Advertise on podcast: Digital Government Podcast

Following Estonia’s example, Ukraine is launching a Personal Data Access Monitoring Subsystem embedded in Trembita, the government’s secure data exchange platform. The mechanism allows every Ukrainian to see who accessed their personal data stored in government registers. In this episode we host Yurii Kopytin, Senior Expert at the e-Governance Academy, and Hannes Astok, our Executive Director, about what transparency means in practice in Ukraine and, on the side, in Estonia too.  Tune in! 

The topic of data protection spans the entire spectrum of the internet, from when users surf the web to when they benefit from efficient online services as citizens. Cookie banners, privacy policies, GDPR compliance notices – all and more. And yet, for how practical the concept and its implications are, it still remains quite abstract for many. The rules exist, across the globe, actually, but the reality of what happens to your data most often stays invisible. Estonia has taken a different approach. Through the Data Tracker, every Estonian citizen can log in and clearly see who has accessed their personal data in government registers, when it was accessed, and for what purpose. In this episode of the Digital Government Podcast, we speak with Maarja Kirss, Head of Cooperation at the Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate (DPI), about what happens when transparency becomes a working system for the government. Dive in! 

We sit down with Eeva Hellström, Senior Lead in Foresight and Training at the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, to explore one of today’s most urgent questions: how do we value what we cannot see? Eeva explains why traditional economic models overlook the “invisible” factors that increasingly shape our economies. And why failing to recognise them leaves policymakers with critical blind spots. We discuss: ✅ Why digital transformation shouldn’t be measured only by short-term ROI. ✅ The environmental and social costs of we rarely consider. ✅ What “post-growth” means for high-income countries. ✅ Why governments need new indicators of well-being and long-term public value. Tune in! 

In this episode, governance expert Margus Sarapuu cuts through one of the biggest myths in government transformation: that digitalisation and public administration reform can happen separately. Spoiler: they can’t. From Estonia and Ukraine to Moldova, Bangladesh, and Kosovo, Sarapuu shares why digital reforms often stall and how governments can avoid the trap of layering shiny tech on top of unreformed bureaucracy.  If you’re looking at how to build resilient, future-proof governance systems, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in now and join the conversation about what it really takes to make government work in the digital age.

Governments worldwide are eager to harness AI — yet many remain stronger on ambition than readiness.  In this episode, “The Learning Curve for Effective AI in Government,” we talk with Piret Hirv, Head of the Data Management Competence Centre at the e-Governance Academy, about what it takes to turn AI pilots into lasting impact in public services. We also speak with Oscar Del Campo Barxias, Deputy Director General for Entrepreneurship of the Community of Madrid, who shares the lessons learned for implementing AI in public services in the Madrid region.  Tune in! 

In this podcast episode with Dr. Lili Milani, Head of the Estonian Biobank and Professor of Pharmacogenomics at the University of Tartu, we discuss how Estonia’s national biobank has become a trusted platform where science, ethics, and personal agency meet.  The Estonian Biobank began as a research initiative focused on the genetics of disease, but over time, its purpose has deepened and broadened.  “The original goal was to understand how genes relate to diseases so we could improve care,” Milani explains. As more participants joined and the scope of available data expanded, the Biobank grew into a national tool for real, tangible benefits to people’s personal lives.  Tune in! 

Two decades ago, Estonia made democratic history. In 2005, it became the first country to hold legally binding national elections using internet voting.  At the time, it was a bold and technically complex initiative. But twenty years later, i-voting has not only endured – it has grown to become the preferred method for a majority of Estonian voters.  What can we learn from this story of digital continuity? In this podcast episode, Liia Hänni, digital democracy expert and former Estonian Minister, and Arne Koitmäe, Head of Estonia's State Electoral Office, take us through a journey in retrospect – without forgetting to look ahead.   Tune in! 

When cybersecurity becomes a national and societal priority, the challenge for governments is to ensure relevant messages resonate broadly, are easily understood, and are culturally meaningful.  This means going beyond technical language or one-size-fits-all solutions, and instead working with local trends, social dynamics, and communication habits that shape how citizens engage with digital risks.  In this podcast episode, Rica Williams, Senior Expert at the e-Governance Academy, and Moldovan journalist Svetlana Gore share how Moldova is turning digital safety into a whole-of-society conversation.  Capitalising on all resources available, Moldova embraced creative and community-based strategies to embed cybersecurity into public life – with approaches ranging from digital street interviews to campaigns on public transport.  Tune in! 

Can Europe really reclaim control over its digital destiny, or dependency on foreign tech giants looms ahead?  Global power structures, trade, and value chains are being reshaped – today. And with reliance on foreign digital infrastructure running deep, Europe is at a crossroads. Paul Timmers, outgoing Chairman of e-Governance Academy and Visiting Professor at KU Leuven, joins us in this Podcast episode to discuss why EuroStack might just be the answer Europe needs. At its core, EuroStack stands for a simple but powerful idea: Europe should be able to rely on itself when it matters most. But, as Timmers quickly points out, that doesn't mean shutting others out.  “It’s not protectionism. Rather, we need to address the critical dependencies we have, and ensure we keep a say in shaping our digital future.” Tune in! 

