Abstract
Taiwan perceives its COVID-19 response as an epitome of its digital democracy, a unique model that embraces technological expertise and upholds liberal values, such as public participation and privacy. Focusing on Taiwan’s extensive utilization of digital measures to control the pandemic in its last months as one of the few zero-Covid strongholds, this chapter portrays Taiwan as a public health state, a concept adapted from Mark Neocleous’s police state, that prioritizes security over liberal values. By using the SMS-based contact-tracing system as the primary example, which was promoted as a main contact-tracing tool by the government between May 2021 and April 2022, this chapter illustrates the making of the public health state. The normalization of data collection and sharing for public health objectives during the COVID-19 pandemic could have enduring impacts in Taiwan.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Taiwan’s COVID-19 Experience |
| Subtitle of host publication | Governance, Governmentality, and the Global Pandemic |
| Publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| Pages | 91-112 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781040085677 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781032572208 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 Jan 1 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Social Sciences
- General Computer Science
