On 4 November 2022, the Value-Driven Digitalisation Work Agenda was presented to the House of Representatives. One year into the project, it is time to take stock.
First, we examined the added value of the selected approach, based on an open dialogue with society, through sessions with experts from the scientific community, civil society, and business, as well as in connection with European and international bodies. A good example is the creation of the cabinet-wide vision for generative AI. Citizens, scientists, policy makers and entrepreneurs worked together to define the relationship society should have with this technology.
Another example is the approach in the intergovernmental data strategy that has continued to mature. Be it climate, logistics, healthcare, nature and other domains, data can be used everywhere to move our country forward and drive the availability and quality of facilities. At the same time, it is important to ensure that data is only shared responsibly. To help government organisations do so, a responsible data use advisory function has been established to assist in determining what is technically possible, legally permissible and ethically desirable. The federated data system was also expanded to help parties collate and exchange data from different sources responsibly.
Disinformation
Another important theme the Work Agenda has focused on is reducing the influence of disinformation, such as during the recent general election in the Netherlands. Disinformation can intentionally mislead citizens and influence their thought processes. The past year was spent working on making citizens more resilient, strengthening public debate and promoting open-source alternatives such as Pol.is and Mastodon as digital community assets. Investments were also made in PubHubs and Public Spaces, and a start was made on identifying and promoting meaningful digital community assets with NLNet and the SIDN fund. Regulations have been tightened, including through the Digital Services Act. The 19 largest platforms and search engines, such as Apple, YouTube, Meta, X, AliExpress and Booking.com, are now subject to stricter obligations.
Digital skills
Adequate digital skills also lead to resilience. Many children and adults struggle to use digital media consciously, critically and actively. Business owners and employees sometimes struggle to respond appropriately to digital opportunities and risks. Public, social and private sectors cooperate through the Work Agenda to support everyone who lacks an adequate digital skillset. This could involve working with VNG and Alliantie Digitaal Samenleven to set up central information points citizens can turn to with all their questions. Learning offerings have also been increased, and attention has been paid to informal methods of learning at times and places convenient for the user. Lastly, online tools are developed, such as the Digihandig app, which can be used on smartphones.
Human rights
Attention has been paid to safeguarding human rights in digitalisation to increase confidence in the process. The IAMA (human rights assessment) has been developed for discussion and decision-making concerning the use of algorithms by government agencies. Specifically for children, a children’s rights assessment (KIA) has been developed, and the European Better Internet for Kids has become available. Setting a standard and providing tools to test that standard helps shape values-driven digitalisation. Feeling in control of all developments and decisions stimulates trust. To that end, an online overview has been established where citizens can see how a government decision was made and what data was used to do so. Eventually, all government decisions (more than 600) will be clarified on the website wiegebruiktmijngegevens.nl. Citizens can also visit MijnOverheid.nl to see which data the government uses most often and which organisations are notified when personal data in the Personal Records Database is amended, such as when a person moves house.
Digital services
The Work Agenda also focused on improving services. For example, MijnZaken (a user-friendly track and trace service that gives residents, business owners and municipal employees insight into the status of a request for a product or service) was implemented and tested in six municipalities. This improves service and avoids unnecessary contact. Services have also been improved and focused more on the needs of specific life events, such as turning 18 or starting a business. More life events will be used to improve services in the coming period.
Key to these services is the ease with which citizens and business owners can verify their identity. The Digital Government Act (Wdo) stipulates that Dutch citizens and businesses must be able to log in to public or semi-public sector organisations securely and reliably. Under the Wdo, people must have a choice of login method. To further expand this palette, work has begun on developing the prototype of an open-source digital identity wallet that will allow users to log in and share data. In the area of identity, age verification capabilities were further developed. The roadmap contains a set of minimum requirements for such a system to help developers of online products and services integrate it into their services. The roadmap will be tested in an actual case study in the coming period. We are also investigating whether the requirements can be included in international standards such as NEN or ISO.
Privacy and data protection are also closely monitored during such developments. EU legislation and regulations, such as the GDPR, provide a solid foundation for protecting privacy online. Compliance with legislation and regulations is an extremely important task for the government, as the government should set an example in this regard. However, the Values-Driven Digitalisation Work Agenda complexity of such regulations can also lead to reluctance to share data, even in cases where sharing data is lawful and desirable. This issue is also addressed in the Work Agenda.
Cyber security
In an age when the world around us is unsettled, security is critical. Using JenV’s Cybersecurity Strategy as a guiding instrument, work has been done to strengthen digital security and resilience. For example, the Revised European Network and Information Security Directive raised the basic standard for organisations. At the same time, efforts have been made to provide appropriate support. This includes creating tools to help government organisations procure ICT products and services securely and developing a government-wide approach to red-teaming to detect infrastructure vulnerabilities as quickly as possible. Work has been done on a single secure government extension to help citizens quickly distinguish fake websites from genuine government websites. The impact of new technologies, such as quantum computing, has also been examined. More computing power may require revising current cryptography methods. It is important to be prepared for this on time.
In the past year, work has also been done to arrange the state’s data and information management properly. Information is an essential raw material for the operation of our public administration and vital for accountability in our democracy. No information should be lost, nor should there be any doubt as to the accuracy and authenticity thereof. Departments, municipalities, provinces and water authorities are working hard on improving information management to enable open government. The cabinet has added further concrete requirements for the provision of information to the House of Representatives. For instance, all documents sent to Parliament must also be accompanied by supporting “decision memorandums”. A Government Information Management Commissioner has been appointed to map out and stimulate the government-wide change assignment. An Advisory Board on Openness andInformation Management has been set up to monitor, mediate and provide solicited and unsolicited advice.
Dutch Caribbean
In the Dutch Caribbean, facilities have been strengthened to enable citizens and businesses to participate fully. For example, arrangements have beenmade for students from the Dutch Caribbean to obtain a citizen service number before they come to study in the Netherlands, and a bill has been discussed that would enable all residents of the Dutch Caribbean to receive a citizen service number. This would make more digital government services available later, such as DigiD. The improvement of basic services such as available, affordable and stable internet and increased access to the online domain was examined, including for people who do not have the necessary facilities at home.
Values-driven digitalisation has a European and global component. The Netherlands is appreciated internationally. Our values-driven digitalisation method is catching on in the EU and international organisations such as the UN, OECD, UNESCO, Council of Europe and G20/G7. The Netherlands is an example of how to partner with Big Tech while still keeping them on their toes. The Dutch effort is also being used to tighten EU legislation such as the AI-Act, the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Market Act (DMA). Lastly, the Netherlands will again chair the Freedom Online Coalition in 2024. The Freedom Online Coalition ensures that internet freedom and human rights issues remain on the international policy agenda.
