IT In State Service: Estonia's Journey To Building World's Most Advanced Digital Society
- 19.12.2023, 15:18
Estonian experience will be useful for free Belarus.
Every Belarusian regularly falls under the bureaucratic machine throughout their life. Everyone wants to be cured and recover from the injuries caused by this machine, but the doctor either makes the wrong diagnosis or prescribes the wrong medications. And the problem lies not in the patients, but in the machine itself. We need to finally scrap the old Zhiguli and switch to a Tesla.
In 2023, in the era of artificial intelligence, robotics, contactless payments, logins using biometrics and video chats, Belarusians cannot resolve basic issues related to contacting authorities directly in the same smartphone or laptop with a couple of clicks. Yes, this is impossible in Belarus, but it is possible (and has been for a long time) in Estonia.
The Baltic country has proven that there is a road to recovery, but it needs to be paved. To rejuvenate the system, serious changes are needed: urgent surgical intervention is not possible.
Charter97.org visited the e-Estonia briefing center to tell how a country of 1.3 million people achieved a great technological miracle.
It all started with Estonia declaring access to the Internet an inalienable human right. The origins of the Estonian miracle must be sought in 1991, when the country regained its independence and government officials had the chance to restore the country without a bureaucratic machine. This grandiose government project was called “Tiger Leap”.
The emphasis in this project was primarily on education. Computer classes have been modernized in schools, and a lot of attention has begun to be paid to computer science lessons. Middle-aged residents and pensioners were also not forgotten: many educational events were held aimed at teaching people how to use a computer. Even in rural areas, the authorities set up tents with computer equipment, where everyone could get advice and learn basic skills.
Ex-President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who led the country from 2006 to 2016, made a huge contribution to Estonia’s digital transition, now known as “Electronic Estonia”. Ilves has received worldwide recognition for making Estonia one of the most digitally advanced countries in the world with a digital governance model, e-government services, e-voting, e-banking and e-health. One of the biggest achievements of this period is that Estonia became the first paperless government in the world.
Today, the digital state plays a huge role in the life of every Estonian. Everything is done online — residents got rid of kilograms of waste paper in the form of receipts, certificates, papers and checks. Technologies save not only citizens’ time, but also the country’s budget.
What is e-Estonia
e-Estonia is a unique example of how the government can transfer almost all of its services to a single Internet platform. Estonia became one of the first countries in the world where an identity card with an electronic medium received such broad capabilities. Using ID you can get 99% of online services.
As Erika Piirmets, digital transformation advisor at e-Estonia, said, the only limited service in Estonia is filing for divorce. However, according to her, this service is also planned to be transferred to an online format in the future.
The e-Estonia platform was launched in 1997, and since 2000 citizens have been able to pay taxes here. It allows you to sign documents, vote in elections, get a prescription for medicine and test results.
There are several ways to enter the online portal of public services:
– using an ID card, it is connected to the computer using a special card reader;
– having passed mobile identification using a SIM card, even a push-button telephone is enough for this;
– thanks to smart identification using software, familiar to us.
If a person does not have a computer or smartphone, they can fill the documents they need offline, which is also convenient, since there are no queues now, because most Estonians are served remotely.
Estonia is open to foreigners
The most important element of the e-Estonia project is the e-Residency program, which was introduced in 2014. The essence of the development is to create a borderless digital society for global citizens, based on the prospects of “inclusion, legitimacy and transparency.” A transnational identity is accessible to everyone and, in particular, makes it easier to do business.
Foreigners are offered to become e-residents of Estonia. The Electronic Resident program (e-Residency) turns non-residents into virtual residents. With the help of this program, the country attracts entrepreneurs who want to establish a company in the European Union. For example, a foreign businessman uses local banks and services, thereby stimulating the Estonian economy.
By opening up online government and banking services in Estonia, the government has attracted e-residents from more than 140 countries around the world, who have established thousands of companies. Due to clients from all over the world, by 2025 the Estonian government expects to increase the number of residents to over 10 million people.
Fast and transparent taxes
The Estonian electronic taxation system allows you to automatically make calculations and submit a tax return in one click. It is unique in that reporting takes only 3-5 minutes.
Thanks to a flexible tax system for the private sector and the labor market, Estonia is an attractive country for investment among small, medium and large enterprises.
Online elections
In 2005, Estonia became the first country in the world to introduce online voting to maximize accessibility to local and general elections. Today, one third of votes in parliamentary elections are cast online.
“All elections in Estonia: local, parliamentary and European Parliament, have e-voting components. In our country, electronic voting has overtaken traditional voting,” said Erika Piirmets, digital transformation advisor at e-Estonia.
An Estonian citizen can take part in elections online, even while in another country. Votes are cast from more than 110 countries where Estonian citizens live or visit during elections.
Cybersecurity
When it comes to cybersecurity, Estonia is head and shoulders above other countries. Today, leaders of many advanced Western countries travel to Estonia to learn more about cybersecurity. It is also worth noting that the Baltic country is home to both EU and NATO cybersecurity centers.
e-Estonia uses blockchain technology to ensure that neither hackers, system administrators, nor even the government itself can manipulate data with impunity. The same voting system is heavily guarded against attempts to invade it or use it (and government-issued electronic IDs) dishonestly.
The world's first data embassy
In 2015, Estonia created the world's first digital data embassy outside the country. The goal was to ensure Estonia's digital continuity and statehood in worst-case scenarios, such as critical system failures or external threats. Estonia is the first country in the cloud. In the event of an attack on Estonia, backup copies of the country's critical databases and services are stored in a high-security data center in Luxembourg.
Is electronic Belarus possible?
Estonia, like Belarus, began its independent journey as a post-Soviet republic. The country did not have large amounts of mineral resources or extremely profitable production. The country saw its future in technology, innovation, openness and transparency.
Belarus, unfortunately, has taken a different path, and instead of the “Tiger Leap,” the current authorities are implementing the “Turtle Walk,” which also moves in a circle.
However, it is possible to put Belarus on an innovative track: as the experience of Estonia has shown, for this it is necessary to create a democratic state. In 2020, Belarusians brought this moment closer, but a little more effort needs to be made so that Belarus and its citizens are finally talked about all over the world, and representatives of other countries come to us to learn from experience, as happened with Estonia.