eGovernment and the digital divide

Many governments around the world are using information and communication technologies with aim to increase realiability, transparency and quality of services but also to modernize and change the way the administrations work. With development of eGovernment services, users can easily and quickly access the services they need any time they want and they already feel the benefits of these actions. However, the fact that technology is available, by itself does not imply that it is accessible to everyone. Although eGovernment has become a powerful tool that governments use to get closer to the citizens, there is still a paradox that those who most need to use the services provided by governments, are the ones that usually do not have access to these services. The term digital divide has been used since 1990s and nowdays it describes the difference in use of technology, developed as a result of lack of access, skills, or even interest in using of technology. This paper aims to analyze the potential of eGovernment implementation on the reduction (or expansion) of the digital divide.