How long could you manage without internet access? The powerful Hualien earthquake on April 3rd this year was Taiwan’s strongest since the 921 earthquake 25 years ago, bringing renewed attention to the risk of internet outages. However, many users shared on Threads that this earthquake did not result in prolonged power outages or internet disruptions. This leads us to reflect: What exactly is digital resilience? When facing natural disasters or sudden events, what crucial role does resilient infrastructure play for nations, businesses, and citizens?
Host：Ethan Liu Jie-Zhong
Speakers：
Dr. Chen-Yi Tu, Assistant Researcher at the Institute for Network Security and Decision Simulation
Tzuhuei Hsu, Taiwan Representative of the Open Knowledge Foundation
Meeting Minutes
“What is Digital Resilience? How Does It Impact Nations, Businesses, and Citizens?” – Key point summary
Definition and Importance of Digital Resilience
Digital resilience refers to a system’s ability to quickly recover and maintain services in the face of natural disasters, human-made calamities, or cybersecurity threats. The host mentions the strong earthquake in Hualien on April 3, 2023, which, despite its intensity, did not cause widespread power outages or prolonged internet disruptions. This demonstrates the progress of Taiwan’s digital resilience policies, particularly in communication network resilience. The then-Minister of Digital Affairs, Audrey Tang, noted that the improved resilience of communication networks resulted in minimal impact on communications following the earthquake.
The host further emphasizes that digital resilience is increasingly crucial in modern life. With the internet and mobile phones becoming indispensable for work and daily life, any disruption to these technologies could severely impact society’s functioning. Statistics show that Taiwan has nearly 22 million internet users and over 30 million mobile phone subscriptions, indicating almost universal reliance on digital devices for daily activities. Consequently, digital resilience becomes vital in ensuring the continuity of digital technologies and network services during crises.
Taiwan’s Digital Resilience Practices and Challenges
Taiwan frequently faces natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes, which pose significant challenges to infrastructure, especially internet and communication services. Taiwan’s digital resilience efforts focus on quickly restoring normal communications after disasters. For instance, during major events or predicted disasters, telecom operators preemptively deploy mobile base stations to handle potential surges in communication demands. These measures ensure uninterrupted network services during disasters, maintaining basic societal functions.
Tzuhuei Hsu, Taiwan Representative of the Open Knowledge Foundation, points out that Taiwan excels in this area, particularly in handling natural disasters like earthquakes and typhoons. Being in a seismic zone like Japan, Taiwan has accumulated extensive experience in crisis response through multiple disasters. The recovery speed and stability of Taiwan’s communication services during disasters are superior to many countries, positioning Taiwan relatively well on a global scale.
Dr. Chen-Yi Tu, Assistant Researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, adds that digital resilience involves not only communication technology but also the physical resilience of infrastructure. For example, when undersea cables connecting Taiwan to offshore islands like Matsu face issues, microwave communications are used to maintain connectivity. Additionally, Taiwan’s strategic location exposes it to threats from Chinese fishing vessels or other disturbances that could affect critical infrastructure. Thus, Taiwan faces multi-faceted threats, increasing the pressure on its digital resilience efforts. Therefore, when building communication networks, Taiwan must address both natural disasters and human-made threats.
Global Cybersecurity Threats: Challenges and Responses
Beyond natural disasters, cybersecurity threats pose a significant challenge to modern society. Dr. Chen-Yi Tu mentions that in mid-September 2023, multiple Taiwanese government agencies and critical infrastructure faced a large-scale international hacker attack. These hackers primarily used Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, aiming to paralyze systems and disrupt critical network services. While such attacks don’t cause direct physical damage, they can lead to complete digital system failures, resulting in substantial social and economic losses.
However, the Taiwanese government responded swiftly to these cybersecurity threats, thanks to its threat warning and sharing mechanisms. For instance, relevant departments of the Ministry of Digital Affairs received warnings before the hacker attacks occurred and responded quickly, ultimately restoring the affected network systems in a short time. This rapid response capability is a crucial part of Taiwan’s digital resilience efforts.
These cybersecurity threats are not limited to government institutions. Tzuhuei Hsu notes that personal devices like smartphones, social media accounts, and other private devices can also be targets. Hackers often aim at the personal devices of key figures to steal data and gain access to confidential information or manipulate important communications. Therefore, cybersecurity threats are no longer just national-level concerns; everyone needs to enhance their cybersecurity awareness to protect personal data.
Misinformation and Cognitive Warfare
Fake news and information warfare have become another intangible threat in today’s society. Misinformation spreads rapidly and is often highly targeted and destructive. The main purpose of fake news is typically to undermine public trust in government institutions and social systems, causing chaos. For example, during the pandemic, false information about vaccines sparked widespread social panic. While seemingly credible on the surface, such information poses a serious threat to social stability.
Dr. Chen-Yi Tu further points out that fake news often exploits people’s emotional reactions, particularly fear or anger, to prompt rapid information sharing without verification. She suggests that when encountering controversial or inflammatory news, people should first calm down, pause to think, and then decide whether to believe the information. Typically, fake news spreads rapidly within 48 hours, triggering numerous emotional responses. Delaying reactions can effectively reduce the impact of misinformation.
Tzuhuei Hsu adds that cognitive warfare is also part of modern information warfare, targeting not only national institutions but also individuals and small organizations. For instance, during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian parliamentarians’ phone numbers were made public, leading to widespread harassment and interference, further undermining the Ukrainian government’s response capabilities. The ultimate goal of such fake news and cognitive warfare is to undermine social trust in the government and weaken governmental authority by disrupting information dissemination.
Personal Information Security and Data Protection
In the modern digital society, personal data security is increasingly important, especially in Taiwan where fraud cases are rampant. Many fraud incidents stem from personal data leaks, allowing fraudsters to conduct precise scams. For example, many people lack sufficient awareness of protection when filling out online forms or sharing personal information on social media, increasing the risk of data leaks.
Dr. Chen-Yi Tu emphasizes that while Taiwan has made progress in personal data protection laws and the government has begun establishing specialized agencies to oversee the implementation of data protection, there is still significant room for improvement in penalties and enforcement compared to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In the EU, companies face hefty fines for personal data breaches, prompting businesses to highly prioritize personal data protection. Taiwanese companies need to further strengthen their efforts in this area.
Tzuhuei Hsu also points out that people should be more cautious when providing personal information, especially when shopping malls or online platforms request unnecessary ID numbers. They should refuse to provide such information and seek alternative authentication methods. Individuals should avoid oversharing sensitive information and use multi-layered data protection measures, such as using different email addresses for various registration needs, to reduce the risk of data leaks.
Digital Disaster Prevention and Future Outlook
Digital resilience is not just the responsibility of governments and businesses; individuals should also have a certain level of digital disaster prevention awareness. Dr. Chen-Yi Tu mentions that countries like Israel regularly conduct digital disaster prevention drills to familiarize citizens with crisis response. These drills include how to obtain information during disasters, ensure family safety, and protect personal data.
Digital resilience is like a network where everyone is a node. Individuals, businesses, and governments must work together to enhance digital resilience to ensure that society does not easily fall into chaos during crises. Therefore, digital resilience is a comprehensive societal project. In the future, every country, organization, and individual will need to make efforts to address increasingly complex digital challenges.