Digital Iceland
Digital mailbox - project history
30th December 2022
Digital Post Office is a closed area on Iceland.is. It publishes and stores specific personal information and messages from the government to individuals, companies and institutions.
The Government's vision for the future is that Iceland becomes a leading country in the world when it comes to digital services. Digital communication is to be the main channel of communication between people and companies and the government.
Digital Iceland is promoting projects across government institutions with the aim of enhancing digital services. One of the projects that contribute to that is the Digital Mailbox.
The Digital Mailbox was first created around 2010. It was then designed, developed, and operated by the National Registry of Iceland. Immediately the mailbox was used considerably by very few document providers. Among the first data to appear, there was real estate valuation from the National Registry and documents from the Social Insurance Administration. The introduction of more institutions was slow, as their legal status was then unclear.
In 2018, Digital Iceland assumed responsibility for the Digital Mailbox, and in 2020 it was decided that the mailbox would be restricted to public entities. Then in 2021 that the Digital Mailbox Act was passed by Althingi, and legal uncertainty concerning who is to publish data, when, and who its operators are removed.
The objectives of the Digital Mailbox are to promote efficient public services, increase transparency in case handling and administrative efficiency, and ensure a secure way to communicate data to natural or legal persons and institutions. Public entities, i.e., the state, local authorities, their institutions, and other public entities, are required to publish data in the Digital Mailbox. Digital Iceland has been appointed to manage the mailbox.
The advantages of a Digital Mailbox are unequivocal for users. All individuals, companies, and institutions with Icelandic ID numbers own a mailbox. It has personal data sent by institutions available in one place. That also applies to your children's data.
Benefits for institutions are also great. We decrease the usage of paper which has a positive environmental impact as well as get rid of traveling with data. We reduce costs because it is cheaper to send it to the Post Office instead of printing letters, sending it by post or registered post.
But what shall be displayed in the Digital Mailbox? Institutions and official authorities can share all documents, whether written or in another form, arising from the handling of the case by the authorities, such as notifications, decisions, rulings, decisions, and other statements.