Post-pandemic digital republic is here. What can Estonia, world's first digital republic, tell us about getting it right?

Important to replicate not just the right tools but also the right temperament towards equitable digital architecture

What will post-pandemic states across the planet look like? Arundhati Roy, one of the few voices of reason during these disquieting times, has argued that the coronavirus pandemic is a portal, a gateway into a different world where much of what we have come to take for granted about the nation/state may soon be radically altered. If such a prediction is to prove prophetic, then the transformation of countries is likely to be shaped by the emergence of the digital republic, a place where the internet is all-encompassing, where everything that needs to happen for a society to function effectively, happens online.

Notwithstanding the enormous infiltration of the internet into so many of our daily lives over the last decade or so, the digital framework of apps and websites still needs supplementing by its counterparts in the physical realm in order for all of us to get on with life. The lack of integrated online services in key sectors like education, healthcare, and finance (to name a few) along with the presence of the digital divide means that the internet is far from being a self-sufficient instrument of modern existence, be it in the West or in the Global South. No matter how much time we spend scrolling through Instagram or hosting a Zoom party, we still cannot afford to live online.

Towards a fully digital republic

Owing to COVID-19, all of that may be set to change. A digital existence may no longer be limited to virtual socialisation and a handful of transactions and registrations, for in the age of social distancing, the nation-state could become entirely digital, or at least kick-start a movement towards a more comprehensive digital setup.

Interestingly, in order for such a transition to take place, we do not have to create an abstract ideal of a digital utopia, for a near-perfect model already exists. Situated on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe is Estonia, which has, since gaining independence from the erstwhile USSR in 1991, become the world’s first (and till date only) digital republic.

Having recorded less than a hundred deaths from the coronavirus, Estonia started to ease down its lockdown measures in May, opening alongside neighbouring Lithuania and Latvia the first “travel bubble” within the European Union. While such changes have been welcomed by Estonians, they do not represent a full-fledged resumption of normality, because of the simple reason that normality was never disturbed significantly in Estonia in the first place, thanks to its remarkable digital synergy.

On March 13, the Estonian government announced a state of emergency on account of COVID-19. In a matter of hours, a “hackathon” was unleashed across the country as expert units embarked on a mission to tackle all pandemic related issues within a matter of 48 hours, all online. Such an initiative was feasible since 99 per cent of all government services can already be availed digitally in Estonia, which was the first country to hold elections over the web in 2014.

In the last parliamentary polls conducted in March 2019, 44 per cent of Estonians cast their votes online. According to the government’s estimates, Estonia’s fully integrated digital system saves more than 800 hours of working time annually. From doctor’s appointments to passport renewal, from grocery shopping to tax payments, each component of civil society has been digitised. This means that, technically speaking, Estonians need to step out of the comfort of their homes only in three cases- to marry, divorce, or purchase and sell real estate.

How Estonia got it right

All the above systems work seamlessly courtesy the unique electronic IDs allocated to each citizen and the presence of digital signatures for authentication, which have become legally binding since 2002.

The fundamental question at this stage is if all online activity is routed through a single ID, how does Estonia ensure cyber security and prevent the misuse of digital data? The solution lies in two plain yet powerful mechanisms.

The first is the “once only” principle that mandates that only one governmental department has access to one kind of data. For example, Estonian addresses are recorded only in the population register, which means that any other authority wanting to obtain these addresses must resort to the register. Decentralisation of information provides a massive safeguard against hacking and tech-terrorism as it does not allow the perpetrators of cyber crime to unlock multiple conduits of data in one fell swoop.

The second aspect involves something known as “digital by default”, wherein all information entered on paper is converted into a digital format to offer better protection. This facilitates the maintenance of digital logs through which one can find out who has accessed one’s digital profiles. Such transparency goes a long way in addressing the imbalances of power that usually play out between the state and its people or between those at opposite ends of the social pyramid.

Replicating the Estonian approach

But can other countries replicate Estonia’s digital infrastructure without hiccups? The simplistic answer is no, for most nations have a panoply of problems, ranging from socio-economic fault lines to administrative reluctance to a lack of public consensus regarding the digital domain, issues that did not significantly perturb a largely homogeneous Estonia.

For example, the Estonian plan of digital immunity passports (likely to be underway soon) as a form of screening against the pandemic has already provoked widespread criticism in the United Kingdom, while contact tracing applications for the coronavirus like India’s Aarogya Setu have proved hackable and subject to grave privacy concerns.

The key to tackling such hurdles is not to abandon the digital possibilities altogether, but to cultivate trust through responsible policy-making, to make public officials and the common man E-literate, and to incorporate discussions on digital issues in every sphere of society, something Estonia has been able to do with aplomb.

However, it is vital to remember that even in Estonia, the digital makeover was not an overnight success. The ambitious digitisation blueprint was drawn up originally in 1994, and it was not until five years later that the first fruits of that endeavour were realised. The move to the internet in Estonia was primarily motivated by a dearth of resources and a desire to curb spending, both of which are strong incentives at present for various national governments to usher in a digital revolution.

Challenges ahead

While no uniform predictions can be made about the post-pandemic digital republic, it is certain that the internet will prove to be a game-changer in whatever new order emerges from the current chaos. Journalist and author Naomi Klein has already highlighted the insidious possibilities underpinning such a digital order through her dissection of the no-touch technology that New York bodies and tech giants like Google are intending to create in the form of a “Screen New Deal” that Klein believes could bring every single service to the fingertips (quite literally) of those New Yorkers who can afford it, even as the suffering of the blue-collar precariat – toiling away in ruthless environments like Amazon’s warehouses – is made invisible.

In another grim prognosis of a digital future, historian Yuval Noah Harari has forecasted how everything from our blood pressure to our intuitive responses to politicians can form a part of state surveillance through futuristic technology capable of getting under our skin in more ways than one.

In light of such concerns, it becomes incumbent on governments across the globe to ensure that the digital facilities that are introduced or enhanced in the wake of the novel circumstances are not only efficient and user-friendly, but also inclusive, with the data distributed among independent authorities instead of a singular administration.

Replicating the Estonian model should not merely consist of adopting the right tools that have heralded the world’s first digital republic, but also involve the right temperament that is required to guarantee that the digital portal of tomorrow will not exploit or disconnect those that have already been compromised through decades of iniquitous life offline.

(Priyam Marik is a freelance journalist writing on politics, culture, and sport. He is also a published poet who can be found sampling new cuisines, debating and cheering for FC Barcelona when he's not writing)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.