Digital solutions have revolutionized communication and information sharing between individuals, organizations, and non-governmental agencies. As a result, the government is obligated to follow suit and ensure that its initiatives align with environmental demands. Over the years, the US government has significantly tapped into technological innovations to ensure transparency, accountability, and inclusivity. Moreover, technology has enabled the government to provide more efficient services to the public using cutting-edge systems. Unfortunately, the move toward adopting technology in governance and administration is characterized by several limitations due to privacy and data security issues. Nevertheless, successful governance depends on how well the government can manage these challenges and use technological systems for their intended purposes.
The Internet of Things refers to a set of software programs interconnected through physical electronic components through a web-based network. These systems are equipped with intelligence and instructions that allow them to facilitate data collection, data sharing, and seamless communication, allowing them to be used for various purposes. Therefore, digital governance describes the process of exchanging information between government agencies and public or private sectors involved in government businesses (Charalabidis et al., 2022). However, the ability of technological devices to be handled remotely poses critical security risks since anyone with credentials to access sensitive information or the skills to hack complicated systems can access the information and interfere with its validity.
Individuals’ right to privacy is a widely recognized basic human right as advocated by the UN, the US government, and humanitarian organizations. However, big data pose critical risks to these rights since the institutions responsible for protecting these rights can use them to satisfy their interests. Additionally, government agencies collect private and personal information about individuals, including their social security numbers, address information, phone numbers, and health records. Therefore, a breach or unauthorized access to this information can be destructive as it will expose unaware citizens to risks like identity theft, impersonation, scam, and blackmail (Van Zoonen, 2020). Government systems are also prone to data falsification and data manipulation. Thus, these challenges limit the comprehensive adoption of technological solutions in governance.
Computer systems comprise complex databases and software applications with diverse features and functionality. Therefore, they require safeguarding against breaches and attacks using the latest cyber-security solutions. Nevertheless, the personnel handling these systems should also be experienced to ensure that they can identify potential breaches and develop firewalls to keep hackers out (Gasser & Almeida, 2022). However, unauthorized access to information can also be a result of carelessness as officials can expose their credentials to others unknowingly. Therefore, it is crucial to inform individuals in such positions of the consequences of information breaches to encourage better storage and management of their credentials or system passwords.
The adoption of digital solutions in governance is an unavoidable administrative development because the government must keep up with the rest of the world. Seemingly, these advancements have significantly alleviated the issues associated with managing vast amounts of data and information since most government services are efficient and easily accessible. Sad to say, technological systems come with several risks associated with the privacy and security of personal data. Although there are several initiatives to prevent data breaches and unauthorized access, the technological landscape is dynamic, meaning that individuals can always find solutions to access data and tamper with it. However, the government can take the initiative to train and inform personnel of the solutions to keep their credentials safe. Moreover, they can seek assistance from cyber security experts who can identify and counter threats quickly.
References
Charalabidis, Y., Flak, L. S., & Pereira, G. V. (2022). Scientific Foundations of Digital Governance and Transformation. Springer.
Gasser, U., & Almeida, V. (2022). Futures of digital governance. Communications of the ACM, 65(3), 30-32. Web.
Van Zoonen, L. (2020). Data governance and citizen participation in the digital welfare state. Data & Policy, 2. Web.