RightsCon in Taipei highlights Taiwan's digital democracy: Minister

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) Taiwan's position in the global vanguard of digital democracy development has given it more diplomatic space, Minister of Digital Affairs Yennun Huang (黃彥男) told attendees at RightsCon in Taipei on Monday.

At a news conference for the 13th edition of RightsCon, an annual summit exploring the intersection of human rights and technology, Huang said authoritarians tended to use digital tools to control people and consolidate political power.

However, Huang said, Taiwan has actively used digital technologies to enhance social trust, universal communications and equality.

Taiwan has also used digital tools to boost cooperation between civil scientific groups and the public and enhance the development of critical technologies, such as artificial intelligence and 5G, Huang added.

Huang said these efforts would eventually advance national security, freedom and democracy.

As this year's RightsCon is being held in Taipei, Huang said the world would have a chance to witness Taiwan's determination to protect democracy and peace through digital development.

According to Access Now, which jointly organized RightsCon in Taipei with the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA), the 2025 forum has taken more than 1,800 proposals and is expected to receive more than 2,800 visitors from 150 countries.

MODA said that during the forum, representatives of Taiwan's government agencies will hold discussions with guests from the United Nations, the European Union and international organizations and executives from multinational tech giants such as Microsoft and Google.