AI Deepfake Sparks Debates over Chinese Interference in KMT Chair Election

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan’s largest opposition party Kuomintang holds its chair election on Saturday. But a rare claim from within the party that China is interfering has sparked controversy.

Transcript

00:00This video, appearing to show two Taiwanese politicians sharing a kiss, has kicked up a storm in Taiwan.

00:07That's because the clip, involving a local city councilor and former Taipei mayor Hao Longbin,

00:13now a leading candidate to head up Taiwan's main opposition, Kuomintang, isn't real. It's an AI deepfake.

00:19Videos like this have become a major issue ahead of the KMT chair election,

00:24not just because of who they target, but because of who some party members believe is behind them.

00:30Media personality and KMT stalwart Zhao Shaokang says Beijing is now meddling in his party's leadership race.

00:37Zhao says some simple internet sleuthing shows at least some of the content is coming from China.

00:43If you look at the IP, there's a lot of people in China. There's a lot of people in China.

00:47There's a lot of people in China. It's a lot of people in China.

00:50Accusations of Chinese interference in Taiwan's elections are not new.

00:54Both the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the Third Force Taiwan People's Party

00:59say they've been targeted by Chinese disinformation campaigns.

01:02But it's much rarer for the KMT to openly acknowledge Chinese meddling in its affairs.

01:08The party is viewed as friendlier with China and often encourages dialogue with Beijing.

01:14Zhao Shaokang says social media has been flooded with content about the KMT's chair election.

01:20But posts overwhelmingly seem to favor another leading candidate, China-friendly former lawmaker Zheng Liwen.

01:27He says that between September 12 and October 12, up to 900 videos were posted about Zheng on TikTok,

01:34while those about Hao Longbin number around 250.

01:38On YouTube, Zhao says around 600 videos have appeared discussing the chair election.

01:44Among those, channels registered under Chinese IPs were mostly created last month, in the final weeks before the vote.

01:52Their messaging was highly consistent, with most backing Zheng and criticizing Hao.

01:58And those numbers could be just the tip of the iceberg.

02:01It's a concerning trend, but some experts say because the accounts posting these videos are mostly brand-new,

02:07they might be less effective.

02:09Your subscribers may be at least $1,000 or $1,000 or something like that.

02:14The number of subscribers may be at least $10,000.

02:18And now, after a month, I think they've got a lot of results.

02:24Others say this case is a reminder for Taiwan to step up national security efforts.

02:31Influence from China has never been about supporting one party or another.

02:36It's about dividing Taiwan as a society.

02:39So in the end, protecting democracy means making national security a shared responsibility,

02:45not only a partisan issue.

02:48Taiwan's National Security Bureau has weighed in on the case,

02:51saying it aims to improve legal tools to combat outside interference in Taiwan's politics.

02:58But using the law to curb this information is a tricky tightrope walk.

03:16In a democratic society like Taiwan's, freedom of speech could make things hard.

03:23But experts say that doesn't mean there are no solutions.

03:27They say exposing infiltration tactics can help raise awareness.

03:31But that ultimately, online platforms and social media needs to be regulated locally.

03:37As AI tools now grow more advanced, China has more ways than ever to influence Taiwan's politics.

04:04They say the best defense is to boost media literacy among the public,

04:08and actively call out false or manipulated information to build a more resilient society.

04:14Ryan Wu and Ellen Lu for Taiwan Plus.

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