Experts on Monday recommended the drafting of a digital development act or basic information act, and urged the Ministry of Education to have universities establish information security departments or schools.
At a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan on the function and resource use of a planned ministry of digital development, National Sun Yat-sen University vice president Huang I-yu (黃義佑) said that he supports the government’s decision to establish the ministry.
Taiwan should follow Israel’s example and invest about NT$500 million (US$17.54 million) to attract talent to its cybersecurity sector, 20 percent of which should be subsidies to local firms, Huang said.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
The Ministry of Education should encourage universities to set up departments of cybersecurity, Huang said, adding that the information security sector should not be concentrated in northern Taiwan.
The government must draft a special law, geared toward developing the nation’s digital capabilities, with a commission that can spur digital innovation, not just oversee digital affairs, said Chien Chung-liang (錢宗良), a physician in National Taiwan University’s College of Medicine.
The government, by outsourcing too many projects, risks becoming out of touch with technological advancements, said Chen Chuan-hsi (陳泉錫), a former director of the Ministry of Finance’s Financial Data Center, adding that officials also lack effective measures to supervise the development, quality and security of new software.
The government should collaborate with white-hat hackers distributed among its agencies and conduct routine drills to help officials respond to attacks, he said.
A digital development agency needs to communicate across departments, and be capable of integrating existing information systems or innovating new ones, Chen said.
Chunghwa Telecom cybersecurity director Ma Hung-tsan (馬宏燦) said that the government should encourage entrepreneurship in cybersecurity by setting up a fund.
The government could help lay the foundation for cybersecurity at small and medium-sized enterprises, as they lack the means to defend themselves, Ma said.
Before establishing a ministry, the government should decide on its vision for digital development: whether it would regulate via legislation, as in Europe, or have firms self-regulate, as in Silicon Valley, TEDxTaipei founder Jason Hsu (許毓仁) said.
An agency in charge of digital innovation should not “absorb” talent from other agencies, Hsu said, adding that knowing how to use digitization as a management tool is key.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS