30 May 2023
In the wake of a recent incident where personal identification numbers of several municipality residents were accidentally made publicly available, Lillestrøm municipality contacted Tietoevry. To further protect its residents, they have now acquired a digital archive inspector.
“We are very pleased with the Archive Inspector solution and feel that it provides an extra level of security. We feel confident that we have done everything we can to protect the privacy of our residents,” says Synnøve Standal, Head of the Department of Documentation in Lillestrøm municipality.
The need for such measures became apparent in September 2021 when the municipality published several documents in its digital post log containing personal information about named students in the municipality. Since Lillestrøm is one of about 150 municipalities in Norway using full-text publishing in their post log, anyone could read the documents for a short period of time after publishing.
"The incident had a profound impact on those who work here," says Standal. "The fact that the documents involved minors made the matter particularly critical. It caused us to look into solutions that could further strengthen the privacy of our residents without compromising transparency."
Artificial Intelligence
Lillestrøm municipality contacted Tietoevry, which already provided post log and archive services to the municipality, to develop a solution that would prevent the accidental release of confidential information. In collaboration with the municipalities of Surnadal, Smøla, and Kristiansund, they developed the 360° Archive Inspector system. The system, which is part of the Public 360° solution for documentation and case management, uses artificial intelligence to check documents for confidential information before they are published, ensuring that sensitive information is protected.
“It’s a perfect example of how artificial intelligence can be used to create a standardized service,” says Sebastian Reichmann, Head of AI Insights at Tietoevry, Public 360°.
STANDARDIZED: Head of AI Insights at Tietoevry Public 360°, Sebastian Reichmann says that the Archive Inspector system is an example of how artificial intelligence can be used to create standardized systems for organizations. Photo: Tietoevry.
Bjørn Tore Eriksen, Lead Product Manager at Tietoevry Industry, explains how the company uses computers to perform tasks where they outperform humans. "In this case, the system excels at quickly identifying patterns in large amounts of data," he explains.
Eriksen emphasizes that the Archive Inspector solution is designed to complement the work of actual archivists, rather than replace them.
Demonstrates the potential
According to Eriksen, the Archive Inspector is an "AI plug-and-play solution." It's a system that all municipalities and public entities across the country can quickly implement if they choose to do so.
“The solution is standardized which makes it easily compatible for several different organizations. I think it’s fair to call it an ‘AI plug-and-play’ solution,” he explains, adding that for Public 360°, this is just the beginning.
“This demonstrates how artificial intelligence can be used to solve specific problems and showcases its potential. Artificial intelligence will be a focus area for us in the future, and we're excited to assist existing and new customers in implementing smart AI technology”, Eriksen concludes.
Speaking about her experience with the project, Standal says she is very pleased with the collaboration with Tietoevry.
"Being a part of this project has been incredibly educational for us. We have worked closely with the Tietoevry team, and it has always been a positive and productive dialogue about how to solve various problems," she says.
PLEASED: Synnøve Standal, Head of the Department of Documentation in Lillestrøm is very pleased with the collaboration with Tietoevry. Photo: Lillestrøm Municipality.
In recent years, issues related to digitization and democracy have become increasingly prominent on the agenda, and were among the topics discussed at this year's eKommune conference in April. Standal believes that the appropriate utilization of new technology can play a significant role in fostering trust between public services and residents.
"The project serves as a prime example of how digital technology can be effectively utilized to ensure transparency in public administration while simultaneously safeguarding the privacy of our residents. This approach strengthens both local democracy and trust in the municipality," Standal concludes.