Identification versus anonymity in e-government IDENTIFICATION IN EGOVERNMENT: THE BELGIAN FEDERAL CASE

Identification in eGovernment: the Belgian federal case

Introduction

On the Belgian federal level, eGovernment is understood as the ‘continuous optimization of service delivery and governance by transforming internal and external relationships through technology, internet and new media’. The added value of eGovernment lays in the belief that the usage of new technologies should not be limited to the mere transition from paper-based to electronic procedures. The electronic service delivery is thus accompanied by a thorough transformation of the back-offices.

The main idea behind this transformation of back-offices is that the services should be delivered to the client in an integrated way, regardless of the administrative boundaries of the distinct government entities, through one or more front offices and oriented around ‘life events’ for citizens (e.g., getting married) and ‘business episodes’ for enterprises. This allows government entities to remain focused on their needs instead of having to deal with the specific functional organization of the public sector.

From the perspective of the government’s clients, the main benefits of eGovernment lay in the optimization of the service delivery in such a way that it becomes faster, more user-friendly, less-contact intensive and more transparent. From a government service provider perspective, the main benefits are increased efficiency (reduced costs, more and faster services) and effectiveness (increased quality and type of services).

In this chapter, we focus on a particular issue that arises in the context of eGovernment: the identity knowledge that the government has of citizens placed in the context of eGovernment in Belgium. Is this identity knowledge rising through eGovernment development?