Munich: Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s ambassador-at-large for cyber affairs, emphasized on Saturday that freedom and security can coexist and praised Taiwan’s approach to digital challenges. “Freedom and security are not a trade-off, but instead are a deepening of democracy,” Tang stated in an interview with a CNA reporter in Munich, Germany, after attending the Munich Cyber Security Conference.

According to Focus Taiwan, Tang’s 10-minute address at the conference highlighted Taiwan’s methods for tackling digital threats through national consensus and open strategies. These strategies include measures such as real-name registration for online advertisements, combating online fraud, and implementing artificial intelligence to strengthen democracy. Tang remarked, “Taiwan currently has a much larger international space,” and stressed the importance of the world recognizing areas for specific multilateral cooperation with Taiwan.

Tang, who served as Taiwan’s first digital affairs minister, also warned about the threats posed by authoritarian states to democratic nations. She suggested that Europe is now facing challenges similar to those Taiwan has long encountered, likely referencing Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and China’s ambitions regarding Taiwan. Tang drew parallels between the damage to submarine cables between Finland and Estonia and Taiwan’s recent telecom cable issues, which were resolved using alternative communication methods.

She further cited Taiwan’s history of integrating technology and democracy, pointing to the nation’s first direct democratic presidential election in 1996 as evidence that technology need not undermine democratic systems. “The internet and democracy grew together [in Taiwan],” Tang noted, emphasizing the adaptability of democratic systems akin to updating internet software.