Beauty-enhancing apps, artificial intelligence (AI) image editing and deepfake technologies have become widespread, allowing any photo to be altered to contain scenes of kissing, hugging or even more intimate or absurd situations. Although we are aware that these images are fake, we cannot stop them from going viral online and causing misunderstandings.
Many have called for legislation to halt this trend, but in practice, hundreds of millions of photos have already been uploaded to social media platforms such as Facebook and Google, with data scattered all across the cloud. No matter how strict the legislation, it is nonetheless difficult to prevent the existence of anonymous accounts, overseas platforms or AI-generated fake images that can be created rapidly.
This is quite similar to lying. We cannot prohibit others from lying, but we can strengthen societal immunity — and in the digital age, that so-called “immunity” is digital literacy education.
The first step of digital literacy education is to cultivate the ability to detect fake content. When we encounter shocking photos or videos, we must not immediately believe them — instead, we should first observe whether the lighting and shadows are realistic or proportions are distorted. We can even use reverse image searches to verify their authenticity.
The second step is developing an attitude of rational skepticism: We must not immediately believe harmful images of someone just because we like or dislike that person.
The third step is media literacy, that is, understanding the differences between news, advertisements and rumors, and recognizing that algorithms often keep us trapped in echo chambers.
Finally, we must possess a fundamental awareness of laws and ethics, and understand that spreading false images might contravene the law and infringe upon others’ portrait rights.
Of course, the government still needs to promote legislation requiring online platforms to promptly remove malicious deepfake content, but long-term investment in education is all the more crucial. Starting from junior high and high school, media literacy should be incorporated into the curriculum to ensure that the coming generation learns to verify information and think critically, rather than be misled by fake images.
The greatest threat of misinformation is not technology, but ignorant people who believe and disseminate that misinformation without thinking. Only by establishing a digital immune system for all citizens — thereby making a collectively smarter and cool-headed society — can we safeguard truth and reason in an era flooded by fake images.
Hsiao Hsi-huei is a freelance writer.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
China’s supreme objective in a war across the Taiwan Strait is to incorporate Taiwan as a province of the People’s Republic. It follows, therefore, that international recognition of Taiwan’s de jure independence is a consummation that China’s leaders devoutly wish to avoid. By the same token, an American strategy to deny China that objective would complicate Beijing’s calculus and deter large-scale hostilities. For decades, China has cautioned “independence means war.” The opposite is also true: “war means independence.” A comprehensive strategy of denial would guarantee an outcome of de jure independence for Taiwan in the event of Chinese invasion or
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) earlier this month said it is necessary for her to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and it would be a “huge boost” to the party’s local election results in November, but many KMT members have expressed different opinions, indicating a struggle between different groups in the party. Since Cheng was elected as party chairwoman in October last year, she has repeatedly expressed support for increased exchanges with China, saying that it would bring peace and prosperity to Taiwan, and that a meeting with Xi in Beijing takes priority over meeting
Taiwan no longer wants to merely manufacture the chips that power artificial intelligence (AI). It aims to build the software, platforms and services that run on them. Ten major AI infrastructure projects, a national cloud computing center in Tainan, the sovereign language model Trustworthy AI Dialogue Engine, five targeted industry verticals — from precision medicine to smart agriculture — and the goal of ranking among the world’s top five in computing power by 2040: The roadmap from “Silicon Island” to “Smart Island” is drawn. The question is whether the western plains, where population, industry and farmland are concentrated, have the water and
The political order of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) first took shape in 1988. Then-vice president Lee succeeded former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) after he passed, and served out the remainder of his term in office. In 1990, Lee was elected president by the National Assembly, and in 1996, he won Taiwan’s first direct presidential election. Those two, six and four-year terms were an era-defining 12-year presidential tenure. Throughout those years, Lee served as helmsman for Taiwan’s transition from martial law and authoritarianism to democracy. This period came to be known as the “quiet revolution,” leaving a legacy containing light
RSS