December 2010 Archives

This morning the White House is hosting a forum on information technology management reform hosted by federal chief performance officer and OMB deputy director for management Jeffrey Zients and U.S. chief information officer Vivek Kundra. The two will lay out the Obama administration's strategy to reboot how the federal government purchases and uses information technology.

Watch the stream, LIVE, at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/live.

 

The Whitehouse report can be found:

• Original Link [PDF] http://cio.gov/documents/25-Point-Implementation-Plan-to-Reform-Federal%20IT.pdf
• Hosted Copy [PDF]: http://www.privacywonk.net/download/25-Point-Implementation-Plan-to-Reform-Federal IT.pdf

 

25 Points from Report.

1. Complete detailed implementation plans to consolidate at least 800 data centers by 2015
2. Create a government-wide marketplace for data center availability
3. Shift to a "Cloud First" policy
4. Stand-up contract vehicles for secure laaS solutions
5. Stand-up contract vehicles for commodity services
6. Develop a strategy for shared services
7. Design a formal IT program management career path
8. Scale IT program management career path government-wide
9. Require integrated program teams
10. Launch a best practices collaboration platform
11. Launch technology fellows program
12. Enable IT program manager mobility across government and industry
13. Design and develop a cadre of specialized IT acquisition professionals
14. Identify IT acquisitions best practices and adopt government-wide
    
15. Issue contract guidance and templates to support modular development
16. Reduce barriers to entry for small innovative technology companies
17. Work with Congress to develop IT budget models that align with modular development
18. Develop supporting materials and guidance for flexible IT budget models
19. Work with Congress to scale flexible IT budget models more broadly
20. Work with Congress to consolidate commodity IT spending under Agency CIO
21. Reform and strengthen Investment Review Boards
22. Redefine role of Agency CIOs and Federal CIO Counsel
23. Rollout "TechStat" model at bureau-level
24. Launch "myth-busters" education campaign
25. Launch interactive platform for pre-RFP agency-industry collaboration

PLEASE NOTE: Implementation dates for each of these points differ.  Please read report and I will update here as well.

Hosted Copy [PDF]: http://www.privacywonk.net/download/101201privacyreport.pdf

FTC Original [PDF]: http://www.ftc.gov/os/2010/12/101201privacyreport.pdf

FTC Press Release: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/12/privacyreport.shtm

David Vladeck, Director, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection

Mr. Vladeck shed some light on the upcoming FTC Privacy Report:

1. Reduce burden on consumers by having privacy by design. Design systems and programs with privacy in mind.
   
2. Simplify consumer choices, make them meaningful - short, precise notice when consumers provide data.
3. Encourage competition on privacy - comparison with competitor's privacy policies.
4. Strong protection for sensitive data - health, children information, geo-location data, and more.
   
5. Consumer choice must be respected; privacy practices must be transparent. Need better privacy policies.
6. Consumer Privacy Notices need to be more transparent and less cumbersome.   Access is an important ingredient as well. 
   
7. Need to focus on consumer and business education.
8. Do not track option can achieve the goal of simplifying consumer choice.

Mr. Vladeck stated that the privacy report poses questions and the FTC wants answers through comments.  Comments are due January 3, 2011.


Special thanks to @InfoLawGroup for tweeting the individual points Mr. Vladeck made as I missed some myself!

0830 to 1500 EDT, The Future of Online Consumer Protections: A Consumer Watchdog Policy Conference

• A full agenda and speaker list can be found here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/consumer-watchdog-policy-conference
• Webcast URL --  http://www.visualwebcaster.com/

1300 EDT -- The Chairman, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection (John Leibowitz), and Chief Technologist (Ed Felten) of the Federal Trade Commission will hold a telephone media availability on Wednesday, December 1, at 1 p.m. to answer reporters' questions about a new FTC report on privacy that outlines a framework for consumers, businesses and policymakers.

1400 to 1600 EDT -- Future Privacy Forum will host a panel discussion Do Not Track technologies.  Kick off speakers is Danny Weitzner of the Department of Commerce/NTIA and the panel includes audience marketing platform provider Lotame Solutions discussing the improved transparency and consumer choice options afforded by the host of new privacy management tools being introduced by industry groups and independent players, and the risks for consumers and businesses in trying to construct a government-sponsored "Do Not Track" mechanism.  Mozilla  will address future plans for privacy in the Firefox browser.  Technologists, experts and advocates including CDT, Consumer Action, ITIF, Chris Soghoian and Arvind Narayanan will discuss technical and legal paths forward.

More information can be found here: http://www.futureofprivacy.org/2010/11/30/2853/  including whom to contact for dial-in information.

1500 EDT -- FTC will host a Twitter Chat moderated by @FTCGov using the hash tag #FTCpriv

More info: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/11/privacyadvisory.shtml