Taiwan's AI-fraud detection, Kazakhstan's digital courts, and Europe's digital sovereignty
Edition #107 As Europe starts to think seriously about its digital sovereignty, models from learning from India to embracing the digital commons remain on the table...
In our previous edition, we were thinking about some of the digital currency and payments projects currently being scaled across Asia - from Papau New Guinea to Sri Lanka.
This week, all eyes are on Europe, and its attempts to create greater digital sovereignty and autonomy. As it does so, there are several options on the table: from taking an India-inspired approach of developing an (admittedly expensive) Eurostack to embracing the digital commons. Elsewhere, Kazakhstan’s digital courts are proving a success, and the government in New Zealand is thinking about how to ramp up their AI services.
Our main stories this week:
Can Digital Tuvalu survive a cyberattack?
Looking for an exit: Europe’s way to Public Digital Infrastructures
How to achieve universal access to Digital IDs
As a reminder, we have recently begun to expand our digital government coverage away from just Substack and onto Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram. For original content, audience engagement, and roundups of all our pieces, feel free to follow us over on those channels. Also check out our sister newsletter, interweave.africa.
Can Digital Tuvalu survive a cyberattack? - John Auge, The Diplomat
Despite their small size, the Pacific Islands are making significant strides in digital transformation, with Tuvalu leading the way in its aim to become the “first digital nation”. However, their limited resources, infrastructure, and lack of cybersecurity expertise make them highly vulnerable to cyberattacks.
At COP27, Tuvalu announced plans to construct a digital twin of itself, exploring a digital existence in response to climate change’s existential threat (Tuvalu’s highest point above sea level is just 4.5 meters). At COP28, an update included plans to develop a digital passport, and preserve the country’s cultural heritage.
As a diplomatic ally of Taiwan, Tuvalu faces heightened risks of cyberattacks. These could risk sensitive information - such as personal data from digital passports and government records - being stolen.
Recent incidents targeting Palau and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretariat from criminal gangs demonstrate how state-sponsored hacking groups could exploit these weaknesses.
Our Take: We can sometimes think of digital government as a purely domestic challenge, but it too exists in a geopolitical context. As countries across Europe and Asia begin to ramp up defense spending, they should think seriously about securing their digital government too.
Looking for an exit: Europe’s way to Public Digital Infrastructure - Jan Krewer, Open Future
Voices inside the EU are calling for independent digital infrastructure to protect the region’s democracy and self-determination. The future of European DPI hinges on the EU's upcoming budget decisions.
The two proposed paths are a "EuroStack" - European-founded alternative applications - and/or a non-aligned movement that focuses on digital commons and looks to escape dependence on either US or Chinese technologies.
A EuroStack would free the continent from reliance on foreign platforms, but at an expensive price tag: a recent report estimated that it would take 300 billion euros to invest in the various interconnected layers needed to build the stack.
As Europe looks to its digital future, it must not focus on technical solutions alone - the institutions, expertise and ecosystems around them matter. Even a digital commons will only equate to digital independence with demand, institutional support and integration into public procurement strategies.
Our Take: In its coverage of the EuroStack plans, Euractiv are also thinking this week about “What Europe can learn from India in tech”.
How to achieve universal access to digital IDs - David Eaves and Luanna Roncaratti, Project Syndicate
Nearly 850 million people worldwide lack legal identification. To close that gap and reach universal legal identity by 2030 - one of the UN SDGs - Digital IDs will prove essential. And, argue the authors, with the implementation of Digital IDs this goal is in reach.
Use of digital ID can improve financial inclusion and reduce fraud, with advantages over physical IDs insofar as they are harder to lose or destroy. Digital IDs have been crucial in ensuring continued access to critical services even in emergencies, as in Ukraine and Brazil.
Governments trying to establish a Digital ID face challenges in creating a tailored national solution, as there is no one-size-fits-all option. Depending on the domestic context, different governance structures, misuse protections, and accessibility standards must be determined.
To tackle these potential challenges, the authors propose five approaches to designing reliable digital ID systems - from designing to minimize data collection to working with civil-society partners to establishing global governance standards.
Our Take: In a recent interview with one of the authors, David Eaves, interweave talked about his attempts to map the Digital Public Infrastructure space. Just as in that context, sharing international best practice and learning lessons globally will be crucial to closing the digital ID gap- and this is a great piece of work to try and do so.
GovTech News in Brief
Taiwan’s digital ministry uses AI to combat online fraud and deep fakes - Amit Roy Choudhury, GovInsider
Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs has set up a new Centre for Cybersecurity Technology to develop advanced anti-fraud technologies, including “fraud keyword extraction” and “data mining deepening”.
Korean government rolls out program to equip civil servants with IT skills - Enock Matovu, Monitor
In Uganda, the Korean government has launched a project to digitally upskill public sector workers in the towns of Mityana and Mpigi. With the help of Korean volunteers working on the ground, the project will provide tailored IT training equipment to expand IT education to town residents and improve public sector efficiency.
Kazakhstan’s digital court reforms suggest live streaming trials can bolster justice - Martin Banks, Modern Diplomacy
Kazakhstan's digital transformation of its judiciary includes AI-driven case management and virtual courtrooms. The country’s digitization efforts have positioned it ahead of several advanced nations in digital governance.
Our Take: The live-stream of high-profile trials, such as that of former Minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev, have attracted global attention and even influenced domestic policy reforms. It is a great example of how digital transformation can help build trust in government, but long-term success will depend on tackling deeper structural issues like judicial neutrality.
Bahrain: Nine government apps to be merged - Zawya
In a continued attempt to create the Bahraini government’s “MyGov” super app for individual citizens, nine existing digital apps will be merged within the next year.
Our Take: For more on government apps, check out interweave’s coverage of the superapps in India and Singapore.
Data asset management key to NZ’s plan to ramp up AI in public services - Si Ying Thian, GovInsider
New Zealand’s new digital government strategy emphasizes the need for robust data asset management to support AI integration and enhance public services - in light of 120 AI experiments currently being run across departments.
The Theory Behind the Practice
AgenticAI: The future of work and public services - Salesforce, TechUK
Autonomous agents that can make decisions and carry out tasks, known as Agentic AI, have become the forefront in AI development. For governments, AI agents offer an opportunity to improve public services through greater speed, responsiveness, and personalization, especially as resources tighten.
“We’re here to build something bigger than the individual services”: how departments can use technology to rewire government - Global Government Forum
In light of the UK government’s plans to hit a 2% productivity and savings target across departments, technology leaders have been meeting in London to discuss progress on key digital government issues.
Key milestones and best practices in the EU’s public digitalization journey - Peter Dann Jorgensen and Tina Johansen, Bird&Bird
Looking back at the EU’s strides in digital transformation, this comprehensive article details key milestones in its journey while highlighting best practices from the member states.
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