E-Government and On-line Services: Security and Legal Patterns

E-government refers to the introduction of digital technologies into public administrations and it is assuming a pivotal role in many countries, including Italy. In particular, the supply of on-line services by public administrations represents a rapidly expanding phenomenon. The objective of the paper is to support system designer in the development of IT systems that comply with regulations that govern the use of technologies in public administrations. Thus, taking as running example a tax portal and its authentication issues, we look at the general principles and rules that govern institutional sites and portals, as established in the Italian Public Administration Code. We also show how Security Requirements Engineering methodologies can assist system designers in their activities.