Ireland and Singapore have been more successful than many countries in implementing e-government initiatives because they have smaller government structures and processes, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates told an audience of government leaders yesterday.
Larger, multi-layered governments, such as that of the United States with its federal, state and local systems, face greater challenges and hence have not been able to implement e-government strategies as quickly.
The US only comes in mid-range on e-government league tables, said Mr Gates, whereas Ireland and Singapore "have done very well". In a keynote speech and question and answer session that closed Microsoft's third annual government leaders forum in Lisbon, Mr Gates reiterated his company's newly announced principles for transparency towards users of its services, such as free e-mail, MSN search facilities, and free weblog service (personal journals).
Withdrawing such services from countries like China, which have demanded that companies like Microsoft and most recently, Google, comply with censorship of content, "would be more of a negative than this kind of compliance," said Mr Gates.
In future, Microsoft would comply with local country laws, but would leave the censored content available to view in other countries and would give a specific reason why any content was withdrawn in the censoring country, he said.
He also said the internet was such a powerful tool that it was impossible for information to remain completely hidden. "If there's a desire by the population to know something", people will use e-mail or anonymous networks such as peer-to-peer software, "and it's going to get out there". He expressed surprise that no country has yet enacted a national citizen card programme where individuals could use a digitised card to access their own information, receive government services, and so on.
He also said the advertising world did not use the interactive potential of the internet adequately, even though advertising placement on the net had skyrocketed.
He said Microsoft would soon introduce software that will enable people to track where their e-mails go - to identify whether they have been forwarded to other people, for example. The software would also allow e-mail senders to limit who can view an e-mail and prevent it from being forwarded to unauthorised viewers.
Mr Gates also announced a further $25.2 million (€21 million) in funding for its global community technology centre programme.
