1. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen1 E-Government l Goals l Information Provision l Transactions l Citizen participation

2. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen2 What is E-Government? l Government services over the web »Information for citizens (regulations) »Transactions (taxes) »Voting, opinion gathering? l Also standard for large organisation »Eg, better purchasing »Wont discuss here

3. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen3 Goals l Make government more efficient »Reducing costs (and hence taxes) »As with e-commerce l Make govt more effective from citizens perspective l Make govt fairer, more transparent, more inclusive

4. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen4

5. 5 Stages of E-Govt 1. Publish info (eg, new policies) »Standard for most agencies »Relatively straightforward 2. Transactions (eg, tax forms) »Becoming more common »Issues: privacy, fairness 3. Portals, etc: not yet (ever)

6. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen6 Publishing Information l Aberdeen City Council »News, whats on, council meetings »Info on schools, libraries, etc »Forms, procedures –Eg, student council tax exemption l Lots of information! »Just one local council…

7. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen7 Good thing! l Empowers people »No longer at mercy of bureaucrats, solicitors, etc for basic info l Speeds things »Get info in seconds, not weeks l Reduces corruption (??) l Examples from students?

8. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen8 Issues l Keeping info up-to-date, finding info »Issue for all large websites l Bureaucrats may not want to put some info on web »Means they lose control »Examples? l Relatively minor considering benefits

9. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen9 Publishing Information l Makes govt more effective »Citizens find it easier to get things done l Makes govt more transparent »Clearer what is going on l Makes govt a bit more efficient (?) »Fewer staff answering questions l Does it make govt fairer, more inclusive »Harder to see

10. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen10 Transactions l Taxes, library card, civil weddings, benefits, etc l Report problems l Fill out forms l See Aberdeen City Council website »10s of transactions, vs 100s (1000s?) of information web pages

11. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen11 Taxes l Fill out income tax forms online »Self-assessment in UK l Much better for tax people »Reduce errors in forms, no need to transcribe written forms into computer l Benefits for citizens »Less work (online calculations) »Forms can be filed later

12. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen12 Issue: Security l Protecting confidential information »Peoples income l Avoiding fraud »Insiders fiddling things so they get paid huge tax rebates l Similar issue for ecommerce »More serious for govt?

13. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen13 Issue: Poorer Service for non- Web users l Govt agencies may provide poorer service for non-online transactions »Paper tax forms used to be due on 31 Jan »Now due on 31 Oct l Tax people want e-forms because this is easier for them, so they penalise people who dont use e-forms »Is this acceptable? Opinions?

14. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen14 Issue: Fairness l Is this fair? »Many people can/will not use web –Elderly, disabled, socially deprived, … –People at bottom of heap l Will e-govt mean poorer service for people at the bottom? »Can argue govt must be fair, especially to people at bottom of society

15. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen15 E-Participation l Use web/net to encourage citizens to participate »Opinions, policy debates, voting »Goal: make govt more inclusive »Sensitive to citizens, not just lobbyists

16. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen16 Consultations l Aberdeen city council has open consultations on web page »Often about transport or schools »Allows anyone to submit an opinion l Many topics not addressed »Service cuts

17. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen17 Consultations l UK govt has wider range of consultations »Not clear how effective l Web-consultations can get swamped by a few individuals »Use spam techniques l Poor/deprived/etc poorly represented

18. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen18 Media l Media may do this better »BBC have your say »Can be selective, filter out spam, do not need to show everything

19. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen19 E-Voting: in voting booth l Vote using electronic voting machines? »Instead of paper or punched card »Avoid Florida 2000 hanging chad disaster l Issue: what if system crashes »Are people disenfranchised? l Issue: audit »Can we recount votes? »Maybe produce hard-copy records?

20. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen20 E-Voting: Internet l Should people be allowed to vote via the Internet? l Not common yet, freq discussed l Pros: easy to vote, increase voting rate l Cons: security, hard to audit, under- represent people at bottom l Discuss in tutorial

21. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen21 E-Participation l E-Consultation nice idea in theory, not very successful in practice »Not representative, vulnerable to spam l Internet E-voting is rare

22. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen22 E-Govt in Developing Countries l Deploy on mobiles if at all possible »Much more common than PCs »More effective than post l Makes corruption more visible, harder to hide (?)

23. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen23 Summary: E-Govt l Publishing info successful »Widely done, real benefit to citizens »Challenges similar to other websites for large organisations l Transactions growing »Govt agencies like this, cheaper »Concerns about security, fairness l E-Participation less successful

24. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen24 Summary: E-Govt Goals l Efficiency: transactions l Effectiveness: publishing info l Transparent: publishing info l Inclusive: in theory via e-participation, not achieved yet l Fairness: e-govt less fair to socially deprived (less likely to have net access)

25. Dr. Ehud Reiter, Computing Science, University of Aberdeen25 Summary: E-Govt Issues l Fairness, esp to people on bottom l Robustness if things go wrong, audit