Montenegro’s digital journey has been one of deliberate reconstruction and collaboration. In 2022, a major cyberattack exposed critical gaps in the country’s digital infrastructure.  The experience sent shockwaves through Montenegro’s public administration and made it abundantly clear that preparedness on paper does not equal resilience in reality.   Instead of responding with short-term fixes, public institutions focused on long-term change. They initiated a wide-ranging transformation, strengthening cyber capabilities, forming new partnerships, and prioritising resilience not as an end goal, but as an everyday practice.   In this podcast episode, we take a privileged look at what that transformation felt like from the inside with Dušan Polović, Director General for Infrastructure, Information Security, Digitalisation and e-Services at the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro, and Milan Sekuloski, Senior Cybersecurity Expert at the e-Governance Academy.   Tune in! 

Bureaucracy – everybody’s favourite colleague. A structure that ensures governance, compliance, and stability, however, at the cost of efficiency and agility.   Is bureaucracy a necessary evil? No need to wonder anymore, in this episode of the Podcast with Margus Sarapuu, Senior Expert at e-Governance Academy. Seasoned in public sector innovation, he comes from the recent experience with Estonia's Zero Bureacracy initiative, within a wider framework of real-time economy plans taking place across the EU.  We shed light on how digital transformation can help governments cut red tape, enhance efficiency, and drive economic growth by addressing the details that matter. However, this also highlights the differences across the globe in how this is done.  Tune in! 

When catastrophic floods struck Brazil’s state of Rio Grande do Sul in May 2024, the devastation was swift and far-reaching. Nearly 200 lives were lost, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and critical infrastructure - from roads to water systems - was brought to a standstill.  But in the eye of the storm, something else emerged: a remarkable story of how digital governance can respond to climate disaster.   In this podcast episode, we feature Gabriel Souza, Vice Governor of Rio Grande do Sul, who recounts how the regional government responded with digital adaptation, coordinated leadership, and institutional learning in the face of unprecedented crisis.  “We really innovated a lot,” he notes, reflecting on the urgency and innovation that emerged from the chaos. “We created a myriad of tools that are now part of the legacy of the crisis,” resulting from on-the-ground creativity under pressure.  A vivid example of how data, public trust, and agile governance structures can converge in a time of disaster to deliver solutions and reshape the future.  Tune in! 

Ukraine’s digital transformation is a masterclass in the power of purpose-driven leadership amidst adversity, where resilience and clarity of vision have turned crisis into opportunity. More than simply the evolution of services or infrastructure, the country’s experience is rooted in reimagining how a state serves its citizens under extraordinary circumstances. Facing systemic challenges, a full-scale military invasion by Russia, and economic strain, Ukraine pushed forward, proving that digital governance too can contribute to upholding the core values of protecting sovereignty and democracy. In many ways and for many reasons, this is a special episode. Valeriya Ionan, Advisor to the Vice Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, and Hannes Astok, Executive Director of e-Governance Academy, dissect the remarkable trajectory that has seen Ukraine move from fragmented governance to championing digital resilience. All the while strengthening Ukraine's European aspirations, amplifying public trust, and much, much more through an era defined by uncertainty and rapid change.  Tune in!  

At the Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School this year, an idea resonated across sessions: our digital world is entwined into the fabric of society, influencing our security, values, and future prosperity.  In this podcast episode, we sat down for a conversation on technology, diplomacy and values with Johanna Weaver, Executive Director of the Tech Policy Design Institute, Australia. She offers a perspective that breaks away from technicism and focuses on what matters down the line – how can we embed fairness, trust, and resilience into the technologies we create?  "Diplomacy in the digital age is no longer optional," Weaver says, making clear that our choices today will define the digital world of the future. The introduction of values into digital systems starts at the design stage and must be reinforced through policy, education, and diplomacy. What we decide today will shape the face and substance of technology tomorrow. T une in!

In cyberspace, borders are invisible, but the consequences are very real. As states continue integrating digital tools into national defence, diplomacy, and daily governance, the question of how international law applies to this domain has become increasingly urgent. The Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School sharpens this conversation with sessions that this year include speakers Liis Vihul, CEO of Cyber Law International, and Agnes Kasper, Head of the Law Branch at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE). So, we brought them together. In this second instalment of our dedicated podcast mini-series to the Cyber Diplomacy fest taking place in Tallinn, we dug deep into what makes momentum grow among countries to shape and publish national positions on international law in cyberspace, with all the complexity, ambiguity, and realpolitik that surround this effort laid bare too.