Slashdot Mirror


Trump is Launching a New Tech Group To 'Transform and Modernize' the US Govt (recode.net)

President Donald Trump announced on Monday he has signed an executive order creating a new technology council to "transfer and modernize" the U.S. government's IT systems. From a report: The gathering is part of a new effort, called the American Technology Council, commissioned by Trump in an executive order signed this morning. The effort seeks to bring leading government officials together with Silicon Valley's top minds in order to "transform and modernize" the aging federal bureaucracy "and how it uses and delivers information." Trump isn't the first sitting U.S. president to look to Silicon Valley in an attempt to bring government into the digital age. His predecessor, former President Barack Obama, similarly launched efforts like the U.S. Digital Service, which the administration billed at the time as a "startup at the White House" that sought to pair tech experts with federal agencies that needed help. Over 20 technology chief executives will attend meetings at the White House in early June to talk about improving government information technology, the report adds.

30 of 192 comments (clear)

  1. Nerd Harder! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This will be where they implement the backdoors that aren't....

  2. Jared? by DogDude · · Score: 2

    What happened to Jared (his son-in-law)? I thought he was supposed to be modernizing the government.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
    1. Re:Jared? by Joce640k · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yep. The problem isn't that the government isn't "digital" enough, the problem is that it's run by people who wouldn't recognize the scientific method if it was served to them on a plate with a sprig of parsley on top.

      If he goes to Silicon Valley all he'll find is a bunch of people who want to sell him a lot of useless new computers+software under a lucrative government contract.

      --
      No sig today...
    2. Re:Jared? by bobbied · · Score: 2

      THAT Jared, Jared Fogel (sp?) IS in jail..... The Jared being discussed is Trump's son-in-law, who is not (at least at this point) in jail.....

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    3. Re:Jared? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

      THAT Jared, Jared Fogel (sp?) IS in jail..... The Jared being discussed is Trump's son-in-law, who is not (at least at this point) in jail..

      I'm pretty sure they're the same guy. You ever see them together?

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  3. Let the filling of the Feeding Trough begin by gtall · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Said the CEO of Oracle: what ya need there is a collection of giant databases...and cloud, let there be cloud
    Said the CEO of Microsoft: what ya need there is a PC or MS compatible computing thing on every desk...and cloud, let there be cloud
    Said the CEO of Apple: what ya need there is a collection of iThings for instant communication...errr..with the cloud, let there be cloud
    Said the CEO of IBM: what ya need there is a Watson AI Cloudy Thingy in every agency...more cloud for every one
    etc.
    etc.
    etc.

    1. Re:Let the filling of the Feeding Trough begin by the_other_one · · Score: 2

      So it just could be that Trump has cloudy judgement.

      --
      134340: I am not a number. I am a free planet!
    2. Re:Let the filling of the Feeding Trough begin by bobbied · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Said the CEO of Oracle: what ya need there is a collection of giant databases...and cloud, let there be cloud Said the CEO of Microsoft: what ya need there is a PC or MS compatible computing thing on every desk...and cloud, let there be cloud Said the CEO of Apple: what ya need there is a collection of iThings for instant communication...errr..with the cloud, let there be cloud Said the CEO of IBM: what ya need there is a Watson AI Cloudy Thingy in every agency...more cloud for every one etc. etc. etc.

      Hey, to be fair here, that Obama Care website filled up a bunch of pigs too, much like the stimulus plan of 2008 that Sherriff Joe was supposed to keep track of every dollar.....

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  4. Coincidence? Probably not. by OmniGeek · · Score: 5, Funny

    The story immediately preceding this one is titled "There's No Good Way To Kill a Bad Idea." I see a theme emerging here, and feel like running for cover. Very fast.

    --

    "My strength is as the strength of ten men, for I am wired to the eyeballs on espresso."
    1. Re:Coincidence? Probably not. by Cyberpunk+Reality · · Score: 2

      I assure you, if Trump left office right now, just like Obama did four months ago, he would get nothing but praise from the left.

      --
      Rule 35 of the internet: "If it can be hacked, it will be". - Charles Stross
    2. Re:Coincidence? Probably not. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yeah, that whole healthcare thing was clearly just the left chanting "racist, sexist, misogyny."

      Ditto for pulling the US economy out of the real estate crash. And repealing "don't ask, don't tell." And banning enhanced interrogation. And opening diplomatic relations with Cuba after 50 years. And the Opening Doors program that reduced homelessness among veterans by almost 50%. And putting ITT out of business and ending decades of exploitation of students. And improving school food nutrition standards.

