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Montgomery, Arlington win top Digital Counties awards

By Jeff Clabaugh

WASHINGTON — The Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties have released their 15th annual Digital Counties survey, ranking the nation’s counties on how well they are connecting with citizens digitally.

Several Washington-area counties scored well, including a first place for Montgomery County among counties with a population of 1 million or more, and a first place for Arlington County among counties with a population between 150,000 and 250,000.

The survey identifies the best technology practices among U.S. counties, including initiatives that streamline delivery of government services; encourage open data, collaboration and shared services; enhance cybersecurity, and contribute to disaster response and recovery efforts.

The survey notes that Montgomery County has a chief data officer who manages its expanded open government, open data, open budget, open spending and performance management portals. Montgomery County has also completed an Artificial Intelligence pilot using Amazon Alexa as a virtual assistant to help county resident access data.

Arlington County’s showing comes in part from its Digital Destiny campaign, input from community groups and data analytics partnership with Virginia Tech. The county has also formed a digital innovation team to expand mobile applications.

“Effective technology has proven to be a key tool for efficiency in many facets of county government,” said NACo Executive Director Matthew Chase. “We applaud this year’s Digital Counties Survey winners for showcasing the value of innovation and adaptation. Their embrace of cutting-edge approaches has benefited residents while ensuring good stewardship of taxpayer resources.”

Fairfax County ranked No. 3 among counties with a population of 1 million or more. Prince George’s County ranked No. 5 among counties with a population of 500,000 to 1 million.

Frederick County came in No. 3 among counties with a population of 250,000 to 500,000. Charles County ranked No. 2 among counties with a population of 150,000 to 250,000.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

By The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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