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.
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
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
RSS