly $28 trillion represents 40 percent of global GDP and one-third of world trade. The agreement has yet to be ratified by Pacific Rim Nation lawmakers in The United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and Japan—the parties included in the agreement. Michael Froman, the United States Trade Representative has stated that the trade would be worth $295 billion over the next ten years and will support job expansion, drive sustainable growth, foster inclusive development, and promote innovation across the Asia-Pacific region and benefit United States citizens.

However, critics of the trade agreement contend that the TPP is anything but free-trade, arguing instead that it is nothing but controlled trade that protects multinational corporations and corporate interests against economic regulations—regulations that are designed to protect the public interest. Opponents also criticize the deal based on issues that will imply consolidation of power, reduction of government transparency, lessening of environmental and health protection standards, pharmaceutical monopolies, manipulation of currency, offshoring of jobs, a reduction of internet privacy, decreases in food safety standards, and the undermining of local control.

In like manner, US Senator Bernie Sanders, a US Democratic presidential candidate, has said that “Wall Street and other big corporations have won a big victory to advance a disastrous trade deal” (www.bbc.com/news/business). The “win” to which Sanders refers is about the geopolitical maneuvering and further corporate domination over participating nations’ trade and investment affairs that opponents say the TPP will impose. For example, if the TPP is signed into law, large foreign corporate firms will be able to sue the United States government for actions that undermine their investment expectations in order to obtain taxpayer compensation for loss of said firms expected future profits (www.huffingtonpost.com).

In the event that the TPP is ratified by lawmakers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation states that the agreement would raise significant concerns about citizens’ freedom of expression, due process, innovation, the future of the internet’s global infrastructure, and the right of sovereign nations to develop policies and laws that best meet their domestic priorities. In essence, the TPP puts at risk some of the most fundamental rights that enable access to knowledge for the world’s population (www.eff.ord/issues/tpp).

Given these points, the overall lack of knowledge held by the general public about this trade agreement is the most dangerous aspect of the TPP’s potential implementation.