Lawmakers and a number of experts yesterday called on the government to ban or heavily regulate Douyin (抖音) over concerns that the short-video platform could be used by China to spread disinformation.
Owned by ByteDance Ltd (字節跳動), Douyin and its international version, TikTok, are a subject of concern in democracies worldwide because of potential manipulation by the Chinese government.
FBI Director Chris Wray on Friday said that Beijing might have the ability to control TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, “which allows them to manipulate content, and if they want to, to use it for influence operations.”
Photo: Reuters
TikTok could also be used to collect personal data on its users for use in traditional espionage operations, Wray said.
In Taipei, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Mark Ho (何志偉) yesterday said that Douyin could be used as a tool for disseminating “united front” disinformation.
There are already many accounts on Douyin impersonating Taiwanese government agencies, and even Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Ho said during a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
The Mainland Affairs Council has said that although ByteDance does not have a branch office in Taiwan, it would continue to reinforce its information security measures in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Affairs, the National Communications Commission and other agencies.
However, some experts are urging the government to view Douyin as a matter of national security and to regulate the app through legislation.
Investment Media Ltd (財信傳媒) chairman Hsieh Chin-ho (謝金河) on Sunday called Douyin a “driver of Taiwan’s destruction,” saying that state-owned China Network Television already owns 1 percent of ByteDance.
Taiwan cannot remain silent on this issue, Hsieh said, calling on the government to propose countermeasures.
“Douyin and Xiaohongshu (小紅書) should both be banned,” DPP Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) said, referring to another Chinese app.
The US previously banned TikTok without infringing on freedom of speech, she said, adding that its experience is worth studying.
China Network Television, which is banned from broadcasting in Taiwan, owns a stake in Bytedance, she said.
As the app becomes widely used in Taiwan, the digital ministry should have a plan for how to handle illegal content, disinformation and threats to national security, Lin said.
Experts have also said that the undeterred spread of disinformation on Douyin could affect the 2024 presidential election.
Ever since US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in August, many videos have appeared on Douyin ridiculing the DPP, Cross-Strait Policy Association secretary-general Wang Zhin-sheng (王智盛) said.
There were also videos purporting to show Taiwanese soldiers throwing rocks at Chinese drones, Wang said.
The Douyin app could have a far-reaching effect on Taiwan’s democratic process, he said, calling for plans to be drawn up on how to regulate the app.
To mitigate its threat to the presidential election, the government should monitor Douyin for disinformation, he added.
As pan-blue supporters are to be more likely to use the Chinese app, pan-green supporters might need to “face disinformation head on” and post their own videos to dispel rumors, Wang said.
If these videos are quickly taken down, it would prove that Beijing is manipulating Douyin behind the scenes, he said, adding that the public should be alerted if this happens.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu and AP
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