Noting that researchers have found that 85 China-based blogs and accounts were spreading a conspiracy theory that a US “meteorological weapon” had caused recent fires in Hawaii, political observers in Taiwan said the nation also needs to be vigilant of Beijing employing similar disinformation campaigns against Taiwan.
The untrue content concerning Hawaii was written in 15 languages and disseminated across a myriad of platforms including Facebook, YouTube and X, a report published in Gizmodo said, citing NewsGuard, an online news content ranker.
The effort represented the most expansive Chinese informational operation to be uncovered by NewsGuard to date, Gizmodo said.
Photo: Reuters
The conspiracy theory involved the British MI6, a supposed US defector and a capability to manipulate wildfires, storms and volcanic eruptions, it said.
FAKE
Citing NewsGuard, Gizmodo said the fake story first appeared on a Chinese platform called 163.com in early August before being distributed on global platforms via sock puppet accounts, and added that the posts apparently utilized bots to generate comments, replies and shares.
Though researchers cannot prove that the accounts were directed by Beijing, the weather weapon rumors had originated from Chinese-language accounts and platforms prior to being reproduced in other languages, Gizmodo said.
The accounts linked to the fake story were newly created and many showed little or no activity beyond sharing stories that aligned with Beijing’s interests, Gizmodo said, paraphrasing NewsGuard.
DISINFORMATION
In response, Meta Platforms Inc told Gizmodo that its researchers have identified the accounts as part of Spamouflage, a disinformation campaign of Chinese origin.
That operation dated to 2019 and had been linked to spreading another tranche of fake stories detailed in Meta’s Q2 Adversarial Threat Report, the outlet cited Meta as saying.
In Taiwan, a report to the Legislative Yuan in April by the National Security Bureau stated that Beijing is expected to ratchet up its disinformation campaign targeting Taiwan to influence voters ahead of the nation’s general elections next year.
Commenting on condition of anonymity, a source with insight into the matter said that China’s use of algorithms in propaganda would likely increase, making it more difficult for users to distinguish fake stories from real ones in the future.
Being skeptical toward provocative headlines and verifying stories before sharing them remains key in preventing foreign meddling in Taiwan’s politics and public opinion, they said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and