Most states rely on paper bureaucracy to ensure that the state can function and provide services. Paper bureaucracy has been part and parcel of how we maintain states and corporations since the Chinese invented the first paper bureaucracy systems of management 3000 years ago. But as you all probably know, bureaucracy kinda sucks. It costs a lot to maintain, and in the worst cases bureaucracy can turn a state into a labyrinthian monstrosity that can be near to impossible to navigate.
Estonia is a Baltic country that in recent years has been embarking on reform programs that are intended to change this. Estonia is a “Paperless state” meaning a state that has effectively removed all paper from it’s bureaucracy and replaced it with a digital state structure. In this short video I would like to introduce you to the digital state and argue for it.
It wouldn’t really affect u even if ur id got deleted. Let me explain. Ur id is nothing but information correct (your name, address, etc.). The same goes with contracts. What makes ur id special is that the government has verified it to be legit.
A very simple way of doing this is by making the government cryptographically sign ur id/contact. I would really recommend getting a functional understanding of how public-private key cryptography works. Basically, the government just has to put up its public key online. If u have ur id, u can verify if the document is issued by the government using their public key.
As long as the public key stays there, and u don’t lose ur id and contracts they won’t technically be lost.
Also, if the public key suddenly changes/disappears without being notice, everyone would know that something’s up. It’s like ur government building’s staff was suddenly replaced.
I have an intermediate understanding of how it works. 👍
Ah, yeah… Therein might lie an issue. 😅
But that’s an issue with papered systems as well, no?
I guess it is, but I’m assuming the government has a better system of keeping track of my papers than I would have of keeping track of my digital keys/identities. What if there’s a fire and I lose my key pair without a backup? I’m screwed.
The government would have a copy as well! It’s just that it’s very hard for an entire government’s data and your data to get wiped at the same time.
The government would have a copy of my public and private key?
Hmm, alright, I guess. It goes against my gut regarding key pairs but in this instance I guess it would be necessary. 😅
Nooo ur documents. Not ur private key lol (it wouldn’t exactly be private now, would it). Let’s say u lose ur private key. U would have to manually do shit like u do when u lose ur passport.
What I’m saying is, ur identity being deleted only if the government AND u lose all ur data on all devices at the same time. Which is incredibly unlikely.
It’s like saying, “I don’t trust a papered system because the state buildings and my house could burn at the same time with my documents in them”
Oh I see. So they have my data encrypted with their private keys. And I have my data encrypted with my own key? Or did I get lost again? 🫣