E-government: digital services for public administration

E-government covers any digital interaction between a citizen and a public body, such as filing taxes online, renewing a passport via a government portal, or taking part in a public consultation. The key contrast is that the service must come from a public administration, not a private company. For example, booking a doctor's appointment through a national health service website counts as e-government, but using a private telemedicine app does not. Similarly, paying a parking fine on a city council site is e-government, whereas buying a product on Amazon is e-commerce, even if the seller is a government-owned shop.

To avoid mix-ups, focus on the actor providing the service: if it is a local, regional, or national government body, it is e-government; if it is a business or non-profit, it is not. Another trick is to look for civic rights language—voting, consulting, accessing public records—which signals e-government rather than e-health or e-learning. Cross-border identity services, like using your national ID to log into another EU country's tax portal, are also e-government, so do not assume it only applies within one country. If a question mentions a digital signature for a government form, that is e-government too.

Remember it as 'gov dot something': if the service ends with .gov or .eu and involves a public authority, it is e-government. To test yourself, ask: 'Would this service exist without a government?' If yes, it is likely e-government; if no, it is probably e-commerce or another domain.