How Estonia is being run by digital identities

Estonia a small Nordic country began developing his digital society about two decades ago at that time the general population were without internet connectivity and ICT devices were not widely used therefore it took great courage to invest in IT solutions and embark on the digital journey thanks to these bold decisions Estonia is now a leading digital nation whose state services are 99% available online 24 hours a day 7 days a week helping each citizen to save an average of 5 working days per year efficiency facilitates spillover and encourages innovationm examples of which can be found everywhere in society the exchange of information with the state has been streamlined for both citizens and businesses making eServices a normal part of everyday life digital signing alone saves 2 percent of state GDP each year for the private individual over a thousand eServices from various public sector institutions are only a few clicks away via the online state portal submitting annual tax reports only takes

3 minutes

Digital medical records are available online and a centralized paperless system allows one to issue and handle medical prescriptions around the clock voting is also possible online and overone-

third of Estonian voters choose to use this option eServices also have benefits for businesses registering a business can be completed in a matter of a few hours and information exchanged between companies and the tax authority is simple and straightforward thanks to a streamlined business environment Estonia has become one of the leading start-up nations in the world online ear esident C services are available to virtually anyone using an e residency card services range from establishing to managing a company remotely while reducing costs and keeping paperwork to a minimum ISA Lucian's are being utilized at all levels of government the e cabinet allows the highest level decisions to be made with greater speed and efficiency how exactly does it work a key element of efficiency is the ex road platform which allows state institutions to exchange data securely eliminating excess duplication and helping to speed up processes data is stored at the point of collection and accessible for authorized organizations in real time a pivotal milestone was the introduction of a unique ID card in 2002 which can be used for electronic identification and secure digital signing this allows the user access to hundreds of e services from both public and private sectors

transparency and Trust is essential so each citizen may monitor access to his or her data leading to improved efficiency and trusted solutions Estonia is a pathfinder so things may sometimes go wrong having the courage to learn from mistakes and to share those experiences with others enables constant improvement trust and cooperation is key the East aid could not have been built so quickly and efficiently without the partnership of both the private and public sectors as well as research institutions and the voluntary IT community also the importance of trust from our citizens cannot be overestimated a case in point is estonia's experienced during the 2007 large-scale cyber attacks when cooperation between the private and public sectors became extremely important in deflecting these attacks with minimal damage subsequently Estonia has taken on a leading role within the international community against the cyber threats as with cybersecurity we need to create efficiency in all areas we dare to question conventional methods and to suggest sustainable alternatives many of Estonia's innovations and solutions have been successfully adapted in over 60 nations worldwide a third of the world thanks to the e-residency programme estonia's East solutions can benefit businesspeople everywhere we are eager to continue with experimentation the next step of the East 8th eeveelution is the movement of eServices into a fully digital mode this means that services can be initiated proactively and citizens needs met automatically almost invisibly in order for Estonia to remain an innovative efficient and successful Nordic country we need to strive to develop our vision of becoming a secure zero bureaucracy state making the citizens needs a priority to learn more and follow Estonia's pathfinding story.

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