E-government

In the book, The Politics of the Administrative Process, the authors Donald Kettl and James Fesler discuss the rise of the e-government movement within the Executive Branch. There's not much doubt that the growth of technology in governmental agencies has been extremely beneficial. Web-based communications, to a certain extent, make civil servants' tasks much easier. Instead of processing information manually, most government agencies have the benefit of electronic processing. In addition, citizens are able to obtain a wealth of information about governmental agencies' services by visiting certain government websites.

It seems like e-government is without cons. Electronic processing definitely saves the government quite a few bucs and paper. However, I worry that we, as citizens, have had our blinders on regarding certain aspects of e-government. Think about it. How safe is the sensitive information stored in the computers of government agencies? Suppose, all the sensitive information is lost as a result of a security breach in the computer system. While the advent of e-government has surely improved the organizational network of governmental agencies, the security of sensitive information stored in computers raises questions regarding the growth of technology in the public sector. What are your thoughts?

Fesler, James W. and Donald F. Kettl. The Politics of the Administrative Process. 3rd Edition; Washington D.C: A Division of Congressional Quarterly Inc., 2005.