When Estonia escaped Soviet occupation and regained its independence in 1991, it took a propitious turn to the internet. In seeking to establish a new, democratic government, the northern European nation began building digital services, setting a foundation that would lead it eventually to become one of the world’s most thoroughly connected governments. Liisa-Ly Pakosta, Estonia’s minister of justice and digital affairs, told the Priorities Podcast that it was natural for the country to select “the cheapest, most effective” way to deliver digital services. Today, she said, Estonia’s digital services enjoy a high level of confidence from the public, even when the government itself does not enjoy that same level of trust. “The most important lesson learned, though, was that you can’t build a digital state without trust,” she said. “And trust is the most important thing.” Drawing on lessons from private industry, particularly the banking industry, Pakosta said, Estonia developed digital services that gave users the impression that they were in control. Moreover, the aim was always to provide those services to everyone: “People have a right to be full members of digital society, even if they don’t have a single gadget.” Top stories this week: California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced that the state has negotiated a contract with Anthropic to provide agencies access to Claude, the company’s AI assistant, at half cost. Newsom said the aim is to aid the work of state workers, not replace them. The Federal Communication Commission voted last week to approve a broad review of the federal E-Rate broadband subsidy program. Advocacy groups said the review, which could lead to limiting or even eliminating the program, is an attack on schools and libraries. In a commentary for StateScoop, two experienced election administrators wrote that last-minute changes to the nation’s election systems that are being imposed by the Trump administration could come at a high cost. Changes, especially those on tight timelines, they wrote, increase the risk of operational errors, technical failures and voter confusion. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.
