The Information Society and the citizen
The European Commission's Information Society Project Office (ISPO) has published a report, entitled "The Information Society and the Citizen", which gives a picture of the availability and use of information and communication systems in Europe. The report summarizes the state of development of the Information Society in Europe, including the involvement of citizens in its development and use and the contributions of the European Union. The Information Society in Europe is then compared with the state of development in other countries. The new opportunities and benefits which are being opened up for European citizens by the development of the Information Society are explored. New opportunities are outlined in a variety of situations, including at work, for travel and transport, in the home, at school and university, at the doctor's and in hospital, and in the local community. The report concludes that for the Information Society to develop fully in Europe, a number of challenges need to be met. There needs to be access for everyone to the new technologies and services, while new European information services need to be developed to make use of these new technologies. Finally, the greater access to information and services must not be at the expense of citizens' privacy, and secure systems to allow transfer of money on-line must be developed.