Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang says the country is studying how Ukraine has managed to communicate effectively with the outside world during the Russian invasion.
China has stepped up military exercises around Taiwan since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit last month. That has highlighted the real risk Taiwan faces of coming under attack.
Tang told Reuters on Wednesday that while fighting Russian forces, Ukraine has made sure the whole world can know what is happening in the country “in real time.” That has been made possible by effective use of social media and a backup internet connection using Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite constellation.
Tang plans to set up a similar connection for Taiwan through a trial program set to cost NT$550 million (US$18 million) over the next two years.
The digital minister also stressed the success of the government’s “humor over rumor” approach to fighting misinformation. In the past, Tang says she has worked with comedians to craft viral internet content designed to spread the truth faster than the original falsehood.