Hsu Che-pin (許哲賓), a former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) employee who allegedly helped online commentator Lin Yu-hong (林裕紘) fake death threats, was found to control more than 1,000 accounts on Facebook, a source close to the investigation said on Wednesday.
The two men earlier this month were put in pre-trial detention following Lin’s public admission that he pretended to have received death threats for criticizing the government’s handling of egg shortages on his Facebook page “Lin Bay Hao You” (Lin Bay 好油).
His announcement sparked a public furor, as then-minister of agriculture Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) resigned due to backlash against the government’s egg import program.
Photo: Taipei Times
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister paper of the Taipei Times) that the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office is broadening its probe, as the scale indicates that Hsu was a middling member of an organized campaign to spread disinformation.
Credentials for the accounts were found on Hsu’s phone and laptop, indicating that he exercised control over them, the source said.
Investigators believe it unlikely that Hsu managed the accounts alone and probably utilized the services of professional trolls while acting under orders, they said.
Facebook owner Meta has been purging fake accounts from the site since 2020, meaning Hsu’s accounts were carefully maintained to appear authentic, the source said.
According to local media, Hsu was formerly a member of the KMT Policy Committee, spokesman of former legislator Chang Chia-chun (張嘉郡) and social media manager of Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Li-shan (張麗善).
Hsu later founded Ou Lou Yin Creativity, a public relations firm offering services to businesses and political figures. The company’s Web site was taken down following his arrest.
Asked by lawmakers to comment on the matter during an interpellation, Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor Chang Tou-hui (張斗輝) said that the inquiry is ongoing and that a separate probe is to be launched into the leak of information to the press.
The investigation is expected to be completed in less than a month, he said.
Prosecutors declined to comment on Hsu’s alleged ownership of the accounts, but said the investigation is moving toward the assumption that the suspect was part of a conspiracy to disseminate disinformation.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesman Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) accused the KMT of being “the biggest organization sowing chaos in Taiwan” and demanded its leadership explain its role in the “hoax.”
The DPP believes it is extremely unlikely that Hsu’s online activities were conducted without the knowledge of KMT caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗), who is executive officer of the party’s policy committee, he said.
An ordinary party worker would not have the resources or ability to control that many accounts without funding and direction from a larger entity, Chang Chih-hao said, adding that the KMT had been complicit in smearing the government with false news reports.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
Weather conditions across Taiwan are expected to remain stable today, but cloudy to rainy skies are expected from tomorrow onward due to increasing moisture in the atmosphere, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). Daytime highs today are expected to hit 25-27°C in western Taiwan and 22-24°C in the eastern counties of Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung, data on the CWA website indicated. After sunset, temperatures could drop to 16-17°C in most parts of Taiwan. For tomorrow, precipitation is likely in northern Taiwan as a cloud system moves in from China. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover around 25°C, the CWA said. Starting Monday, areas
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
Taiwan has recorded its first fatal case of Coxsackie B5 enterovirus in 10 years after a one-year-old boy from southern Taiwan died from complications early last month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. CDC spokesman Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) told a news conference that the child initially developed a fever and respiratory symptoms before experiencing seizures and loss of consciousness. The boy was diagnosed with acute encephalitis and admitted to intensive care, but his condition deteriorated rapidly, and he passed away on the sixth day of illness, Lo said. This also marks Taiwan’s third enterovirus-related death this year and the first severe
RSS