Digital Transparency at Risk: An Empirical Assessment of Usability, Accessibility, and Regulatory Compliance in the Web Portals of Ecuador’s Provincial Decentralised Autonomous Governments (GADPE)

Abstract

This study examines the level of accessibility, usability, and regulatory compliance of the web portals of Ecuador’s Provincial Decentralised Autonomous Governments (GADPE) to determine whether these dimensions are related to compliance with the Organic Law on Transparency and Access to Public Information (LOTAIP). A mixed-methods approach was applied, combining automated evaluation and manual review, using TAW 3,1 for accessibility, the Sirius Model and Prometheus 2,0 for usability, and a structured checklist for regulatory compliance. Results show low accessibility (17 %), relatively uniform usability (70 %), and predominantly partial compliance with LOTAIP (1,08), revealing significant gaps between the legal requirements and the information actually published. The Mann–Whitney U test confirmed no significant differences in accessibility (p=0,115) or usability (p=0,976) between compliant and non-compliant groups, indicating that digital transparency does not depend on the technical quality of portals but rather on institutional, administrative, and governance factors. The study concludes that digitalisation alone does not ensure transparency; therefore, stronger oversight mechanisms, enhanced technical capacities, and improved document management processes are required to guarantee citizens’ effective and timely access to public information.