A safe information sharing framework for e-government communication

Abstract: E-government principles are based on the assumption that different government agencies are willing to cooperate and share findings through a network infrastructure. When government agencies refuse to cooperate and share information due to conflicts, then novel mediation mechanisms are needed. We introduce a negotiation-based sharing system called SCENS: Secure Content Exchange Negotiation System currently being developed at Dartmouth College with the assistance of many interdisciplinary experts. SCENS is a multilayer scaleable system that ensure safety of transactions through various security mechanisms. It is based on a metadata description of heterogeneous information and applies to many different domains. Through negotiation, government users would reach agreement on the conditions of sharing, especially when the information is sensitive and distributed.