Beijing could be using Douyin and TikTok (international) to sow distrust in the government and elections among young Taiwanese, experts said.
Short-form video-sharing platforms are the easiest way to influence the views of young Taiwanese, said a source familiar with cross-strait issues, commenting on the condition of anonymity.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has repeatedly used Douyin to drum up support for specific presidential candidates leading up to Saturday’s election, the source said, adding that chronic use of Douyin could cause users to develop pro-China views.
Photo: AP
Douyin has shown that it can influence the decisions and perceptions of young people, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said.
Videos alleging that the Central Election Commission had engaged in ballot-rigging are trying to sow doubt in the government and, eventually, society as a whole, Wu said.
Such tactics aim to create conflict, heighten social turmoil and eventually give cause for the CCP to intervene, he said.
Young people have shown little responsibility in sharing questionable Douyin videos, a trend that should be closely monitored, he said.
National Chengchi University political science professor Hung Ching-fu (洪敬富) said that the CCP could be behind the videos claiming that ballot-rigging occurred.
Once people begin to doubt democracy, it would in the long term create discord, Hung said.
Dismissing Taiwan’s democracy as “worthless” would further prop up the legitimacy of China’s autocratic rule, he added.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) called for measures to regulate Douyin, and potentially ban it.
Douyin, as a Chinese company, carries inherent security risks, and videos hosted on the platform are being used to spread misinformation, Wang said.
Users are unable to get a complete story on issues presented in videos due to length restrictions on Douyin, he said.
The issue should be a concern for all political parties, he said, urging lawmakers to work together to draft legislation to control Douyin, and, if the app proves to be uncontrollable, to ban it.
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