Taiwan and France should cooperate on tackling disinformation and defending democratic values, French Senator Rachid Temal said during a meeting in Taipei on Tuesday.
Temal, chairman of the French Senate’s Taiwan Friendship Group, arrived in Taiwan on Sunday last week for a six-day trip, leading a delegation of French senators. He expressed hope that Taiwan and France would deepen cooperation not only in trade, but also in areas such as information security and ministerial exchanges to share practical experience in countering disinformation.
Disinformation from Russia has become an increasing concern in France, particularly over the past year. French authorities said they have found evidence of disinformation originating from Russia to sow discord online, much of it generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
“Those who spread disinformation aim to confuse us so much that we can no longer distinguish between truth and falsehood, and lose trust in our democracy and institutions,” Paris Institute of Political Studies professor David Colon said in April last year.
Taiwan faces similar disinformation campaigns from China, which often targets young people through videos on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, while enlisting local content creators to enhance credibility.
Taiwan and France have each pursued national strategies to counter disinformation, but there is significant potential for bilateral collaboration. France launched Viginum and French Response in 2021. Viginum monitors online platforms, analyzing content through a combination of AI and human expertise, while French Response provides a public-facing countermeasure, coordinating diplomatic and communicative responses to disruptive content.
Disinformation today often takes the form of memes or short and entertaining videos, and French Response adapts accordingly.
“It’s not just about fact-checking anymore. It’s about being proactive, using formats and tones that resonate,” France24 reported last week.
Taiwan has a similar approach. The Taiwan FactCheck Center (TFC) promotes media literacy through workshops, while the Ministry of Digital Affairs responds to disinformation with memes, infographics and short videos. The TFC also works with social media companies to flag, downrank or remove problematic content. Like France’s initiatives, Taiwan also uses AI tools to support its efforts.
There is room for Taiwan and France to collaborate, particularly on AI-driven solutions. Joint development of tools for detecting disinformation, automating responses and tracking sources could enhance both countries’ capabilities.
Taiwan should also remain vigilant toward domestic collaborators producing content that undermines the nation’s sovereignty or diminishes its dignity. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) suggested in December last year that the government provide a mechanism for the public to report such content and expose its creators.
AI could assist by applying digital watermarks to flagged content at the level of Internet service providers. Such watermarks would indicate disinformation, but would not block access; users could still view the content if they chose. A similar approach already exists for sites flagged as malicious.
Taiwan and France face a formidable challenge in countering foreign powers intent on disrupting their societies through disinformation. Both nations have accumulated valuable experience in tackling this threat, and a partnership could enhance their resilience, protect democratic institutions and empower citizens with trustworthy information. Broader collaboration could set a global example for defending democracy in the age of AI-driven disinformation.
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