Federal Trade Commission

E-Government Improves While Search Engines Fall Short

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Two separate, recently released surveys of the quality of federal government Web sites and e-government found some striking strengths in performance, including in comparison with private-sector sites. But they also revealed shortcomings in key areas, such as search engine capability.

The U.S. E-Government Website Quality Report, by ActiveStandards and WelchmanPierpont, gave government sites relatively high marks for accessibility and usability. The report also cited a majority of sites performed poorly in search engine optimization. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 25, 2012 at 12:35 PM

Consumer Protection Bureau Launches Public Financial Complaint Database

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In a first by a federal financial regulator, the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has launched a public database of consumer complaints about credit cards – including the name of the company issuing the card.

“No longer will consumer complaints only be known to the individual complainant, bank, regulator, and those in the public willing to pursue this information through the Freedom of Information Act,” said , CFPB chief of staff and acting assistant director, in an agency blog posted June 19. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 20, 2012 at 12:32 PM

FTC To Fed Workers: Holiday Season Prime Time for “Voice Phishers”

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The Federal Trade Commission wants to make sure that government employees stay alert during this holiday season for “voice phishers,” hackers trying to obtain passwords with a phone call.

With staff on holiday breaks and and skeleton crews or substitute personnel manning the phones, it is a prime time for hackers and phishers to wrestle passwords from a government agency. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 29, 2011 at 9:44 AM

FCC Names SBA Administrator Robbins As Managing Director

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Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski (pictured) has appointed David B. Robbins to be the FCC’s new managing director, effective September 12, 2011. He will succeed Steve VanRoekel, who left the agency earlier this year for a post at USAID before being named U.S. chief information officer earlier last month.

Robbins joins the FCC from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), where he served as associate administrator for the Office of Management & Administration, leading a number of the SBA’s core functions, including human capital management, facilities management, security, records management, executive secretariat, administrative services, and grants management, according to an FCC statement. He also served as director of the Loan Management and Accounting Systems Modernization Program. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 6, 2011 at 11:56 AM