Newly appointed digital minister to ramp up country's information security

Taipei, April 16 (CNA) Huang Yen-nun (黃彥男), the newly appointed digital affairs minister and an expert in data security, communications, and artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to focus on advancing the country's information security and digital transformation, as well as combating scams, in his new role.

Huang, a distinguished research fellow with Academia Sinica's Research Center for Information Technology Innovation (CITI), was announced as the head of the Ministry of Digital Affairs by Premier-designate Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) Tuesday.

He is set to replace incumbent Audrey Tang (唐鳳).

As part of his new role, Huang will be tasked with promoting the country's digital industries, building digital governance and infrastructure, accelerating its digital transformation, strengthening privacy protection, and combatting scams.

He has spent a significant part of his career focusing on information and communication security and has previously revealed thoughts on how to boost Taiwan's data security.

In a public forum in July last year, in the capacity of CITI director, Huang argued that the issue of Taiwan's information security was going to become increasingly important.

At that time, he proposed slapping heavier fines on those who violate informational regulations, strengthening cybersecurity insurance, and working harder to cultivate talent.

An IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) fellow, Huang is currently the executive officer of the Academia Sinica CITI's Taiwan Information Security Center, a distinguished research fellow with Academia Sinica CITI, and chairman of the Computer Society of the Republic Of China (CSROC).

Furthermore, Huang has held consulting positions in many government agencies and is believed to be familiar with how the government operates, a source from inside the industry said.

He received a PhD degree in computer science from the University of Maryland and joined AT&T Bell Labs in 1989.

Meanwhile, newly appointed National Development Council (NDC) head Paul Liu (劉鏡清), former chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Business Consulting Services Taiwan Ltd. has a range of experience helping clients in Taiwan and Asia transform and formulate strategy. He also previously worked at IBM Taiwan.

Having long worked with multinational corporations and in consulting, Liu is familiar with a range of issues, including globalization, strategic development, and digitization.

A source familiar with the new administration said Liu is expected to draw on his past experience to lead the government's efforts in economic and digital development, innovative technology, and financial reforms at a time when the global supply chain is facing significant changes.