Wednesday, September 8, 2021
8:30 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
WebEx Event
Taiwan is a leader in considering how technology can promote democratic principles, a question that democracies around the world are currently grappling with. The pandemic has only intensified the digitization of Taiwan’s democracy. How is Taiwan experimenting with innovative digital oversight mechanisms? What does its civic tech communities and digital ecosystem look like? And importantly, what does Taiwan’s performance tell us about possible pathways to a digitized democratic future for others?
Moderator:
- Deepa Ollapally (Associate Director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at The George Washington University)
Speakers and Presentation Titles:
- Puma Shen (Assistant Professor at National Taipei University, Taiwan): How to Categorize and Respond to Disinformation Campaigns
- Mei-Chun Lee (Postdoc Researcher, Research Institute for the Humanities and Social Science, National Taiwan University & Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan): How Civic Tech Fights COVID-19 and Infodemic: Taiwan’s Case
- Melissa Newcomb (Senior Program Manager for the Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China Illiberal Influence programs at the National Democratic Institute): Taiwan and Democracy in a Digital Age
The webinar begins at 8:30pm EDT on Wednesday, September 8th. Registered guests will receive an email with instructions for joining the webinar prior to the event. Registration closes at 8:30pm EDT on September 7th, 24 hours before the event begins. Media inquiries must be sent to gwmedia@gwu.edu in advance. If you need specific accommodations, please contact gsigur@gwu.edu with at least 3 business days’ notice.
This event is free, open to the public, and will be recorded. Questions can be sent in advance to gsigur@gwu.edu with subject “Democracy’s Digital Future.”
Speakers
Puma Shen is the chairperson of Doublethink Lab and the vice president of Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR). He was a lawyer who focuses heavily on the Right to Privacy and track privacy violations locally. Dr. Shen’s article on China’s disinformation chain has been circulated widely among academics and the Taiwanese society in early 2019, greatly contributing to public awareness of Chinese IO. He specializes in state crime, information warfare, white-collar crime, and the sociology of law.
Mei-Chun Lee is an anthropologist with research interests in civic tech, digital activism, and data politics. She is a participant of g0v (Taiwan’s biggest civic tech community) and the co-author of of Taiwan Open Government Report 2014-2016. She holds a PhD from the University of California Davis and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge.
Melissa Newcomb is the Senior Program Manager for the Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China Illiberal Influence programs at the National Democratic Institute. Previously, she managed the Taiwan portfolio at the National Bureau of Asian Research. Melissa was a founding staff member of the Global Taiwan Institute which launched in 2016. At GTI she created the Civil Society and Democracy series, which invited activists and experts from Taiwan to Washington D.C. to speak about their work. Prior to her work at GTI, Melissa was an intern for the Office of Taiwan Coordination at the U.S. Department of State. Her current research is focused on Taiwan’s digital democracy reforms as a fellow for the U.S.-Taiwan Next Generation Working Group with the Institute of East Asian Studies at UC Berkeley. Her recently published article in The Diplomat, “Can Taiwan Provide the Alternative to Digital Authoritarianism?” is based on her preliminary research. She holds a B.A. in English Literature and Asian Studies from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and a M.A. in International Affairs with a focus on East Asia and Conflict Resolution from American University.
Moderator
Deepa Ollapally is the Associate Director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, Director of the Rising Powers Initiative, and Research Professor of International Affairs. She is currently working on a funded book, Big Power Competition for Influence in the Indian Ocean Region, which assesses the shifting patterns of geopolitical influence by major powers in the region and drivers of these changes. Ollapally’s recent publications include co-edited volumes Worldviews of Aspiring Powers (Oxford University, 2012) and Energy Security in Asia and Eurasia (Routledge, 2017). She has received major grants from the Smith Richardson Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, MacArthur Foundation, and the Ford Foundation for projects related to India and Asia. She is a frequent commentator in the media, including appearances on CNN, BBC, CBS, and Reuters TV. She holds a PhD from Columbia University.
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