E-Government News Summaries

Benton's Communications-Related Headlines provides daily updates on developments in the realm of e-government and other pressing communications issues. (See: www.benton.org/news/index.html) Here we've summarized recent media coverage and commentary on e-government issues. As news is a dynamic medium, links to external to external news sources may have a limited shelf life and are included for bibliographic purposes.

October 30, 2003

SLAP ON THE WRIST FOR GOVERNMENT WEBSITES
A new study conducted by the Society of IT Management (Socitm) and the charity Citizens Advice finds that many UK government websites are failing to meet the public's needs. The report, entitled "Better Connected: Advice to Citizens," examined websites run by UKonline, the Department of Trade and Industry, National Health Service Direct and the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as some 16 local authority websites. Researchers tested the ability of government websites to provide relevant information in areas such as benefits, housing, health, debt, legal proceedings and consumer complaints. "The performance of UKonline as a signpost to e-government services is disappointing," the report concluded. "For example, there is a lack of advice on consumer debt on the Financial Services Authority website," said Martin Greenwood of Socitm Insight. Testers found that sites incorporating search engines such as Google often failed to direct users to appropriate sites and information when everyday language was used in their search terms. Additionally, claim forms online were of inconsistent usefulness and usability.

SOURCE: What PC? (UK); AUTHOR: Lisa Kelly
http://www.whatpc.co.uk/News/1146505

October 29, 2003

GOVT WEBSITE GUIDELINES CREATED WITH DESIGNERS, USERS IN MIND
After two years of research, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published 187 guidelines for effective Web design and organization of material. Sanjay Koyani, senior usability engineer for HHS, said the goal is to help government, academic, commercial and other entities create websites that are based on user research and not personal opinions. The
guidelines cover such issues as accessibility, home page design, site navigation, writing, graphics and content organization. The HHS guidelines, Koyani said, should pay off for agencies that need to post information quickly. "We've listed all the guidelines in rank of importance," he explained. "You can look at those and focus on what is important." The guidelines are timely, as governments experience growing demands from the public for answers to questions and increasing pressure to hold down overhead costs. Recent estimates show that there are more than 22,000 governmental websites, providing more than 35 million Web pages. More than 60 percent of Internet users in the United States go to a federal Internet site each year.

SOURCE: Washington Post; AUTHOR: Stephen Barr
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26915-2003Oct27.html

October 28, 2003

TOWARD A PAPERLESS GOVERNMENT
(Commentary) The deadline for the 1998 US Government Paperwork Elimination Act passed last week as e-government proponents continue to talk about creating a prototypical 21st century organization of government. Considering that the government's computer systems stretch back some four decades, integrating an updated infrastructure will be a long-term, meticulous project. "Certainly, the federal government represents the largest single IT market in the world ... but they're trying one thing at a time, because you're building to a component architecture," writes Ray Wells, IBM's top software executive in Washington DC. In terms of government cooperation in this process of updating systems, he says government is cooperative at times, but the issue is multifaceted. "The major problem is the complexity of integrating systems that got built up over a 40-year period -- most of it was never designed to be exposed to people except those who were highly trained in their use. This is a cultural change." He confirms that the way government operates will drastically change post-2003 because the government will have entered the information age by achieving e-government objectives and therefore operating at a higher efficiency.

SOURCE: CNET News; AUTHOR: Ray Wells
http://news.com.com/2008-7343-5097678.html

October 27, 2003

DENMARK URGES GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR OPEN SOURCE
A report released by the Danish Board of Technology is stirring up controversy by suggesting that public sector support for open source software and standards may be necessary to ensure real competition in the software market. The board was particularly critical of closed, proprietary standards such as Microsoft's Word format, arguing they go against the principles of e-government by requiring citizens to use particular software and reinforcing monopolies. The board recommended that the Danish government take an active role in promoting an open, XML-based alternative for file formats; however, it recognized that this would be an uphill battle. The
report said that open source could also help make public sector software procurement more cost-effective by introducing real competition. The board urged the government to take action, dismissing the lukewarm approach of other European countries: "It is... not sufficient for us in Denmark to follow Britain and Germany, for example, in merely recommending that open source should be 'considered.' A more active decision must be taken in those areas where there is a de facto monopoly."

SOURCE: ZDNet UK; AUTHOR: Matthew Broersma
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/linuxunix/0,39020390,39117341,00.htm

October 23, 2003

STUDY: FED SITES LACK ACCESSIBILITY
At a National Press Club event in Washington DC hosted by the Benton Foundation and the NYS Forum, Professor Darrell West of Brown University's Taubman Center for Public Policy presented his findings from his annual survey of government website accessibility and readability. Despite progress being made on some websites, most government websites still fail to comply with the basic WC3 standards for website accessibility for the disabled. Additionally, the majority of government websites are written for people who read at the 12th grade level, despite the fact that half of all Americans read at the 8th grade level or less. "Government officials should recognize equity and accessibility as important principles of government, principles that adhere in the physical and virtual worlds," West said. "People who are poor, disabled, not highly literate or non-English speakers are entitled to an equal opportunity to access essential information and services to improve their lives." John Kemp, former chairman of the American Association of People with Disabilities, added that the lack of compliance with accessibility guidelines a "fundamental violation of civil rights." Kemp continued, "This is our right to participate as citizens.... We welcome and respect inclusion, and we are a far, far cry from that point."

SOURCE: Federal Computer Week; AUTHOR: Randall Edwards
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/1020/web-web-10-22-03.asp
Download the report:
http://www.benton.org/publibrary/egov/access2003.html (accessible version)
http://www.benton.org/publibrary/egov/access2003.doc (MS Word)

STUDENTS FIGHT E-VOTE FIRM
Students at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvanian launched an "electronic civil disobedience" campaign against e-vote machine maker Diebold Election Systems. The students are protesting efforts by Diebold to prevent them and other website owners from linking to some 15,000 internal company memos that reveal the company was aware of its e-voting flaws, but sold the faulty systems to states anyway. "These documents indicate the potential for widespread election fraud in the U.S. or wherever else Diebold voting machines are being used," says Will Doherty, media relations director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Memos from 2001 reveal programming and security flaws. For example, memos discuss crucial security flaws that would allow the count of votes to be altered with no record of a security intrusion. Other memos indicated that patches were installed after the systems were already certified and delivered to states. Deibold has been sending out cease-and-desist letters to force websites and ISP's to remove the memos in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The company is using DMCA to conceal flaws that directly affect the validity of election results. This is a threat to our democracy, says Luke Smith, a Swarthmore sophomore.

