How digital innovation can fight pandemics and strengthen democracy | Audrey Tang

TL;DR

Audrey Tang shares how Taiwan successfully countered COVID-19 using digital democracy tools, emphasizing the importance of trust between the government and citizens.

Transcript

Audrey Tang: Very happy to be joining you, and good local time, everyone. David Biello: So, tell us about -- Sorry to -- Tell us about digital tools and COVID. AT: Sure. Yeah, I'm really happy to share with you how Taiwan successfully countered the COVID using the power of digital democracy tools. As we know, democracy improves as more people parti... Read More

Key Insights

• 🌍 Democracy and digital technology can improve participation and counter COVID-19 when focused on finding common ground and promoting prosocial media.
• 🚀 Taiwan's fast response to COVID-19 started in December 2019 through digital tools and open civil society. It is now the most open society in Asia and enjoys freedom of speech and assembly.
• 🚑 Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) holds daily press conferences, collaborates with journalists, and encourages citizens to share ideas and feedback about the pandemic, building trust between the government and society.
• ♀️ Taiwan ensures fairness in distributing masks through a comprehensive system that allows citizens to view stock levels in real-time, access information through inclusive tools, and receive medical treatment without financial burden.
• 😂 Taiwan's humorous response strategy has been effective in combating panic buying and disinformation, promoting factual information, and reducing the spread of conspiracy theories.
• 🗽 The success of Taiwan's digital democracy model can be attributed to trust between the government and citizens and a focus on transparency, collective intelligence, and inclusive decision-making.
• 💡 Taiwan's digital tools prioritize privacy and use privacy-enhancing technologies to protect personal data while promoting collaboration, accountability, and public notice.
• 🌅 Taiwan's experiences and strategies in using digital tools for COVID-19 response and democracy can offer lessons and inspiration for other countries, including the importance of early action, social cohesion, and innovation.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Taiwan successfully counter COVID-19 using digital democracy tools?

Taiwan's success in countering COVID-19 was based on the power of digital democracy tools. By utilizing digital technology to improve participation and finding common ground, Taiwan was able to respond quickly, fairly, and efficiently to the pandemic.

Q: How did Taiwan respond faster compared to other jurisdictions?

While many jurisdictions began countering COVID-19 in 2020, Taiwan had already started in 2019 when Dr. Li Wenliang, the PRC whistleblower, posted about new SARS cases. Taiwan's civil society and government were quick to respond, tracking information on social media, issuing health orders, and implementing health inspections for passengers flying in from Wuhan.

Q: How did Taiwan ensure fairness in the distribution of masks?

Taiwan ensured fairness in the distribution of masks by publishing the stock levels of all pharmacies every 30 seconds. This allowed citizens to view a map and find nearby pharmacies that still had masks in stock. Additionally, the national health insurance system ensured that those showing symptoms could receive masks and medical treatment without incurring any financial burden.

Q: How did Taiwan combat disinformation and conspiracy theories related to COVID-19?

Taiwan employed a strategy called "humor over rumor" to combat disinformation and conspiracy theories. By responding to false information with humorous content that went viral, Taiwan was able to counter panic buying and debunk false claims. They also attributed the source of disinformation to promote transparency and educate the public about false narratives.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Taiwan successfully countered COVID-19 using digital democracy tools, which improved public participation and trust in government.

• The country's fast response and open civil society allowed for early detection and preparedness.

• Taiwan's digital tools focused on speed, fairness, and a "humor over rumor" strategy to combat disinformation and maintain social cohesion.