A Taoyuan woman was yesterday fined for posting false reports about COVID-19, as the Criminal Investigation Bureau continued to probe cases of people spreading unsubstantiated stories and misinformation about the outbreak.
The 62-year-old woman, surnamed Hsieh (謝), was fined NT$30,000 for posting on Feb. 7 on the messaging app Line that “as of Jan. 27, authorities had quarantined 48 people in Taoyuan suspected of being infected with the Wuhan virus, then added 10 more in the next two days, for a total of 58.”
Hsieh had breached Article 63 of the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法) by “disseminating rumors or incorrect information concerning epidemic conditions of communicable diseases, resulting in damage to the public or others” and Article 151 of the Criminal Code by endangering “public safety by putting the public in fear of injury to life, body, or property,” prosecutors said.
Photo: CNA
As Hsieh admitted her mistake and showed remorse, prosecutors said they decided not to indict her.
In another case, a Chinese woman, surnamed Liu (劉), who is married to a Taiwanese man and lives in Hualien, allegedly posted a message claiming she overheard a Taipei city councilor saying that “the Wuhan virus outbreak is out of control in Taiwan... People should flee from Taiwan now, because within one week’s time, there will be a total lockdown across Taiwan.”
After questioning, Liu was on Monday referred to Hualien prosecutors and faced pending charges under the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法).
Several other cases of disinformation were sourced in China, and are likely online attacks by Chinese netizens or part of a co-ordinated campaign by Chinese cyberarmy units, the bureau said.
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