Audrey Tang - Taiwan

➡️ AUDREY TANG, Taiwan - Right Livelihood Award 2025

Audrey Tang is a Taiwanese civic hacker and software programmer who has earned a reputation as one of the biggest names in computing. She has used her skills and influence to bring civic tech into the mainstream and promote internet freedom and civic participation in Taiwan and beyond.

She became Taiwan's first digital minister in 2016. Then, she went on to take the position of Cyber Ambassador in 2024, a high-level diplomat role specialising in digital policy, cybersecurity, and technology governance.

Tang is the world's first openly non-binary cabinet minister.

In 2025, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award "for advancing the social use of digital technology to empower citizens, renew democracy and heal divides." - RLA

Two years earlier, she was named in Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in AI" list for her profound impact in leveraging technology for the public good.

Jump straight to our resources on ➡️ Audrey Tang

Explore our comprehensive guides on -

• The Right Livelihood Award

• Digital Tools for Democracy

• eDemocracy, eGovernance & eParticipation

• Internet Freedom & Digital Rights

• Open Governance & Transparency

• Artificial Intelligence – Benefits & Dangers

• Internet Governance

• Cyber Security

• Linux Open Source Operating System

• Big Tech as a Threat to Democracy

• Our Guide to Democracy

• Our Guide to Social Media

• The Political Situation in Taiwan & Dispute With China

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Digital Tools as a Force for Good – The Impact of Audrey Tang

Since the 2014 Sunflower Movement, Tang has become instrumental in shaping the government's approach to technology. At the time, she was working as a consultant and digital adviser to Apple to develop their chatbot, Siri.

Alongside other activists, Tang protested against a trade deal between Taiwan and China, which was conducted in a shroud of secrecy. The Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (CSSTA) was thought to increase economic reliance on China and further threaten Taiwan's sovereignty.

For 24 days, they occupied the parliament of Taiwan. Tang's contribution amplified their impact by using digital tools to stream, translate, and broadcast activist demands. She turned the protest into a digital, transparent event and helped bridge the gap between protesters and the government.

Tang was a key contributor to the online platform vTaiwan. Software that brings together the voices of citizens, experts, and government officials to facilitate consensus-building on complex policy issues. The platform was used to help settle debates on the rideshare app Uber, which has become synonymous with labour issues and the gig economy.

The platform was used to promote online discussion and allowed citizens to participate in the decision-making process. The opinions collected were ultimately used to shape new regulations.

In her role as digital minister, Tang advised governmental departments on technological matters. She worked hard to promote absolute transparency and to implement technological changes that made all government data and resources accessible to the public.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, her assistance with the development of 'Mask Maps' gave her international recognition. The software used open data to log pharmacy stock levels in real time and made them available to the public.

Tang successfully championed the basic human right of high-speed internet for Taiwanese citizens. She has also worked to combat disinformation using memes to prevent misinformation during crises.

Digital Technology & Democracy

Digital technology is transforming our democratic processes and reshaping how we engage with political processes. Digital tools are being used in campaigning, how we communicate with politicians, how we share our opinions, how we obtain information, how we vote, and how elections are run in general.

These new tools have opened up new avenues for participation, transparency, and accountability. Social media and government forums facilitate public discourse, make it easier for our voices to be heard, and allow voters to hold leaders accountable.

Tang has proven that technology can help deepen trust and give millions a chance to help shape policies. With the mission to fight polarisation and uphold democratic values, her ideas in digital democracy and civic participation are being rolled out across the world to promote open, inclusive, and transparent governance.

Her 'Taiwan Model' of democracy has already been adopted across various levels of government, civic organisations, and international initiatives, as well as in governments abroad.

Japan, for example, utilised the Mask Map software and has adapted the vTaiwan model and AI-based Polis tool for use in the Digital Democracy 2030 initiative. In the U.S., Tang has advised on initiatives such as Engaged California and the Project Liberty Institute.

At the 2025 Paris AI Summit, Tang co-launched Robust Open Online Safety Tools (ROOST). It is a non-profit initiative to create free, open-source, AI-powered tools for online safety and a decentralised response to online threats in the EU and beyond.

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Working alongside governments, civic groups, and the tech industry, Tang has become a pioneer of the open-source movement, made access to broadband a human right, and used civic hacking to mobilise campaigns against disinformation and deepfakes. We commend her for her work strengthening democracy and look forward to following her journey.

"I am a 'conservative anarchist' -conservative in preserving shared spaces and anarchist in rejecting top-down coercion" - Audrey Tang

Better World Info and Audrey Tang share much common ground in their commitment to leveraging technology and information for positive social change. We both advocate for open access to information and transparency to empower and engage a more active citizenry.

Author: Rachael Mellor, 21.10.25 (Updated 12.03.26) licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

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