The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operation has pulled its support for a mandatory biometric entry-exit system that would require facial recognition scans for all travelers – including U.S. citizens – entering or departing the United States, according to a Dec. 5 press release from Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. […]

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate has announced the award of a contract to Mavennet Systems to adapt its oil and gas industry blockchain security technology for use by DHS’s Custom and Border Protection organization to track cross-border oil imports. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is progressing with its cloud strategy, and the agency’s components are leading the way in cloud migration, DHS Cloud Action Officer Kshemendra Paul said at FCW’s Smart Cloud, Smart Government workshop today. […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is seeking to both expand facial recognition capabilities in its vetting of international travelers and migrate its traveler-processing technology to the cloud, according to an Aug. 8 CBP solicitation. […]

Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, pressed the Department of Homeland Security in a July 26 letter to deliver an overdue report on biometric identification technology viability.  That report, the senators said, was due to be delivered on July 2. […]

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officials confirmed that no more than 100,000 photos of travelers and license plates were compromised in a data breach CBP identified on May 31, according to The New York Times and Washington Post. […]

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) most experienced cybersecurity secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, resigned from her position yesterday, with an effective departure date of April 10. […]

The government has been trying to apply artificial intelligence to combat the opioid crisis, with projects like real-time mapping of the signs of illegal drug use, and prescription monitoring programs to identify high rates of opioid prescriptions and incidents of “doctor shopping” for the drugs. […]

The American Civil Liberties Union announced on Dec. 21 that it filed suit in Federal district court for the Western District of New York seeking disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) into how seven Federal agencies conduct what ACLU characterized as “hacking” operations into phones, computers, and other devices. […]

Government use of facial recognition technology put one in the win column last week, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers nabbed a man using a fake passport to enter the country at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. […]

The Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) organization announced it has rolled out facial recognition technology at Mineta San José International Airport (SJC). […]

Agencies need to leverage digital recruiting initiatives and enhanced data techniques to better attract talented and diverse personnel, according to human relations professionals at several Federal agencies speaking at a FedInsider webinar held May 31. […]

Government and industry experts told members of the House Subcommittee on Research and Technology yesterday that blockchain technology pilots and trials are yielding promising results for supply chain and government operations applications. […]

Kevin McAleenan, commissioner of the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection group, told lawmakers last week that CBP is investing to modernize infrastructure, ports of entry, and mobile technologies across its land-sea-air security operations. […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection–CBP–has enlisted a government IT heavy hitter to help oversee its IT transformation. […]

Twitter announced April 7 that it is dropping a lawsuit it filed against the Department of Homeland Security the previous day. The company was suing DHS after the agency demanded to know the identity of the person or persons behind the Alt Immigration Twitter account. Twitter dismissed the suit because DHS withdrew its request for information, according to a notice of voluntary dismissal. […]

Developing a biometric entry-exit system to track foreign visitors to the U.S. and ensure they don’t overstay their welcome was a key recommendation of the final report of the 9/11 Commission after it was determined that five of the nine hijackers had overstayed their visas. Nearly 13 years and several missed deadlines later, the goal of achieving that fully integrated system remains elusive for the Department of Homeland Security, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection established protocol to coordinate drone missions with other Federal agencies, but has yet to develop such procedures within two of its three operational centers, according to a Government Accountability Office report. […]