Blog & podcast

Behind a successful cyber attack, it is very often the poor cyber hygiene of internet users or employees of an organisation, as revealed by the analysis of cyber incidents. Thus, the demand of being cyber-wise concerns every citizen, and the government as well. In this episode, Lauri Tankler, lead analyst of the Estonian Information System Authority, and Merle Maigre, […] Read more

It seems almost physiological that the latest tech buzzwords, with time, undergo some sort of resizing. Technology advances, consulting firms and market actors take the leap envisioning how the latest development could change everything, and then we notice how such upheavals are slower to unfold than expected – or they even underachieve, compared to the […] Read more

AI is one of the technologies that influences the public sector service provision and also our expectations towards it. In today’s episode, we invite you to explore how are governments approaching the use of artificial intelligence in public service provision. Consider Estonia, as a case study – and let Ott Velsberg, Chief Data Officer of the […] Read more

  Today we invite you to follow the government CIO’s special edition! Two former leaders of digital transformation, Siim Sikkut from Estonia and Randall Brugeaud from Australia, cast light on the trends that governments should follow in their digital transformation plans to benefit from pandemic lessons learned. In the episode, our guests share their views […] Read more

  With the year-end approaching, we could not let this opportunity slip for a proper wrap up of 2021. Hannes Astok, Executive Director at e-Governance Academy, gladly bears the weight of this responsibility in the latest episode of the Digital Government Podcast. Remote work and cybersecurity are the topics that dominated the digital transformation landscape this […] Read more

  Based on what trends we have witnessed in advanced digital societies –  the next level of public services will be fully automated services that are based on AI and Machine Learning. In this episode, a distinguished legal expert on digital governance topics Katrin Nyman-Metcalf covers another side of the coin – essential and ethical dilemmas behind […] Read more

  The number of mobile users is already exceeding 7 billion worldwide, and 3 billion of them are using smartphones. The rising mobile penetration has pushed governments to develop services that could be used via mobile phone. On the other hand, more and more governments are exploring how to benefit from AI by providing public […] Read more

    In the title ‘Freedom of expression in the digital age. A lost battle for truth?’, we put the question mark to not sound too gloomy, or pessimistic. The battle for truth is inextricably tied to that for freedom of expression. But of course, with freedoms and their protection, always come responsibilities too. The […] Read more

  Of the many things that have been put to test by the COVID-19 pandemic, politicians and decision makers’ ability to face an unprecedented crisis situation is arguably among the most salient. Effective leadership took shape not only through the actual preventive and limiting measures pursued, but also the ways these have been communicated. The […] Read more

    More and more Estonian residents have decided to participate in the recent local elections in October 2021 simply using internet and their own digital ID. To be precise, more than ever. From the comfort of home, the office, or even a holiday destination. Priit Vinkel, Senior Expert of Smart Governance at e-Governance Academy, […] Read more

The pandemic caused countries around the world to employ digital solutions, which they had been ignoring or postponing, almost overnight. Such rapid development also raises several questions related to digital responsibility and accountability. Digital responsibility has mainly been addressed by the business sector. However, the expectations to the governments to set the agenda for digital […] Read more

The rapid digitalisation of societies introduces new expectations towards tech companies. People expect companies to take care of their ecological footprint, support free expression, respect privacy and develop a more secure cyberspace. Explore how enterprises and governments can address these demands for digital responsibility with tech innovator Üllar Jaaksoo, from Greenergy, technology and public policy leader Eli […] Read more

  Estonia conducted i-voting for the 12th time, in the recent local elections on 11 – 17 October 2021. In this episode, we cast light on these election results and explore with Priit Vinkel, the former Head of the Estonian Electoral Office and one of the implementers of the internet voting system in Estonia, what […] Read more

  Today we invite you to listen to the episode on the next normal of digital transformation featured by futurist Thrond Arne Undheim and the former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Follow their discussion on what have the governments learned from 2020 and what they have refused to learn. Moreover, the guest will talk about the trends that […] Read more

  In this episode of the Digital Government Podcast, you are welcome to meet our distinguished e-democracy expert Liia Hänni, who recently celebrated her 75th birthday! Known as the “mother” of the Estonian Constitution, she has had a massive impact in the design of Estonia’s democratic face and digital society. Within the following 21 minutes, […] Read more

  Tänavu 17.oktoobril toimuvad kohalikud valimised, mille eel on kõigil soovijatel juba 12. korda võimalus e-hääletada. Pühendame oma saate e-hääletamisele ning e-riigi akadeemia eestvõttel loodud e-hääletamise heale tavale. Saates räägivad e-hääletuse hea tava üks väljatöötajatest Liia Hänni ja kauaaegne valimisteenistuse juht, pregune E-riigi Akadeemia vanemekspert Priit Vinkel e-hääletamise protsessist ja tehtud uuendustest, valija- ja erakondade käitumisest, kordavad üle e-hääletamise […] Read more

We are wondering whether we are already taking sides, by using buzzword to describe the way that latest tech developments are often portrayed in media articles, tweets, or even vision papers and strategies. In this episode of the Digital Government podcast, Heiko Vainsalu, a Senior Expert on Technology at e-Governance Academy will debunk the most […] Read more

  Estonia is preparing for its first e-census or register-based census, where all Population and Housing Census data will be compiled from the data of the national registers. About 24 national registers will be included, and they involve data on many fields of life. Only the information that is not available in registers will be […] Read more