Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang delivered a talk at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy on October 6, 2020. Titled “Digital Democracy and a Global Pandemic: Lessons from Taiwan’s COVID-19 Response,” Tang spoke at length about how digital innovations aid the island’s democratic system and the “Taiwan model” of COVID-19 response.
The event was introduced by University of Toronto Vice President, International and Professor Joseph Wong, who described Taiwan as putting itself on the “global map for democracy” and, more recently, promoting a successful COVID response with only 521 total cases at the time of reporting. As many countries enter the second wave, he recommends they look towards the effectiveness and repeatability of the Taiwan model.
The Munk School’s Associate Director, Global Engagement Professor Peter Loewen, moderated the conversation. His research covers topics on citizen behaviour and the role of technology in governance. He began with an introduction to the guest speaker; since 2016, Audrey Tang has been Digital Minister of Taiwan. During this time, they have emphasized the role of digital media to promote openness and transparency and stressed civic activism to improve government responsiveness.
A self-described “poetician,” the Minister began with a summary of their background and exposure to politics. In 1996, Taiwan witnessed its first democratic election, after decades of martial law. Tang was fifteen years old at the time and, with the popularization of the Internet, decided to quit middle school in order to “dedicate [their] learning to the World Wide Web instead.” They founded a startup encouraging a multi-state political system and in March 2014, participated in the youth-led occupation of Taiwan’s Parliament. During the peaceful protest, students facilitated conversations with NGOs on alternatives to the Cross-Strait Services and Trade Agreement with the People’s Republic of China. One of these topics was allowing Beijing-made components into Taiwan’s 4G infrastructure, a discussion that Tang says is now being held around the world for 5G services.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen recruited Tang along with other youth occupiers to work as “reverse mentors” to the Cabinet. They gave advice to various cabinet members and in 2016, they were promoted to Digital Minister. As Taiwan’s first Digital Minister, Tang says that they created their own job description. They advocate for horizontalism in politics; their Social Innovation Hub office located in Taipei, for instance, was a former army base that was torn down and re-designed for people of all abilities. Anyone can walk in and present their projects and innovations, including a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which ties into Taiwan’s Target 17: Encourage effective partnerships. Tang asks that groups ensure transparency by recording their work through transcripts and other media.
As for Taiwan’s COVID response, Peter Loewen asked how public consensus over digital tools was built. Tang described the “digital fencing” requirement for those carrying out their quarantine. Upon arriving in Taiwan, people choose to either quarantine at a hotel or at home. Digital fencing is enforced in a fifty metre radius via SMS. Public reception of this technology is positive because the same technology was used prior to the pandemic for earthquake and tornado warnings. The Minister assured the panel that the government does not collect any data that was not used before COVID. Similarly, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), up until recently, hosted a daily press conference to ensure a “24/7 response cycle.” Citizens could call their toll number to make suggestions and ask questions about COVID measures. A Shiba Inu “spokesdog” named Zongchai releases public health announcements and encourages people to practice personal hygiene through infographics. Minister Tang described Zongchai as “digital cultural messaging”; citizens see the spokesdog and feel joy, inspiring them to observe health regulations.
Professor Loewen followed with a question about e-governance in Taiwan: how dominant is it and would it benefit other countries responding to COVID? Tang cited Taiwan’s mask availability map that was later mimicked by South Korea. Through a repurposed tax filing software, face mask mapping and ordering was implemented in a couple days. Taiwan’s National Health Insurance card integrates a person’s health and travel history and boasts 99.9% resident usage. Public trust is high because there is a norm that the government will act in citizens’ best interests. The Minister also described broadband as a human right in Taiwan, with high uptake in all income and age groups. Again, they stressed the importance of horizontalism: people trust their healthcare officials, who engage with local neighbourhoods.
The Taiwan model is not without its challenges, however. Tang noted that the government has to “up [their] game” in cybersecurity, cognitive spaces, and resilience. They cited Taiwan’s collective negative memory of the 2003 SARS outbreak, after which the court found lockdown to be almost unconstitutional. Instead, it charged the government to find new alternatives to national emergencies. Pandemic misinformation is an additional issue. The Digital Minister said that it is easy for people to be angered when they do not check the facts. However, “once you colour sentiment with joy, people will seek truth.” Within one hour of misinformation publication, the Taiwan CoFacts project, led by community leaders and AI technologies, flag “fake news” and make memes to discredit them. The government does not remove fake news articles but puts public notice at the top; Minister Tang’s slideshow example showed one header that read “This article sponsored by PRC.”
To close the conversation, Professor Loewen asked one final question: where does the Minister think democracy in Taiwan and in the world would be in the next ten years? Tang stressed the importance of democracy as an everyday practice. Citizens must feel involved and heard in the process. President Tsai shares her executive power at the annual presidential hackathon, where over two hundred teams can propose Sustainable Development Goals-themed solutions to macro issues, such as healthcare and resource conservation. The winning team will implement their solution as a pilot in Taiwan. The next step to the democratic process, Tang predicted, is giving personhood to natural resources so future generations can experience them as well. Digital tools can aid this shift in societal perspectives, helping people to “act and react.” They cited an augmented reality innovation in Taiwan that gives trees the ability to speak back to people. Minister Tang said that they expect a future of natural personhood inclusion in the democratic process.
Digital Minister Audrey Tang’s conversation at the Munk School, opened by Professor Joseph Wong and moderated by Professor Peter Loewen, was informative and invigorating. As the Minister illustrated, Taiwan’s COVID-19 response can serve as an inspiration to other countries looking to combat the pandemic. Their ideas invite discussion about the promising future of digital democracy. They concluded, “Instead of a technology experience, let’s make it a human experience.”
Elizabeth Shaw is an event reporter and contributor for the East Asia section of Synergy. a fourth-year double major in Peace, Conflict and Justice and Contemporary Asian Studies. She enjoys learning, researching, and writing about various topics surrounding Asia, including gender and migration and social movements.
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