SOURCE: Wired; AUTHOR: Kim Zetter
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,60927-2,00.html

October 20, 2003

WHEELS IN MOTION
Halton Borough Council's Benefits Express bus is the winner of the UK's 2003 Local Government IT Excellence Awards. Equipped with laptops connected to the council's benefits-management system, the bus helps local people navigate the bureaucratic maze of applying for housing benefits and council tax relief. Face-to-face contacts are especially helpful for the elderly and those with disabilities. The bus has helped reduce the amount of time wasted dealing with incomplete claims and has helped the council meet "best value" targets set by the central government. "It's been incredibly well received," says Peter McCann of the Halton Borough Council. Since the bus began touring the borough in December, the average time needed to process a benefits claim has fallen from eight to two weeks. Although the council runs web-based e-government services, these are not the solution to most benefit claimants' problems. "On the Web we felt we were just tinkering on the edges," says McCann. A runner-up for the award was Leicester's disability information and communication network (www.ldicn.org.uk), an easy-to-use web portal with specially adapted computer suites in community centers to help people with disabilities get information online.

SOURCE: The Guardian; AUTHOR: Michael Cross
http://society.guardian.co.uk/internet/story/0,8150,1063489,00.html

October 17, 2003

WHITE HOUSE VOWS TO STEP UP PROGRESS ON E-GOV EFFORTS
A Wednesday press conference featured Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Deputy Director Clay Johnson and new e-government administrator Karen Evans. OMB officials stated that whether or not Congress centrally funds e-government, the initiatives are moving forward. Evans said that about 60 percent of federal agencies would be in compliance with rules for eliminating government paperwork by the October 21 deadline. The law requires the agencies to give individuals or organizations that do business with the government the option to transact business electronically. "The federal government continues to make strides in service while saving taxpayers' dollars," Evans said. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is making progress on its five e-government initiatives: Recruitment One-Stop, e-Clearance, e-Payroll, e-Training and the Enterprise Human Resources Integration system. The USAJobs website is intended to simplify the process of finding and applying for federal jobs. E-Payroll, an initiative to consolidate 22 payroll systems into two, is expected to save $1.1 billion over 10 years.

SOURCE: GovExec.com; AUTHOR: Ted Leventhal, National Journal's Technology Daily
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1003/101603td2.htm
See also: http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/1013/web-opm-10-16-03.asp

October 15, 2003

FEDS CRAMMING PRIVACY REPORTS
To comply with last year's E-Government Act, federal agencies running databases containing sensitive information about citizens now are required to submit a privacy impact report. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will evaluate the reports as it helps the president formulate his budget request. Though privacy groups generally applaud the new reports, the Electronic Privacy Information Center already has hit a roadblock in attempting to obtain the CAPPS II privacy impact assessment. CAPPS II is the controversial new airline passenger screening system, which will use watch lists and commercial databases to color-code passengers. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) declared that the report was immune from the Freedom of Information Act, since it was a preliminary document. Ari Schwartz of the Center for Democracy & Technology argues that waiting to release the report until the system is tested is backward logic. "The TSA says it is testing CAPPS II, but they haven't put out a privacy impact assessment, which undermines part of the purpose of the privacy report," said Schwartz. Still, he says that because of the privacy reports "we will learn a lot more about how government systems work and are built and we will be able to see the decisions they made."

SOURCE: Wired; AUTHOR: Ryan Singel
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,60782,00.html

October 10, 2003

E-GOV EVOLUTION BRINGS IN CITIZENS
Last week at a panel discussion, the Office of Management and Budget's Dan Chenok said that the first two phases of e-government -- bringing a government presence to the Internet and allowing for online transactions by citizens -- have been completed. The next era may involve reaching out to citizens through public forums and discussions so they "can participate in government more efficiently," he explained. Jim Flyzik, a partner in Guerra, Kiviat, Flyzik and Associates Inc., added that e-government is continually evolving and will include what he described as "i-government" or "intergovernmental government" work, which involves agencies working together on cross-government issues. Flyzik said that the issues hindering e-government initiatives include security, privacy, culture, money and leadership. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chief Information Officer Kim Nelson singled out security as a major impediment to projects. Additionally, she said the EPA has struggled to stay on time and within budget on some projects because managers may lack the skills or may be overseeing two or three major projects at once.

SOURCE: Federal Computer Week; AUTHOR: Sara Michael
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0929/web-opm-10-01-03.asp

October 8, 2003

OHIO TO REPLACE COSTLY HIGH-TECH FOOD STAMP SYSTEM
Ohio will replace its "smart card" food stamp system, which costs Ohioans $22 million a year -- up to four times as much as other programs. The smart card is a plastic card with a computer chip capable of maintaining individual account information. Lisa Hamler-Podolski, director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks, called the cards "the Lamborghini of all systems," and said that the current system offers limited options to food stamp recipients since not all grocery stores had card machines in every checkout lane. Forty-eight other states use magnetic-strip cards similar to bank or credit cards that are swiped through readers already in most retail stores. Such an ATM-style card could also allow recipients to withdraw cash welfare benefits at an ATM machine. Ohio's Department of Job and Family Services will seek competitive bids to operate a new magnetic-strip system by the end of the year. The state's current two-year $44 million contract with Citicorp Electronic Financial Services ends in 2005.

