ZDNetGovWeek: Fake Facebook hottie fakes out gov agency, NSA and healthcare.gov still in hot water
ZDNet's worldwide team provides global 24/7 technology news and analysis. In addition to my own coverage analysis here in the ZDNet Government column and on ZDNet's DIY-IT, every week I'll bring you a selection of the best government-related articles posted by our intrepid reporters and analysts. Here are some of the most interesting from the last week.
Government stories shockingly not NSA or Healthcare.gov related
Government agency compromised by fake Facebook hottie
Emily Williams wasn't real, but the two hackers who created her from social media profiles got her a government job, a company laptop, VPN credentials - and compromised a government network.
Presidential gadgets: What technology does Obama use?
The most tech-savvy U.S. president to date, Barack Obama uses the best devices and technology for the job, in and outside of the White House. Here's a look at some of the devices, platforms and technology he uses to carry out his day-to-day presidential duties.
Healthcare.gov embarrassing stories of the week
Report: Google, Oracle, and Red Hat tapped to fix Healthcare.gov
The Federal Government is calling in the big guns.
Does healthcare.gov violate their own privacy policy?
Developer Ben Simo raises a number of security concerns about healthcare.gov, the Federal health care exchange site. In particular, he describes serious privacy problems in violation of the site's own policy.
NSA stories of the week
Whistleblower Snowden may testify against the NSA in Germany
The NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden may stand as a witness against the US intelligence service in a German parliamentary investigation into mass surveillance by the agency.
NSA surveillance fallout may hamper AT&T's European push
The networking giant could face difficult times ahead if Europeans aren't satisfied that it won't siphon off EU-based data back to the U.S. mass surveillance machine.
NSA hid spy equipment at embassies, consulates
Foreign embassies and consulates belonging to the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia have been used to collect signals intelligence, with the spy installations often hidden within the buildings.
Google, the NSA, and the need for locking down datacenter traffic
With the NSA seemingly listening in to Google's datacenter traffic, Google, Yahoo, and other companies' need for datacenter-to-datacenter encryption has never been greater.
Meet 'Muscular': NSA accused of tapping links between Yahoo, Google datacenters
New leaked Snowden documents accuse the U.S. spy agency of tapping into the links between Google and Yahoo datacenters worldwide, including Americans' data.
Other government coverage around ZDNet
13 agencies, 30,000 users poised for desktop-as-a-service in New Zealand
Initial costs won’t be much lower but agencies will benefit over time, Government chief information officer says.
Australia's 'struggling' e-health records under review
The Australian government has announced an inquiry into the rollout of the AU$1 billion e-health record system implemented under the former government.
All you need to know about Brazil's "Internet Constitution"
The first set of internet governance rules in the country is surrounded by controversy and scares big organizations to death.
Abbott confirms NBN's ban on Huawei stays
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has reportedly confirmed that a ban on Chinese network vendor Huawei participating in the NBN will stay in place.
AEC call in ex-AFP chief to investigate lost votes in WA Senate election
The recount of the Western Australian Senate votes, which could see Greens communications spokesperson Scott Ludlam lose his seat, has hit a stumbling block as the AEC has discovered that 1,375 votes went missing.
NBN rollout 'stalled' on asbestos issue, not Turnbull
Claims that Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has 'stalled' the NBN after the election are inaccurate, according to NBN Co, which is laying the blame for the post-election slowdown on the asbestos issue.
Infosys denies US visa fraud, but pays $34M settlement
The Indian IT services giant has reached a record settlement with U.S. authorities in a case involving alleged misuse of temporary visas to undercut competitors, accusations which it has denied.
NBN Co begins weekly rollout updates
Less than a day after removing existing rollout information from its website, NBN Co has begun publishing weekly updates on the status of the broadband network rollout.
Telstra sues NBN Co over AU$11bn deal
Ahead of renegotiations over the AU$11 billion deal, Telstra is suing NBN Co over the perceived value of the agreement.