While some of us may struggle to find Estonia on Google Earth, the eastern European country made history last year when national parliamentary elections were held online as well as at traditional voting stations. As a result Estonia unexpectedly leapfrogged the UK, Ireland and other members of the EU toying with the idea of e-government, landing at the forefront of cutting edge democracy.

The voting system was reliant on citizens carrying an electronic identity card, used as both a traditional national identity document and as a smart card with an electronic chip, which provides for secure authentication and legally binding digital signatures. Although only 1% (about 30,000) voters voted electronically, it nonetheless heralded the dawn of a new age of e-citizenship.