CONCLUSION

New information technologies offer many possibilities for
the government to improve the quality and efficiency of
its service to individual Americans. Web sites are power-
ful tools for conveying information on federal activities,
objectives, policies, and programs. Web sites also pro-
vide a simple and quick way for accessing information
about the government and what it is doing on the
individual’s behalf. Congressional interest in the benefits
of e-government and Internet-based operations has re-
sulted in the passage of laws designed to encourage the
deployment of e-government functions, while also pro-
tecting individuals’ privacy. Increasingly, federal agen-
cies are using the World Wide Web and other Internet-
based applications to provide online public access to
information and services, as well as to improve internal
business operations. These developments have naturally
resulted in concerns about protecting the privacy of
individuals for whom (1) information is electronically
available and (2) access to information on federal agency
Web sites is intended. Therefore, for digital government
to succeed, it is critical that agency officials and staff,
such as privacy officers and advocates, disclosure offi-
cials, and survey managers, exercise good stewardship of
the data for which they are responsible. They can exercise
good stewardship by guarding data subjects’ personal
privacy, as well as data confidentiality and security,
through use of cybersecurity practices, such as public
key infrastructure (PKI) technology.