Next-Gen E-Government: A Study on Reconciling Data Protection and Government 2.0

Abstract

The evolving model of the Future Internet has at its heart, Internet users. The Web 2.0 and Government 2.0 initiatives help citizens communicate better with their government. Such initiatives have the potential to empower citizens by giving them a strong voice in both traditional and digital society. Pressure is mounting on governments to listen to the voice of the public expressed through these technologies and incorporate their needs into public policy. On the other hand, governments still have a duty to protect their citizens’ personal information against unlawful and malicious intent. This responsibility is essential to any government in an age where there is an increasing burden on citizens to interact with governments via electronic means. This paper examines this dual agenda of modern governments to engage with its citizens, on the one hand, to encourage transparency and open discussion, and to provide digitally offered public services which require the protection of citizens’ private information on the other. It is argued that a citizen-centric approach to online privacy protection that works in tandem with the open government agenda will provide a unified mode of interaction between citizens, businesses and governments in digital society.