The Riigikogu discussed the new Estonian Digital Society Development Plan
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta presented a report on the Estonian Digital Society Development Plan.
The Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs pointed out in her report that the present development plan, which was valid until 2030, needed to be replaced for two reasons. “Firstly, we have reached the era of artificial intelligence. And the current Estonian Digital Society Development Plan does not address this major and transformative societal change. It does not discuss goals or limitations, and does not establish value judgements. The new development plan you have in front of you fills this gap. Another major reason for revising the Estonian Digital Society Development Plan is the changed geopolitical situation. Digital sovereignty has become a matter of our national independence, and we also address this issue of national independence in the new development plan,” she explained.
The Minister noted that another major difference compared with other development plans was the fact that this development plan was only 15 pages long and very specific. “This development plan is an evolving and inclusive document. In short, this means that even after the development plan has been approved, new discussions will immediately follow and new amendments may be made, as something will have changed in the world of technology already before the ink has had time to dry,” she said.
Pakosta explained that, in terms of content, the development plan addressed four major topics. According to her, the most important choice in the development plan is that, although AI could be used to create a surveillance society, this will not be done. “We choose not to use AI capabilities to monitor people and to nudge them towards perfection,” she said. “We choose the protection of fundamental rights, and the protection of freedoms.”
The second very fundamental choice in this development plan is the preservation of the Estonian language and culture in the era of AI. Thirdly, it continues to uphold the principle that the digital state is meant for all Estonian people, regardless of whether a person wishes to acquire a mobile phone, a computer, and internet connection or not. Here, the Minister acknowledged the library network, which provides everyone with access to digital services. “At this point, I would like to thank all libraries, all library staff, and, in fact, also all local governments who also contribute every day to ensuring that our digital state is accessible and available to all people,” she said.
“And the fourth very important value-based principle that makes us completely unique in the world is the fact that our e-governance is controlled by the people themselves. In the e-governance, people themselves make decisions about the use of their data. I hope that everyone who has a mobile phone has already downloaded the Eesti app. There you can, for example, view the Data Tracker. The Data Tracker is an absolutely unique solution. Every person in Estonia can see who in the state has viewed their data, which data were accessed, and at what exact moment,” the Minister said.
The Minister also discussed the topic of cyber defence tackled in the development plan, lessons from Ukraine, the need to be more frugal with taxpayers’ money, to be more efficient in development work, and not to compete with the private sector. “The development plan also establishes for all government agencies the principle that everything that can be purchased from the private sector must be purchased from the private sector,” Pakosta said.
“But the most important thing is that we choose freedom and we maintain trust. We have the most transparent, trustworthy, and freedom-preserving e-governance in the world,” Pakosta stressed.
Mario Kadastik (Reform Party), Toomas Uibo (Estonia 200), Lea Danilson-Järg (Isamaa), Peeter Ernits and Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) took the floor during the debate.
Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)
Video recording will be available on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
Riigikogu Press Service
Maris Meiessaar
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