E-Government services vulnerability

Based on the results of the information and communications technologies (ICTs), a new “digital” economy and society are arising. This new computer- and communication-networked environment needs new set of services and technologies besides new rules and values, which determine the behavior of its actors. In the starting phase of information society the Internet, later on the Internet-based technologies (e.g., the Web) have changed the way business was done the world over, and is now changing the way government interacts with citizens and business sector. With the dramatic increase of the Internet as a business tool and the incredible growth of e-technologies have changed not only the economy but the society as well. According to researchers, early e-government was a form of e-commerce as both used Internet-based technology for the benefit of the information society. Today, e-government can be defined as online government services, that is, any interaction one might have with any government body or agency, using the Internet or World Wide Web. As the mobility is an important characteristic of the information society, new e-government solutions apply wireless/mobile networks as well. The insufficient security of many Internet services is an important limitation of using the Internet. Lack of trustworthy security services is a major obstacle to the use of information systems in private, in business as well as in public services. Trust is intimately linked to citizens’ rights, like security, identification, authentication, privacy, and confidentiality. Secure identification, authentication of the users and communication security are main problems in today’s networked systems. These demands for trust and security are valid in an increased extent in case of digital government applications.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to investigate the influence of e-government public services on public trust at the local government level, addressing the pressing need to understand the factors shaping citizen perceptions and trust in government institutions. Background: With the proliferation of e-government initiatives worldwide, governments are increasingly turning to digital solutions to enhance public service delivery and promote transparency. However, despite the potential benefits, there remains a gap in understanding how these initiatives impact public trust in government institutions, particularly at the local level. This study seeks to address this gap by examining the relationship between e-government service quality, individual perceptions, and public trust, providing valuable insights into the complexities of citizen-government interactions in the digital age. Methodology: Employing a quantitative approach, this study utilises surveys distributed to users of e-government services in one of the regencies in Indonesia. The sample consists of 278 individuals. Data analysis is conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling, allowing for the exploration of relationships among variables and their influence on public trust. Contribution: This study provides insights into the factors influencing public trust in e-government services at the local government level, offering a nuanced understanding of the relationship between service quality, individual perceptions, and public trust. Findings: This study emphasises information quality and service quality in e-government-based public services as crucial determinants of individual perception in rural areas. Interestingly, system quality in e-government services has no influence on individual perception. In the individual perception, perceived security and privacy emerge as the strongest antecedent of public trust, highlighting the need to guarantee secure and private services for citizens in rural areas. These findings emphasise the importance of prioritising high-quality information, excellent service delivery, and robust security measures to foster and sustain public trust in e-government services. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners must prioritise enhancing the quality of e-government services due to their significant impact on individual perception, leading to higher public trust. Government agencies must ensure reliability, responsiveness, and the effective fulfilment of user needs. Additionally, upholding high standards of information quality in e-government services by delivering accurate, relevant, and timely information remains crucial. Strengthening security measures through robust protocols such as data encryption and secure authentication becomes essential for protecting user data. With that in mind, the authors believe that public trust in government would escalate. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers could investigate the relation between system quality in e-government services and individual perception in different rural settings. Longitudinal studies could also elucidate how evolving service quality, information quality, and security measures impact user satisfaction and trust over time. Comparative studies across regions or countries can reveal cultural and contextual differences in individual perceptions, identifying both universal principles and region-specific strategies for e-government platforms. Analysing user behaviour and preferences across various demographic groups can inform targeted interventions. Furthermore, examining the potential of emerging technologies such as blockchain or artificial intelligence in enhancing e-government service delivery, security, and user engagement remains an interesting topic. Impact on Society: This study’s findings have significant implications for fostering public trust in government institutions, ultimately strengthening democracy and citizen-government relations. By understanding how e-government initiatives influence public trust, policymakers can make informed decisions to improve service delivery, enhance citizen engagement, and promote transparency, thus contributing to more resilient and accountable governance structures. Future Research: Future research could opt for longitudinal studies to evaluate the long-term effects of enhancements in service quality, information quality, and security. Cross-cultural investigations can uncover universal principles and contextual differences in user experiences, supporting global e-government strategies in rural areas. Future research could also improve the research model by adding more variables, such as risk aversion or fear of job loss, to gauge individual perceptions.

