Tell me a bit about yourself — how do you get into this community of civic tech and open data?
I started working with internet tech since 1993, initially with Gopher and then with World Wide Web invited in 1994–95 switched to it. I started a few internet startups and worked as a web tech entrepreneur & also with free software movement for 20 years, retired in 2013, and now works full-time on civic tech as a hobby.
Does most of your work focus in Taiwan?
Most of my projects, such as the EtherCalc spreadsheet, and contributions to SayIt/Hackpad/Sandstorm etc., are international in nature.
Tell me a bit about what was the problem you were addressing in Taiwan. What was the story of Uber in Taiwan? What was the concern Taipei had? The book needs to address in the format of: problem, solution, and results.
Certainly. The write-up on http://www.shareable.net/blog/open-data-hactivists-help-taipei-craft-regulatory-response-to-uber covered the “problem” part pretty well.
Would you like to expand on the decisions?
Ratified consensus 1 — Private cars dispatched through a digital platform should be legal. Cars dispatched through an app should not need to be painted yellow. That said, only taxis painted yellow can pick people up off the street.
How can ridesharing be profitable in under-served areas?
For example, one can use existing forums like LINE or Facebook Messenger to make ride-planning accessible. Through this, and with careful application of differential privacy methods, you can share traffic patterns and allocate the rides better.
Are there other ratified plans that are not part of the vTaiwan consensus?
Yes. The new Administration came up with three tactics to convert UberX drivers to the legal local alternatives.
Do you think these tactics will work?
Taken alone, I think none of the three tactics would work by itself — either in Taiwan or in other countries — because the Uber App can just keep operating without being a local company.
Are there anything from the Taiwan experience that you would like to share with other cities?
We made it a national issue, not just a city issue.