---
title: Research questions for investigation into trust by Michael Graeme and Charles Montgomery
---

Dear g0v nobodies,
> [name=ael]可用中文回答，我可以幫忙翻譯成英文
> [name=Hsin-Yu] 試著翻譯了第五、六題的題目

I am reaching out on behalf of [Charles Montgomery](https://https://www.charlesmontgomery.ca/), who is the author of the award-winning book, [Happy City](https://https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/books/review/charles-montgomerys-happy-city.html).

I am part of the research team for Charles’s next book, which is an investigation into trust: how trust gets designed into (or out of) our lives, and how we can rebuild the webs of care and trust that keep societies happy and strong.

We are inspired by the g0v movement, and the way it has helped Taiwan create platforms of collaboration and trust between government and citizens. We think you have lessons for democracies around the world.

Here are some research questions that we are interested in. In order to enrich the interview process, we would also like to speak with g0v nobodies over the phone, Zoom, or any other App that is preferred. We have included some interview time slots below. We are grateful for all responses!

## Questions:

### 1. What is your own role in the activist space around digital engagement and democracy? Do you have a specific project you want to share?
`在數位參與和民主倡議中，你的角色是什麼？有哪個你想分享的特定專案嗎？`

> [name=ael]回答示範，這樣可以留是誰寫的 ID

> [name=Johnson Liang] This is Johnson, founder of g0v [Cofacts project](https://bit.ly/cofacts-quickstart), the collaborative fact-checking chatbot.
>
> My role is bringing different perspective and opinion to people seeking such information, currently focused on closed messaging apps.
>
> What Cofacts achieve is that it allows netizens to collect hoax or suspecious messages in closed messaging apps via [a chatbot](https://en.cofacts.tw/tutorial?tab=check-rumors) on LINE messaging app. On the other hand, Netizens can crowd-source fact checks or counter-narratives to the said messages on [Cofacts website](https://en.cofacts.tw). After that, whenever a user forwards suspecious messages in LINE chatroom, they can forward to Cofacts chatbot and get immediate response with the crowd-sourced counter-narrative or fact-checks. Users can provide feedback on if the reply is helpful or not, and may choose to forward the fact check to the chatroom they see such rumor, thus affecting the spread of the fact-checked rumor.
>
> The project has [collected](https://cofacts.github.io/community-builder/#/stats) more than 74,000 suspicious messages, with 54,000 of them having crowd-sourced fact-check replies. The [chatbot](https://datastudio.google.com/reporting/18J8jZYumsoaCPBk9bdRd97GKvi_W5v-r/page/Cy2P) has 270K effective users, serving than 2000 daily LINE users 24/7; the Cofacts website has [millions of page views](https://datastudio.google.com/reporting/18J8jZYumsoaCPBk9bdRd97GKvi_W5v-r/page/1M) per month.

> [name=ael] I am participating in [Disfactory](https://disfactory.tw) as the product manager of that g0v project. It is a project codeveloped by open source communities and a NGO, Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan.
> Introduction of Disfactory: https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=2982
> My role in overall digital engagement and democracy is more like a mediator between multi-stakeholders and disciplines. I connect people from very different backgrounds to talk to each other and prototype solutions.
> I hope the digital products I build can be the platforms for various kinds of advocacy and deliberation. (It is hard. I wouldn't say I have succeeded.)

### 2. What does digital democracy mean to you, personally? Why does it matter?
`數位民主對你個人來說是什麼？為什麼重要？`

> [name=ael] Comment with your id or name~~

> [name=ael] I value more on vibrant civic society and open government. Digital is not a solution to democracy. It is just a media. If you add digital on a broken thing, you would only get a digital broken thing. More of my opinions on g0v community and "digital democracy" in Taiwan: https://youtu.be/dNDim8UwnR8

### 3. How has g0v helped citizens gain agenda-setting power in Taiwan?

`g0v 如何幫助公民在台灣取得議題設定的權力？`

> [name=ael] Probably cultivating the belief that each citizen can take actions and participate in public affairs. It provides a space to brainstorm and prototype any ideas with civic spirits.
> Below is one diagram from Audrey Tang.
> 

> Connecting g0v to the global landscapes: https://medium.com/g0v-tw/can-technology-improve-democracy-answers-from-g0v-summit-2016-db51a126e110

### 4. How is g0v innovating to create more trusting relationships between individuals, and between individuals and government?