SOURCE: USA Today; AUTHOR: Andrew Welsh-Huggins
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-10-07-smart-cards-fail_x.htm

October 7, 2003

STUDY TOUTS E-GOVERNMENT
Deloitte Research has released a study entitled "Citizen Advantage: Enhancing Economic Competitiveness Through Government," which examines the time and effort required to comply with regulatory and reporting requirements in conducting government transactions. The study suggests that public sector organizations should evaluate information technology (IT) investments not only by the cost savings they generate for government, but by the financial benefits they create for citizens and businesses. For example, the Small Business Association's Business Compliance One Stop Web site saves US businesses about $526 million a year by helping them find, understand and comply with regulations. "We believe that the success of government programs should be measured by the true advantages they create for citizens, communities, and industries," said Greg Pellegrino of Deloitte Consulting. According to the report, the key is to employ technologies more widely and effectively by looking at government systems and processes from the citizen's point of view. To this end, Deloitte has developed a Citizen Advantage Calculator that demonstrates systematic ways to measure constituent time and resource savings.

SOURCE: Consultant News
http://www.consultant-news.com/Article_Display.asp?ID=953
For a copy of the report, visit www.dc.com

September 30, 2003

SERVICE STRUGGLE FOR VIRTUAL TOWN HALLS
Budget cutbacks and a faltering economy have resulted in many local governments holding back on deployment of e-government and technology initiatives. But even as some municipalities scale back, others are pressing ahead with plans to integrate government services into their websites. In Franklin, Massachusetts, volunteers developed a website (www.franklin.ma.us) that enables town officials, civic groups and teachers to create and manage their own Web pages. Other communities have turned to outside companies for help. The small town of Eastport, Maine, created a website with the help of Virtual Town Hall (www.virtualtownhall.net), one of several companies with systems that allow municipal employees without technical expertise to manage site content. Others are GovOffice (www.govoffice.com) and EzGov (www.ezgov.com). Websites do not always save the government money, but some municipal officials would say that is not the point. They say that the biggest beneficiaries are the individuals and businesses who use the systems.

SOURCE: San Mateo County Times; AUTHOR: Thomas J. Fitzgerald
http://www.sanmateocountytimes.com/Stories/0,1413,87~11271~1662620,00.html

September 29, 2003

CALIFORNIA COUNTY KEEPS E-VOTE
Election officials in California have no plans to replace the touch-screen voting machine before the upcoming gubernatorial election. A comprehensive report commissioned by the governor of Maryland found that the Diebold software used by the voting machines was poorly written and full of security flaws. Alameda County, which includes the California cities of Oakland and Berkeley, used 4,000 of the touch-screen machines in the state's last gubernatorial election. The county will not replace the machines before the October 7 recall election, according to Brad Clark, Alameda's Registrar of Voters. Security officials say the problems cited in the report are considered basic to secure computing, such as strong encryption for the transfer of voting data and the use of strong passwords and smartcard authentication for officials and workers accessing the systems. David Dill, professor of computer science at Stanford University, says a voter-verifiable paper trail is the better option, which would provide voters with a receipt they could verify and then deposit in a ballot box for later reference, should disputed election results arise.

SOURCE: Wired; AUTHOR: Kim Zetter
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,60618,00.html

September 26, 2003

UK E-GOVERNMENT SERVICES ‘ON TRACK’
The plan to make most public services available online by 2005 is on track in the UK, according to officials. Ninety percent of services will be online by the deadline, says E-Envoy Andrew Pinder, who is responsible for ensuring the deadline is met. During a meeting of local government executives, he said that good work had been done to provide access through libraries and Internet centers, but the issue now is coming up with the services people want and are willing to use. Furthermore, a key issue is encouraging the public to use e-government services. The public sector should borrow techniques from successful businesses like Amazon, which builds services around the customer, he advises. When the e-government targets were identified, available cheap dial-up was key, but now accessible high-speed broadband is the target. The e-government movement in the UK is part of a regional strategy for European Union member states to have half of government transactions online by 2005. Critics of the UK's rush towards the 2005 target suggest there has been a slow and patchy push of online strategies at the local government level.

SOURCE: BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3139816.stm

September 22, 2003

E-GOV BRAIN DRAIN WORRIES DISCOUNTED
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has lost three top technology leaders in the past six weeks, including Mark Forman, the head of OMB's e-government office, and his acting replacement, Norman Lorentz. The departures have sparked concerns about "brain drain" in the OMB. DigitalNet's William McVay, a former deputy to Forman at OMB, said such concerns are unfair. He said that there are "no less than 100 people" working at OMB on e-government initiatives along with many more at the agency level. Another issue is the loss of key political capital that has been built up over the last two years. Energy Department CIO Karen Evans, Forman's replacement, will be tasked with picking up the political duties of selling e-government and other reforms to federal agency personnel. Bruce McConnell, president of McConnell International and a former technology executive at OMB, said that ultimately two things are needed. "One is that the agencies have to believe in [the president's agenda] ... And second, the OMB needs to keep using the budget process to encourage the agencies to do the right things," he said.

SOURCE: BizReport; AUTHOR: Washington Post
http://www.bizreport.com/article.php?art_id=4958

September 15, 2003

STUDY: READABILITY IS A PROBLEM FOR STATE, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WEBSITES
The Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University released the results of their fourth annual survey reviewing the readability of US e-government websites. The study examined over 1,600 state and local government websites, as well as 60 federal sites. The results suggest that the average government website is written at the 11th grade level, despite the fact that half of all Americans read at the eight grade level or lower. Two-thirds of websites reviewed were written at the 12th grade level, while only 12 percent were at the eighth grade level or lower. Websites with information presumably geared to less-education populations required some of the highest reading levels: 83 percent of corrections department websites, 79 percent of economic development sites and 67 percent of health/human services sites were written at the 12th grade level. Additionally, only 33 percent of state and federal sites satisfied the W3C standard of website accessibility, while 24 percent met the "Section 508" federal accessibility guidelines. The Benton Foundation, in conjunction with the New York State Forum, is funding a policy briefing report from the Taubman Center to discuss policy recommendations of the research. The report is scheduled to be released in October.

