{"id":78699,"date":"2020-09-30T17:01:54","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T14:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/digital-governance-is-the-new-normal-heres-how-we-can-keep-it-ethical\/"},"modified":"2020-09-30T17:01:54","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T14:01:54","slug":"digital-governance-is-the-new-normal-heres-how-we-can-keep-it-ethical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/digital-governance-is-the-new-normal-heres-how-we-can-keep-it-ethical\/","title":{"rendered":"#Digital governance is the \u2018new normal\u2019 \u2014 here\u2019s how we can keep it ethical"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a39678425c5a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a39678425c5a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/digital-governance-is-the-new-normal-heres-how-we-can-keep-it-ethical\/#The_Netherlands_an_overview\" >The Netherlands: an overview<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/digital-governance-is-the-new-normal-heres-how-we-can-keep-it-ethical\/#Fostering_trust_in_a_distrusting_world\" >Fostering trust in a distrusting world<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/digital-governance-is-the-new-normal-heres-how-we-can-keep-it-ethical\/#Reducing_bias_in_AI\" >Reducing bias in AI<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Digital governance is the \u2018new normal\u2019 \u2014 here\u2019s how we can keep it ethical<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                                <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the last decade has taught us anything about the digital world, it\u2019s that progress and ethics are not inextricably linked. Far from it; those in the world of tech looking to race to the cutting edge will often push ahead with the former, to the detriment of the latter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These issues are more relevant than ever before; the COVID-19 pandemic has not only accelerated digital progress, but abruptly shoved it over a cliff. According to the <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/agenda\/2020\/05\/how-coronavirus-is-accelerating-the-move-to-digital-government\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">World Economic Forum<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 86% of United Nations member states used the internet to provide COVID-19 updates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Around the world, governments have been rushing to migrate municipal services online so that citizens can access essential public tools while reducing <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> contacts. Amid the urgency of the situation, how can countries ensure that roll-out and delivery of services are always done in an ethical manner?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even before the pandemic made online access to government services essential, the Netherlands has been consistently ranked as ahead of the curve in this respect. It has the highest rate of internet access among its citizens at <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/eurostat\/statistics-explained\/index.php\/Digital_economy_and_society_statistics_-_households_and_individuals\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">98% as of 2018<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, almost ten percent higher than the EU average.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Netherlands_an_overview\"><\/span><b>The Netherlands: an overview<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 2018 <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/~\/media\/McKinsey\/Featured%20Insights\/Europe\/Central%20and%20Eastern%20Europe%20needs%20a%20new%20engine%20for%20growth\/The-rise-of-Digital-Challengers.ashx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McKinsey report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ranked the nation as one of nine \u201cdigital front-runners\u201d which boasts higher rates of productivity (which is measured by average GDP in euros per hours worked) and lower rates of unemployment than other central and eastern European countries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/digital-single-market\/en\/news\/egovernment-benchmark-2019-trust-government-increasingly-important-people#:~:text=The%202019%20eGovernment%20Benchmark%20report,Transparency%20and%20Key%20enablers%20indicators.&amp;text=The%20eGovernment%20benchmark%202019%20report,in%20terms%20of%20overall%20maturity.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2019 EU e-Government benchmark<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ranked the usability of the Netherlands\u2019 digital government services at 100%, the mobile-friendliness of digital government at 90%, and the adoption of digital government services online at 80%, the latter of which is considerably higher than the EU average of 57%.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within the Dutch government, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) is responsible for developing and overseeing these digital services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the largest programs of the BZK is <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.government.nl\/topics\/online-access-to-public-services-in-the-european-union-eidas\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DigID<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a centralized, secured digital identity connected to one\u2019s Dutch security number that can be used to access a host of public services ranging from <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lying for benefits to uploading marriage and birth certificates.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In total, Dutch citizens with a DigID can access 650 different service providers spanning both state and semi-state functions. The service is not mandatory for all citizens but is required to access online versions of government services. Uptake of the service is high: of the Netherlands\u2019 17.1m people, around 14m (more than 80% of the population) have a DigiD.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 2019 study by the <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/~\/media\/McKinsey\/Business%20Functions\/McKinsey%20Digital\/Our%20Insights\/Digital%20identification%20A%20key%20to%20inclusive%20growth\/MGI-Digital-identification-Report.ashx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McKinsey Global Institute<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shows that increased digital access to government services can boost a country\u2019s economy by between 3% and 13%. This assumes, however, high adoption rates, which research has shown is contingent on <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0040162519313150#!\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">high levels of public trust<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evidently, The Netherlands does not struggle with adoption. The maintenance of public trust, however, is a more complex manner, one that requires concerted efforts to promote ethical practices that will promote trust.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fostering_trust_in_a_distrusting_world\"><\/span><b>Fostering trust in a distrusting world<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sebastiaan van Lunteren, a project leader of the Digital Government Innovation Budget in this department, told TNW that promoting a \u201chuman-centric approach\u201d is key to maintaining this trust.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cFor every tool that\u2019s being built, you start by looking at the citizens, at the inhabitants of your nation, and you put them at the center of what you build,\u201d Van Lunteren explained.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trust, Van Lunteren notes, is essential, and the impact of diminished trust in public institutions can be catastrophic. The rise of COVID-19 misinformation, and the swell of misinformation and disinformation in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>, is one of the most troubling side effects of the erosion of public trust.