The National Institute of Standards and Technology is planting seeds for an online circle-of-trust. Over the past couple of months, it has awarded about $10 million in grants to research projects that will test online identity technologies. If successful, it could help the government guarantee the security of services it delivers online and encourage more agencies to go that route. Jeremy Grant is senior executive adviser for identity management at NIST.

The shutdown is over. Federal employees have caught up on email and are ready to work. But if you’re a boss, you may worry about the lingering impact of the shutdown on your team’s morale and dedication to the job. No fear: we’ve got some advice for you. It comes from Sean Morris, leader of Deloitte’s Federal Human Capital Practice. He talks about what he calls his 10 steps for federal leaders to do after the shutdown.

Most of us can’t do our jobs, pay our bills or make our lunch dates anymore without the Internet. But all the news about the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs and companies’ datamining efforts is stoking privacy concerns, even among those who say they have nothing to hide. Federal employees and government contractors, along with the rest of the internet users of the world, all want to know how they can control who sees what about them on the web. Robert Richardson is the editorial director of the Security Media Group at TechTarget. He describes the tools that have sprung up to meet the growing demand.

How unique and trackable is your web browser? Richardson recommends you test it here.

The Marine Corps has emphasized building support programs for military families to help cope with the last 12 years of high-tempo deployments. But like everything else in the Defense budget, those programs are being scaled back. Federal News Radio’s Jared Serbu has more on how the Marine Corps is trying to keep only its most effective programs.