The government must put measures in place to regulate returning Taiwanese exposed to Chinese political manipulation, National Taipei University Institute of Criminology professor Shen Pao-yang (沈伯洋) said yesterday.
Shen made the remarks at a seminar titled: “How democratic Taiwan should regulate growing Chinese influence on the Internet streaming/broadcasting industry.”
The Economic Democracy Union, which hosted the event, said that China is stepping up political propaganda on Taiwan’s elections, public referendums and COVID-19 pandemic prevention issues via Internet streaming and broadcasting platforms.
Photo: Dado Ruvic, Reuters
They embed links on platforms promoting Chinese merchandise, computer games, adverts and Internet celebrities, it said.
Taiwan must enact preventive measures instead of stanching the wound when the damage has already been done, Shen said, adding that preventative measures do not absolve the need to draft legislation.
People have been exposed to Chinese influence when they traveled to China with their professors, or worked with job creation centers or other universities, Shen said, adding that the professors themselves are targets of China’s political warfare rhetoric.
There should be more attention paid to professors taking students to China instead of what young Taiwanese have done, he said, urging the government to implement regulatory measures.
One of the ways China is expanding its influence and “brainwashing” young Taiwanese young is through the use of artificial intelligence to create “fake news broadcasters” who mouth “news” generated by a central content farm, Shen said.
China has also been hiring Taiwanese to ghostwrite articles to make them feel closer and more authentic to Taiwanese, he said.
Chinese agents have learned that it is easy to make Taiwanese spread false news reports — all it takes is money, he said.
In other cases, streamers would notice that they receive more donations online when speaking about pro-China issues, incentivizing them to make more such content, Shen said.
There is evidence that at least five people that have been influenced by China are running for borough wardens in the Nov. 26 local elections, he said.
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