For all the recent debate about free movement of people and control of borders, the conversation has all too often ignored some of the technological advances taking place in the Baltic states related to digital identities, wallets and e-government in general.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and independence, successive Baltic governments saw the value of harnessing the internet and creating a leading digital infrastructure that could support a digital economy.
Read more: Digital disruption: how Estonia leads the way to our future digital economy
The technology future that some fear, and others embrace, is descending upon us at a rapid pace. We are approaching a future where our physical and digital identities will merge; a future in which our biological traits, behavioral markers and other characteristics are used to identify us in the digital sphere, affecting more and more aspects of our daily lives.
There's a fear that granting computers that kind of information about us is inherently dangerous. By giving digital systems the “keys” to our very personas, we are potentially handing over control of our personas – our lives – to them.
Read more: The e-state of Estonia – and its Lessons for Our Digital Future
Estonia's bold digital initiatives earned it a spot in the highest echelons of the UN's E-Government Development Index. Find out what other countries can learn from Estonia's e-government success.
The European country of Estonia is steeped in history—it's home to the best-preserved medieval capital in Northern Europe. But in the 21st century, Estonia is perhaps most famous for looking to the future, thanks to building an impressive system of e-government.
Recent in-depth analysis of the costs of the election manifesto promises of all the political parties in Estonia revealed proposals which would cost money vastly exceeded those which would bring in revenue. Whilst this was not surprising, writes Rauno Vinni, many political parties have also offered a reduction in bureaucracy and cutting back of officialdom. But would such state reform actually help to solve the shortage of resources? There is a strange paradox where reducing bureaucracy actually costs money, making it difficult to afford to reduce said bureaucracy.
All political parties are promising new services at these elections, and large-scale investment into key areas like education, health, international and external security, social policy etc. However, the gulf between how much implementing these costs, and the potential which could be reaped from them, is so great, that merely trimming back the state apparatus is not going to be enough to garner the resources needed.
- What is Estonia’s e-Residency program? How many e-Residents are there globally and how many Indian e-Residents are there?
E-Residency is a status provided to people who are neither citizens nor residents of Estonia, but are granted an Estonian digital ID and access to Estonia’s e-services.