`g0v 如何創造個人之間和個人與政府之間互相更信任的關係？`

> [name=ael] Open the government to be accountable. Trusts come from the capability of citizens to monitor the government. The worldwide distrusts in institutions are because non-experts don't know what is going on and feel they have no says over those "professional" decisions. For me, everyone is an expert in some fields and a non-expert in others. Finding the common ground is important to start the conversations.
> As for between individuals, I still think openness and cerdits are foundations of strangers to collaborate.

### 5. How has the movement evolved in recent years, now that one of your former members has entered government? Is vTaiwan an effective bridge between civic tech activists and government?

` 在有 g0v 貢獻者成為政府官員的情況下， 這場「運動」近年來往什麼方向走去？ vTaiwan 是否有效的成為了政府和公民科技行動者的橋樑？`

> [name=ael]
> vTaiwan is not active at this moment and was limited to digital regulation discussion with no legal power. It was a fantastic experiment on online-to-offline multi-stakeholder discussion.
>
> As for Audrey Tang, she has been an active contributor/participant of g0v community, but there is no membership of g0v. Everyone can participate in g0v community and call themselves g0v participants. It is misleading to think that one g0v "former member" has entered the government. There is no membership and she is still active. Many public servants, ministers, and legislators have paritcipated g0v events or projects at various levels. On the other hand, some g0v participants have entered the governments or even ran for elections. Some of their stories are [here](https://g0v.news/gov-hackers/home) in Mandarin. Audrey is just the icon at a higher position in central government. She is great, but she is not the only g0ver working in the government.
>
> Audrey's office has built a new system or meeting mechanisms for central government to respond to the petition request with more than 5000 petitioners from [JOIN](https://join.gov.tw/) platform. The idea is to empower public servants and seek for inter-department discussion with service design involved.
> They write a guide on how they organize those collaboration meetings for internal ministry communication and multi-stakeholder meetings with the public. https://po.pdis.nat.gov.tw/en/
>
> I don't know if g0v is a "movement." You can see another translator uses quotation marks on the word "movement" in Mandarin translation. However, since no ones can represent g0v, so you can have your own interpretation. I usually only use "movement" on open data and open government movements. One contributor depicts g0v community as a large meadow on which everyone could go for a picnic (start a project) and go to others' picnic mats (contribute to a project). Instead of a goal, I think it is more like a rough consnsus of maintaining the meadow and welcoming new comers. Participants from different political parties still can work together on some social issues.
https://g0v.hackpad.tw/G0V-3aXVX2qH7mK

### 6. The algorithm economy and political actors have produced a tsunami of mis/disinformation on crucial issues, from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change. Has Taiwan been successful at fighting disinformation? What more can or should be done?

`因為演算法至上的經濟模式和政治行動者的影響，許多重要議題上正面臨不實／錯誤資訊的浪潮，像是疫情及氣候變遷等議題。台灣是否已經成功的打擊不實資訊？還有什麼是能做、應該要做的事情？`

### 7. What initiatives or ideas from the g0v movement do you think should be exported to the rest of the world?
`g0v 中哪些想法和行動，是你覺得可以向全世界輸出的？`

## Interview time slots
Venue: Please suggest your preferred venue. Otherwise we can meet using zoom or in a hangout on g0v slack channel.

The easiest way for us is by using Calendy: https://calendly.com/charlesincities

Or you can also do so manually below:

Taiwan is 15 hours ahead of Vancouver, all times shown below are Taiwan CST.
(5pm PST = 8am next day Taiwan)
(9pm PST = 12pm next day Taiwan)

April 12 Taiwan CST
8:00am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]
8:30am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]

April 13 Taiwan CST
8:00am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]
8:30am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]
9:00am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]

April 19
10:00am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]
10:30am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]
11:00am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]
11:30am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]
12:00pm - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]

April 20
8:00am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]
8:30am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]
**10:00am - [ael] - [@ael in g0v Slack] - [jit.si]**
10:30am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]
11:00am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]
11:30am - [Your Name] - [Your Contact] - [Preferred way of meeting]
**12:00pm - Caleb, @Caleb on g0v slack or [e-mail], Google meet or whatever**

Thank you for considering this.

Michael Graeme
Charles Montgomery