E-Estonia—“Europe’s Silicon Valley” or a New “1984”?

Abstract

The Estonian state has in its responses to political risks stemming from the cyberspace the primary goal to be more and more efficient and providing services within a close cooperation with the business. The German state, on the contrary, is based on hierarchies and loyalties, inner systems based on a strong civil servant sector with tendencies of keeping the status quo. Estonia, a country as big as Munich, with only 1.3 million inhabitants, already has a fully digitalized administration. The Estonian society is integrated which also counts for the elderly. For all of them there is tax declarations with just a few clicks, a daily life without papers, and the possibility for e-voting. The difference to Germany is huge. It is a question of an open mindset diminishing the power of bureaucracy in the country. But this does not fall out of the blue. Even Estonia had its wake-up call, helping Estonians to become experts in cyber defense today. However, back in 2007, the country was the target of a major cyberattack against its official cyber structures.