French civil servants given IT challenge: Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the Prime Minister of France, has challenged his civil servants to brush up their IT skills. To that end, a Web site known as DEFI (Demarche d'Evaluation du Fonctionnaire Internaute) was launched at the Internet Festival in France last week. Public servants who log in to the site can answer a series of self-assessment questions designed to test their IT skills, such as Internet navigation and use of e-mail, as well as on-line forms and Web publishing. The site also has sections to test users' knowledge of e-government, information systems security and data protection issues.
Estonia to launch e-government portal: The government of Estonia has unveiled plans to launch an e-government portal. The "Citizen's IT Centre" Web site aims to provide a one-stop shop for people who wish to avail of new and existing on-line public services. "There will be no need to run around town to different public offices. You can do your running around on the Web," said Arvo Ott, head of the Informatics Department at Estonia's Ministry of Economics. The portal will enable citizens who have electronic identity cards to digitally sign all government forms, such as passport applications. Estonia has embraced the Internet since regaining independence in 1991, and now almost half of its population use on-line banking and bill payment services. In the World Economic Forum's recently published Global Information Technology Report, Estonia ranked eighth out of 82 countries in terms of "e-readiness" -- a measure of IT usage by citizens and businesses, Internet connectivity and e-government advances.
Singapore encourages use of e-government by all: The government of Singapore is implementing a SGD1.5 million (USD850,000) project aimed at encouraging the use of e-government services by less tech-savvy citizens. Under the initiative, businesses who participate in the scheme can earn subsidies each time they help someone to carry out an e-government transaction. So far, 22 community centres and two chain stores have signed up to the scheme. Staff at these centres and stores will help citizens file tax returns electronically, apply for passports on-line and avail of other e-government services. Each time a transaction is completed, the business earns up to SGD2 (USD1.10). "There is a group of Singaporeans who cannot cope with the Internet. They are mostly our older citizens," said Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister. "We must make sure they do not lose out on electronic access to government services."
Malaysia and Thailand agree on e-commerce standard: Malaysian Certification Authority company Digicert has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Thai Digital ID to improve secure e-commerce transactions between the two countries. Digicert says the main aim of the agreement is to develop a secure and trusted infrastructure using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology for e-commerce and e-government transactions between Internet users in Malaysia and Thailand. PKI is used in the issue of digital certificates, electronic files that are used to verify the identity of individuals over the Internet and can be used to electronically sign documents. Speaking of the agreement, Digicert Chief Executive Officer Noor Azli Othman said it would "allow trade between the two countries to be done securely on-line, thus minimising costs and improving efficiency."
Malta facilitates on-line fine payment: Malta's Ministry for Justice and Local Government has established a Web site to facilitate the easy payment of parking tickets and other fines. The Local Enforcement System (LES) site is part of Malta's e-Government Programme and is accessible via the government's main portal site. Citizens who want to pay fines on-line submit their "contravention reference number" on the site, which provides instructions for payment. If a citizen decides to contest a fine, the site can provide information on the tribunal hearing, such as date and the maximum fine that can be imposed.
Quelle: electric news
