Privacy and security.(electronic government)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Privacy and security. Privacy and security are two issues that are of concern to Internet users, and rightfully so. They are also two edges of a very sharp sword. On the one hand, all of us should be concerned about the privacy and confidentiality of the information that we provide to other parties, whether it is something simple and relatively harmless like birth dates; something more vital and potentially harmful like credit card and Social Security numbers; or exceptionally important personal data like medical records. We don't want private information falling into the wrong hands.

Not only are average citizens concerned about privacy, a survey in late 2000 of over 3,700 local governments in the U.S. by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and Public Technology, Inc. (PTI) found that 28 percent of the cities and counties responding felt that concerns about security posed barriers to their adoption of electronic government.

Security is the other side of the sword. Here, organizations with information systems need to take proper precautions that the data on their systems are properly secured so that unauthorized users cannot access them.

This is easier said than done, especially in an era when teenagers with high speed modems, decent PCs, and too much time on their hands can hack into the Pentagon's computer system. As far as I know, the only absolutely foolproof way to ensure data security from hackers is never to go online. Since this restriction is not practical for most of us, other means, like passwords, callbacks, firewalls, encryption, and other techniques are employed.

According to the ICMA/PTI survey, 42 percent of local governments feel that security concerns have presented barriers to their engaging in electronic government.

Dr. Norris, Director of the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, conducts research and consults about information technology in the public sector.