TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Ministry of Health and Welfare (衛生福利部) launched an initiative on Wednesday (Jan. 14) by holding a conference on sovereign cloud applications for digital health management. Minister Shih Chuh-liang (石崇良) led the event, which brought together global cloud computing giants Microsoft, Google Cloud, and AWS to announce a new milestone in Taiwan's healthcare digital transformation. The conference indicates a shift from cloud services focusing on efficiency to digital sovereignty in an age of rising cybersecurity threats.
According to a press release, the ministry introduced the "Eight Guidelines for a Sovereign Cloud" during the conference. These guidelines emphasize the importance of safeguarding national data assets while integrating advanced global cloud technologies. The ministry has shifted its focus to "digital sovereignty" to address increasing digital defense and cybersecurity threats in order to ensure the data security of Taiwan's 23 million citizens.
The "Eight Guidelines for a Sovereign Cloud" include comprehensive encryption, usage restrictions, irreversible deletion, data localization, personnel sovereignty, rule of legal priority, digital resilience, and transparent auditing. Representatives from Microsoft, Google, and AWS shared insights on adapting global public cloud services to meet Taiwan's standards for a "sovereign cloud" to help build consensus on this critical issue.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare processes millions of prescriptions, health insurance records, and highly sensitive clinical data on a daily basis. The Ministry invited legal and ethics scholars to a panel discussion to ensure that the pursuit of smart healthcare does not compromise citizens' privacy and data rights. Minister Shih emphasized that the first step in protecting lives is protecting data, adding that Taiwan can choose to have both advanced technology and national sovereignty.
