The government is planning to establish an Internet site to refute online rumors in light of alleged Internet manipulation of government information, sources said yesterday.
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) recently posted information on its Web site promoting a government policy to reduce burning incense and joss paper at temples, but it was described online as a ban on burning incense and joss paper, which prompted irate templegoers to march in Taipei today.
While the groups agreed to change the event from a protest to a parade following negotiations with the government, President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has seen the potential damage of online rumors, the sources said.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
Each ministry has its own task force to monitor rumors and fake news, Minister Without Portfolio Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said.
The task forces determine which information is controversial and submit the information for verification with the relevant agency, which issues a press release for clarification if the news is erroneous, Wu said.
As announcements from different agencies are shared on different Internet forums, the Executive Yuan plans establish a single site before the end of this year where the announcements would be posted, the sources said.
The Executive Yuan would also raise the issue with Line messaging app, as well as Facebook and Twitter, in the hope of establishing an alert system notifying the public to verify information, they said.
A high-ranking government official speaking on condition of anonymity said dissemination of fake news, such as the claim that has been banned or a claim that retired teachers would have to file a report before leaving the nation or have their pension cut off, are organized by an entity.
Rumors spread on Line, for example, would require commercial activity or an organized effort to be spread to such an extent, the official said.
Other nations, such as the US, Germany and the UK, treat fake news as a national security threat and Taiwan should do so as well, especially as China has ulterior motives, sources said.
People opposed to pension reform following Tsai and obtaining her itinerary on Line, sometimes before her plans had been announced, is a breach of national security, the sources said.
The Presidential Office has canceled multiple public events due to concerns over leaked information, and the office has become more careful about posting Tsai’s itinerary online, the sources said.
However, another unnamed government official said press freedom should also be taken into consideration in the government’s reaction to fake news.
Additional reporting by Su Fang-ho
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
BACK TO WORK? Prosecutors said they are considering filing an appeal, while the Hsinchu City Government said it has applied for Ann Kao’s reinstatement as mayor The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months. The verdict acquitted Kao of the corruption charge, but found her guilty of causing a public official to commit document forgery. The High Prosecutors’ Office said it is reviewing the ruling and considering whether to file an appeal. The Taipei District Court in July last year sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for contravening the Anti-Corruption
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION? The premier said that being toppled by the legislature for defending the Constitution would be a democratic badge of honor for him Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced that the Cabinet would not countersign the amendments to the local revenue-sharing law passed by the Legislative Yuan last month. Cho said the decision not to countersign the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) was made in accordance with the Constitution. “The decision aims to safeguard our Constitution,” he said. The Constitution stipulates the president shall, in accordance with law, promulgate laws and issue mandates with the countersignature of the head of the Executive Yuan, or with the countersignatures of both the head of the Executive Yuan and ministers or
RSS