ObamaCTO.org
November 12, 2008 07:57 p.m. by Japhet Els
The Chief Technology Officer in Obama's administration will be a central piece in his cabinet. As technology becomes more connected to everything from healthcare (putting records online so that they are more accessible) to the economy and environment (green collar jobs through innovation), the CTO could be intricately involved with every department in the administration. And he or she will be handling some of the most important issues directly impacting government transparency such as internet access/broadband growth, copyright policy and energy innovation.
The CTO cannot just be a "getting stuff done" workhorse, but also someone who understands the policy behind issues like net neutrality and DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). Can you imagine Obama hiring a CTO who doesn't know how to operate a Blackberry? Or doesn't use the internet for anything but email? There would be an uproar in Silicon Valley. So why not start the process by asking the people what the most important issues are facing us from a technological perspective? Done.
The Obama team has put up a new site letting "we the people" submit and rank the most important issues facing the incoming Chief Tech Officer. Each user receives 10 votes to spread as they wish across a host of user-submitted issues. Honestly, I had a hard time choosing how to divy up my votes and ended up changing them a few times. I liked ALL of the ideas -- from supporting Net Neutrality to having a live online bidding process for government contracts.
The point here is to show what the public thinks the biggest issues facing us technologically and to do it in an open and transparent way. Kudos to the Obama camp for launching this. I feel confident that they're listening and will follow through on what the public says.
The CTO cannot just be a "getting stuff done" workhorse, but also someone who understands the policy behind issues like net neutrality and DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). Can you imagine Obama hiring a CTO who doesn't know how to operate a Blackberry? Or doesn't use the internet for anything but email? There would be an uproar in Silicon Valley. So why not start the process by asking the people what the most important issues are facing us from a technological perspective? Done.
The Obama team has put up a new site letting "we the people" submit and rank the most important issues facing the incoming Chief Tech Officer. Each user receives 10 votes to spread as they wish across a host of user-submitted issues. Honestly, I had a hard time choosing how to divy up my votes and ended up changing them a few times. I liked ALL of the ideas -- from supporting Net Neutrality to having a live online bidding process for government contracts.
The point here is to show what the public thinks the biggest issues facing us technologically and to do it in an open and transparent way. Kudos to the Obama camp for launching this. I feel confident that they're listening and will follow through on what the public says.
Comments (4)
It may very well have been the Obama team, but how do you know?
Nevertheless, it is an excellent initiative and even if it not official, it could draw the attention of the Obama team in case it gains enough traction. I will do my share voting and spreading the word about the site.