Censorship from China, cyberbullying and the so-called “digital divide” are the biggest challenges confronting freedom of speech in Taiwan, Minister of the Interior Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮) said.
Yeh made the remarks in a recent interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) ahead of the nation’s first-ever Freedom of Speech Day on Friday. The ministry last year declared the event would be observed every year on April 7.
Citing US rights watchdog Freedom House’s “Freedom in the World” report for this year that gave Taiwan the highest possible scores for political rights and civil liberties — the nation’s best showings since 2006 — Yeh said Taiwan had made great strides in its transformation from an authoritarian society that habitually censored free speech to a liberal democracy.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
However, infringements still persist, especially with regards to China’s censorship of Taiwanese freedom of expression in the political and economic spheres, Yeh said.
In addition, online bullying, the spread of fake news and the digital divide also pose challenges to the nation’s freedom of speech, he said.
The digital divide refers to disparities in Internet use that arise from demographics or geography.
In the past, authoritarian states attempting to control discourse were the major threats to freedom of speech, but in the modern era, powerful political or business elites are now attempting to control channels of communication and monopolize the sources of information, he said.
New forms of repression include Beijing’s insistence on celebrities and business owners publicly supporting its positions on Taiwan issues, he said, citing incidents involving Chi Mei Group founder Hsu Wen-lung (許文龍) and singer Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜).
“Forcing people to make political statements destroys their freedom to abstain from open political expression,” Yeh said.
Powerful hegemonic states such as China might also leverage the global system of free trade to put pressure on neighboring states and remove the free passage of foreign citizens through their national borders, Yeh said.
“Such situations are made possible by the special nature of cross-strait relations and its cost to free speech is a concern,” he said.
The creation of the virtual public space that has occurred over the past two decades has brought new challenges, such as cyberbullying, the dissemination of false information and the difficulty for Internet users to verify online data, he said.
In addition, a significant number of people in Taiwan and in other nations do not use the Internet, so they are unable to contribute to online public discourse, Yeh said, adding that the government should take an interest in the policy implications of the digital divide.
A public conference on the freedom of speech and the government’s relationship to it will be held at National Taiwan University on Friday, he said.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS