Audrey Tang, a hacker who played a crucial role in Taiwan’s response to the covid-19 pandemic and later became the country’s first minister of digital affairs, emerged as one of the most prominent figures from the Sunflower Movement. The movement was sparked in 2014 when Taiwan’s government had an approval rating of less than 10%, leading to protests by students who occupied legislative buildings.
After three weeks, their demands were met, marking a turning point in Taiwanese democracy. One group that emerged from the movement was the civic technology cooperative g0v, which included Tang. They created vTaiwan, a virtual platform for democratic deliberation. Tang, who has a heart condition that almost killed her as a child, sees parallels between her life and democracy.
Tang joined the government in 2016 and implemented her vision of radical transparency through vTaiwan. During the covid-19 pandemic in 2019, she played a crucial role in Taiwan’s response as a cabinet member for digital affairs. By 2022, Taiwan was praised for its pandemic response and Tang became the country’s first minister of digital affairs. In her book, Plurality, she argues that Taiwan is now a thriving democracy that can teach the world valuable lessons.