E-government measures increase ease of access to state services and increase transparency. Countries like Estonia have successfully implemented over 150 online services and are updating them constantly. Helping other states develop e-government, however, has not been a simple task for Estonia.
An Estonian citizen decides to create a startup business on a whim. Said person takes their government-issued ID card, inserts it in their computer’s card reader, and jacks into the government’s e-business portal. Using secure technology like e-signatures, this citizen can establish a business in minutes and operate it completely remotely. This is just one example of how Estonian e-services expedite tasks for citizens. To read a comprehensive outline of major e-services, click here.
The country’s establishment of e-government is relatively recent initiative and happened as a direct result of liberation from Soviet control. As Estonia reached independence from the USSR in 1991, it went through an intense identify crisis of sorts. In a scramble to increase its security, it rushed to meet NATO standards and enter the alliance. In a similar fashion, it made a deliberate effort to join the EU as quickly as possible, which happened in 2004. The state’s motive while joining these groups was to market itself in a way that other countries would value Estonia’s presence and contributions to both NATO and the EU.
While recently speaking with the Estonian Foreign Minister, I learned what Estonia uses to make itself “marketable”: it’s e-government infrastructure. Estonia is indeed leagues ahead from most countries in terms of biometric identification, secure online government portals sharing information over the X-Road, and efficient online contract processing. Being a ringleader and moving other countries toward this technological status, however, seems to be a rather trying task for the Estonians.
Much of the reason Estonia was able to so quickly develop e-government is due to high levels of trust in the state from citizens. In order for e-government to work, the state must be entrusted with vital data from all citizens. This allows the government to identify citizens jacking into portals based on pre-saved identifiers like biometric data, PIN numbers, and government-issued identification numbers similar in nature to social security numbers. The system’s integrity, however, depends wholly on the secureness of government e-infrastructure. The X-Road, for example, is the main data highway through Estonia that connects all e-services. If this road were misused in any way, sensitive data on Estonian citizens could possibly be compromised.
To ensure e-services are secure and efficient, the Estonian government contracts third party software companies, like Nortal, to develop the necessary soft infrastructure. Nortal only develops a portion of e-government software. This allows the government to have a variety of creative minds develop e-infrastructure, thereby making it stronger. Nortal, however, develops software for countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, which appears to some people as a security risk since the same software company is developing e-infrastructures for multiple different governments.
Security issues as well as privacy issues make many countries hesitant to follow Estonia’s lead. In Germany, for example, citizens hold privacy of personal information to a high standard, making e-government initiatives unrealistic because public support will not rally. In addition, implementing e-services is a major overhaul that takes a large amount of time and money. Countries that have already developed mechanisms for business creation, tax filing, document filing, etc. will not feasibly wish to completely re-design all of these mechanisms right now.
Regardless, the system works well for Estonia. As a newly independent state, it is in a perfect position to pioneer new technology and create a unique system for the government to interact with citizens. Right now, I see Estonia in a position to lead other new states on a road of e-technology, and foster the growth of a younger, more technologically savvy generation of governments.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Kevin O’Dell
Quelle/Source: Affairs Today, 25.08.2016
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