Issues associated with citizens in developing countries trusting the security of online services

Often referred to as Government to Citizen, E-government services are being utilized by many governments and organizations around the world to provide information and services to their citizens and customers. Such serviced are founded on the prevalence and availability of Information and communications technology (ICT). In developing countries such as Saudi Arabia, E-government projects have been identified as one of the top government priorities. However, the adoption of E-services faces many challenges and barriers, such as the technological, cultural, and organizational, which must all be considered and examined and handled carefully. This paper explores the reasons behind the lack of trust in the security of those online services, which are provided by governments and commercial organizations. Based on the analysis of data collected, the researchers were able to identify some of the important barriers and challenges arising in this context. As a result, this study has generated a list of possible recommendations that can help to solve this issue. © 2013 IEEE.