A ‘crowdsourcing’ website launched by the UK’s coalition government, encouraging citizens to voice opinions on legal reform, will only have value if the government is “equipped and prepared” to deal with the huge amount of responses, one analyst has told E-Government Bulletin.
‘Crowdsourcing’, a term coined by technology writer Jeff Howe, refers to the acquisition of public ideas to help develop a solution or service, usually by digital means.
In a video introduction to the ‘Your Freedom’ site ( http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/ ), Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg invites public opinion on where the government should “repeal unnecessary laws that have amassed on to the statute”. Topics already discussed include repealing the controversial Digital Economy Bill; bringing back the death penalty; and changing how cannabis is classified in the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Philip Letts, founder and CEO of crowdsourcing specialists ‘blur Group’ ( http://www.blurgroup.com ), told E-Government Bulletin that in order for Your Freedom to fulfil its potential, government must have the capability and systems to feed all the data generated into the policymaking system.
“It comes down to what systems and processes you have in place to go through [the input] and turn all of this data into intelligence that the government can use to improve the way in which laws are repealed or amended,” said Letts. “That’s where the real work is and where the real value of crowdsourcing is. My question is, how well equipped and prepared is the government?”
Letts also said that crowdsourcing on a local basis or when aimed at particular groups with areas of specific expertise – ‘focused’ crowdsourcing – may prove more successful at generating effective policy suggestions than a mass nationwide exercise.
One early sign of technical trouble with the service came when the site crashed soon after its launch due to the volume of visitors.
NOTE: Article originally published in E-Government Bulletin issue 316.