SOURCE: Taubman Center for Public Policy; AUTHOR: Darrell West
http://www.insidepolitics.org/PressRelease03us.html
Read the survey results:
http://www.insidepolitics.org/egovt03us.html
http://www.insidepolitics.org/egovt03us.pdf

HANDFUL OF CONSUMER-SAVVY FEDERAL WEBSITES SCORE BIG IN NEW SURVEY
Meanwhile, a customer survey report scheduled for release today through ForeSee Results and the University of Michigan suggests that the development of user-friendly electronic government is actually on the rise. A handful of federal websites earned scores on a customer satisfaction index that put them on par with popular private-sector sites. Twenty-two federal agencies participated in the survey, which will aid these agencies in their analysis of user feedback to improve their websites. The top-scoring federal site, www.4women.gov, is run by the National Women's Health Information Center at the Health and Human Services Department. This site in particular did a good job of taking the "government approach" out of its design by creating an experience which resembles a commercial website, commented Larry Freed, president of ForeSee Results. Other highly ranked federal sites were www.nasa.gov, the main site for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, www.ers.usda.gov, run by the Agriculture Department's Economic Research Service and www.firstgov.gov, the government-wide portal operated by the General Services Administration.

SOURCE: Washington Post; AUTHOR: Stephen Barr
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11006-2003Sep14.html

September 12, 2003

VIRGINIA TO PUT SCHOOL DATA ON THE WEB
Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner (D) announced a project to put data from all the state’s schools online by next year, enabling the public to make comparisons between K-12 schools within a jurisdiction or statewide. The database would cost between $1 million and $2 million and would contain statistics such as student-teacher ratios; attendance, graduation and dropout rates; student performance and achievement gaps; enrollment trends; demographics; and some national data. "As governor, one of the biggest frustrations I have had is that basic measures of school performance vary widely across localities and states," Warner said at the second in a month-long series of announcements on generally low-cost ways to make public schools more efficient and accountable. "Comparative data is difficult to get, but useful in terms of setting priorities" on such things as pupil services, instruction and supplies, said Fairfax school superintendent Daniel A. Domenech. Detailed rankings can also shatter myths, he added. For instance, poorer school systems regard Fairfax as fantastically wealthy, he said, but in reality the county ranks 11th statewide in per-pupil spending.

SOURCE: Washington Post; AUTHOR: R. H. Melton
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51737-2003Sep9.html

September 9, 2003

ENERGY DEPT'S KAREN EVANS NAMED NEW US E-GOVERNMENT CZAR
US Department of Energy Chief Information Officer Karen Evans has been tapped to take over the leading US e-government post, reports Government Computer News. Evans will assume her new role as the Office of Management and Budget's associate administrator for IT and e-government next month. Evans replaces Mark Forman, who resigned last month to return to the private sector. "We need to complete and implement the e-government projects and realize the benefits of the rigor and discipline we are trying to build into the [budget and planning] processes," said OMB Deputy director Clay Johnson. Adds David McClure, Vice President for E-Government at the Council for Excellence in Government: "She has been in the trenches and knows how to get it done." Evans also serves as vice-chairwoman of the Federal CIO Council,
the primary forum for federal government CIOs to develop inter-agency IT policies.

SOURCE: Government Computer News; AUTHORS: Thomas R. Temin and Jason Miller
http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/23438-1.html

September 8, 2003

DON'T THEY KNOW IT'S ONLINE?
When Lord Hutton was appointed head of the inquiry into the death of David Kelly, the British weapons expert who killed himself this summer, he expressed a commitment to public access to spoken and documented evidence. Accordingly, the Web team for the inquiry works swiftly to publish every twist and turn of the hearing within three hours, creating what has become the most popular political website in the UK. Advocates of open government believe this could set a precedent for online government communication. "Freedom of information is symbolic of honesty in government," said Maurice Frankel of the Campaign for Freedom of Information. However, he is skeptical whether the British government can learn the lessons offered by the success of the Hutton website. Critics warn that calls for total transparency are misplaced: "Transparency has always been taken to be an unquestionably good thing - but it's a double-edged sword," said James Crabtree of the Work Foundation. "If a civil servant knows every memo they send is going to be published two days later, they'll never get anything done." Officials warn that the Hutton website is unlikely to mark a change in government strategy, as maintaining departmental websites is a much different task than running an inquiry website.

SOURCE: The Guardian; AUTHOR: Bobbie Johnson
http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,7558,1037236,00.html
Hutton Inquiry website:
http://www.the-hutton-inquiry.org.uk

September 5, 2003

CONFOUNDING E-GOVERNMENT SKEPTICS
[Commentary] Ian Kearns, associate director of the UK's Institute for Public Policy Research, analyzes the problems and successes of digital government and concludes "digital government is working." Problems include skills shortages in the private sector, weaknesses in policy leadership, and confusion in the government's relationship with IT companies. Successes include the positive relationship between IT use and educational achievement, London's congestion charge scheme and the Department of Health's digital interactive television pilots. The congestion charge scheme uses digitally networked technology to record license plates and charge fees to vehicles entering a certain zone, which has had a positive effect on traffic congestion levels. More than 60 percent of users of the information and services provided through the health television pilots believe there has been a beneficial impact on their health. Kearns notes that even success brings its own problems, particularly social justice issues related to the digital divide. Nevertheless, he encourages a focus on overcoming problems and articulating the benefits that technology can and does deliver.

SOURCE: Guardian Unlimited; AUTHOR: Ian Kearns
http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1034803,00.html

September 2, 2003

WEBSITE HELPS RESIDENTS FIND CITY SERVICES
A new website for residents of Camden, New Jersey, lists more than 400 community organizations and groups, including contact information and a description of services they provide. Site visitors can also search by zip code or by category, such as education, technology and workforce development, and anyone can add organizations to the site. In addition, demographic maps show statistics such as how many people live below the poverty line, number of vacant houses and percentage of residents with a high school diploma -- citywide and for each neighborhood. The website was created by Hopeworks 'N Camden, a nonprofit that teaches low-income residents aged 13 to 23 computer skills such as Web design and programming. A drawback of the site is that "not many people have access to the Internet," said Dr. Lawrence Ragone, whose clinic provides eye care to uninsured and underinsured residents. However, some might benefit indirectly from the listing. Skipper Grant, a case manager at a day center for homeless men, said that staff could use the site to find services for their clients.