      Yes, the left spends a lot of time chanting about racism, sexism and misogyny. Perhaps if the right stopped being a bunch of racist, sexist, misogynists, the left would have time to tackle other issues. Until then, we aren't going to shut up and we will keep calling you out and exposing your behavior.

    3. Re:Coincidence? Probably not. by Gr8Apes · · Score: 5, Insightful

      TBH, this is another "Trump is evil" post

      Nah, nothing of the sort. I see no use of polarizing terms, even.

      This is why 1/2 of America doesn't take the whiny left seriously any more. The left has no ideas left, and all they have is "RACIST, SEXIST, MISOGYNY" chants and rioting.

      I think this is why more than 1/2 of america strongly dislikes Trump (and his blind supporters) Being divisive and using polarizing terms and assigning imaginary actions to those not marching to the cliff with you does not make for a conversation starter. You might want to check your meds.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
  5. A "royal" regime by evolutionary · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Trump's idea of a "modern government" is medieval: put all your family and friends into key positions as much as possible and hope you can run it like a monarchy. problem is the family has no real qualifications in national or international politics. So this will be fun, fun, fun.

    --
    "Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
    1. Re:A "royal" regime by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Some of Trump's other ways to "modernize" government, based on recent statements and actions:

      1. Libel laws should be adjusted making it illegal to mock or contradict the US President.

      2. Laws on disclosure, conflicts of interest, or dealings with foreign powers should be repealed.

      3. Any news organization determined to be promulgating Fake News as determined by the Chief Executive or the Ministry of Truth should be shut down. In the spirit of item #1, this includes annoying venues such as the Onion or Saturday Night Live.

      4. Any scientifically-measured data that does not uphold the statements of the President or his duly appointed relatives/cronies should be tagged as Fake News and treated as outlined in item #3.

      5. Any laws of nature deemed inconvenient to the President or his duly appointed relatives/cronies should be summarily repealed.

    2. Re:A "royal" regime by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So you're whining about two positions, his daughter and son-in-law, that could be questionable out of five million? It's really hard to take you people seriously.

      Congress passed an anti-nepotism law after JFK appointed his brother to attorney general to prevent future administrations from appointing family members to positions in the government. Just like most reform laws from the last 50 years, Trump is ignoring that one too.

      http://time.com/4574971/donald-trump-transition-jared-kushner-legal-anti-nepotism-law/

      It's really hard to take you people seriously.

      If Hillary was POTUS and she appointed Chelsea as a special adviser, the Republicans would be screaming for impeachment.

    3. Re:A "royal" regime by stabiesoft · · Score: 2

      He really would like to be a dictator I think. He admires Putin, embraced China, embraced Turkey's update to a dictatorship, just invited the guy from the philipines, just complained that those archaic rules in the senate(those rules that let opposing voices stop a dictator) were stopping progress, hates the press for their constantly going off topic... The guy is used to running a corp with one shareholder, he ran a small dictatorship, found it efficient (and dictatorships are efficient) and would like to bring it to government. I don't even think he realizes how a democracy is supposed to work. They are not efficient. I do worry that we could like Turkey fall into the trap. Never say never. Turkey was a democracy for around 100 years.

  6. It's like . . . by DickBreath · · Score: 4, Funny

    It is as if millions of COBOL programmers suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.

    --

    I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
  7. Re:Please don't move to public cloud. by ColdWetDog · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I worry about government use of modified public cloud services. We should ban government from using pure cloud solutions because the companies can hold the government hostage with the "big off switch". The gov needs to control the DataCenters that run the operations that citizens rely on.

    And so we should continue to host internally on IIS servers using Access and Visual Basic front ends?

    Next, you'll be advocating we keep COBOL.

    Or Lotus Notes.

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  8. It should be easy by Rastl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just like fixing healthcare and the tax code revising the entire IT infrastructure for the federal government should be easy right?

    1. Re:It should be easy by Tablizer · · Score: 2

      The Orange Guy: "It looks so simple when they do it in the movies."

  9. Re: Please don't move to public cloud. by networkBoy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Um...
    I believe the NSA is rather good at this. (I'm being serious)
    Maybe they can redeem themselves and put some of that internal cloud capability they have up for general government usage?
    They have the following skills/assets already in-house:
    * Security
    * Archiving
    * Indexing
    * Infrastructure
    * Scalability
    * Tons of other crap.

