The web’s a threat to democracy? Think again, Taiwan says.

Technology and democracy have had a fraught relationship lately, with social media blamed for polarizing and coarsening politics. But Taiwan may point to another path: harnessing the web to foster consensus, not discord.

Audrey Tang moves gracefully through a Taipei convenience store, collecting her pre-ordered face mask. “Thank you,” she says with a Buddha-like smile, bowing slightly as she receives the mask from a uniformed store clerk. It all takes less than a minute.

The mask distribution system demonstrated by Ms. Tang, Taiwan’s digital minister, guarantees three masks per week...