Joe Biden has taken office, and is already working to bring in top talent to help his administration tackle the country’s largest issues.
One of the many areas the administration is looking to staff with skilled workers is apparently the IT department. That’s at least according to a message hidden in the HTML code on www.whitehouse.gov.
Biden’s IT staff was quick to transition the website into their control, including administration messaging and policies and removing unwanted messaging from the previous administration, but it was a cryptic call for IT skills that grabbed its own headlines, according to media reports from Reuters and others.
“If you’re reading this, we need your help to build back better,” reads a message in the code, which is an invitation to join the U.S. Digital Service.
Clever!
“In hidden message [within HTML code] on @WhiteHouse website, @JoeBiden calls for coders” 💻
“If you’re reading this, we need your help building back better…” https://t.co/cNlaVjkLRa pic.twitter.com/2FZDx0ZR1D
— Brian Solis (@briansolis) January 20, 2021
The Biden transition team started doing this in November, when it hid the same message in the source code of the presidential transition website.
NICE!!! In the rendered source code of president-elect @joebiden‘s https://t.co/r1kPGgbYZl website. pic.twitter.com/7fPjX1hocn
— JΞSŦΞR ✪ ΔCŦUΔL³³°¹ (@th3j35t3r) November 25, 2020
The calls to apply for the U.S. Digital Service reflect the desire to improve federal websites and digital services. The elite technology unit is part of the Executive Office of the President and was launched in 2014.
We are a startup at the White House working to deliver better government services to the American people through technology and design.
The best of technology.
The best of government.
And we want you.Let’s help millions of people together. 💪🏽💻🇺🇸https://t.co/rwkJ035xnB
— U.S. Digital Service (@USDS) January 20, 2021
Some of the USDS’s initiatives have included modernizing the Medicare payment system, helping veterans upgrade their discharge status, improving the government’s technology-buying process and more.
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