The National Security Bureau (NSB) yesterday published its analysis of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) disinformation tactics last year, showing that disinformation doubled compared with 2023.
CCP disinformation seeks to undermine confidence in Taiwan’s military, US support for Taiwan and President William Lai (賴清德), the NSB said.
NSB data showed that 2.159 million cases of controversial information were reported last year, nearly double 2023’s mark of 1.329 million.
Photo: AFP
Facebook remained the platform most susceptible to disinformation, with a 40 percent increase compared with 2023, although disinformation also increased on video platforms (151 percent), forums (664 percent) and X, formerly known as Twitter (244 percent), the NSB said.
The bureau also found 28,216 questionable accounts, 11,661 more than in 2023.
Facebook had 21,967 of those accounts, but TikTok, X and China’s Douyin (抖音) also had major increases, data showed.
That suggests the main target of disinformation is young Internet users, the bureau said.
The rise of these platforms reflects changing social media habits in Taiwan driving changes in disinformation tactics, it said.
The NSB report highlighted six key tactics employed by the CCP.
The first was flooding social media with information with the goal of changing voter behavior and election results, it said, adding that this included posting memes and videos to spread disinformation about candidates.
The second is impersonating Taiwanese users and official accounts to spread fake news, the report said.
During the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Joint Sword-2024A and 2024B military drills, CCP accounts posing as Taiwanese officials spread disinformation to undermine trust in the military, it said.
Third is leveraging military exercises for propaganda — using both official accounts and state media — to highlight China’s capability to invade Taiwan, the bureau said.
During both military drills last year, videos on TikTok and YouTube were heavily used to intimidate Taiwanese, it said.
Fourth was posting artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes of Taiwanese officials to distort their public perception and mislead voters, the bureau said.
Fifth was co-opting integrated media accounts to spread propaganda, using them as proxies for state-owned media, it said.
The report highlighted multiple accounts on TikTok that have close ties to CCP-owned outlets.
Sixth was establishing multilingual news sites such as the fake Czech newspaper Bohemia Daily and fake Spanish outlet Guell Herald to reinforce the CCP’s “one China” principle internationally, it said.
The CCP takes advantage of democratic systems to wage cognitive warfare using Internet platforms and artificial intelligence technology, the NSB said, adding that this is an international concern.
In response, Taiwan used a comprehensive strategy to combat the threat of disinformation, it said.
The bureau reported 3,900 cases of disinformation to different government agencies and ministries, and Taiwan hosted more than 100 exchange events to share expertise with like-minded nations, the report said.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS