The 15th IFIP Electronic Government (EGOV) and 8. Electronic Participation (ePart) Conference took place from September 5-8 in Guimaraes, Portugal. I presented two papers at this conference which are published as Open Access publications.
- Inclusion and Privacy in E-Participation Platform Design (Judith Schossböck, Oliver Terbu, Michael Sachs, Maria Leitner, Vinzenz Heussler, Gregor Wenda, Arndt Bonitz, Walter Hötzendorfer, Peter Parycek, Stefan Vogl, Sebastian Zehetbauer)
- Current Practice and Challenges of Data Use and Web Analytics in Online Participations (Igor Serov, Maria Leitner, Stefanie Rinderle-Ma)
Inclusion and Privacy in E-Participation Platform Design [Link]
Abstract: Austria has seen some efforts in e-participation initiatives during the last years. However, a single platform comprising many e-participation levels and activities for a broader target group is so far missing. In the project ePartizipation researchers and practitioners worked on a platform demonstrator that integrates multiple online identification methods and offers activities on different levels of e-participation. This paper describes the conceptualisation of the platform and the inherent design principles, the first project results, in particular related to strategies aiming at enhancing inclusion and privacy, and the experiences from the project team.
Current Practice and Challenges of Data Use and Web Analytics in Online Participations [Link]
Abstract: Information system design and implementation are key factors for electronic participatory processes and procedures. How information systems are designed does not only affect the procedures but also influences the trust building between organizers, operators and participants. In addition, the implementation often has to adhere to legal standards. In this paper, we aim to investigate current practice of data use in online participations. In particular, a qualitative analysis is conducted and 18 online participations are investigated on their data use, i.e. use of participant information, cookies and web analytics. The results show that most projects require and request data during site visits (e.g., IP address, browser type) and for active participation (e.g., name, email). The real benefit, however, for the use of web analytics is often unclear. Furthermore, often proprietary solutions for web analytics are used, even tough open source solutions (i.e. that store data locally) exist. For future projects, it is recommended to not only define but also keep privacy policies updated (according to the used technology) and to specify the purpose and goals of using web analytics.
The proceedings can be downloaded here.