Information technology and power: Russian Ministry of Mass Communications implemented some services for e-democracy

The main achievements of the Ministry of Mass Communications of the Russian Federation in the field of e-democracy have been identified in the report of the Ministry of Communications at the First Federal Congress on e-democracy, which took place on 17-18 May 2012 in Moscow. Working in this field, the Ministry is guided by the state program "Information Society". Ministry of Communications has already implemented a number of electronic services and information resources to ensure the participation of citizens in the debate on public governance.

First of all it is "E-democracy" information system, which ensures the participation of citizens and organizations in the formulation, discussion and decision-making regarding the government bodies. There is also a system that allows it to function fully - a unified system of identification and authentication of users, which allows the exclusion of anonymity while using information resources. Currently, it operates on the portal of public services. Soon the National e-mail system (Gospochta) will be launched, enabling to process electronic addresses of citizens behind closed doors. In addition, to create sites of government bodies, a unified technology platform has been developed. All these systems are integrated into the infrastructure of e-government.

The system of "Electronic democracy" is designed in such a way that allows its use at both the federal and the regional and municipal levels. It gives citizens the opportunity to access the single point of entry to the services of the discussions, polls, surveys, monitoring the activities of officials and authorities, as well as the work of independent experts and expert communities. It is important that all information is provided in relation to one’s home, neighborhood, city, i. e. people can immediately see what interests and concerns them. The system also allows citizens to evaluate the work of any official holding a public office, to see the ratings of public officials and government bodies at all levels.

Currently, the system "Electronic democracy" is operated in trial version in the three regions (Ulyanovsk, Ivanovo, Moscow Oblast), 60 municipalities are e already using the system. All the regions have received an information letter and by today about 50 of them have expressed interest in using the system.

The representative of the Ministry of Communications also told about the site builder, which had been developed for municipal authorities. This service will not only save budget money, but also ensure for the agency the compliance with the Federal Law "On providing access to information about the activities of state bodies and local self-government."

At the site of the "E-democracy" there is available for public discussion, "The concept of development of e-democracy mechanisms in the Russian Federation until 2020." It provides the definition of the concept of "electronic democracy", describes the factors influencing its development in Russia, defines the goals, objectives, main trends of development in this area and the ways to achieve them.