The world’s first digital government already exists. . . in Estonia. There are lots of reasons Estonia’s digital trail blazing is remarkable, not least of which are its tiny population (ironically, almost identical to that of San Jose, CA) and its proximity to Russia. But the mains ones are the scale and scope of Estonia’s commitment to digital governance, summarized in this PBS News Hour story two days ago:
“From filing taxes to accessing medical records to voting, 99 percent of all government services in Estonia are available online. Accessed at the state portal using an ID card and a pin code, the former Soviet nation is the first in the world to declare the internet a social right.”
Based on an interview with Estonian officials, the article concludes that “Estonia has a lot to teach the world about building a digital society.” Stay tuned.
