Information Security Policy in E-Government Management: Two Case Studies on Internal Revenue Service and Virtual Election System

Abstract

When government agencies make a decision to provide services and information on the Internet, assurance and security become imperative issues throughout the planning, design, deployment, and improvement project cycles. Certainly, it is hard to argue the convenience for citizens to access and process tasks like filing incoming taxes, casting votes on an election, and renewing driver’s license online, etc. Nonetheless, how can citizens trust the e-government service applications that would protect their privacy? On the other hand, perhaps more importantly, as more government data are made available via global public network connections, how can the government agencies ensure their employees are following proper policies and procedures to safeguard the network and computer systems? In these two case studies, computer security issues that could happen to IRS and online voting systems are portrayed and discussed. The solutions to a number of key security questions are also provided.