When Estonia started building its information society at the end of the 1990s, there was no digital data being collected about our citizens. The general population did not have the internet, or even devices with which to use it. Two decades later, the country has one of the most advanced e-governments in the world, where more than 90% of public information is managed in digital form and most public services, ranging from pet registration, to medical prescriptions, and property ownership, are delivered in a "digital by default" manner. However, with such widespread digitisation of a society comes the responsibility to ensure that the vast amount of digital information being gathered on a daily basis continues to be available for decades to come in a secure, trusted and sustainable manner. This paper provides an overview of the origins and core aspects of the e-government approach in Estonia, and the effect it has had on the lives of ordinary people. Based on this introduction the paper discusses future challenges in regard to the long-term availability, trust and security of an extensive e-government.
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