IT and Society: Nov. 26 – World Information Day

On the initiative of the International Academy of Information November 26 is celebrated as the World Information Day. It has been held annually since 1994. On this very day in 1992 kicked off the first International Information Forum.

In recent years following the world trend Russia attaches paramount importance to building of the information society in the country. The fundamental document in this area for the next years will become the national program “Information society” which will span 2011 - 2020. The document covers 6 areas: “e-govt”, improved citizens’ live conditions and boosted conditions for business running, elimination of information inequality, information society security, development of the Information and Communication technologies market and preservation of the cultural heritage.

One of the most important areas of Russian society’s informatization is development of Internet Technologies. As to the latest polls, almost 40% of the Russian population is reported to be Internet users. 3G and 4G mobile broadband Internet technologies are now being actively introduced. In the near future Internet will enable people of Russia to get a number of govt services in the “e-govt”. It will become possible due to the Unified Govt Services portal, which was launched in the end of the last year. Presently the portal offers information on more than 470 federal govt services, dozens of them give opportunity to submit applications and forms. Today the website numbers about 250 000 registered users of Russia.