Published on: September 6, 2024
Taiwan received praise for its commitment to cybersecurity. Australian Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology Brendan Dowling gave high marks for the way it uses technology to protect other nations from disinformation attacks.
Dowling made the remarks earlier this week at the Sydney Dialogue, which is a policy summit held at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute every year. Taiwanese National Security Council adviser Lee Yuh-jye served as his delegation’s spokesperson and addressed cybersecurity and emerging technology focal points.
During a panel discussion about Taiwan’s stance on AI supply chains, Dowling said Taiwan is a great partner for Australia in terms of cybersecurity vulnerabilities thanks to its democracy.
“Cyber security is national security,” Dowling said.
Lee proudly pointed out that Taiwan’s democracy has become more resilient in the wake of multiple international threats, including natural disasters to cybersecurity attacks from bad actors. In addition, Lee said Taiwan’s tech industry emphasizes human rights, and backed this claim up with examples such as using social distancing apps during the pandemic, which protected user privacy.
Another area of cybersecurity that Lee touched on was AI. He discussed that Taiwan plays a pivotal role with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and Quanta Computer Inc.
“Taiwan cannot be spelled without AI,” Lee said.
In further addressing AI, Lee said every country must police its AI infrastructure and used ChatGPT’s use of simplified Chinese characters and Baidu’s Ernie Bot as potential national security risks to Taiwan. He warned that China can use AI to learn more about Taiwan or influence Taiwan citizens through leveraging algorithms.
The summit featured industry experts, government officials and academics from 30 countries — including Taiwan, Australia, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Tonga, the UK and the US.
Discussions centered on topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) development, hybrid threat management, digital infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region, economic resilience, digital innovation, democracy, and disinformation.