Is Cybercrime one of the weakest links in Electronic Government?

• Author: Shalini Kesar
• Position: Assistant Professor of Information Systems, Department of Computer Science & Information Systems, College of CIET, Southern Utah University, Utah, USA
• Pages: 243-249

JICLT

Journal of International Commercial Law and Technology

Vol. 6, Issue 4 (2011)

243

Is Cybercrime one of the weakest links in Electronic Government?

Shalini Kesar, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Information Systems,

Department of Computer Science & Information Systems,

College of CIET, Southern Utah University,

Utah, USA.

Email: Skesar2@gmail.com

Abstract: This paper provides an insight to the increasing problem of cybercrime in the

context of electronic governm ent. It takes examples from the UK government to argue that it is no

longer possible to just rely on technical controls while securing electronic government

transactions. Reports and studies reflect that illicit acts such as cybercrime are predominantly the

result of not only disre gard for basic information security and but also lack of awareness about the

importance of social issues associa ted with information technology. Consequently, focusing on the

technical controls provides only a partial solution while managing c ybercrime particularly in

electronic government context.

1. Introduction

Information Technology (IT) has impacted how Government now pro vides services to the citizens and business.

In the UK, for example, effort to offer electronic services to its citizens has indeed intensified over the years. In

2000, “electronic government agenda” was launched to extend the use of Information and Communication

Technologies (ICTs) within the local government. Overall the objective of Electronic Government (eGov) in the

UK was to offer services electronicall y and also to expand to e-governance and e-democracy. Electronic services

refer to service delivery t hrough Internet or other ICT methods. It also includes delivery by telephone if the staff

receiving t he call can access electronic information and/or update records online. In order to achieve multiple

objectives such as delivery of efficient customer services, the UK government has set up an e-Government U nit

(eGU) to formulate IT strategy a nd policy, promote best practices across departments and delivered citizen-

centered online services. The UK Government also outli ned a set of ten guidelines as a framework for the

development and management o f local government websites

1

. These guidelines provide assistance to senior

managers and web management teams at a local level. Given that the public sector is the biggest user of IT, it is

not surprising that in 2 006-2007, people’s concerns about the environment ha ve extended to the sustainability of

IT and risks associated with it. Recognizing the need to share data securely within eGov and to tackle mitigating

risks associated with cybercrime, data security and in tegrity is underpinned by key factors that drive the

publication of the Information Assurance Strategy. It provides guidelines for local authorities to secure their

information systems. With this, it is hoped that UK government’s aim to deliver better, more efficient services

for everyone by providing a safe way for citizens and business to use government services online is met.

1

Source: http://www.egov.vic.gov.au/index.php?env=-categories:m1784-1-1-8-s