# Evaluating a Proposed E-Government Stage Model in Terms of Personal Data Protection
## 1 Introduction  
Governments all over the world are changing the way they provide information and public services to citizens, as well as the way they interact with those who use governmental services. This change is a result of the introduction of the Internet and the enormous advancements in Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). Governments, both on a local and national scale, are posting critical information on the Internet, automating their major and minor procedures, and communicating electronically with their citizens in nearly every corner of the world. This phenomenon is referred to as \"digital governance\" or \"e-government\". One of the main challenges in the creation and implementation of an e-government is the security and privacy concerns, which have been the subject of much research [1]. Verifying and authenticating user identities; ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and availability; and protecting user privacy are the key security and privacy concerns related to e-government services. These problems also exist, although to a lesser extent, with online apps. Strong authentication mechanisms are necessary to confirm the identities of users of these services, given the increasing availability of advanced e-government services, and to provide secure and trustworthy information that is only accessible to authorized individuals. To utilize these linked services, these authentication mechanisms require users to provide personally identifiable information to government websites. However, the use of these security measures to confirm user identities while providing e-government services, and the potential for data sharing across government agencies, have raised privacy concerns and hindered user adoption of these services [2; 3; 4]. Numerous attempts have been made to address this conundrum in previous studies. In order to ensure the security of their systems and the privacy of their citizens, governments must focus their efforts on implementing high-security protocols. Such actions will enhance the public's perception of the government and encourage the use of its services. Secure communication must be guaranteed at all times. As potential attack vectors, networkparticipants could be breached and misused. For example, during communication, an attacker may intercept and alter messages [5]. How frequently users use the service and visit the website can be a good indicator of their satisfaction. It has been found that offering secure and privacy-focused solutions to individuals can improve their satisfaction and trust in an e-government. Protecting citizens' online privacy is crucial for the development of an e-government. The acceptance and use of e-government services in developing countries continue to pose significant challenges, including the digital divide among the population, inadequate e-government services, and limited access to technology [6]. These issues will likely persist in developing countries, but governments can enhance stakeholder participation in e-government programs by incorporating appropriate protection measures when planning e-government projects. E-government maturity models, often referred to as stage models, can serve as guidelines for creating e-government projects. According to [7], an increasing number of e-government initiatives in developing countries are not following current e-government trends. Statistics show that cyberattacks and data breaches are becoming more prevalent in developing countries, while the occurrence of major breaches is decreasing in the West. To foster trust among users, the protection of personal information is crucial in e-government systems, as it provides citizens with a sense of ownership. E-government installations maintain citizens' personal information using secure protocols to ensure their protection. To preserve privacy, measures such as organizational, social, legal, and technical measures must be in place [8]. Some scholars argue that passing laws to protect data privacy is of utmost importance.