Uzbekistan's Digital State Push: Can Regulations Keep Pace?

Read The Diplomat, Know The Asia-Pacific As in many rapidly digitalizing countries, Uzbekistan’s technological transformation may be advancing faster than the necessary regulatory frameworks. Every time Uzbek citizens file taxes, renews their driver’s license, pays utility bills – all of which can be done from their smartphone – they participate in one of Central Asia’s most ambitious state-building projects, many without thinking who governs the growing digital power created by the systems they use. Central Asia’s most populous country, Uzbekistan, is undertaking an ambitious push toward a digital economy and electronic governance. In 2024, it ranked 63rd out of 193 countries with an E-Government Development Index (EGDI) score of 0.7999, entering the “Very High EGDI” group for the first time. In the latest World Bank GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI) Uzbekistan ranked in group A, meaning Uzbekistan is among the countries with a relatively advanced digital government system in operation. Only 80 out of 197 economies (41 percent) reached this group in 2025. What is striking is that the country has moved up 71 positions since 2020, increasing its score from 0.617 to 0.958 and making it the highest-ranked state in Central Asia. The government of Uzbekistan views digitalization not only as a separate tech sector, but as part of a state-building project. Digital technologies are framed as the foundation of public administration itself. But as public administration moves online, a different question emerges: can institutions responsible for oversight keep pace with rapidly expanding digital power? The foundation for Uzbekistan’s digitalization path was laid long before President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took power in 2016. The Law on Telecommunications was adopted in 1992, less than half a year after the country gained independence upon the disintegration of the Soviet Union. A decade later, in 2003, Tashkent adopted the Law on Information, establishing a legal framework for the development and regulation of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Uzbekistan started taking serious steps to embed digital technology into governance from 2013 onward. That year, Tashkent recruited Kim Nam-seok, a former South Korean vice minister, and appointed him deputy chairperson of the State Committee of Uzbekistan on communication, informatization, and telecommunication technologies. Kim was tasked with spearheading the development of e-government in Uzbekistan, based on South Korea’s successful model. Between 2013-2020, Uzbekistan implemented the National Information and Communication System Development program, which aimed to accelerate the digitalization of public administration by introducing ICT performance monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, standardizing government websites, and promoting the wider adoption of digital technologies across state institutions. A central e-government service, my.gov.uz, was launched in 2013. The platform enables citizens and businesses to access a wide range of public services online, submit applications, and track administrative requests (such as replacing driver’s licenses, obtaining employment certificates, checking pension accounts, employment records, tax or penalty debts, pay for public services and utilities, etc.) without physically visiting public offices. This was followed by the 2017-2021 Action Strategy on Five Priority Areas of Development, which, among other goals, aimed to expand e-government services in conjunction with the country’s key reform objectives. Today, Uzbekistan’s digital transformation is guided primarily by the ‘‘Digital Uzbekistan – 2030’’ strategy aimed at ‘‘ensuring the rapid digital development of economic sectors, the social sphere, and the public administration system, including the further improvement of mechanisms for the provision of electronic government services.’’ However, digitalization does not automatically cement integrity and secure trust. Digital technologies can reduce opportunities for petty corruption by limiting direct contact between citizens and officials, standardizing procedures, and creating electronic records. Yet international anti-corruption experience suggests that technology alone is rarely sufficient to eliminate corruption. It is important to have clear information, easy access to resources, audits, regular checks and reviews, ways for citizens to voice their concerns, and effective accountability systems. Corruption can occur not just due to poor processes, but also because of excessive power in the hands of a few, weak rules, and systems that encourage dishonest behavior. Digital systems are only effective in combatting corruption when embedded within a broader governance and integrity framework. Uzbekistan’s digital developments are praiseworthy. Indeed, they make many citizens’ lives easier and government services more accessible. But key questions remain to be addressed. Data, Power, and Accountability Digitalization is transforming how governments collect, integrate and use information. Each interaction in a digital public services platform, from logging in to paying a utility bill, creates new data streams for the government. As a result, authorities now have access to more integrated information about citizens and their behavior than any previous stage of the country’s development. While governments have long kept records – taxes paid, children born, property owned – what is different now is that previously discrete data sets have been consolidated into integrated digital systems, providing Tashkent with a more detailed “citizen profile” than ever before. While this creates opportunities for more efficient public services, stronger coordination among public institutions, and more evidence-based decision-making, it also poses new governance questions about how personal data are accessed, shared, protected, and used across interconnected public systems. Uzbekistan has a legal framework on data protection, including the Law on Personal Data from 2019 and other sector specific laws such as on Bank Secrecy, on Insurance Activities, or on Telecommunications. However, unlike many European jurisdictions, Uzbekistan does not currently have an independent data protection authority. The State Personalization Center is a government operator and processor of personal data. It operates under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its activities are regulated by Cabinet of Ministers resolutions and presidential decrees. Compared with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Uzbekistan’s legal framework does not guarantee an explicit “right to be forgotten,” and offers limited data portability, limited obligations to notify individuals after data breaches, and provides low penalties for violations. As in many rapidly digitalizing countries, Uzbekistan’s technological transformation appears to be advancing faster than some elements of its regulatory and institutional fra