eGovernment use of technology has grown over the years from using totally internal systems to internet based systems that allow citizens to interact with their government. Online services offered by local governments range from paying water/trash bills to paying taxes to read the minutes from the last board meeting. The government can run survey’s to get citizens opinions on the issues of the day and enables citizens to interact with all levels of government from Federal down to local levels 24 hours a day (Joseph, 2015).
One of the advantages of eGovernment is that of improving the efficiency of the current system of paperwork. It reduces the need for manpower to deal with the bulk of paper-based work. Thus, the process becomes more efficient and, therefore, leading to reduced operations cost (Tolley & Mundy, 2009). Other benefits include an increased participation by citizens in the activities of the government due to more information being literally at your fingertips. There is greater transparency in how the government operates and less chance for corruption to occur (Andersen, 2009).
A drawback to using eGovernment concern privacy issues. Potentially government information gathering may lead to a lack of privacy for civilians. There are very real concerns about turning over much information to the government by the citizens or businesses (Singel, 2007). The concern is that since the government is running the online system, the need for monitoring control will require very careful consideration.
Voting is one area of concern to using eGovernment. While voting on a touch screen can make voting easier, it can also be full of fraud since hacking systems are possible, and software can be coded fraudulently to favor one candidate over another. One answer to possible fraud is to have a paper backup of the ballot cast so that the vote count for both computer and paper has to match. Paper ballots with electronic readers are in use in elections in both Lake and McHenry Counties in Illinois.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) has been in use since WWII when the Germans used it to identify its returning aircraft from a mission (Roberti, 2005). Since that time RFID has expanded to allow literally for the identification of all kinds of products and services. Companies like Zebra Technologies, a leader in the development of bar code technology, has become a leader in RFID having developed passive and active RFID tags used today on drivers licenses. Companies, like Wal-Mart, use RFID exclusively to identify all products entering and leaving their system, and they require any company doing business with them to use the technology (Songini, 2006).
The government today is using RFID extensively on drivers licenses, and passports. The improvements in tracking the movement of people can occur in many areas of government. When traveling through airports, having a government issued ID can help quicken the check in through security since the TSA doesn’t have to type in every person’s name who comes before them. A quick scan provides all the information needed to identify the individual requesting admittance onto an airplane at the airport.
There are numerous limitations to m-commerce. First, the technology itself is limited. The use has to be within reach of a transmitting tower. Many parts of the world, many parts of the US, are not within reach of a cell tower. This inability to receive a signal limits the usage of the phone. There are limitations in the technology, especially when introducing new phones or when the signaling technology improves. While this may be good for manufacturers like Apple or Samsung, it creates havoc in the app world and for consumers who can either buy an upgrade or live with an inferior service (Lei, Chatwin, & Young, 2004).
References:
Andersen, K. V., & Henriksen, H. Z. (2006). E-government maturity models: Extension of the Layne and Lee model. Government Information Quarterly, 23(2), 236-248. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2005.11.008
Joseph, S. (2015, September 1). Advantages and disadvantages of E- government implementation: literature review (PDF Download Available). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication
/281409802_Advantages_and_disadvantages_of_Egovernment_implementation_literature_review
Lei, P. W., Chatwin, C. R., & Young, R. C. (2004). Chapter 4: Opportunities and Limitations in
M-Commerce – Wireless Communications and Mobile Commerce. Retrieved from http://flylib.com /books/en/3.97.1.38/1/
Roberti, M. (2005, January 16). The History of RFID Technology – RFID Journal. Retrieved from http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?1338
Singel, R. (2007, August 6). Analysis: New Law Gives Government Six Months to Turn Internet and Phone Systems into Permanent Spying Architecture – UPDATED | WIRED. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2007/08/analysis-new-la/
Songini, M. (2006, March 2). Wal-Mart details its RFID journey | Computerworld. Retrieved from http://www.computerworld.com/article/2562768/enterprise-resource-planning/wal-mart-details-its-rfid-journey.html
Tolley, A., & Mundy, D. (2009). Towards workable privacy for UK e-government on the web. IJEG, 2(1), 74.doi:10.1504/ijeg.2009.024965