Copyright: © 2013 Deka GC. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. As governments around the world continue to grapple with slow-moving economies, cloud computing is emerging as a viable and valuable answer to the persistent demands for reducing public sector spending. Recent attention has shifted to a new initiative called Cloud Government (G-Cloud) incorporating cloud computing into e-Government services, particularly aimed at communicating directly with citizens and implementing cloud computing services in order to cut costs and improve upon the IT services infrastructure. G-Cloud is an Internet based communications which enable public bodies to host, select and use computing services from secure, resilient and cost-effective IT service environment. The ambition of the journey from traditional IT infrastructures towards cloud computing and IaaS is a trusted Cloud with the network as the logical platform to bring the existing assets in the Datacenter and new Cloud computing approaches with Virtualization, Governance, Security, Information and Application. The G-Cloud program’s core benefits are cost reduction, improved services, faster delivery and progressive sustainability agenda. The citizen-centric data, services and applications will be stored, maintained and delivered from G-Cloud and a comprehensive government portal will be a part and parcel of this cloud-based service delivery. Government applications store will provide a “portal” to purchase G-Cloud services. The latest trend on G-Cloud is following the agency-by-agency implementation scenario. Various Ministries/Departments may use cloud services provided by various Cloud Service Provider (CSP) based on the availability in a particular locality as well as the specific requirement of the particular Department/Ministry. It is a fact that all the CSPs are not equally competent in all types of services like accounting, ERP, CRM etc. But for the smooth function of the Government machinery these clouds must be interoperable. Current cloud frameworks are not designed to interact with each other, which make it more difficult for organizations to consolidate their applications and fully realize the savings and productivity benefits of cloud solutions. The dynamic location of service facilities, Virtualization of hardware and software elements is stressing the communication network & protocols, when datacenters are interconnected through the Internet. Although the “Computing” aspects of Cloud have been largely investigated, lower attention has been devoted to the “Networking of Clouds”.

E-government tries to take advantage of new technology to provide better service to citizens. Some of the main challenges in the face of E-government are query processing high volume applications, data center management, data security and E-government services. Cloud computing can be a good option for responding to these issues and fixing them, and guarantee the realization of E-government, with maximum efficiency and maximum safety. In this paper, the authors propose a novel architecture for E-government by using Cloud computing architecture which can largely increase the integrity and security service in E-government, and also increase users' confidence in the system and may lead to increased participation.

E-government tries to take advantage of new technology to provide better service to citizens. Some of the main challenges in the face of E-government are query processing high volume applications, data center management, data security and E-government services. Cloud computing can be a good option for responding to these issues and fixing them, and guarantee the realization of E-government, with maximum efficiency and maximum safety. In this paper, the authors propose a novel architecture for E-government by using Cloud computing architecture which can largely increase the integrity and security service in E-government, and also increase users' confidence in the system and may lead to increased participation.

E-governance has emerged as a critical tool for promoting rural development by enhancing access to government services, fostering transparency, and reducing corruption in rural India. This study focuses on the role of e-governance in the districts of Sonipat and Jind in Haryana, evaluating the involvement of rural populations in its implementation. A survey of 400 respondents from these two districts reveals significant insights into the accessibility, awareness, and usage of e-governance services. The findings show that while both Sonipat and Jind have made strides in adopting e-governance, challenges such as unreliable internet infrastructure, digital illiteracy, and limited access to technology remain prevalent. A total of 67.5% of respondents from both districts reported that e-governance services were accessible or very accessible, yet 32.5% still encountered barriers to full usage. Internet infrastructure was perceived to be better in Sonipat, with 36.25% of respondents rating it somewhat better, compared to Jind, where only 20% felt the infrastructure was adequate. The study also highlights a disparity in the level of awareness between the districts, with Sonipat residents reporting slightly higher awareness of e-governance services (38.75% higher awareness) compared to Jind (42.5% reporting equal awareness). Statistical tests, including t-tests, show significant differences in the effectiveness of e-governance in promoting rural development and the involvement of rural citizens in its execution, with Sonipat being perceived to have better service implementation. These findings underscore the importance of improving digital infrastructure, enhancing digital literacy, and increasing awareness to bridge the digital divide and ensure more equitable access to e-governance services.

PurposeThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is embracing digital transformation and e-government services, aiming to improve efficiency, accessibility and citizen-centricity. Nonetheless, the country faces challenges such as evolving cyber threats. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing cybersecurity practices to ensure the reliability and security of e-government services.Design/methodology/approachThis paper investigates the multifaceted dynamics of cybersecurity practices and their impact on the quality and effectiveness of e-government services. Five key factors explored include organizational culture, technology infrastructure, adherence to standards and regulations, employee training and awareness and financial investment in cybersecurity. This study used a quantitative method to gather data from 320 participants. The researcher collected 285 completed questionnaires, excluding unusable or incomplete responses, and analyzed the final data set using partial least squares structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings show that financial investment in cybersecurity, employee training and awareness and adherence to cybersecurity regulations significantly influence the adoption of robust cybersecurity practices. However, the relationship between organizational culture and cybersecurity practices is less straightforward. The research establishes a strong positive correlation between cybersecurity practices and e-government service quality, highlighting the role of security in fostering public trust and user satisfaction and meeting the evolving needs of citizens and businesses.Originality/valueThis research contributes valuable empirical evidence to the fields of e-government and cybersecurity, offering insights that can inform evidence-based policy decisions and resource allocation. By understanding the nuanced dynamics at play, Saudi Arabia is better poised to fortify its digital governance infrastructure and provide secure, high-quality e-government services to its constituents.

Research into initiatives worldwide shows that although some of the legal and organizational barriers for the adoption of new technologies in e-government have been lifted, there are still not many implementations of actual e-government services that have been designed based on a common and systematic approach. The most prevailing requirements for e-government services, interoperability and security, pose major challenges to e-government architects and it is now being slowly understood that Web Services in combination with Public Key Infrastructures may provide the necessary solutions. In this context, this paper presents three innovative e-government services based on these technologies, fo-cusing on their security and interoperability aspects. The goal of the paper is to demonstrate the services’ specifications and use cases so that they may act as ex-amples for further research and development.

Power Internet of Things (IoT) is an important support for digital innovation service of power energy internet, covering all aspects of power system. Power IoT security defense system may have customer data information leakage during transmission because of the use of traditional means of isolation. This paper proposes a reliable transmission and application security architecture for power smart IoT based on energy interconnection, aiming to solve the reliable transmission and security authentication problems existing in power systems. The paper first analyzes the security risk of the grid wise IoT system, proposes an effective power IoT security transmission scheme, and evaluates the safe and reliable transmission of the grid wise IoT system. Then designed a safe and reliable transmission of the grid smart IoT system, to deal with the traditional power network transmission security and communication security problems. The final application is in the construction of the security transmission platform of the wisdom park of Shanxi Electric Power Company, which provides the corresponding security protection capability in the power IoT through the situational awareness security measures of each layer, and realizes the reliable transmission and security application of the source network load storage and other links in the power IoT environment.

The present study made use of a descriptive analysis approach to examine the strategic factors that facilitate electronic learning among elementary school students in Hamadan, Iran, in 2023. The research community includes all of the principals and teachers employed in Hamedan’s elementary schools (N = 917), who were selected using a stratified random sampling method and Cochran’s formula with an error level of 0.05 calculated for 294 participants. The research instrument was a researcher created questionnaire whose validity and reliability were evaluated and confirmed. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and exploratory factor analysis, Bartlett’s sphericity test and the KMO sampling adequacy index. The data analysis identified several factors that affect e-learning: the creation of technological infrastructure and support services; a flexible education system; the empowerment of teachers to use electronic equipment; acceptance and incentives; support of principals and of innovative management; legal, administrative and financial systems; and teaching and learning strategies. Our findings indicate that these seven strategic factors that facilitate e-learning determined 64.75% of the variance of the entire test. The creation of technological infrastructure and support services was found to define 13% of variance; a flexible education system also 13%; the empowerment of teachers to use electronic equipment 10%; acceptance and incentives 9%; support of principals and of innovative management 7%; legal, administrative and financial systems also 7%; and, lastly, teaching and learning strategies 5%. Therefore, defining the strategic factors that facilitate electronic learning and striving to overcome obstacles to its implementation may improve learning among children.

We find that the presence of village Internet facilities, offering government to citizen services, is positively associated with the rate at which the villagers obtain some of these services. In a study of a rural Internet project in India, we identify a positive correlation for two such Internet services: obtaining birth certificates for children and applications for old age pensions. Both these government services are of considerable social and economic value to the citizens. Villagers report that the Internet based services saved them time, money, and effort compared with obtaining the services directly from the government office. We also find that these services can reduce corruption in the delivery of these services. After over one year of successful operation, however, the e-government program was not able to maintain the necessary level of local political and administrative support to remain institutionally viable. As government officers shifted from the region, or grew to find the program a threat, the e-government services faltered. We argue that this failure was due to a variety of Critical Failure Factors. We end with a simple sustainability failure model. In summary, we propose that the e-government program failed to be politically and institutionally sustainable due to people, management, cultural, and structural factors

