National profile for eGovernment IDM initiatives in Malta

General status and most significant systems

Malta issues traditional ID card to its citizens. No public sector e-ID cards exist at this time, although there are plans to roll out an eID card by 2008.

By contrast, the Maltese government does issue electronic identities (e-IDs) in the form of certificates to its citizens, which can be used for a variety of eGovernment services.

The Maltese government also emphasises the development of m-Government services.

For a general overview of Maltese eGovernment policy, see http://www.gov.mt/egovernment.asp?p=106&l=1 and http://www.emalta.gov.mt/

History, Scope and Goals

The Maltese government has been shaping its eGovernment programme through multi-year strategic plans and white papers, starting from 1998.

The first significant results of these policies were released in 2003, including:

• the online certificate portal, which allows Maltese citizens to electronically order civil status certificates (specifically birth, marriage and death certificates; see http://www.certifikati.gov.mt.
• the deployment of MAGNET, a government-wide Intranet (MAlta Government NETwork). All public officials can use this network to exchange electronic information. This network was partially replaced by MAGNET II in July 2005. MAGNET II mostly increased bandwidth, availability and security. The network also supports VoIP^? telephony.
• the Maltese government was also one of the first to begin deploying "m-government" or mobile government services. This programme offers access to a limited set of services through mobile phones, networked PDAs or other mobile devices. These services include the reception of: * Notifications via SMS of court deferrals * Notifications via SMS for license-renewal to the holders of licenses * Notification of exams results * Notification for Direct Credit Payments from the Department of Social Security (Source: http://www.miti.gov.mt/site/page.aspx?pageid=344; see also http://www.mobile.gov.mt/)
• an on-line crime reporting website was also launched in 2003, focussing on smaller crimes and information exchange. Users of the portal receive a reference number and a password that enable them to keep track of their file follow-up. See http://pulizija.gov.mt/

From an IDM perspective, March 2004 saw the most significant advancement, when the Ministry for Investment, Industry and Information Technology (which replaced Malta’s Central Information Management Unit (CIMU) in September 2005) launched the Electronic Identity (eID), a programme developed by Microsoft Corporation.

Unlike in many other Member States, the eID is not yet incorporated into an ID card. Rather, it is a simple certificate that Maltese citizens can use to identify and authenticate themselves when accessing certain public services. The eID is not mandatory, and must be requested in person at a District Office of the Department of Social Security with a copy of their paper ID card and a valid e-mail address. The e-mail address is then used to validate the eID request electronically. (Source: https://gov.mt/portal/(wxducl55ohjuze55vhhpwteh)/randaregister.aspx?l=2)

eID cards are currently being examined, and a Maltese eID card is expected to be rolled out in 2008.

One further eGovernment service of note is the Electronic Payment Gateway (ePG - http://www.gov.mt/egovernment.asp?p=141&l=1), an online public payment platform. Maltese citizens can use the platform to pay their taxes or social contributions through the internet.

Technology

[to be developed]

Applications

Additional applications that will make use of the eID's capabilities are continuously under development. Current applications include:

• matters related to Income Tax and falling under the Department of Inland Revenue including electronic Income tax returns, tax reduction forms, corporate tax returns, Employers’ Social Security Contributions (http://www.ird.gov.mt)
• The sending of official examination results by the Department of Education to students via mobile telephony as well as online applications for exams (http://www.exams.gov.mt)
• Online submission of VAT returns as well as facilities to view balances for tax periods, registration of VAT numbers through the VAT Department (http://www.vat.gov.mt)
• Online application and renewal of passports (http://www.passaporti.gov.mt)
• Online filing of reports to the Police (http://www.police.gov.mt)
• Online application and renewal of vehicle licences (http://www.licences.gov.mt)
• Online application for building permits issued by the Maltese Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) (http://www.mepa.org.mt)
• A number of Social Services applications and statements launched by the Ministry for Family and Social Solidarity (http://www.msp.gov.mt)
• Online Registry of Companies launched by MFSA which also caters for electronic incorporation of companies and the electronic filing of company accounts (http://www.mfsa.com.mt)

(Source: https://gov.mt/portal/(0xnrry45gfnfec555kio4tbg)/randahelp.aspx?l=2)

The Maltese government also plans to make the system accessible to trusted third parties in order to ensure an optimal economic benefit.

Existing issues

• The Maltese government is currently a proponent of issuing a single electronic identity to each citizen and business alike, and even to extending temporary identities to non-nationals. These identities are managed by private sector parties, which requires extensive and rigid privacy protection mechanisms. It is currently unknown in what manner the necessary safeguards have been implemented.
• Additionally, the issuance of temporary IDs is an interesting workaround for certain difficulties surrounding the provision of cross-border eGovernment services, but it is certainly not a complete solution to this problem. While the Maltese government has never presented temporary identities as a solution to cross-border services, the availability of such identities may actually prove to be a deterrent to the development of real cross-border interoperability in IDM systems.
• The eID solution was developed by the private sector, and is thus not exclusively under public sector control. This may increase the risks to future use (e.g. regarding openness of standards, expansion of capabilities, licensing issues etc.), depending on the contractual framework agreed upon.

Analysis: successes, failures and lessons learned

• The Maltese eID scheme is intrinsically flexible. Plans exist to issue temporary electronic identities to e.g. tourists, in order to access a limited set of public services.
• The Maltese government is also one of the most vocal supporters of m-government. As a result, the Maltese situation could potentially provide a test case for the uptake of and public demand for such eGovernment services.
• This intrinsic flexibility could also potentially facilitate the implementation of cross-border functionality.
• The Maltese governemnt has shown itself to be a proponent of public-private partnerships, not only through the eID programme (developed by Microsoft), but also for the m-Government solutions (offered through partnerships with go Mobile and Vodafone. This could improve a rapid uptake.

Expected future developments

The Maltese government announced their ambition of issuing electronic identities to all Maltese nationals and businesses in their latest eGovernment Strategy Plan (see http://www.miti.gov.mt/docs/ITStrategy.pdf). The allocation of temporary identities to non-nationals (e.g. tourists) is also currently being considered.

The existing eID mechanism will be refined in three steps. The first phase will be the provision of a pin code to each citizen for him/her to be able to authenticate himself when requesting e-Government services. The second level will be the widespread distribution of digital certificates to businesses and agents, whilst the third level would consist of smart card integration with the new identity cards being issued by central Government. (Source: http://www.gov.mt/egovernment.asp?p=113&l=1)

In addition, the following m-government services are currently being developed:

• Notification via SMS by the blood bank to advise registered blood donors when urgent needs for blood arise.
• Notification via SMS to parents from their children’s school to inform them if their children are absent from school on that day
• Notifications via SMS from the public libraries to individuals who have placed a reservation for a book
• Bus schedule availability via SMS
• Notification of job opportunities from ETC to individuals who have selected specific areas of employment
• Reporting incidents or relevant information to the Police Force

(Source: http://www.gov.mt/egovernment.asp?p=106&l=1)

-- hans.modinisidm - 30 Jan 2006