In hidden message on White House website, Biden calls for coders

U.S. President Joe Biden looks on during his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2021. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

The recently updated website for President Joe Biden's White House carried an invitation for tech specialists savvy enough to find it.

Hidden in the HTML code on https://www.whitehouse.gov was an invitation to join the U.S. Digital Service, a technology unit within the White House.

A screenshot obtained January 20, 2021, shows HTML code on https://www.whitehouse.gov/ containing an invitation to join the U.S. Digital Service, a technology unit within the White House. REUTERS

"If you're reading this, we need your help building back better," the message said.

Former President Barack Obama launched the service in 2014 to recruit technologists to help revamp government services - for example by modernizing Medicare's payment system or reforming hiring practices across government agencies.

Tech specialists join the Digital Service for typically one or two years.

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(Reporting by Raphael Satter; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)