U.S. Government To Use Google Cloud, Other Apps From Apps.gov
It looks like the United States government made some pretty serious steps today in technology.
Government App Store
First of all, a new “.gov” website has appeared under the authority of the GSA at Apps.gov. I’d be wary of trying to “register” on the website unless you are expressly authorized to do so; a warning at the bottom of each page advises that “unauthorized activities [on the website] are subject to disciplinary action including criminal prosecution.” So unless you can find some strange pleasure in being “disciplined” (ooooh, you baaad citizen, you) by the federal government, I’d tread lightly on the site (oooh, you waaant access to my fiiiiiles…. naughty naughty….). (Sorry, I got carried away, moving on…)
On that note, I poked around a little bit (without putting in any information, of course), and there are some curious things there– do check it out.
government.google.com? Not Exactly, but Close
Secondly, Google has made announcements that indicate that the U.S. government is going to being using the Google Cloud for much of it’s storage, processing, and productive needs.
Other than the extremely basic implications (simply that the government is buying services from Google, as it does many contractors) one can also consider the fact that the government is placing a very large amount of its information storage and processing into the hands of a publicly-owned company. Granted, those who interact with the actual servers will have just the same security screenings and clearances of their government-employed counterparts, however, they will still be private citizens working for a public company.
An analogy to the private military contractors of “Blackwater” may be useful. Blackwater operatives are hired by the government to provide “security” in certain circumstances. Similarly, Google and their employees will be hired to provide productivity and data solutions for various federal, state, and local agencies. This kind of contracting will allow the general population to just be one step closer to the inner workings of the government. And, God forbid, might provide leverage for said population should it be ever be required. I don’t intend to come across in any way as an anarchist or anything of the sort, but I think it’s nice when the government “of the people” can actually be manipulated by the people should the need arise. This, I would say, is a step in the right direction.
