Intelligence agents have recorded 510,000 instances of “controversial information” being spread online by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) so far this year, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report yesterday, as it warned of artificial intelligence (AI) being employed to generate destabilizing misinformation.
The bureau submitted a written report to the Legislative Yuan in preparation for National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee today.
The CCP has been using cognitive warfare to divide Taiwanese society by commenting on controversial issues such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) investments in the US, the bureau said.
Photo: Cheng I-hwa, AFP
The information was mostly found on Facebook, as well as forum Web sites PTT and Dcard, and social media platforms X and TikTok, it said.
About 3,600 suspicious accounts were found, mostly on Facebook, although as more Taiwanese are using TikTok, cases are rising on the platform, it added.
So far this year, the bureau said it had identified more than 510,000 “controversial messages,” compared with 442,652 in the first quarter of last year.
As AI becomes more advanced and its use more widespread, there has been a marked increase in the CCP’s use of AI to generate and spread misinformation, it said.
The CCP has been using state-run media, private accounts, cyberarmy groups and public relations firms to manipulate public opinion, the bureau said.
China launches cyberattacks using fake accounts to create division within Taiwanese society, exploiting the transparency and openness of the nation’s democratic systems, it said.
The CCP repeatedly attempts to hack and steal data from Taiwanese governmental organizations, critical infrastructure and technology companies, the bureau said.
Since last year, the government’s service network registered a daily average of 2.19 million cyberattacks, mostly from China, it said.
Most were coordinated with political issues and Chinese military exercises, showing how China is integrating information warfare with its wider Taiwan-focused policies, it added.
The bureau said that it had already established an automated monitoring and analysis platform alongside industry leaders, academics and intelligence agencies.
It vowed to continue optimizing data protection, and monitoring domestic and international intelligence to promptly respond to threats.
The bureau added that it would build off-site backup systems and develop secure communications equipment to strengthen the resilience and security of government networks, while also deepening international exchanges and cooperation.
The CCP has been targeting controversial topics such as TSMC’s announcement of an additional US$100 billion investment in the US, President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 national security speech and the Chinese military’s “joint combat readiness patrols,” the bureau said.
The CCP is also employing illegal cybercrime tactics, it said.
Taiwan’s healthcare sector has suffered from a series of ransomware attacks, with hackers stealing data to sell on online forums, the bureau said.
Information is then spread online about the ransomware attacks to destabilize social order and create public anxiety, it said.
The hackers have also stolen data from the government and the national defense sector, it added.
The information is then repackaged, sensationalized and repeatedly resold, aiming to damage the government’s credibility, the bureau said.
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
CLAMPING DOWN: At the preliminary stage on Jan. 1 next year, only core personnel of the military, the civil service and public schools would be subject to inspections Regular checks are to be conducted from next year to clamp down on military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers with Chinese citizenship or Chinese household registration, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Taiwanese who obtain Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport would be deprived of their Taiwanese citizenship and lose their right to work in the military, public service or public schools, it said. To identify and prevent the illegal employment of holders of Chinese ID cards or
RSS