Articulating Wider Smartphone Emerging Security Issues in the Case of M-Government in Turkey

Articulating Wider Smartphone Emerging Security Issues in the Case of M-Government in Turkey

Ronan de Kervenoael, Vasileios Yfantis
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-3691-0.ch010
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Abstract

For the last several years, mobile devices and platform security threats, including wireless networking technology, have been top security issues. A departure has occurred from automatic anti-virus software based on traditional PC defense: risk management (authentication and encryption), compliance, and disaster recovery following polymorphic viruses and malware as the primary activities within many organizations and government services alike. This chapter covers research in Turkey as a reflection of the current market – e-government started officially in 2008. This situation in an emerging country presents the current situation and resistances encountered while engaging with mobile and e-government interfaces. The authors contend that research is needed to understand more precisely security threats and most of all potential solutions for sustainable future intention to use m-government services. Finally, beyond m-government initiatives' success or failure, the mechanisms related to public administration mobile technical capacity building and security issues are discussed.
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Ict In Public Administration

Given the increasingly multi-level nature of service-driven digital economies, management innovation in public sector, understood as new practices and processes intended to further public administration's goals, requires examining the critical role of mobile technologies towards improving IT and people congruence in the delivery of government digital strategy. The issue of Information Communication Technology (ICT thereafter) has become fundamental in debates concerning the future role and shape of governments (Kushchu, 2007; Kushchu & Kuscu, 2003; Avgerou, 2000; Garson, 2006a; Jorgensen & Klay, 2007; West, 2007) and in particular aspects regarding security are now topping the agenda. Cyber threats, security breaches, hacking are regular headlines in the media and an increasingly acute issue on mobile platforms. As mobility becomes more pervasive, these words have become engrained in our work/life culture. Governments across the globe, but particularly in the emerging market need to grapple with how to build both secure and mobile-enabled infrastructures. While mobile technology has become pervasive in emerging markets, security breach is also becoming a concern that is slowing or preventing citizens’ engagement. As such, Turkey, like many other emerging markets, has had a mixed success history with large ICT projects and security in particular. Empirically, many studies have shown the importance of ICT in public administration activities ranging from: overall digital strategies (Kahraman et al., 2007; Ferguson, 2001), impact of e-culture on governments (Hazlett & Hill, 2003), m-government policy issues (Yildiz, 2007; Lam, 2005), service architecture (Sharma & Gupta, 2004; Abramowicz et al., 2006), e-governance (Saxena, 2005; Stahl, 2005; Holliday & Kwok, 2004) to a range of e-government models (Heeks, 2002). While most studies recognize the positive effects of technological development on government service delivery, some also point out traditional concerns regarding, the equity of provision across the entire population and different understanding of the role of the state in society, conflict with the legal system (Moe, 1994) and with anticipation capabilities towards providing services that are needed current and future (Reddick, 2005; Millard, 2006). Yet very few are currently analyzing and discussing the specific issue of security threats (Kurbanoglu, 2004).

In the USA (2014), Cisco and Mobile Work Exchange released findings from a self-assessment tool that highlight some interesting statistics.

  • On mobile devices, 31 percent use a public Wi-Fi connection and 25 percent do not set passwords.

  • 6 percent of government employees who use a mobile device for work say they have lost or misplaced their phone.

  • Despite the Federal Digital Government Strategy, more than one in four government employees have not received mobile security training from their agencies.

  • Only 53 percent of government agencies require employees to register their mobile devices with the IT department v.

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