Minnesota

The state of Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety uses translation AI tech in its Driver and Vehicle Services division, expanding access to government services for non-English-speaking constituents.

With the help of an outside firm investigating, the university learned in July that, as far back as 2021, a hacker accessed some 7 million Social Security numbers of applicants, students and employees dating to 1989.

Remote hearings, adopted as a pandemic necessity, could become common going forward in some states. Minnesota and Arizona have created guides indicating which hearings are suited for remote and which should be in person.

Attorneys for a former student and former employee alleged in federal court that the university violated the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act by not doing more to prevent a data breach.

Under a deal with the Minnesota Department of Human Services, approved by the St. Paul City Council in June, police officers have around-the-clock access to a controversial smartphone-hacking device called GrayKey.

After learning in July that an unauthorized party claimed to possess sensitive data taken from the university's systems, officials contacted the FBI and hired outside global forensics experts.

Multiple Minnesota law enforcement agencies face a civil rights lawsuit over the use of facial recognition technology in an arrest. However, the government denies facial recognition led to the arrest.

A cyber attack involving file transfer and encryption software called MOVEit exposed personal information of children in foster care, the Minneapolis and Perham school districts and Hennepin Technical College.

Minnesota is the fourth state to require manufacturers to share parts and repair information.

Interim CISO John Israel has been chosen to lead Minnesota's cybersecurity operations long term as the IT department works to build a statewide operations plan. Israel has more than 25 years of experience.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday signed an agriculture and broadband spending bill into law. The new law earmarks $100 million in funding for rural Internet expansion.

While cyber attacks on schools dropped a bit in 2021, CISA and the FBI released a joint statement in September 2022 saying they anticipated more cyber attacks on schools, and Minnesota has seen some of that.

The state’s IT agency has included several funding proposals in its “One Minnesota Budget” to help make its systems and services more accessible, modernized and secure. CIO Tarek Tomes shared the impacts and potential timelines.

Plus, a federal report has found that more workers will be needed in order to deploy the massive investment the country is making in broadband, the FCC has opened a comment cycle for broadband labeling, and more.

Telecom companies serving five Minnesota counties are set to receive $100 million in federal grants to bring new high-speed Internet to more than 33,000 Minnesota rural homes and businesses.

CIO Tarek Tomes discusses the guiding principles of his strategy for Minnesota IT Services, the rollout of the state's streamlined benefits portal and how putting citizen experience first drives digital equity.

Tarek Tomes, who was appointed by Minn. Gov. Tim Walz in 2019, will stay on to lead Minnesota IT Services in a cabinet-level position. Tomes is one of Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers.

The program, called the Broadband Line Extension Connection Program, will work differently from other grants in that the process in applying for the grant will not be generated from an ISP, but rather by the end users.