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Thursday, July 25, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
OPINION
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ALEXANDER SATOLA | OP-ED
A
fter gaining independence
from Russia in 1991, the
government of Estonia
set out to distinguish itself as a
hub for technological innovation.
Today, 99 percent of public
services are available online to
its 1.3 million citizens. However,
despite all of the technological
innovation
evident
in
the
e-Estonia
project,
its
most
impressive accomplishment has
been maintaining trust with the
public.
As we know from our everyday
interactions, if we put our faith
in someone and they deceive us,
we aren’t likely to trust them
again. The same is true for
people and their governments.
Estonia
has
demonstrated
a
digital
transition
where
a
government
consistently
delivers
on
its
promise
to
provide valuable services to its
people. This environment of
confidence is essential to any
healthy democracy.
A good democracy has both
elements of trust and distrust.
On the one hand, citizens need
to keep a close eye on their
leaders to prevent abuses of
power, which is why in the
United States we have frequent
elections and consent of the
governed.
However,
people
should
also
express
faith
in public institutions when
they are found to be fair and
legitimate .
The U.S. has a lot to learn
from
the
Estonian
model,
especially
when
it
comes
to residents’ trust in public
institutions. According to the
Pew Research Center, only 17
percent of Americans say they
trust the federal government
to do the right thing always or
most of the time.
This level of distrust can be
found across multiple levels
of government as well. One of
the most egregious examples
of
government
deception
is the Flint water crisis, in
which
the
city
government
diverted contaminated water
from the Flint River to cut
costs. For much of 2014 and
2015, government officials told
residents the water was safe
to drink despite the evidence
that there were still dangerous
contaminant levels. Even now,
as officials assure residents
the pipes are replaced and the
water is safe, many residents
still drink only bottled water.
On top of political scandal,
inefficient
administration
can
also
embitter
citizens.
American
civic
activities
like voting and paying taxes,
for example, are practically
designed to be vexing. In order
to vote, Americans have to brave
a complicated voter registration
process, figure out confusing
residency and early voting rules
and take off work on election
day. The U.S. tax system is also
notoriously complicated, with
people filling out a plethora of
forms each year only to send
the government information it
already has.
So what does Estonia do
differently?
To
start,
the
voting and taxation processes
in Estonia sound utopian. In
2005, Estonia became the first
country in the world to facilitate
online i-Voting. People can cast
their ballots from any device
connected to the internet and
are even able to change their
vote during the pre-election
period.
Additionally,
filing
taxes takes only five minutes on
average and 98 percent of tax
declarations are filed online.
The backbone of this digital
society is the e-ID card, which
gives residents access to secure
digital services. The card is
equipped with a chip and two
pin codes for security and
serves as a legal travel ID,
national health insurance card
and digital signature.
In addition, residents have
agency
over
their
personal
data. Using their ID card, they
can access a portal with a log
of everyone who has viewed
their data. They enjoy strong
protections
on
the
consent-
based use of their sensitive
personal
information,
which
creates transparency with the
authorities.
Skeptics will be quick to point
out that Estonia is relatively
small and has a public that
already buys into its government
acting like an idealistic Silicon
Valley startup. If Estonia really
is a special case, then it can’t
offer much to large countries
who can’t afford to start from
scratch.
Also, some of the central
tenets of e-Estonia, like national
ID, are unlikely to gain a footing
in the United States. Think tanks
such as the Cato Institute and
the ACLU have labeled national
ID as a dangerous threat to
individuals’ rights, giving the
government
wide-ranging
surveillance
capability
over
citizens. The federal government
has a history of violating citizens’
privacy, so the public must
indeed think critically about any
proposed improvements to the
current system.
That
said,
government
e-services that make people’s
lives easier already exist in
the United States. The website
USA.gov provides links to a
number of online applications,
including
passports,
federal
assistance
programs
and
immigration.
Smaller
state
and
municipal
governments
are also experimenting with
e-services.
For
example,
in
Washington
D.C.,
residents
can apply online for a driver’s
license, pay parking tickets
and
explore
some
of
the
city’s open data initiatives.
Like American tech startups,
governments should be more
aggressive about providing a
better user experience to their
constituents.
It is also the job of governments
to
clearly
communicate
the
value
of
e-services.
Saving
time and reducing hassle are
great incentives, but if these
aren’t properly relayed, then
public programs will forever
lack legitimacy and adoption.
Equally, when things go wrong,
the government must act fast to
regain trust. Despite discovering
a major vulnerability in the e-ID
system in 2018, the Estonian
government
worked
closely
with experts and the public to
turn a potential disaster into
an opportunity to bolster its
cybersecurity.
The Estonian digital transition
started out with a high level of
public confidence, and it was
able to maintain it by granting
the population with transparent,
innovative
services.
Though
the most obvious way to keep
the trust of the public involves
avoiding activities that prompt
distrust,
U.S.
policymakers
should also further consider the
merits of bringing traditional
public services into the digital
age.
Alexander Satola is a rising junior and
Senior Opinion Editor at the Daily.
What Estonia can teach us about trust
A good democracy
has both elements
of trust and
distrust.