Kirsten Drysdale of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is reporting on the story of how Estonia has made it possible for anyone to become a resident of their country by simply applying for a card and acquiring a digital identity. Drysdale examines how the post-Soviet satellite state offering a digital identity to foreigners could be the beginning of the end of the nation state.

Estonia is the success story of the post-Soviet era. Their economy was quickly liberalized by free market capitalists after the fall of the Soviet Union. They are the least corrupt and most prosperous nation state that has flourished under libertarian policies that were influenced by Milton Friedman.

In the 1990’s, Estonia’s government instituted the Tiigrihüpe project, which means Tiger’s leap. The program was meant to digitize the entire nation. Everything is digital, including the police, schools, cabinet and even the saunas. Anyone can apply for these cards, and you can even use them to set up a business and open a bank account in the country. Other European countries such as the UK would require a board of directors you’d have to pay nearly $4,000 for just to get started. In E-stonia, you can get the card for $70.

The first 20 hours of the card being available saw 4,000 subscribers from 140 different countries.