While undoubtedly convenient, e-voting in Estonia might not be as safe as President Ilves think
An independent group of researchers recently tested the Estonian I-voting system used during the last municipal elections, held in October 2013, and concluded that the flaws and lapses in operational security make it vulnerable to manipulations. Therefore, it cannot be considered safe enough.
Read more: Estonia's Online Voting System Is Not Secure, Researchers Say
According to Estonia's Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, the purpose of the meeting is to support building the e-government information system in Kyrgyzstan and to provide consultations in preparation for the 2015 parliamentary elections. Kyrgyzstan's e-government coordination centre has been set the task of creating a secure environment for the exchange of information in order to provide citizens with electronic services, like the Estonian Information System.
Read more: EE: Kyrgyzstan introduced to Estonia's e-government information system
Read more: EE: Initially planned e-health objectives remain unachieved
The Head of State introduced Estonia's e-governance opportunities, security and strengths to the participants of the conference, and noted that secure digital identity is the key issue for the development of well-working e-solutions. "We should strive to achieve a system of digital signatures that could be acceptable throughout the Nordic countries and Baltic states, as this would facilitate co-operation in the sphere of various e-services. Last year, Estonia and Finland entered into an agreement that will allow the citizens of both countries to enjoy similar digital services, among these the creation of a common e-prescription system," told President Ilves.
Read more: Ilves: Nordic countries and Estonia have leading role in development of e-government
The agreement is believed to be the first international agreement to be concluded using electronic signatures.
The agreement involves Estonia's assistance to Finland in adopting the X-Road system, the "backbone" data exchange layer that connects the different databases used by the nation's various online services, said a statement by the Estonian Government Office on Wednesday.