Does digital platform promote democracy? Rethinking the approaches in Taiwan (R.O.C)

Digital platforms offer opportunities for citizens to group together and share common goals. The value of democracy can be achieved through digital platforms, where people actively participate in public affairs and debate political issues liberally. Taking the Anti-Black Box Curriculum Movement as an example, the social movement used a digital platform to realize democracy in Taiwan. Students engaging in the movement took advantage of digital platforms to express claims, then achieved goals, withdrawing the new curriculum in the end. Participants in the Anti-Black Box Curriculum movement connected with each other, shared information, and organized protests through digital platforms. The digital platform assisted students in demanding that government agencies follow the procedure to make a new curriculum. Democracy in Taiwan (R.O.C.) was realized when students used digital platforms to combat unreasonable actions government agencies took. However, surveillance was adopted on digital platforms for E-tag, invading personal privacy. The government collaborated with telecommunications for surveillance of the citizens via vehicles' plates, breaking the value of democracy. Digital platforms are used as an instrument not only for surveillance but also for democratisation. As a result, we have two aspects to prevent the expanded power of digital platforms. One is policy, and the other is a public service platform.