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Japan: Govts Rely on Free Web Services / Tight Budgets Lead Entities to Hand Public Info to Private Sector |
| Source: |
yomiuri.co.jp |
| Source Date: |
Friday, July 06, 2012 |
| Focus: |
Knowledge Management in Government
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| Country: |
Japan |
| Created: |
Jul 10, 2012 |
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Administrative entities have become increasingly dependent on free Internet services provided by the private sector, but the fact that private information is being provided to the public sector as a result has remained largely unaddressed.
The social networking site Facebook has become an increasingly common tool, with at least one city transferring its entire homepage to the site. Other entities rely on Google Inc.'s network analysis service to learn about the browsing habits of visitors to their websites.
As budgets are tight in many places, services that are both free and useful are welcome. But when used by government entities, public data is handed over to the private sector and so far there are no clear guidelines on what to do if problems occur.
People who study the Internet have raised questions over how information is managed through such services.
The city of Takeo, Saga Prefecture, moved its website to its Facebook page in August last year. The city said this has made it easier to publicize events and other information in detail. The move also considerably reduced maintenance costs, the city said.
However, the city may face objections when it begins offering electronic application services on its Facebook page, which would require residents to register for a Facebook account using their real names. Residents would thus be forced to hand over personal information to a private company to access government services.
Many government entities currently operate both a website and a Facebook page, including the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, the city of Kumamoto and the town government of Kawaminami, Miyazaki Prefecture.
The ministry, for instance, posted information on its Facebook page about a science satellite operated by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration that fell to earth in September.
However, information in emergencies could possibly be unavailable if Facebook decided to suspend its services or ran into technical difficulties. There are no guidelines that describe how problems should be dealt with, and Facebook only said it hopes users will cope with problems on their own.
In addition, several ministries and agencies study web-browsing habits on their websites using a free, private-sector network analysis service.
Google's Google Analytics software allows website operators to learn when and what pages users visit and for how long. Although no names are identified, the service allows website operators to analyze users' habits and interests.
According to the U.S. Internet service company, more than 10 million websites use the analysis service worldwide.
Many administrative entities are believed to use the service in Japan and at least five organizations have confirmed they use the service, including the Foreign Ministry, Finance Ministry and Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. The other two organizations are the Japan Tourism Agency and the Ground Self-Defense Force.
These entities said they use the analysis service to learn about browsing trends to improve their homepages. But they are believed to be attracted most by the fact that the service is free. Paying for a private company to provide a similar service can cost from 1 million yen to 2.5 million yen per year.
However, although Google Analytics says in its terms of service it does not disclose information to third parties, the firm allows the use of information collected by its in-house network system.
The terms of service do not address damages or other compensation that could be sought if information was accidentally leaked.
Governments in the United States and Europe are wary of such services. In the United States, government entities are required to announce beforehand when they will be used.
Under data protection rules set by the European Union, information on Internet usage cannot be collected without the consent of the browser. In late May, Britain enacted a law that stipulates punishments for those who obtain personal information without prior consent.
The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, which has jurisdiction over the protection of personal information held by administrative agencies, said the use of the analysis service is not problematic. According to the ministry, the information exchanged cannot be considered private because the individual users are not identified.
Lawyer and privacy specialist Hisamichi Okamura, however, said that even though individual users are not identified, the information collected allows the government to grasp the public's interests in diplomacy, defense and other matters.
"It seems questionable for governments to use such services without first discussing the fact that they are giving information to a private entity," Okamura said.
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Japan: Govts Rely on Free Web Services / Tight Budgets Lead Entities to Hand Public Info to Private Sector Administrative entities have become increasingly dependent on free Internet services provided by the private sector but the fact that private information is being provided to the public sector as a result has remained largely unaddressed
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