"The project is likely to receive additional attention in areas of privacy and data misuse," Wiggins said. "It may cause slower than anticipated adoption of technology."
The Government plans to implement this multi-purpose Smart identity card (ID) for the entire population in May 2003. The application is intended to enhance the efficiency of government services, including 15-second auto-immigration process, and provide a secure, convenient platform for e-commerce.
Wiggins said Hong Kong government should be very careful to avoid any misinterpretation of the purpose of Smart ID cards. "Rules and regulations need to be very precise," he added. "It is good that they conduct public consultation of the issue."
He said that since the adoption of the Smart ID cards is voluntary, if trust is not achieved between the government and the citizen, the adoption rate is likely to be low.
On the much broader topic of e-government projects, Wiggins said many such efforts fail because the governance structure is not designed to support the cross-departmental initiatives. He added that the "E" government initiatives should "enable everyone to engage and exchange information with Government in an easy, efficient and effective manner."
"Today many e-government projects simply layer technology over bureaucracy, and offer little advantage to citizen," said Wiggins. "The e-government initiations should be covered not only in wider areas, but also in depth."
This "depth" cannot be achieved by the Government alone, said Wiggins. It can only be achieved if 60 percent of the e-government services for constituents should be managed and delivered by external service providers, by 2005, he added.
Quelle: IDG Communications
