During a recent presentation at Town Hall Seattle, Taiwan’s former digital affairs minister and first transgender cabinet member Audrey Tang shared insights into how digital innovation helped restore public trust in Taiwan’s government. Tang, who now serves as cyber
ambassador-at-large, demonstrated how technological solutions can bridge social divides rather than deepen them.
The journey began in 2014 when Taiwan faced a severe crisis of confidence, with government approval ratings plummeting to 9% amid controversy over a Chinese trade agreement. Tang, then a programmer and activist in the Sunflower Movement, participated in a peaceful three-week occupation of Parliament that utilized live-streaming and digital tools to facilitate public discourse.
Following this period of unrest, government officials invited Tang and other movement representatives to help shape policy. Their mission focused on rebuilding trust through innovative digital platforms and community engagement. The strategy proved successful, with government trust levels climbing to over 70% by 2020.
Key to this transformation was the implementation of several digital initiatives. The team employed Polis, a Seattle-originated software platform, to gather and analyze public input in real-time. They established “Alignment Assemblies,” bringing together diverse citizens to deliberate on policy matters. A volunteer-driven fact-checking network called Cofacts was created to combat disinformation, incorporating contributions from high school students and utilizing language models for rapid response.
The approach emphasized open-source principles, allowing citizens to modify and improve government digital services. Tang likened this to Lego blocks that could be rearranged to better serve public needs.
While artificial intelligence played a role in these initiatives, Tang noted a preference for traditional AI over generative AI. During the presentation’s fireside chat, science fiction author Ted Chiang expressed skepticism about generative AI’s potential benefits for democracy, with Tang warning against over-automation of human social interactions.
When asked about effective dissent strategies, Tang emphasized the importance of demonstrative action over mere protest. “Counter-power against something is very easy to amass, and frankly speaking, very addictive,” Tang observed, advocating instead for coalition-building through comprehensive listening.
For technology industry professionals, Tang strongly endorsed open-source development, citing its portfolio benefits. Addressing concerns about potential criticism of open-source work, Tang quoted Leonard Cohen: “Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. For there is a crack, a crack in everything, and that is how the light gets in.”
The contrast between Taiwan’s experience and current U.S. government trust levels is striking. Pew Research Center data shows American federal government trust fluctuating between 14% and 27% over the past decade, with significant partisan variations. During Donald Trump’s presidency, Republican trust peaked at 36% while Democratic trust bottomed at 12%. Under Joe Biden’s administration, these figures essentially reversed.
Taiwan’s success demonstrates that social media and digital tools need not inevitably lead to polarization. Through thoughtful platform design and community engagement, technology can instead foster constructive dialogue and rebuild public trust in governmental institutions. The key lies in maintaining human involvement while using digital tools to facilitate, rather than replace, civic engagement.
The presentation, part of Seattle Arts & Lectures’ series “Ted Chiang Presents: Love, Hope and Other Four Letter Words,” was co-presented by Clarion West and offered valuable lessons for democracies worldwide grappling with issues of trust and technological integration in governance.