Owning your electronic identity

Internet usage is spreading across the world, with an increasing number of people using the information super-highway as a research tool, a communication medium and a delivery channel for the procurement of products and services. The number of on-line transactions is also on the increase, although the rate of this increase is not quite what was predicted by many e-champions during the dot.com bubble.

There is a reluctance in a number of people to use the internet for transaction purposes. Although the majority of transactions are of a financial nature there are a number of other instances where people need to send sensitive and personal information via electronic means. The novelty of transacting on-line, coupled with a number of criminal cases related to cyber-security has led to scepticism among the public who seem to be unwilling to extend usage of the internet to new on-line procedures.

The government of Malta has embarked on a widespread effort to deal with these concerns. These efforts are led by Austin Gatt, Minister for Information Technology who has championed the effort to create synergies between public and private sectors to reach these ambitious aims.

The roll-out of a number of e-Government services during the last two years signified a change in the relationship between the public service and the citizen. To date there is no need to wait in long queues to acquire a birth certificate, order a VAT receipt book or pay for contravention fines.

There is no need to phone to attain information or to lodge a complaint or a suggestion on a specific public service. Instead, all can be done on-line via the government portal, a central repository and point-of-entry for government-related information and electronic services.

The second phase of the e-Government programme will result in the launch of a number of new and more complex e-services which, due to their sensitive nature, necessitate the deployment of an identification mechanism which guarantees limited accessibility and high security. An electronic identity is the solution towards the provision of high value-added public services which will continue to offer flexibility and convenience to their users.

The electronic identity is similar to the conventional proof of identity which is commonly referred to as 'identity card'. Each citizen will be provided with a 'key' which will open up the system when activated by its holder, allowing access to data and other services. The key can take many forms, including a pin number or a long-digit number similar to what is found on credit and debit cards.

In order to guarantee confidentiality and accountability the administrator of the keys will be a private entity and not the government. The key administrator will be responsible for allocating the keys to the individual citizen and for managing the repository of all electronic identities of the country.

The completion of the electronic identification system is one of the milestones of the e-Government programme which Dr Gatt has been championing since when he was handed the task of drafting and implementing the national electronic policy.

The deployment of the electronic identity will lead to the availability of specific e-Government services including:

VAT related services - Verification and payment of VAT balances;

Tax related services - Verification and payment of Inland Revenue services;

Company related services - End-to-end registration of a company;

Social services - Verification of NI contributions and other personal information on social benefits;

M-Government services - Users will be able to register and receive an end-to-end service via their mobile phone, without using computer equipment in any of the interim processes.

The programme for the electronic identity system which was originally developed by Microsoft Corporation was customised by Mitts Limited. The model employed can be replicated in any other country and it is the government's intention to promote its usage in other jurisdictions which are co-ordinating their e-Government programme.

The high investment needed for the development of the system limits its availability to commercial entities which are currently exploring the electronic means for conducting their business operations. The relevance of this limiting factor increases when one considers the limited market size of the local market.

Thus, the government will make available the electronic identification to thrustworthy third parties. Similar to the usage of the identity card as a verification tool within the private sector the usage of the electronic identity will be extended to the commercial sector.

In the coming months the Ministry for IT and Investment will be stepping up its efforts to create the necessary awareness on the availability and benefits of using electronic identity. The launch of this awareness campaign was the IT and T Fair, where a demonstration of the system was available at the ministry's stand. Visitors to the fair were guided through the simple procedure of utilising electronic identity and accessing a suite of e-Government services due to be launched by the end of this year.

The strategic vision of positioning Malta at the forefront in the countries' race towards realising the benefits of the information and communication technologies has been the standard credo of the Minister for IT and Investment. The actualisation of the electronic identity is a tangible deliverable which will not only confirm the country's prime position but will result in an improved mode of delivery for a number of public services that are widely used by the citizens.

Ms Bonello is at the Ministry of IT and Investment.