SOURCE: The Courier-Post; AUTHOR: Lavinia DeCastro
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m090203f.htm
Hopeworks 'N Camden's website:
http://www.camdenresources.org

PCs OPEN COURTHOUSE DOOR
[Commentary] Colorado is the first state to allow low-income people who can't afford legal representation to file their own cases electronically and affordably, through its I-CAN! (Interactive Community Assistance Network) system. Forms on the Internet with instructions geared toward a fifth-grade reading level in English or Spanish will allow people to file civil complaints. Computers will be available in courthouses in three counties for a small fee, which can be waived. The system, which is being paid for by a $165,000 federal technology grant, "has the potential to open the civil justice system to thousands of people who have traditionally been powerless to go to court for such problems as evictions, small claims and restraining orders," writes the Denver Post editorial staff. If it proves successful, the project could be adopted nationwide. "We're fortunate to have the opportunity to not only empower our own citizens but also to be a model for the rest of the country," the editorial says.

SOURCE: The Denver Post; AUTHOR: Editorial Staff
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~417~1604693,00.html

August 27, 2003

NIGERIA TO BEGIN E-GOVERNANCE IN 2008
The Nigerian federal government has announced plans to have most government services available online by 2008. Speaking at a launch of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) website, Vice President Alhahi Atiku Abubakar said that the government recognizes the role of information technology in modern business and public administration and is prepared to face the challenges. He explained that new incentives and institutional structures would be needed to ensure the initiative "includes new funding and sharpened financial incentives to promote electronic service delivery, and the creation of a government incubator to develop new service ideas." Dr. Julius Bala, BPE's Director General, disclosed that the website was redesigned to meet the standards of international investors and to serve as a "credible, trusted and helpful source of information" about the Nigerian privatization program and other issues. The site's target audience includes BPE staff, Nigerian citizens, civil servants, potential investors, the Nigerian diaspora, donor agencies, researchers and students. Dr. Bala said BPE would become a paperless office by 2007.

SOURCE: AllAfrica.com; AUTHOR: Emma Ujah, The Vanguard (Nigeria)
http://allafrica.com/stories/200308260534.html

August 25, 2003

UK E-GOVERNMENT PLAN LEAVES 'ESSENTIAL SERVICES' VULNERABLE TO VIRUSES
A parliamentary investigation has sparked fears that flaws in the UK's £10 billion (USD$15.7 billion) e-government strategy will leave the national infrastructure at risk of online attacks, such as the Sobig virus released last week. Other reports indicate that many public bodies are behind schedule to achieve the 2005 deadline for having all government services online. Security experts worry that the push for speed will cause security requirements and known flaws to be ignored, as projects are pushed through for political reasons. "There is every possibility Britain is about to place every aspect of its infrastructure at risk from malevolent hackers, thieves and vandals without being absolutely certain that it's properly protected," said security expert John Griffith. He added that one mistake could permanently damage confidence in e-government. The public response to the plan has been lukewarm, but proponents point out that delays could further dampen public enthusiasm for the initiative.

SOURCE: Sunday Herald; AUTHOR: Iain S. Bruce
http://www.sundayherald.com/36216

August 19, 2003

US STATE DEPT: DIVERSITY IMMIGRATION VISA APPLICATIONS TO BE ACCEPTED ONLINE ONLY
The US Department of State announced yesterday that potential immigrants interested in coming to the US under its Diversity Visa Program would now have to submit their visa applications online. Approximately six million people submit applications annually to the program; the US then offers visas to 55,000 of them through a lottery system. Now, the program is taking a 180-degree turn, technologically speaking: all applicants will be required to submit their applications online rather than through the mail-only system used currently. "The Department of State is implementing the new electronic system in order to improve efficiency in the diversity visa petition process and make the process less prone to fraud, thus making it less vulnerable to use by persons who may pose a threat to the security interests of the United States," the department said in a statement. The statement, however, did not address the impact of the decision on the millions of otherwise qualified would-be immigrants who lack Internet access or IT kills.

SOURCE: US Department of State
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2003/23329.htm

August 18, 2003

AGRI MINISTER PLEDGES E-GOV FOR NORTHERN IRELAND' FARMERS
Ian Pearson, the UK minister responsible for agriculture and rural development, has pledged to help "ease the regulatory burden on farmers" by improving agricultural e-government services. "Farming is not a nine to five job and so it is important that the Government provides services when and where farmers need them -- and the use of online services provides such flexibility," Pearson said during a visit to Greenmount College of Agriculture and Horticulture in Northern Ireland. Last year, the British government launched APHIS Online, a livestock transactional service, now used by 2,000 farmers across Northern Ireland. The ministry's other portal, www.ruralni.gov.uk, helps farmers comply with government regulations, research grant opportunities and track livestock.

Source: Farming Life
http://www.farminglife.com/flnews/content_objectid=13297132_method=full_site
id=51658_headline=-e%2DGovernment%2DPledge%2Dfrom%2DMinister-name_page.html
(Re-paste URL if broken)

August 13, 2003

LET'S FUND E-GOVERNMENT
(Commentary) The US Congress is on the verge of funding the federal e-government initiative at only two percent of the recommended level, causing the editors of EWeek.com to ask, "Is this any way to run a government more like a business -- an e-business in particular?" The e-government legislation, authored by Senators Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and Conrad Burns (R-MT) and signed into law by President Bush in November 2002, was initially expected to receive $45 million, but the House Appropriations Committee has cut this to a "laughable" $1 million. "These are difficult economic times, but the point of the bill is not to pamper the taxpayer with convenience; the point is to yield a return on investment by making government more efficient," the editors write. If the government wishes to use e-government to save tax dollars in the long run, it requires making a sensible, but serious investment up front. "If there's an issue on which citizens can agree, it's that government services can be greatly streamlined through IT.... Legislators should take a hard look at costs and benefits of the measure and then fund it in an amount that will result in better, faster services."

SOURCE: EWeek.com
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,1216873,00.asp

US POINTS TO E-GOVERNMENT LAW
Meanwhile, at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, the Bush administration has sent a memo to government officials laying out how the federal e-government law should be put into practice. The memo, issued August 1 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), tackles a range of topics including IT training for officials, privacy requirements, ways to help citizens access services, and IT for crisis management. "The administration sees this Act as a significant step forward in the way that federal agencies should consider using information technology (IT) to transform agency business into a more citizen oriented and user friendly process," OMB director Joshua Bolten wrote in the memo. Putting the memo into practice might be easier said than done, though, given the proposed congressional funding cutbacks (see above story). The situation is compounded by the fact that the US e-government czar, Marc Forman, has just announced his resignation; Congress is pushing for the White House to replace him as soon as possible.

