Digital State, Digital Citizen: Making Fair and Effective Rules for a Digital World

Abstract

The world is connected — governments, business and people are increasingly living and working in a globally connected digital space. People no longer identify themselves as belonging to spatial communities (neighborhood, town, city or country) but by subscribing to digital ecosystems like Apple or Android, Facebook or VKontakte, etc. Governments use digital platforms at the local, regional and national levels to administer certain powers and procedures (even electoral campaigns) and to get feedback from their citizens. As citizens become digital citizens — connected to a wide range of internet resources including electronic government, banking, local management systems, as well as to social media and global internet companies such as Google and Yandex — they simultaneously become subject to rights, rules, laws, and regulations locally and globally. But what are those rights and rules and what do they entail? Who has the responsibility of ensuring that all citizens have equal access to them and are protected from exploitation? What governs the way that global and local digital businesses operate? The article discusses the exercise and protection of rights in online and offline ecosystems in Russia with special attention given to enabling participation by citizens and to multiple stakeholders online and offline. The recommendations and conclusions here may be applicable to all countries experiencing digital transformation.