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FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Estonia goes all out in the digitisation services
Online, tiny Estonia, a member of the European Union (EU), is making a name for itself as a world leader in digital technology, education, and cyber security, reports Christopher Livesay.
On a winter’s day, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, can be long and cold, but it’s hardly a place frozen in time. In fact, in less than 30 years, Estonia has gone from being an impoverished member of the former Soviet Union to one of the most technically advanced countries in the world. It’s the first country to declare the Internet a social right.
The Estonian government claims that the country’s high-speed broadband which covers 88% of the country makes it possible for 99% of its services to be easily accessible online. It’s a country where you can do your taxes in a few minutes and vote online from anywhere in the world.
“It’s safe and secure,” says Anna Piperal, the Managing Director of Estonia’s e-Showroom, which promotes the country’s digital society to the world.
One-stop-shop of services
The key to Estonia’s digital society is a digital identity (ID) card, which is similar to an ATM bank card in all respects, save that it can do more than just banking. The ID card is issued to every Estonian at birth and covers some 94% of the country’s population of 1.3 million. Embedded in the card is the typical microchip, which contains encrypted files that are used together with a pin code, which opens up a gateway to a variety of government services, from the cradle to the grave and in-between.
In addition to accessing public services such as hospitals, tax filing and even voting, the ID card integrates with
the commercial world. It can be used to access the financial services that banks offer, shopping, and purchasing telecoms and energy services from utility companies.
“So, banking, health care, voting. It’s all done digitally and there’s no need to ever sign paperwork,” adds Piperal.
Blockchain technology
In addition to the pin code, the cyber security features incorporate a digital signature, which consists of numbers with a timestamp. Blockchain technology, which is famously used by the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, is the backbone to Estonia’s cyber security. This is the technology which makes it possible to decentralise and authenticate data in order to prevent hacking. Estonia is the first country to use the technology on a national level. According to Piperal there are ways in
28 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 12 No.3 of 2019