Disinformation attacks from China doubled last year: Taiwan
Taiwan Faces Surge in Disinformation Attacks from China in 2024
Taiwan's National Security Bureau (NSB) has reported a significant rise in disinformation attacks from China, with cases nearly doubling in 2024 compared to the previous year. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to undermine confidence in Taiwan's military, US support, and President William Lai. In 2024, 2.159 million cases of controversial information were reported, with Facebook being the most affected platform, experiencing a 40% increase in disinformation.
Other platforms also saw significant increases: video platforms by 151%, forums by 664%, and X (formerly Twitter) by 244%. The NSB identified 28,216 questionable accounts, a rise of 11,661 from 2023, with Facebook accounting for 21,967 of these. TikTok, X, and China's Douyin also saw major surges, indicating that young Internet users are the main targets.
The NSB outlined six key tactics used by the CCP, including flooding social media with disinformation, impersonating Taiwanese users, leveraging military exercises for propaganda, using AI-generated deepfakes, co-opting media accounts, and establishing fake multilingual news sites. The bureau reported 3,900 cases of disinformation to government agencies and hosted over 100 exchange events to share expertise with other nations.
Doubts Revealed
Taiwan
Taiwan is an island located in East Asia, near China. It has its own government and operates like a separate country, but China claims it as part of its territory.
Disinformation
Disinformation is false information spread on purpose to mislead people. It's like telling lies to confuse or trick others.
National Security Bureau
The National Security Bureau is a government agency in Taiwan that works to protect the country from threats, like spying or attacks from other countries.
US support
US support refers to the help or backing that the United States gives to Taiwan, which can include military aid or political support.
President William Lai
William Lai is a political leader in Taiwan. In this context, he is mentioned as the President of Taiwan.
Facebook is a popular social media platform where people can share information, photos, and connect with friends. It's used by many people around the world, including in India.
AI deepfakes
AI deepfakes are videos or images created using artificial intelligence to make it look like someone is saying or doing something they didn't actually do. It's like a very realistic fake video.
CCP
CCP stands for the Chinese Communist Party, which is the ruling political party in China. They make important decisions for the country.
International exchange events
International exchange events are gatherings where people from different countries come together to share ideas, learn from each other, and build relationships.
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