The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday called on the government to amend the National Security Act (國家安全法) and look into drafting legislation to counter false information on the Internet.
The party also called on people to refrain from spreading false information from dummy accounts aiming to affect the political sphere.
Former TSU legislator Chou Ni-an (周倪安) told a news conference that the government’s laissez-faire attitude regarding false information on the Internet has allowed the proliferation of pro-China commentary.
Photo: Su Fang-ho, Taipei Times
Accusations and reports by pro-Chinese commentators a month away from the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections are worrying, Chou said.
The situation, if left unchecked, could topple Taiwanese society, Chou said.
On Oct. 18, Scott Busby, deputy assistant secretary of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, told the Global Counter Terrorism Forum Workshop in Taipei: “We also recognize that disinformation is a threat to all democracies.”
TSU Director of Social Activity Ou Yang Jui-lien (歐陽瑞蓮) likened the presence of foreign disinformation to an intruder entering a residence.
Ou Yang cited a report by Mirror Media on Wednesday that said IP addresses linked to accounts promoting political parties and candidates originated in the Netherlands, Japan and Venezuela, and used simplified Chinese characters.
TSU spokesperson Yeh Chih-yuan (葉智遠) said China’s “red force” was ubiquitous and as the vote draws closer, its rhetoric would become more fiery.
Yeh called on the government to amend the act as soon as possible and to consider anti-“united front” and anti-infiltration legislation.
“We must punish traitors among us and counter disinformation from China to ensure the safety of Taiwanese democracy,” Yeh said.
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