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the key components of the ICT infrastructure of smart cities due to its great potential for intelligent management of infrastructures and facilities and the enhanced delivery of services in support of sustainable cities. Smart cities typically rely on IoT, where a wide variety of devices communicate with each other and collaborate across heterogeneous and distributed computing environments to provide information and services to urban entities and urbanites. However, leveraging the IoT within software applications raises tremendous challenges, such as data acquisition, device heterogeneity, service management, security and privacy, interoperability, scalability, flexibility, data processing, and visualization. Middleware for IoT has been recognized as the system that can provide the necessary infrastructure of services and has become increasingly important for IoT over the last few years. This study aims to review and synthesize the relevant literature to identify and discuss the core challenges of existing IoT middleware. Furthermore, it augments the information landscape of IoT middleware with big data applications to achieve the required level of services supporting sustainable cities. In doing so, it proposes a novel IoT middleware for smart city applications, namely Generic Middleware for Smart City Applications (GMSCA), which brings together many studies to further capture and invigorate the application demand for sustainable solutions which IoT and big data can offer. The proposed middleware is implemented, and its feasibility is assessed by developing three applications addressing various scenarios. Finally, the GMSCA is tested by conducting load balance and performance tests. The results prove the excellent functioning and usability of the GMSCA.

The article is devoted to one of the areas of comprehensive research on information and analytical support of legal work in the bodies of the state tax service. The article provides an analysis of the achievements of scientists whose research was the organization of legal work in state bodies in general, and tax bodies in particular, as well as studies of scientists whose activities are related to the formation of information law. The work also focuses on the project approach effectiveness in terms of providing information to the legal units of the state tax service through the creation of automated information systems and automated lawyer workplaces. In addition to ascertaining the fact, the information system of the state tax service bodies is characterized by multi-source, multisegmentation and an excessive number of documents with varying degrees of access, importance and complexity. The need is substantiated for a quick response by the tax authority to any changes in all economic and legal processes of the state. In particular, it needs for regarding the fast acquiring of information from various sources, its generalization and processing. The proposed article mentions the beginning of the creation, development and use of databases and automated information systems in the tax authority police units as an example of removing obstacles that prevent the effective exchange of information with other law enforcement and state control and management bodies. As a result of the analysis, a number of factors that negatively affect the information support of the tax service's legal work, its cooperation with other law enforcement agencies, were revealed. The work also presents the factors that determined the automation of the legal work of the state tax service bodies, highlighting three levels of concentric presentation of the methodology model with the corresponding conclusions. The result of the study is the identification of factors that influence the improvement of legal regulation of managerial relations.

This chapter examines the impact of contractors on the provision of military logistics and security services to UK expeditionary operations. It discusses key issues that policymakers must confront before launching such operations if they are to have any chance of succeeding. The chapter explains the growth, role and consequences of outsourcing logistics and security for expeditionary operations. It concerns contractors who deliver technical and service support, and armed security services. The chapter examines the development of British private security companies (PSCs) during the Cold War. It aims to continue outsourcing these functions, which is the result of political, economic, technological and operational factors. The drive for very technically sophisticated weapons systems has left the military more-or-less totally dependent on system support service contractors to maintain them. The system support service contractors maintain weapons and information technology (IT)-based systems.

Due to various reasons, only few researchers focused their investigations on the current status of information security and privacy protection of e-Government services in Africa. This paper attempts to partially fill the gap by reporting on the compliance evaluation of privacy protection in e-Government systems in the countries of Anglophone West Africa, namely in Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Gambia. In the countries, e-Government services have become one of the most important and efficient means by which government interacts with citizens. The ways to facilitate information privacy protection in e-Government systems of a given country include enactment of a comprehensive information privacy regulation. The regulation serves as a legal framework that considers internationally accepted privacy protection principles, such as those of the ISO/IEC 29100:2011, and applicable guidelines of the U.S. NIST SP 800–53 Rev.4. In this paper, the privacy principles of the ISO/IEC 29100:2011 serve as a baseline for evaluation of the content of privacy protection regulations of the Anglophone West African countries. The paper also reports results of a passive security reconnaissance performed on selected e-Government websites. While the paper acknowledges recent progresses made in the area of privacy protection in the countries of Anglophone West Africa, recommendations are provided to mitigate the identified gaps.