From Hacker to Politician: How Digital Technology is Revolutionizing Democracy

In 2014, the approval rating of Taiwan’s government was less than 10 per cent, leading to popular dissatisfaction and the Sunflower Movement. During this movement, students occupied legislative buildings to protest a proposed trade deal with China. Three weeks later, their demands were met, marking a turning point in Taiwanese democracy.

One of the groups that emerged from the Sunflower Movement was the civic technology cooperative g0v, led by the well-known hacker Audrey Tang. g0v created a virtual platform for democratic deliberation called vTaiwan. Tang, who has faced health challenges in her own life, including a heart condition, became the country’s first transgender minister. She believes that the fragility of her own life mirrors that of democracy.

Tang joined the government in 2016 and introduced her vision of “radical transparency”, starting with vTaiwan. With the outbreak of covid-19 in late 2019, Tang played a crucial role in the Taiwanese government’s response as a cabinet member for digital affairs. By 2022, Taiwan had earned praise for its handling of the pandemic, and Tang was appointed as the country’s first minister of digital affairs. In her new book, Plurality, she discusses how Taiwan has evolved into a thriving democracy that can offer valuable lessons to the rest of the world.