However, Taiwan may well provide the lesson not only in battling a public health crisis, but also in civic engagement, innovation, and digital democracy. Informed by lessons from a 2003 SARS epidemic, Taiwan employed rigorous contact tracing and technology to communicate and solicit innovative ideas. Taiwan also had remarkable transparency on the availability of vital public health supplies like masks. Much of this response can be traced to an avowed conservative anarchist, Taoist, and a fierce champion of digital democracy.