SOURCE: KableNET.com
http://www.kablenet.com/kd.nsf/Frontpage/D19DB2FB49BA22D080256D80004DBF05
August 1 OMB memo on e-government:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/m03-18.pdf

August 12, 2003

SUPREME COURT CASES GET A FRESH HEARING
Since 1994, Northwestern University's OYEZ project has made audio of US Supreme Court cases available in a "streaming" format that requires a continuous Internet connection. Now the project is converting the files to MP3 format, which permits downloading, file sharing and use on portable devices. The MP3 files are free and sharable, if users agree to credit OYEZ and limit usage to noncommercial purposes. Jerry Goldman, the project's director, hopes to make available with search functionality all of the approximately 6,000 hours of the Supreme Court recordings since 1955, when taping of oral arguments began. "The whole idea is to build a digital
commons, make accessible materials that are really valuable in a free and open society," he said. Particularly with controversial cases such as affirmative action and abortion, "there's so much more information and emotion in the human voice that a transcript can't do it justice," explained Goldman.

SOURCE: Washington Post; AUTHOR: Phuong Le
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41812-2003Aug10.html

August 11, 2003

GOVERNMENT PORTAL REGISTERS 129,000 TRANSACTIONS
This e-government success story hails from the island of Malta. Statistics from Malta's IT Ministry show that the public is clearly willing to use online services. The gov.mt portal reported no fewer than eight million hits and a record 129,000 transactions in the month of July. In addition, transactions have more than doubled in two months. Forty-eight percent of all transactions originated from overseas. (Transaction figures refer to users who actually download a form or interact with the government, while hits refer to the number of times a particular website is accessed.) The Ministry for Social Policy's website was most popular, with 42 percent of all transactions. A spokesman for the ministry said the most popular downloads were tax documents, fringe benefits guidelines and children's allowance forms. IT Minister Austin Gatt explained that online processing saves time and money for both government and business. The government is aiming to have 90 percent of its services available online within a few months.

SOURCE: The Times of Malta; AUTHOR: Herman Grech
http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=132903

DAY LABORERS’ SOLUTION?
How to address the problem of day laborers gathering on the streets while awaiting work is a controversial issue in Marin County. Plans to open a work center have been unsuccessful, in part because of community and city politics. Now Marin County is pursuing the idea of a virtual work center, an Internet-based brokerage similar to Ebay that matches employers and workers. The Marin County Board of Supervisors contributed $10,000 and secured a matching grant from the Marin Community Foundation to study the concept. "Here's a really concrete way to bridge the digital divide -- here's a way to use the Internet to help the working poor," said Kevin Rath,
executive director of a consortium of house cleaners and day laborers. Not everyone shares his optimism, however. Tom Wilson of Canal Community Alliance sees cultural barriers that could impede adoption of the idea. Other critics say that authorities should focus on enforcement. "This is the establishment breaking the law but not saying they are breaking the law to support illegals here when they should be enforcing the thing," said Rick Oltman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

SOURCE: Marin Independent Journal; AUTHOR: Jennifer Upshaw
http://www.marinij.com/Stories/0,1413,234~24407~1564073,00.html

August 8, 2003

US E-GOVERNMENT CZAR HEADING FOR EXIT
Mark Forman, head of e-government and IT at the US Office of Management and Budget, will leave his post August 15. Forman has been credited with overhauling antiquated practices in the federal government and pushing corporate-style management practices and online documents and systems. He is leaving for an undisclosed job in the private sector. A number of publications have printed reactions to Forman's departure. The Federal Times wrote of Forman's legacy: "[IT managers] had to meet new demands to get their budgets approved such as creating detailed blueprints for modernizing their IT systems and abandoning their own e-government projects and instead funding cross-agency projects." Consultant Robert Guerra told Federal Computer Week, "Without Mark's energy and passion and intensity behind [the e-government initiative,] I'm concerned whether or not there is anyone [who] has the authority to put the pressure behind the effort." OMB spokesman Trent Duffy said, "OMB will continue to press forward on the president's e-government initiatives and improve the government's use of IT," according to Government Computer News.

SOURCE: Washington Post; AUTHOR: Cynthia L. Webb
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28641-2003Aug7.html

July 29, 2003

HOUSE PANEL APPROVES DEEP E-GOVT FUNDING CUTS
Despite the Bush administration's request for $45 million to support the much-touted E-Government Act, the US House Appropriations Committee has offered only $1 million. The legislation, passed by Congress last year, proposes to make it easier for citizens to interact with government, as well as streamline citizen-to-government transactions. The Act also established an Office of Electronic Government and funds improvements on the firtgov.gov portal, among other e-government activities. Bush had hoped to see funding increase to $150 million by 2006; the House Appropriations Committee, meanwhile, explained its decision by saying the White House hadn't justified the spending request. In the Senate, which hasn't taken up appropriations for the legislation as of yet, Senators Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Conrad Burns (R-MT) are expected to fight for more money. The final dollar amount eventually will be determined when the House and Senate meet in conference to work out a compromise.

SOURCE: InternetNews; AUTHOR: Roy Mark
http://dc.internet.com/news/article.php/2240881

EXTRA PUSH TO MEET VIETNAM'S E-GOVERNMENT GOAL
Vietnam hopes to meet its goal of achieving advanced e-government services nationwide by 2010, according to Mai Liem Truc, Deputy Minister of Post and Telecommunications. The minister said that Vietnam's use of e-government should promote economic development and facilitate interactions between the government and the general population. Currently, Vietnam ranks 55th on a list of 82 nations in terms of e-government readiness, according to the UN Development Programme. Vietnam has much work to do if it is to reach its goals, however; according to one ministry source, government officials generally have limited IT skills, and IT literacy amongst the general public remains low. Currently, around two percent of Vietnam's population are online. The government is working to connect all research facilities, universities, colleges, vocational training schools and over 1,000 high schools by the end of the year, and hopes to raise Internet penetration to around five percent by 2005.

