Kersti Kaljulaid, Estonia's youngest and first female president, spoke at USC on Wednesday about Estonia's shift to a digital society. The country has turned to digital platforms that allow Estonians to pay taxes online and send encrypted emails.
"Two percent of GDP is saved simply from signing electronically," President Kaljulaid said. "99 percent of Estonia's transactions are done online."
During her term as president, she has done a significant amount of work to make Estonia one of the leading countries in the digital world. Estonia's digital identification system has revolutionized the way people live.
"When a baby is born, the baby's health is put into the e-health platform and the baby's digital ID is formed. You can register for kindergarten queues, name the baby, and more right from the maternity ward," Kaljulaid explained.
She also stressed the importance of women having access to social services, especially if they are raising children and do not have the time or ability to access these services in a traditional sense. However, convenience is not the only major focus for this system; Kaljulaid also emphasized security. In Estonia, data is regulated. The country has created a legal space, and citizens' data belongs to them.
"It's a human right to be safe," Kaljulaid said. "Digital is always safer than paper. With digital platforms, you always know who read your profile. Do you know who read your paper medical file?"
International relations student Elizabeth Shepherd attended the lecture and agreed with Kaljulaid's shift to a more digital society within Estonia.
"I think it could work because the size of her country is small so it would be easy to test it out," Shepherd said. However, she does not see the United States being able to incorporate these changes, at least right now. "The transition would prove to be unsuccessful in the end."
Above all, Kaljulaid said she believes that digital platforms provide more access to job opportunities.
"Digital makes the job market more equal and more accessible," she said.