Officials today warned people against sharing a deepfake video of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) discrediting his party that has gone viral on TikTok.
The original video is from a DPP caucus news conference during which Ker spoke, but edited so that the audio and subtitles have him saying “under the DPP, Taiwan will be in the dark.”
Last night, Ker issued a statement clarifying that the video is fake, adding that he would seek to file a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Bureau and Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office.
Photo: CNA
At a Legislative Yuan meeting today, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said that police suspect the video could have originated abroad.
People in Taiwan are rational and can differentiate between the truth and videos meant to brainwash them, Liu said.
Going back to former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) time in office, officials have tried to warn Taiwanese about the dangers of spreading misinformation.
Ker and fellow DPP legislator Wang Yi-chuan (王義川), who also had a deepfake video made of himself, went to the prosecutors’ office today to sue those who spread the video.
The lawsuit is to defend the constitutional system and stand for the nation’s security, Ker said, adding that the situation is part of a larger plan by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to “sell” the country out.
The video is clearly fake, Wang said of his deepfake, as it lacks the Taiwanese words he normally uses and has incorrect terms for some items.
The videos have circulated among KMT groups online, and he has screenshots of the messages, Wang added.
Investigators accepted Ker’s case and would look into the origins of the video, National Police Agency Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said.
The public should avoid sharing it further to avoid contravening the law, Chang added.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
IDENTITY SHIFT: Asked to choose to identify as either Taiwanese or Chinese, 83.3 percent of respondents chose Taiwanese, while 8.4 percent chose Chinese An overwhelming majority of Taiwanese, 71.5 percent, think that Taiwan should compete in international competitions under the name “Taiwan,” a Taiwan Brain Trust survey published yesterday showed. Referring to Taiwan’s victory last month at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12, the survey results showed that 89.1 percent of respondents said that Taiwan’s exceptional performance in sporting competitions furthers national unity. Only 18.8 percent of respondents supported Taiwanese teams’ continued use of the name “Chinese Taipei” in international sporting competitions, the survey showed. Among Taiwan’s leading political parties, the name “Team Taiwan” was supported by 91.1 percent of self-identified Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters,
RSS