E-government

E-government is the way state bodies work with the public, business and each other through information and communication technology. The aim is to make services faster, more convenient and more transparent, and to reduce queues and paperwork. Four main directions: G2G (government to government): electronic document exchange between agencies; G2C (government to citizens): getting certificates, sending applications, payments; G2B (government to business): registration, reports, permits; G2F (government to foreigners): visa, investment and tourism services. In Uzbekistan the main online window for state services is the Unified Interactive State Services Portal (my.gov.uz) together with the state service centres; the single identification system (OneID) is used to log in, and an electronic digital signature (ERI) is needed to sign documents. The “single window” principle: a citizen applies in one place and the system itself makes the requests between agencies, so the person does not submit one document in two places. The country's digital development strategy (“Digital Uzbekistan – 2030”) also plans to move services online. E-government databases hold the personal data of millions of people, so protection rules matter: (1) enter only the official address (https:// and .gov.uz, or the domain given in an official notice); read the address bar from the last dot to the left: in “my.gov.uz.tolov-tekshir.example” the real domain is tolov-tekshir.example, so it is a fake site; (2) never tell your password or SMS code to anyone, even a person who says they are a “state employee”; (3) do not give your ERI key and its password to anyone, because the signature equals your signature on paper; (4) do not click a link in a message that claims to be official, type the site yourself; (5) log out after using a public computer. The quality of an e-service is measured by time and cost saved, but it is also important that people without Internet access and elderly citizens can use the service (digital equality).