SOURCE: Voice of Vietnam News
http://www.vov.org.vn/2003_07_28/english/kinhte.htm
See also:
Vietnam Internet Use on the Rise
http://www.vov.org.vn/2003_07_29/english/xahoi.htm

July 28, 2003

FOR SPENDING-SLASHING STATES, LESS PAPER AND MORE INTERNET
The Central Missouri Area Agency on Aging is down to its last 20 copies of "Missouri Guide for Seniors," a catalog of available financial aid and health services. Because of state budget cuts, Missouri will no longer produce paper versions of this annual catalog. Instead, senior citizens will have to access the Internet -- despite the fact that they are one of the least wired populations in the US. "I'll have to hold onto that book," said Guila Wells, 84, who keeps a copy at home. Otherwise, "it's less available to me, because I'm not into computers -- I don't have one." Many states are choosing to save money by publishing documents only via the Internet. But this decision is coming at a cost to the millions of Americans on the wrong side of the digital divide. "More and more government information is being put online, and yet there is still a sizable portion of the US population that lacks access to the Internet or the skills to use it," says Andy Carvin of the Benton Foundation. "Government's supposed to be for everybody, not only those people who have computers," adds Mike MacLaren of the Michigan Press Association. "People's access to government is supposed to be as unfettered as possible."

SOURCE: Miami Herald; AUTHOR: David A. Lieb, Associated Press
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/6397854.htm

VOTING MACHINE STUDY DIVIDES OFFICIALS, EXPERTS
Last week's report from Johns Hopkins University about the potential security shortfalls of Maryland's new electronic voting terminals has set up a showdown between the Maryland State House and the terminals' skeptics. "The study should be setting off alarm bells," said Delegate William A. Bronrott of Montgomery County. "We need to be 100 percent sure that there is no chance that our machines can be tampered with." Hopkins' Information Security Institute released their analysis of a Diebold Election Systems Inc. software code on Thursday, concluding that the system could allow multiple voting, that "Smart Cards" could easily be copied and that an insider could reprogram the machine to register votes incorrectly. Diebold representatives claim that Hopkins researchers were only able to produce such results by manipulating the code via PC and that such activities would not be possible using a voting terminal. The state appears likely to stick with its target date of March 2004 for outfitting all voting precincts with the terminals, despite the stir created by the report. "I don't think you're going to see the governor's office request additional studies," spokesman Henry Fawell said. "We believe that this system has gone through a very tough certification process and was very successful in the most recent election."

SOURCE: The Washington Post; AUTHOR: Brigid Schulte
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48092-2003Jul25.html

July 21, 2003

TOUCH-SCREEN VOTING SET FOR TEXAS ELECTION
The iVotronic touch-screen voting system will be rolled out September 13 in Bexar County, Texas, for a state constitutional amendment election. The computerized voting system is designed to avoid some of the problems of paper ballots and make voting easier. Volunteers from businesses, high schools and other organizations will be recruited as election judges and voting trainees. In addition to a three-minute looped video available to voters, on-site volunteers will be able to answer questions about the iVotronic system. The county's election administrator, Cliff Borofsky, met with a group of senior citizens to demonstrate the touch-screen machine. There were some initial concerns about power outages, the placement of electrical cords and how to correct a mistake on the screen. But after some hands-on practice, concerns were quelled. "That's absolutely terrific!" exclaimed 89-year-old Angie Weaver. "I think it's a wonderful gadget. They finally caught up with the computer age." Genice Hansen, 81, said voters shouldn't feel intimidated: "If they can read and don't panic, it's very simple."

SOURCE: San Antonio Express-News; AUTHOR: Rebeca Rodriguez
http://news.mysanantonio.com/story.cfm?xla=saen&xlb=180&xlc=1028311

July 18, 2003

E-GOVERNMENT 'NEEDS REBOOTING'
The Work Foundation, a UK think tank, says in a new report that the British government should downgrade its target of getting all public services online by 2005. Instead, it should focus on increasing the number of people using services through the Internet. Report author Noah Curthoys writes, "E-government currently offers neither a bonus for use nor a penalty for avoidance." The suggestion of compelling people to use online services created some controversy at a reception to launch the report. "I think that would be wholly wrong in a democratic society," said Val Shawcross, e-envoy at the Greater London Authority. Ian Kearns of the Institute for Public Policy also argued against compulsion, instead suggesting that a public interest company be set up to help get people who are not using the Internet online. Steve Beet, from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, thought that incentives were a better idea than compulsion: "If you offer a high quality service -- and we do not in e-government -- people would migrate to using it," he said.

SOURCE: BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3073037.stm

July 14, 2003

ONLINE VOTING TO GET 2004 TEST
As many as 100,000 voters could have the chance to cast absentee ballots online in next year's presidential primaries and general election. The Pentagon program, Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment (SERVE), will be limited to eligible voters in South Carolina, Hawaii and selected counties in eight other states. Opinion is mixed as to the potential success of the program. Harvard research fellow Rebecca Mercuri said that even the most secure systems can be cracked, hacked, or left vulnerable to Internet viruses, revealing the ballot contents and voter's identity. Polli Brunelli, director of the Pentagon's Federal Voting Assistance Program, said her office is taking unprecedented security measures, including intrusion-detection systems, redundant firewalls and penetration tests by friendly hackers. However, the project won't go forward if the system is found to be vulnerable. Kay Maxell, president of the League of Women Voters in the United States, welcomes the Internet if it increases voter turnout: "Anything making it easier for people to vote and participate is something we support as long as security is addressed," she said.

SOURCE: Knoxville News Sentinel; AUTHOR: Sam Hananel
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/national/article/0,1406,KNS_350_2105527,00.html

GROUPS CAMPAIGN ONLINE AGAINST BURMESE DICTATORS
Democracy advocates in Myanmar are moving their operations to neighboring countries from which they can use the Internet to drum up support. Dissidents work from countries such as India, Bangladesh and Thailand to provide an independent journalistic source on behalf of the people of Myanmar, also known as Burma. "Forty years of the junta have ensured the smothering of the independent media, but we try to disseminate authentic news on the country," said Soe Myint, editor of the Mizzima Internet news site out of New Delhi. The military regime in Myanmar places severe limits on the press as well as the Internet while facing the world's disapproval for its brutality in quelling democracy. These independent sites serve as a window for the international community "to peer inside this opaque country," said Aung Naing, editor of the Dhaka, Bangladesh-based, Network Media Group.

