North Carolina

Duke Energy has settled a class-action lawsuit over a data breach last year which exposed personal information to cyber criminals, according to court documents filed in U.S. District Court.

If recent legislation passes, TikTok would be blocked from school networks and devices, and employees would be barred from using it for classroom instruction or to communicate or promote any school-sponsored activities.

A cyber criminal who successfully extorted the software company PowerSchool for ransom in December 2024 did not delete the stolen data as promised. Now the same culprit appears to be threatening individual districts.

North Carolina House members are expected to vote soon on whether the state can invest a portion of its public funds — for retirement, education, transportation and more — in cryptocurrency.

Former Chief Privacy Officer, North Carolina

Digital Realty Trust is looking to rezone 156 acres in west Charlotte to allow for a 3-million-square-foot data center. The proposal was heard at Monday’s City Council rezoning meeting.

Kerry Goode, who had served as chief information officer and director of the city’s Technology Solutions Department since 2010, has moved on. Officials have looked within to find Durham’s new interim CIO.

A North Carolina Senate bill that would review state agency performance and staffing levels, relying in part on the use of artificial intelligence, cleared its first committee step this week.

State Treasurer Brad Briner announced a 12-week pilot of the technology with its creator, OpenAI. The endeavor aims to determine whether the artificial intelligence platform can save time, look deeply into data and spot potential red flags.

North Carolina Chief Information Security Officer Bernice Bond, who started work March 3, underscored that communication, collaboration and education help smooth the path to effective information security.

The state Department of Information Technology will onboard a veteran private-sector executive with deep experience in artificial intelligence, analytics and large-scale collaboration. He'll start later this month.

North Carolina’s Office of Digital Opportunity director has been elevated to deputy secretary for NCDIT’s Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity. There, she will oversee state and federal broadband investment.

Bernice Bond is taking the helm of the state Department of Information Technology’s Enterprise Security and Risk Management Office, after serving as CISO at a global research firm. She started her new role this week.

Bipartisan bills advancing through the North Carolina House and Senate would require school districts to create their own restrictions for cellphone use during class.

North Carolina girls in grades nine through 12 can apply for a summer mentorship with women state government leaders who work in STEM-based positions in nine departments.

Matthew McLamb will step in as geographic information officer for the state. Formerly assistant director of the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, he will now also serve as its executive director.

With over 187,000 residents, Cary is working to expand services to serve its growing community, and so far, this includes some minor uses of new, emerging artificial intelligence technologies.

Federal COVID-19 relief initially provided the funding source to equip students with Chromebooks and other devices to use at home and school. Absent those dollars, many entities can’t afford their replacement.