Canada keeps e-gov crown

For the second straight year, Canada topped Accenture Ltd.'s list of e-gov leaders. Singapore, the United States, Australia, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Finland, Hong Kong, Germany and Ireland round out the top 10 countries in the study, "Realizing the Vision."

Staff of the Hamilton, Bermuda, management consulting and technology services firm conducted the study in 23 countries between Jan. 7 and 18.

As governments create new electronic services, they must consider cross-agency integration, data security, individual privacy, governance structures, national security, global competitiveness and protection of civil liberties. Governments are dealing with these issues by creating uniform privacy practices, digital signature standards and encryption standards for sensitive information, the study said.