Information Policy Hot Topic 1 - Primary Contribution

The Internet and the wired world will influence government structure and politics in many ways. Three areas in which the impact will be significant over the next five years are personal privacy, government services, and political feedback.

Personal Privacy (Big Brother)

As government, with its extensive capital pool, continues to take advantage of the efficiencies of a wired world, the privacy of citizens will continue to erode. A recent article observed that anyone willing to spend time and a little money could easily find out more about your personal life than Joseph Stalin or Adolph Hitler discovered about the citizens under their rule (Scheer, 2000, October). In addition, the personal information collected, used, and disseminated by government and business is often used for purposes different from those for which it was originally collected (Hammitt, 1999, April). As the government catches up with technology and begins to deploy tools routinely used in electronic commerce (e.g. personal profiling, hit counters, etc.) personal privacy will diminish.

Government Services

A recent study in which KPMG Peat Marwick interviewed 302 state and local government officials discovered that the majority felt that technology was the answer to more effective and efficient government service delivery (Miller, 1999, May). They also admitted that their organizations had not kept with technology. Spoiled by the efficiencies of the Internet, citizens (i.e. customers) were less inclined to accept delays, errors, and slow response by government. In the future, customer-driven government will integrate technology to become more effective. The opportunity exists to eliminate the costs of supporting numerous local offices staffed by government employees performing paper-intensive processes (i.e. paper shuffling).

Political Feedback

Finally, political feedback is another area that will be impacted by the Internet and the wired world. Elected officials will develop political profiles on constituents in order to better serve (e.g. tell them exactly what they want to hear) and be re-elected. Although the Internet will allow politicians to make more informed decisions, some fear the information will lead to increased political paralysis (Harris, 1997, January). Officials with the ability to test public opinion at any time may tend to survey their constituents before making even the least consequential decision.

References

Hammitt, H. (1999, April). Is responsible use of personal information irresponsible? Government Technology [Online]. Available: http://www.govtech.net/publications/gt/1999/apr/access/access.shtm [2000, September 18].

Harris, B. (1997, January). Internet and the future of government. Government Technology [Online]. Available: http://www.govtech.net/publications/govinternetguide/january1997/gigelected.shtm [2000, September 19].

Miller, J. (1999, May). Technology and local government in the 21st century. Government Technology [Online]. Available: http://www.govtech.net/publications/gt/1999/may/executivebriefing/executivebriefing.shtm [2000, September 19].

Scheer, R. (2000, October). Nowhere to hide. Yahoo! Internet Life, 6, 100-102.