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of the ways to promote public trust are quite straightforward: for example, BZK has launched an open data initiative that means much of the code used for digital services, including the Dutch COVID-19 contact tracing app, is open-source and available on GitHub. The choice for open source and an open way of working was very important to meet the criticism from privacy experts and technicians during the start of the project: \u201cIf you want to create trust, you have to be transparent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other methods of promoting public trust include the BZK\u2019s digital inclusion strategy, which seeks to ensure that no one is excluded from digital communications. Needlessly complicated jargon is excised from communications with citizens. \u201cThe focus is that everybody should be able to join the new digital society,\u201d Lunteren says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BZK partners with libraries around the country to include digital skills in reading and writing initiatives for those with lower levels of literacy. This strategy aims to ensure all digital government apps and services have the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> needed so that people with disabilities have access.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BZK representatives will also conduct a 30-minute talk at the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">upcoming TNW2020 conference<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to discuss digital governance ethics in more detail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensuring that citizens\u2019 data is stored in a centralized, cross-departmental database is important for encouraging use. BZK aims to have digital governance be as seamless as possible, never forcing a citizen to enter the same information more than once.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having this seamless experience is important for trust because what citizens desire in digital government is mirrored in what they desire from the commercial e-business model. They want similar levels of convenience and ease of use as they get from \u2018Big Tech\u2019 firms such as Google and Facebook while also having solid and transparent ethical guidelines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThey\u2019re right in their request because we live in a society that\u2019s so digitally advanced that this is possible,\u201d Van\u00a0 Lunteren says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet the digital transformation of government will never, Van Lunteren concludes, be able to keep up with the breathless pace at which the business of tech can move, albeit for good reason. For any digital initiatives that are rolled out, they must first trundle through a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of legal and financial checks to ensure compliance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reducing_bias_in_AI\"><\/span><b>Reducing bias in AI<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Van Lunteren also devotes some of his time to working on adapting policy in order to ensure that human rights are central to the development of new technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Globally, the use of AI in government, particularly with regard to the use of facial recognition in the judicial system, has attracted criticism. Far from being an objective, scientific tool, many AIs do have bias, or unintentionally discriminate because the data shows bias. As a result, they have often been found to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">discriminate against minorities<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Van Lunteren asks: \u201cHow do we stop these algorithms if they\u2019re breaking laws, if they discriminate, or if they do something else that basically violates\u00a0 human rights?\u201d It\u2019s important for regulators to control algorithms, and BZK has developed different instruments to do so, including impact assessments, guidelines, ethical data tools, etc. BZK has partnered with the University of Amsterdam and local government to create the <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.civic-ai.nl\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Civic AI Lab<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a research lab devoted to researching and promoting applications of AI that promote the economic and social rights of citizens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe\u2019re launching a human rights and AI award [in the Civic AI Lab] soon for public projects that develop AI systems that do not harm human rights.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technology is everywhere and is rapidly developing \u2014 the impact it will have on society is considerable, but still largely unknown. This is a major challenge for those developing technology policies for governments. Van Lunteren says: \u201cYou know it is inevitable, as a government, that you are going to have to get everything online. You cannot control this digital world as a government, not as easily as you could control the physical world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The digital revolution has upended every facet of human existence. It has created a system where now, it is the world of the internet; the rest of us are just merely living in it. Yet digital government solutions do not have the same ethical problems that the rise of major private tech firms have had. They could repair trust, not break it further.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to learn more about digital governance ethics? Jelle Vergburg, a product owner at data.overheid.nl, will be speaking at TNW2020 this week (October 1 &amp; 2). C<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heck out the full schedule <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and if you don\u2019t have a ticket yet, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">join for free or upgrade<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to get access to premium sessions, 1:1 networking opportunities with speakers, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-post-paidNotice c-post-paidNotice--below\">\n            <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rijksoverheid.nl\/ministeries\/ministerie-van-binnenlandse-zaken-en-koninkrijksrelaties\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-post-paidNotice-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2019\/12\/logo_rijksoverheid_png.-1-e1576163902139.png\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"c-post-paidNotice-text\">This article is brought to you by the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"ga('primary.send', 'event', 'Article', 'Sponsored Post', 'Link');\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rijksoverheid.nl\/ministeries\/ministerie-van-binnenlandse-zaken-en-koninkrijksrelaties\">BZK<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"c-post-pubDate\">\n                                    Published September 30, 2020 \u2014 14:01 UTC\n                                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script data-src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;appId=378011798897423&amp;version=v2.6\" id=\"socialSrcFacebook\" type=\"text\/template\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/readme\/2020\/09\/30\/digital-governance-is-the-new-normal-heres-how-we-can-keep-it-ethical\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Digital governance is the \u2018new normal\u2019 \u2014 here\u2019s how we can keep it ethical&#8221; If the last decade has taught us anything about the digital world, it\u2019s that progress and ethics are not inextricably linked. Far from it; those in the world of tech looking to race to the cutting edge will often push ahead&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":78700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/readme?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/09\/pedestrians-1209316_1920.jpg&signature=a1a55e8ccb040a179fa3be6fa6f15934","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}