In addition to voting and paying taxes online, Estonians are also digitally buying property, registering cars, signing contracts, and applying for unemployment benefits. Almost all services related to government offices can be performed online.
All of these activities depend on public trust in digital governance, which is difficult to replicate in other countries.
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Few people rate government or technology as trustworthy. But some Estonians are deeply invested in their country's e-government program, developed over decades to make life easier and safer.
Linnar Vik, one of Estonia's leading computer scientists, says it will take decades for Estonia to build the kind of security it enjoys through digitalization. “It was kind of word of mouth and a private, personal experience.”
Trust also needed to flow from leadership to the technology industry. For example, in 2000, Wieck's one conversation with the prime minister led him to move from paper-based cabinet meetings (which at the time required knee-high printouts) to fully digital. was allowed.
“He asked, 'Are there any other examples of paperless government around the world?'” Veeck recalled. “I said no.' He said, 'Okay, do you have the money for that?'
The cabinet budget for that fiscal year had $85,000 left over for printing, which Veeck spent on hardware, software and training. The result is a paperless electronic cabinet. This is a fully wired room that has attracted worldwide media attention.
Estonia just made the promise of marriage one thing easier.
The world's most digitally integrated country launched its hallowed union into the e-government stratosphere last year, joining just about every other government service imaginable.
Estonian citizens were already able to file their taxes online, vote online and access digital prescriptions. All of this digital activity relies on Estonia's smart identification system, which enables state-recognized digital signatures, and public trust in digital governance, which is difficult to imitate in other countries.
Why I wrote this
a story focused on
Few people rate government or technology as trustworthy. But some Estonians are deeply invested in their country's e-government program, developed over decades to make life easier and safer.
“In fact, I own my data. I can always track when someone has viewed my data,” says Christina Wierde Toumpal. “I trust [my government]. This is an Estonian trademark and we have these options that we have worked diligently to ensure your safety. ”
Wierde Toonpal got married in July and applied for the certificate online, which saved her and her fiancé from having to make a special trip to the city registrar in their hometown. “We don't have to go somewhere and announce our intention to get married,” she says. “I was able to visually confirm that [on the government app] Choose the new name and old name options and try them out. ”
Successful deployment of digital services requires Estonians to trust the cloud with everything from date and place of birth to tax information, payroll, and medical diagnoses. This public trust has taken decades to develop and ultimately depends on Estonia's strict and transparent regulatory system.
“Paper files are not safer because you don't know who saw the analog file,” said Kersti Kaljulaid, who served as president of Estonia from 2016 to 2021. “Estonia's e-government is a highly regulated environment. Every citizen knows that the government makes every effort to protect their data. The law states that data belongs to the people. It even stipulates that you can control who sees your data, and even ask why. I believe that's why.”
“A further layer of trust”
Linnar Vik, Estonia's leading information technology scientist and government advisor since 1995, says it will take decades for Estonia to build the kind of security it enjoys through digitalization. It was kind of word of mouth, it was a private, personal experience,” he says.
“When you're sitting at the family dinner table and I say, 'You know what? I emailed the mayor's office earlier today and received a response. ” he says. “The kids are listening, and they're going to try, too.”
Trust also needed to flow from leadership to the technology industry, and it did. “As a leader, being able to trust experts about things you don't understand is another layer of trust. Politicians have started listening to tech people and giving them space. '' says Wieck.
For example, in 2000, a single conversation with the Prime Minister led to Wieck getting permission to move Cabinet meetings from paper-based (which at the time required knee-high printouts) to fully digital. it was done.
“He asked, 'Are there any other examples of paperless government around the world?'” Veeck recalled. “I said no.' He said, 'Okay, do you have the money for that?'
The cabinet budget for that fiscal year had $85,000 left over for printing, which Mr. Veeck spent on hardware, software, and training for ministers and staff. The result is a paperless electronic cabinet. This is a fully wired room that has attracted worldwide media attention.
Over the years, more and more services have been brought online, as a result of the freedom given to technology innovators and advisors, and the public's growing acceptance of digitalisation.
Start the process and then resolve the issue
Estonians now not only vote and pay taxes online, but also digitally buy property, register a car, conclude employment and rental contracts, and apply for unemployment benefits. Almost all services associated with government offices can be performed digitally. Also, for many services, certain qualifications are automated so citizens don't even have to apply. This includes parental allowances and child support.
Digitization will also extend to healthcare, requiring all healthcare providers to submit patient information to a centralized digital healthcare organization. This is useful, for example, if an emergency physician needs to access the records of a patient in crisis.
“The implication is [around trust] It's different in different countries,” Wieck says. “There are really social and cultural reasons for that distrust” of the government holding our data. Other European Union governments, especially Germany, which has a long history of government surveillance, want to mitigate any risks before going digital.
“In Estonia, we would rather say, ‘Let’s start doing something.’ Only then can we find out what the problems are that need to be alleviated,” he says.
The paradox is that people already provide vast amounts of personal data to Google, Facebook and other companies that govern themselves independently, as well as foreign companies, Wieck said. To tell. “The institution that you can control and govern is your own government, but you don't trust it? Why don't you trust the government that is under your control?”
Estonia's pragmatic approach to digitalization appears to be paying off.
Officials estimate that digital signatures alone saved citizens about five work days a year. This is because you no longer have to wait in line at a government office, request documents by mail, or file taxes on paper.
Meanwhile, the government saves on labor and other operating costs. Public rollout is almost complete. According to statistics from the e-Estonian initiative, more than 99% of Estonians file their taxes and access their medical data online.
Focus on flash instead of features?
But digitalization is not everything. The digital divide that still exists leaves some people behind, including those who are not tech-savvy or cannot afford computers.
“They say, 'I don't have the skills.' I can't use the system. I don't have grandchildren to help me,” says Andra Sivak, a media studies expert at the University of Tartu. “It's not that simple, and for these people, [digitization] Life has not become easier, it has become much more difficult. ”
Leelo Telling, a recently retired kindergarten teacher's aide, said she was raised to “trust and expect the best from others and society,” and has filed her taxes online since her first year of school. But some services “required children to call for help,” she says.
Another problem, says Dr. Seeback, is that public trust can be seen as lax because it is predicated on the idea that “I have nothing to hide.'' . So far, hacking and data breaches have not been a major problem.
Christian Kikerpil, a digital sociologist and cybercrime expert at the University of Tartu, said Estonia is currently looking for the next fancy thing to offer online, rather than the “basic” items that might really make life easier. Warn you that you're spending too much time prioritizing.
“Nowadays you can get married online, but how many times in your lifetime will you use such a service?” says Dr. Kikarpil. “Instead of solving small everyday problems with improvements in efficiency, robustness and reliability, it has become a big song and dance around marketing these services.” For example, declaring customs duties on a package. remains incredibly cumbersome, he says.
Still, Wierde Toonpal, who has been married for eight months, is happy to exchange her data for ease of use.
She and her now-husband purchased a home from a seller they met virtually for a notary signature. When your first child is finally born, registering your baby at a hospital will incur monthly childcare fees and may put you on a waiting list for a kindergarten.
“What we have now is very convenient,” she says. “You don't have to go anywhere.”
Maris Helland contributed to this report.
