The government is planning to amend the National Security Act (NSA, 國家安全法) to stop the spread of false information on the Internet, government sources said yesterday.
The nation’s biggest online bulletin board system, Professional Technology Temple (PTT), has been infiltrated by Chinese ghostwriters and fake accounts, the sources said.
They are manipulating online discussions and cooperating with China to create false information and fake news, and to spread rumors online, they said, adding that pro-China media then distribute these rumors, resulting in social conflict.
The Ministry of the Interior, the National Police Agency and the National Immigration Agency are examining regulations to address their shortcomings, the sources said.
The agencies have not decided whether to approach the issue from the perspective of national security or social order, they said.
However, they would not propose legislation that would allow people to be detained for three days for spreading false information, as some legislators have suggested, they said.
The agencies would not propose new regulations, but rather amend laws and regulations, such as the National Security Act, the sources said, adding that amending the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) would not be a priority.
If they decide to propose changes to the National Security Act, it might involve the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and national security agencies, the sources said.
The agencies are still carefully drafting plans and nothing has been settled yet, they said.
The goal of the amendments would be to ensure that information spread online is correct, and to prevent false information from spreading, they said.
Several academics have suggested that Article 2-1 of the National Security Act, which prohibits people from providing confidential information or developing organizations for official use by a foreign country, be amended to include “online armies.”
Government agencies are assessing the feasibility of this suggestion, the sources said.
False information and fake news must be contained at the source, they said, adding that only by finding the source can the government convince the public that the information is incorrect.
The government will deploy technology to uncover the sources of false information and punish them, the sources said.
If the false information originated from China or other foreign forces who are intentionally spreading it to attack the government and engage in online psychological warfare, the government would discuss measures to handle them and ensure that there will be laws to deal with them, they added.
The Ministry of the Interior has advised Internet users to judge whether the information they receive is true before forwarding it.
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
CHINA’s BULLYING: The former British prime minister said that he believes ‘Taiwan can and will’ protect its freedom and democracy, as its people are lovers of liberty Former British prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Western nations should have the courage to stand with and deepen their economic partnerships with Taiwan in the face of China’s intensified pressure. He made the remarks at the ninth Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prospect Foundation in Taipei. Johnson, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, said he had seen Taiwan’s coastline on a screen on his indoor bicycle, but wanted to learn more about the nation, including its artificial intelligence (AI) development, the key technology of the 21st century. Calling himself an
South Korea yesterday said that it was removing loudspeakers used to blare K-pop and news reports to North Korea, as the new administration in Seoul tries to ease tensions with its bellicose neighbor. The nations, still technically at war, had already halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarized zone, Seoul’s military said in June after the election of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. It said in June that Pyongyang stopped transmitting bizarre, unsettling noises along the border that had become a major nuisance for South Korean residents, a day after South Korea’s loudspeakers fell silent. “Starting today, the military has begun removing the loudspeakers,”
RSS