German media: Why is Germany, the country that invented the computer, struggling with digital transformation?

Germany was once a pioneer in technological innovation, but today it still relies on fax machines and paper to provide basic public services. What is hindering the digital development of the German government's public services?

When moving in Germany, you need to register your new address at the town hall. This usually means calling the town hall, getting an appointment often weeks later, and then personally bringing paper forms to change your address.

Yes, it's already 2025!

What if you forget your health insurance card at the clinic? Some applications can help you - by sending a fax.

Felix Lesner, a staff member of the German IT industry association Bitkom, told DW: "About three-quarters (77%) of German companies still use fax machines. Of these, 25% use them frequently or very frequently."

Why is that? Lesner said: "Most companies say that faxes are essential for communication with public authorities. So, the problem may be right here."

Significantly behind

The EU regularly publishes rankings of digital development among member states, and Germany ranks in the middle among the 27 members. In terms of e-government (digital public services), Germany is particularly behind.

A study by CapGemini showed that Germany ranks 24th among EU member states.

German engineers invented the programmable computer, the SIM card, and MP3 technology. However, today in Germany, registering a car license plate or getting a marriage certificate still requires queuing up.

Frank Reinartz, head of a digital service company in Düsseldorf, told DW, "We don't have problems with strategy or goals, but our issue is how we do things."

Düsseldorf is a city with about 650,000 inhabitants, and only 120 out of 580 administrative services can be accessed online — just slightly over 20%. However, Düsseldorf is considered a digitally advanced city, ranking sixth in the Smart City Index published by the German Information Technology Association, which measures the level of digital services in German cities. In contrast, the capital Berlin doesn't even make it into the top 40.

"Institutional inflation"

The German federal government structure consists of 16 states, which often leads to regions having to find their own solutions.

"We lack software and processes at the federal level," said Reinartz, "for example, nationwide processes like vehicle registration, each city must find its own solution."

Additionally, the concept of "institutional inflation" proposed by Stefanie Köhl from the Berlin SHI Institute has exacerbated this issue.

Köhl and her colleagues at the Berlin SHI Institute investigated and analyzed why digital public services have not truly taken off in Germany over the past 25 years.

"Everyone is doing something, but everyone is doing it separately," she said, "there is a lack of connection between solutions, and sometimes also a lack of compatibility between technologies."

The vision of Reinartz's company for Düsseldorf's digital future is to create a website where local residents can access all public services online.

"If you are a property owner, after logging in, you can see everything about your property tax, your child's kindergarten, and your parking permit," said Reinartz.

Danish Digital Paradise

While Germany is still faxing, its neighbor Denmark has already turned Reinartz's vision into reality.

Jakob Frier from the Danish Digital Center in Copenhagen introduced: "Borger.dk is a one-stop platform where all citizens can access more than 2,000 public services through this digital platform."

Almost all services, from taxes to healthcare, have been digitized. Adam Lebech, deputy director of the Danish Digital Government Agency, said the key is mandatory digital identity (eID).

Lebech said: "Approximately 97% of adults in Denmark have eID, and 83% use it at least once a week."

The digital foundation of Denmark's system is a single identification number called the "Central Population Register" (CPR), which the country introduced in 1968.

Lebech said: "Because all systems use the same identifier, data sharing becomes very easy. This means we can create seamless services across departments. Of course, this is only possible if citizens trust the government."

Although regular surveys show that most Danes trust their government, Germans are more skeptical about centralized data collection by the state due to historical experiences of persecution under the Nazi regime and East Germany's communist regime.

The Third Reich under Hitler and the Communist East Germany both used personal data to monitor people and control their lives.

Source: DW

Original: toutiao.com/article/1852889023183943/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.