One of the sticking points for Web 2.0 in a public sector context has always been privacy and security. It’s a notion crucial to both the mission and mandate of all orders of government and the general confidence of cybercitizens in online government.

 

There are signs, however, that such concerns may be needlessly overstated.

 

A recent U.S. survey by Mintel Comperemedia, for example, found that two-thirds of Americans were more concerned about security than they were five years ago. But in nearly same breath, Mintel analysts noted that identity theft is actually declining.

 

“The actual risk of having your identity stolen online is not as high as many people think,” eMarketer quoted Susan Menke, senior analyst at Mintel. “Financial services companies are trying to reassure consumers, but their marketing messages aren’t sticking. Companies need to find innovative new ways to convince Americans that their identities are secure online and when using e-mail.”

 

The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Justice indicated that less than 9 per cent of identity theft is a result of online scams. Rather, most identity theft is perpetrated through stolen mail and other low-tech methods.

 

In one sense, such findings support the laissez-faire approach to privacy and security which characterizes Web 2.0 tools like Facebook. In the longer term, however, what e-government managers could be looking at here is the very thin edge of a wedge that leads to new views of privacy and security issues in a public sector context. Not exactly plus ça change, maybe. But worth noting.

Tags: eGovernment, Facebook, Identity Theft, Privacy, Security, Web 2.0