DigiD itself is government-owned, but its infrastructure is managed by Solvinity (a private company). Not really different from the US gov running half its stack on AWS.

Because too few IT capable people are willing to work under the government's pay scales; in most cases going private / corporate earns more. So most Dutch IT projects end up with private companies, which also means that, in the case of DigID and the secure / official messaging platform, the hosting party can charge exorbitant rates. Did you know it costs 25 cents to send a message via the Berichtenbox? So when the government does its annual "it's time to fill in your taxes" message, they have to pay millions. Assuming they don't get a bulk deal, anyway.

Apologies in advance for wasting anyone's time with a light hearted tangent. But as I scrolled past your comment I read:

> If it's such a vital piece of infrastructure, why is it in Dutch hands at all?

It was the funniest thing I have misread in a while.

because privatisation