On Nov. 1, Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang dialogued with a delegation of lawmakers from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. They discussed a variety of issues such as measures taken by Taiwan to address cybersecurity threats, the country’s experiences in promoting Data Altruism, and use of digital tools by the government and civic groups in combating COVID-19.

The IPAC delegation, concerned about international information security threats facing the democratic world, asked Tang to elaborate on Taiwan’s efforts in strengthening cybersecurity through democratic Internet digital applications and promoting good digital governance.

According to Tang, following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s historic visit to Taiwan in August, the country faced unprecedented distributed denial-of-service attacks. “These extended to disseminating hateful messages via electronic signage outside train stations and convenience stores,” Tang said. “Taiwan responded in a timely fashion and no great harm was done.”.

Such incidents serve to highlight the importance of digital resilience in a democratic society. “This is why Taiwan is strengthening its cybersecurity through participation in international initiatives like the the U.S.-led Declaration for the Future of the Internet, Tang said. “In guaranteeing the openness and transparency of information exchanges, we are assisting other members of the free world and enhancing our ability to respond to threats in a cohesive and unified manner.”

Tang said the moda is advancing Data Altruism via the widespread sharing of nonpersonal data to facilitate participatory policymaking, promote good digital governance, and harness the power of co-creation and innovation in meeting societal needs.

A standout example of this signature approach is the coronavirus-combating face mask map of 2020 involving public-private sector collabration and open data . Another is the development of digital infrastructure using zero trust architecture based on technologylike Fast Identity Online, or FIDO, a method for integrating multiple sets of passwords spanning apps and websites into fast and secure logins.

The delegation also acknowledged Taiwan’s success in employing digital development to build a Taiwan Model of democratic resilience, a desire to deepen cooperation with the country in areas of overlapping interests.

IPAC is an international group of lawmakers made up of senior politicians drawn from a representative cross-section of the world’s major parties. The 12-member delegation, in country Nov. 1 to 4, was led by IPAC co-chair Reinhard Butikofer– of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the PRC. It was the first time for an IPAC delegation to officially visit Taiwan.