News item | 22-12-2023 | 2:36 PM
At the proposal of State Secretary Van Huffelen (Kingdom Relations and Digitalisation), the Council of Ministers has approved the sending of the digitalisation collection letter to the House of Representatives. This is the first time that multiple topics in the digital field are presented to parliament together as much as possible. The letter includes progress on the objectives and action points from the Values-Driven Digitalization Work Agenda presented last year and the plans for 2024.
State Secretary Van Huffelen: “Digitalization waits for no one. Only with strong guidance can we ensure that your data is not simply shared, children are protected online and new technologies work for people and not the other way around. I hope and trust for a constructive conversation with the new House of Representatives and the Senate next year about steering these comprehensive and incredibly impactful developments in the right direction.”
Everyone should be able to participate in the digital age. The efforts of the government and social partners contributed to the number of Dutch people with basic digital skills growing from 79% to 83%. The government has now more than achieved the European target for 2030: by that year, 80 percent of the EU population must have at least basic digital skills. This is a great start, but it remains necessary to continue investing in the digital skills of all Dutch people in 2024. The government is doing this, among other things, by making digital literacy part of the curriculum in primary and secondary education and courses in libraries for everyone who wants to learn more.
Decision in principle ‘gov.nl’
Trust in the digital world is an important condition for full participation. Based on security considerations and international examples, the government has taken a decision in principle to opt for the government extension ‘.gov.nl.’ To gain insight into the financial and organizational consequences, the government is conducting an implementation test on the realization of various extensions.
In addition to the uniform domain name extension, the government is also working on the Register of Government Internet Domains (RIO) as a source where citizens can go for a quick check on the authenticity of government websites. Now you can already go to, for example veiliginternetten.nl and digihulp.nl. In 2024, the register will be expanded to include the websites of the local authorities. User surveys will then also be used to investigate how citizens can best be supported when they need help about government websites.
Safe use of AI
Trust in the digital world also requires that we continue to prepare for technologies that are developing rapidly. In 2023, the opportunities, risks and government’s perspective for action will therefore be mapped out for immersive technology and generative AI. The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has also started as algorithm supervisor. The tasks include identifying, analyzing and reporting algorithm risks. In 2024, the government will make it possible to intensify the activities of the Coordination Algorithms directorate within the AP with the associated budget of € 2 million in 2024.
When it comes to the use of generative AI by government organizations, recent advice is to only do so if there is demonstrable compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The government therefore wants to promote the use of generative AI within the government and in the various sectors in a safe and responsible manner. For this reason, the government-wide vision on generative AI will be published in January 2024.
Control over your own data
Everyone should have control over their own digital life. Every citizen must have control over their own personal data and its use. The government is working on this by, where possible, allowing the government to view its own data and having errors corrected. Furthermore, citizens must be able to determine, within the limits of the law, with whom data is shared. To ensure that this happens in a responsible manner, legislation, frameworks and supervision are needed. For example, in 2024, money will be structurally released for supervision of the use of cookies by the AP.
In addition, the Netherlands is taking the lead in this by working on a reliable, secure and privacy-friendly digital identity. That is why we are working on a digital identity wallet with which a user can log in and share data. A working, first version of this Dutch open source example wallet is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2024
Strengthen CIO Rijk
Full-fledged digitalization of the government is required for success in the first 3 lines of the work agenda and also for the government itself to function properly, internally and externally. To achieve this, the government must work openly and driven by public values. Another way to improve the responsible use of digitalization is to strengthen the system for this Chief Information Officers (CIO). These are responsible for digitalization within the central government. The government wants to further strengthen the role of the CIO in 2024 and thereby enable them to ensure, for example, that information management is in order, the quality of IT systems is improved, problematic legacy is being addressed and digital services continue to improve. Therefore, the CIO system will be evaluated and revised. Particular attention is paid to the coordinating role of CIO Rijk.
Introduction of Citizen Service Number (BSN) in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom
The government believes it is important that citizens and companies in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom also benefit from the opportunities of values-driven digitalization and that they are able to mitigate the risks of digitalization. That is not yet sufficiently the case. That is why we have started strengthening the government’s digital services, improving the digital infrastructure and increasing the knowledge and skills of citizens and companies. Preparations for the introduction of a Citizen Service Number (BSN) and DigiD started in 2023. The government is also improving address and building registration. In 2024, aerial photographs and height measurements of the Caribbean Netherlands will be made digitally available. This marks the very first step towards the introduction of basic registrations. Similar issues also exist in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten that we are solving together.