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Digital Minister Audrey Tang: Researching how to utilize distributed ledger to enhance administrative governance is a top priority.

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Digital Minister Audrey Tang: Researching how to utilize distributed ledger to enhance administrative governance is a top priority.

This week, Tang Feng, a Minister without Portfolio of the Executive Yuan, stated in an interview with the overseas media Decrypt that researching how to utilize distributed ledger to improve administrative governance is a top priority. He praised this technology as a low-cost solution to establish "accountability" and "legitimacy" among different departments.

Researching Distributed Ledger Technology is a Top Priority

Taiwan's Digital Minister, Audrey Tang, discussed the prospects of promoting technological innovation in public management in Taiwan through the use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in an interview with the international blockchain media, Decrypt. Tang stated:

"Ledgers (Audrey Tang used the term 'ledger' instead of 'blockchain' in the interview) are very promising. They offer a low-cost solution to establishing 'accountability' and 'legitimacy' across departments."

Furthermore, Tang emphasized that through shared distributed ledger systems, government departments no longer need to bear the high costs of professional auditing firms like PwC and KPMG in the past, but can reach consensus in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.

Applications from the Presidential Hackathon

Tang illustrated the feasibility of practical applications of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) with examples from the "Presidential Hackathon," a government-sponsored competition aimed at promoting collaboration between the public and private sectors to enhance public sector innovation and improve the quality of public services through technological innovation.

One team studied a cost-effective solar device that can measure water pollutants and record the data on the blockchain using IoT technology. Tang stated:

"This water tank will attempt to address governance issues, as people can cut off power and water to factories or farms accused of polluting downstream farms' water sources."

While illegal factories are likely to resist installing such devices, it holds significant appeal for law-abiding factories. If a factory is accused of polluting water sources, this transparent and tamper-proof ledger can provide a strong defense.

Guiding Communication towards 'Consensus'

Tang believes that with the right design of blockchain mechanisms, decentralized governance can incentivize more social inclusivity and participation. Any individual with an email address, without the need for representation, committee membership, or any decision-making qualifications, can voice their opinions in a working group. Therefore, "collaborative governance" offers a new form of legitimacy without the need for armies, navies, or police forces to confer legitimacy. Additionally, Tang is searching for a viable technology to facilitate discussions and guide communication among individuals towards 'consensus' rather than 'division'.

"If people get angry after reading a critical article about Ethereum Classic (ETC), the simplest way for them to vent their anger is not through discussion, but through criticism and insults."

The issue with Twitter and other modern social platforms that support asynchronous discussion is that they fail to redirect people's anger towards constructive actions. Therefore, Tang focuses on restructuring online platforms to make it easier for people to reach consensus. Tang states that anything mimicking real social environments (such as Skype for verbal communication) can alleviate tension. In interpersonal interactions, there exists a non-verbal way to convey your stance non-violently. Therefore, Tang spends most of the time listening to voices from various groups and organizations nationwide to gather their ideas.

"The more people participate in governance, the better the governance mechanism becomes. These people will develop workable prototypes through social innovation. The government's role is to expand those viable prototypes and encourage more voluntary participation."

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