FROM ESTONIA TO E-STONIA!
Ever wondered about how digitally advanced other economies of the world are? It would be very surprising to know that actually, it's not the US or China which remains the most digitally advanced, but a small country in the Baltics- Estonia (for those, who are hearing the name for the first time, not to worry! It's a small country in the Baltic region of Europe near Russia, with the size of Haryana, and a population less than that of Goa!)
Imagine a time when everything from basic ID Verification, payment of taxes, and banking to major proceedings like Cabinet meetings, prescriptions, education, or even voting is done in the comfort of your homes with a press of a couple of buttons!
Seems as far-fetched as a fairy-tale? Not for Estonians.
Whilst some countries try to sell the illusion of greatness and advancement, Estonia prefers to quietly show rather than tell. By far, Estonia wears the crown as the world's most advanced digital society to-date. Yes, this tiny country bordering Russia, which parted with the Soviet Union in 1991 has become one of the most Tech Savvy countries, not just in the Nordic regions, but in the world. From about half its citizens not having mere telephone lines in 1991 to getting 97% of schools online in just 6 years, Estonia made the improbable possible.
From Zero to Hero, progress to prowess:
It all began in 1994, when the first draft of the Principles of Estonian Information Policy was created. The Estonians never looked back. 1996 saw the launch of e-Banking, which laid the foundations for further advancements with respect to government services too. E-Cabinet meetings have been in place since the early 2000s, saving a lot of time and effort in decision making.
The year 2000 witnessed a lot of new and innovative introductions like e-Tax declaration, which now takes under 3 minutes and is preferred by about 98% of the citizens. Even parking tickets were paid online through mobile phones.
e-IDs, e-Signatures, e-Prescriptions, e-Health, etc. followed quickly. In 2014, Estonia created the world's first borderless digital society, open for any global citizen to join. This portrayed Estonia’s understanding of the importance of digital societies on a global level. The e-Residency was also a way of finding new and innovative paths for attracting international business and talent to Estonia. It is the first digital nation for global citizens.
Is talk about digitalization ever complete without Blockchain and AI?
In the year 2008, cryptographers from Estonia developed KSI, a scalable blockchain technology aimed at mitigating threats of insider data manipulation in Estonia's registries. This resulted in Estonia becoming a pioneer of blockchain technology. Several government registries are backed by the KSI blockchain. In 2019, a detailed strategy on implementing AI-based services in not only private but also public sectors was formed. The major implications will be a subject of speculation for experts in the field.
But what about CyberSecurity and privacy?
The primary concern of having a digital society is the lack of security measures. The cyberattacks of 2007 in Estonia helped it become one of the global cyber-security heavyweights it is today. Both the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence and the EU IT Agency are located in Tallinn, the country’s capital. There is also a voluntary Cyber Defence Unit in place. As far as data protection goes, the Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate, Certification Authorities, and other independent, federal, and local agencies work to reduce privacy concerns.
Fighting the pandemic through hackathons!
Most of the present-day globe is suffering from an interruption of government services, dwindling cash reserves, clumsy distribution of funds and help for the ill, and government executives crushed under the weight of carrying out basic business under the pandemic. On the contrary, a country like Estonia had comparatively a smaller leap to make.
Before the pandemic, about 87% of schools were already using e-solutions. In fact, by 2000, most of the schools had computers installed, this smoothened the shifting of education online during the pandemic. E-Cabinet or paperless meetings were already common in Estonia.
On March 12, a state of emergency was declared in Estonia, and on the very next day, Garage48 kickstarted a state-backed virtual hackathon called “Hack the crisis”. Three digital solutions that rose from the hackathon were KaroonaKart online information hub, a self-assessment Karoonatest questionnaire, and the national chatbot SUVE, to cater to questions regarding the emergency.
With a huge amount of debate happening as to what would drive the post-COVID world, the phrase "DIGITAL SOCIETY" gets repeated most of the times- There are lots to learn from this small Baltic nation with respect to technological advancements and digitization!
Comments