You need to be information literate. The ability to find content efficiently and effectively The ability to evaluate content critically and competently The ability to use content accurately and creatively The ability to create quality content and to collaborate with others in the creation of content At another level, the editor or manager of a website within a government environment needs to have all the above skills and more. A key challenge government faces is how to improve the information literacy skills of its civil servants and all its citizens. Let us not fool ourselves into thinking this is an easy task. According to a survey of Internet penetration by Nikkei Business Publications published in November 2000, the digital divide is alive and well in Japan, where Internet access seems to be largely determined by income and geographic location.
Privacy is one of the most important issues to people who use the Internet.
Study after study shows that people are concerned that their personal information will be taken from them without them knowing, and used for reasons they are not aware of and do not agree with. An example of such a study was one published by Gallup in November 2000, which found that 60 percent of Americans were very concerned about legal documents, property tax information, and large electronic databases such as telephone directories. Almost 40 percent of respondents were worried about commercial websites collecting marketing information by tracking customers' behavior online. Government has a twin function here, in creating legislation that protects people s privacy, and in ensuring that its own websites adhere to the highest privacy standards. The Internet is still somewhat a gray area when it comes to content, legal, and copyright issues.