The Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice of Taiwan announced on February 26 that inaccurate news reports have been flooding Taiwan’s online social media. The usage of terms suggested that the cyberspace army from mainland China had created them.
This fake news was packaged with events and supposed statements from politicians in Taiwan. For example, “My father is a Parliament Member from the Democratic Progressive Party. He talked about pneumonia last time and said that Taiwan had over 500 infection cases and 200 deaths. Hualien and Taipei were hit badly, but Tsai Ing-wen’s administration didn’t dare to announce it.”
Related postings on Chinascope:
- Taiwan: A Taiwan Businessman Values Others’ Lives Before His Own
- Taiwan: Controversy about the First Evacuation Flight – February 3
- Taiwan: Commentary – Why Beijing Does Not Allow Taiwan to Evacuate Its Citizens
- Taiwan: Beijing Rejected Taiwan’s Evacuation Request – January 28
Excerpt in Chinese:
經本局溯源調查，近期有數則不實訊息於我國網路社群媒體大量散布，從內容用詞判斷疑似係大陸網軍假造炒作，主要均利用我國時事、政治人物、地名進行內容上的套換及變造，衍生大量變種假訊息持續散布傳播，相關案例如下：…
一、 「我爸是民進黨議員，上次和王世堅聊天時提到肺炎，說現在台灣已經超過500例，死亡200例，特別是花蓮和台北是重災區，但是蔡當局不敢公布，怕引起民憤，通知了幾家綠媒專門造謠抹黑對岸…」
中國大陸武漢肺炎疫情愈趨嚴峻，國內確診病例、檢疫及隔離人數持續攀升，近期更疑似出現境外網軍值此之際趁亂炒作不實訊息，意圖引發我國民眾誤解及製造恐慌，嚴重危害我國社會安定，本局為穩定民眾不安情緒，並遏止不實疫情假訊息影響公共秩序及干擾防疫作業，已迅速針對上開不實訊息展開溯源調查；同時我國已於2月25日通過「嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例」，其中第14條規範散播不實疫情訊息將負刑事責任，提醒民眾勿理會上開假訊息，更勿轉傳不實訊息以免誤蹈法網。
Source: Investigation Bureau, Ministry of Justice website, February 26, 2020
https://www.mjib.gov.tw/news/Details?Module=1&id=569