    I'll give bonus points for re-using the existing equipment and drop table-ing the meta data they have on US citizens.

    --
    whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
  10. How will that help by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If 1% of the people that voted for Hillary donate $50/month, then every democrat running for congress or the senate in 2018 will get about $1 million.

    Hillary outspent Trump about 10-1 and still lost.

    So plainly the notion that money is the absolute determinant in politics is false.

    Given the Democrats penchant for blowing money or horrifically inept candidates, why would you continue to be such an enabler? What makes you think Democrats will change for the better if you keep funding the corrupt organization of the past, the kind that hand-picked Hilary over Sanders?

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:How will that help by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      So plainly the notion that money is the absolute determinant in politics is false.

      Oh no, the Republican gerrymandering is also a significant factor.

      North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, Texas, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia all demonstrate the effectiveness of that manipulation.

      Of course, they already lost in Arizona, so it won't be long before the people start taking back the power. Then what will they do?

  11. Re:Maybe, but more than most by evolutionary · · Score: 2

    Actually, I didn't believe in either candidate. (Clinton, more experienced, but not sure it's effective experience) But let's see...Ivaka's qualifications as an "advisor". I can't really find any. Jared? What are his qualifications besides being in the family. Trump himself isn't even a great business person by all accounts. To be clear, I didn't favor either candidate. But this isn't about personal opinion on candidates. Generally I prefer a president to have some experience in international or national politics before being president. Trump was never an elected official. But okay, let's give an untried politician the benefit of the doubt. Academic qualifications, Not really stellar from what I can see. Obama wasn't the best president in history by any stretch of the imagination, but no one can say he wasn't a good speaker or at least moderately educated at the very least. Certainly he refrained from phrases like "very, very badly". Okay, maybe it's Trump speech writers (or maybe he's ignoring his speech writers entirely). He has already violated the constitution in his immigration act, and that is an absolutely historical first in US history. Trump is direct, no question, but subtlety is not his strong suit or knowledge of basic government topics like, say, the constitution, which one generally needs to "Uphold and defend the Constitution of the United states of America. (as per his required oath...which unfortunately he has technically broken. ) I don't think you necessarily need a degree ( Lincoln didn't have one, but he understood the dynamics of government and the people in it ). The understanding of the system into which he's inserted himself is not showing at the moment in my view.

    --
    "Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
  12. Re:Please don't move to public cloud. by Q-Hack! · · Score: 2

    Well, much of our nuclear systems are still using PDP-11s

    --
    Some days I get the sinking feeling Orwell was an optimist.
  13. Re:Coincidence? Probably not. -OT- by orgelspieler · · Score: 2

    Why is everybody's response to a perceived Trump criticism: "something something OBAMA something something!"? It's silly. OmniGeek never said Obama would have done it better. Frankly, I'm not sure OmniGeek even has a problem with Trump's proposal, he just found the juxtaposition humorous.

    For the record, I also had the same problem with criticisms of Obama being met with "At least he's not Bush!" That's just lazy rhetoric.

  14. Re:Maybe, but more than most by squiggleslash · · Score: 2

    Can you name and quote any "credentialed and qualified" person who has stated that Syria has moderate rebels who are positioned to turn Syria into anything remotely like Switzerland?

    Because if there's one thing I've noticed about the alt-right, it's that it's really easy for them to make up straw men to ridicule the viewpoints of their political opponents than it is to actually address what their opponents are actually saying.

    --
    You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  15. The Cyber by Arkham · · Score: 5, Interesting
    And I quote:

    So we have to get very, very tough on cyber and cyber warfare. It is a, it is a huge problem. I have a son.

    He's 10 years old. He has computers. He is so good with these computers, it's unbelievable. The security aspect of cyber is very, very tough. And maybe it's hardly do-able. But I will say, we are not doing the job we should be doing, but that's true throughout our whole governmental society.

    What a fucking moron.

    --
    - Vincit qui patitur.
  16. Misread that by AdamThor · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Uh, "Transform and Modernize", or "Transfer and Monetize"?

    --
    -- "Oh. This guy again."
  17. Re:Right idea... wrong company... by k6mfw · · Score: 2

    Also a lot of these companies and the people that work for them always chanting "Hoo rah for private enterprise! Down with gubmint socialism!" But yet they have just one customer: The Government.

    --
    mfwright@batnet.com