SOURCE: USA Today; AUTHOR: The Associated Press
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/2003-07-11-mission-to-burma_x.htm

July 10, 2003

TECH GIANTS LOOK TO EUROPE E-GOVT FOR GROWTH
With private sector sales stagnating, tech companies are looking to the public sector as the next big business opportunity. Top executives from companies such as HP, IBM, Cisco and Microsoft were at the European Union's 2003 e-government conference to offer their services. By 2010, the EU wants to become the most efficient government entity in the world by putting its public services online. Member countries will be required to have a significant portion of their services linked to the Internet by 2005. Examples of current initiatives include e-education in Sardinia, e-voting in Switzerland, and online tax returns in Ireland. Romania has gone so far as to make it a crime not to buy supplies for state services online. A growing market is Eastern Europe, where many countries due to enter the EU next year need to get wired quickly. Another potential high-growth area is pan-European security systems such as border control.

SOURCE: Yahoo News; AUTHOR: Rachel Sanderson
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030709/tc_nm/tech_eu_ego
vernment_dc

July 9, 2003

MIT LAUNCHES WEB DATABASE ON GOVERNMENT
On Friday, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab will debut a new website called "Government Information Awareness." Its creators hope it will become a massive clearinghouse of information, pooling the collective wisdom of government watchdogs and serving as a tool to counter new government technologies that are being used to track information about citizens. GIA's name and mission are a kind of inversion of the Pentagon's $20 million "Terrorism Information Awareness" project. "It seemed very odd that the same level of effort isn't spent working on technologies that help citizens understand the government's links, networking and influences," said Ryan McKinley, 26, the graduate student behind the project. GIA will rely largely on users to contribute information, such as a senator's voting patterns or a politician's potential conflicts of interest. It is likely that much of the content posted will be inaccurate or unfair, but GIA hopes the useful, fair information will "rise to the top." McKinley says he believes that the technology will police itself, as users have the opportunity to rank postings for credibility.

SOURCE: Indianapolis Star; AUTHOR: Justin Pope
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/5/055645-6705-031.html

July 1, 2003

ARE PUBLIC COURT RECORDS TOO PUBLIC IN CYBERSPACE?
First Amendment advocates and policymakers continue to clash over the accessibility of public records via the Web. The issue now turns to the courts, but not for litigation - critics point to the courts' policies on sharing some documents online while restricting others. "If I'm in San Luis Obispo, I should be able to get [public records] information without driving five hours to Los Angeles to get to that courthouse," said Kelli Fager, a First Amendment attorney in California. This is not always the case; California courts do not offer access to criminal case files, divorce cases, guardianship cases and mental health files online, even though they are available on paper at the courthouse. California Chief Justice Ronald George cites concern for the safety of victims as the primary justification. In New York, the matter has reached the State Commission on Public Access to Court Records, where the debate has centered on preventing identity theft as well as preventing abusive spouses from tracking their fleeing victims. In other states, such as Colorado, putting court records online is a matter of money - budget shortfalls have made the issue a low priority.

SOURCE: USA Today; AUTHOR: The Associated Press
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-06-30-online-courthouse_x.htm

June 25, 2003

SNAGS, BUT MANY VOTES, FOR ONLINE PRIMARY
MoveOn.org began its first online presidential primary yesterday, quickly experiencing some of the same snafus that haunt traditional polls. Though an unexpected overload of participants knocked the vote-counting mechanism offline temporarily, by the afternoon over 100,000 votes had been cast in what some call the first meaningful ballot of the Democratic primary. Should a majority winner emerge, that candidate will receive MoveOn.org's endorsement, which could mean significant fundraising from the organization's 1.4 million members. Some candidate's campaign officials have criticized the election, claiming that MoveOn.org stacked the deck in favor of three prominent candidates and timed the vote to benefit Vermont governor Howard Dean in particular. Other campaign officials complained that their supporters experienced technical problems that prevented them from voting.

SOURCE: The Washington Post; AUTHORS: David Von Drehle and Brian Faler
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29008-2003Jun24.html

June 23, 2003

TECHNICAL ERRORS RAMPANT ON US GOVERNMENT WEBSITES
A recent study from the Business Internet Group of San Francisco and TeaLeaf Technology suggests that US government websites have a lot of work to do when it comes to cleaning up bugs. Of the 41 government websites studied, 28 of them had errors of one sort or another, ranging from blank pages and internal server errors to programming mistakes. "When the federal government asks citizens to file tax returns every April 15th, they demand those returns be filed in a timely manner and that they are accurate," said researcher Diane Smith. "Government websites should be held to the same standard. While the Web pages reviewed in this report were timely, they fell short with respect to accuracy." The study's publishers suggest that the government should do more to incorporate end users into the website development and monitoring process.

SOURCE: CyberAtlas; AUTHOR: Robyn Greenspan
http://cyberatlas.internet.com/big_picture/applications/article/0,,1301_2225381,00.html

June 18, 2003

DUTCH E-GOVERNMENT VOTING INCITES CONTROVERSY
Dutch policymakers will begin discussing a bill that would allow Dutch citizens living abroad to use the Internet to vote in the EU parliamentary elections. Electronic-highway Platform Nederland (EPN), a Dutch foundation promoting the appropriate use of information and communication technology, is concerned that this international experiment in online voting could become a target for hackers around the world. EPN would like to see the risks reduced by fully testing the online voting system 'locally' before launching it in a high-profile experiment, says EPN director, Peter van der Wel. EPN prefers an open source solution to the software package selected by the Dutch Ministry of Home Affairs. Open source code can be read and understood by humans and checked by voters for possible security breaches. Some Dutch privacy activists are against the whole idea of online voting. Maurice Wessling of Bits of Freedom claims that online voting violates voting secrecy and network hacking could reveal sensitive voter information.

SOURCE: EuropeMedia.net; AUTHOR: Joe Figueiredo
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=16766

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