Taiwan: Expert warns China could use TikTok to influence public opinion in prelude to war, says Taiwan lacks legal tools to regulate political messaging online

crosspostato da: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/39310997

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An information warfare expert on Tuesday warned that China could use TikTok to undermine morale before a possible invasion.

The Institute of Sociology at Academia Sinica hosted a lecture Monday titled “CCP Propaganda in Taiwan” that included Lee Chih-te (李志德), former head of the Asia Fact Check Lab [...] Lee, who led an investigative project on Chinese propaganda, said Taiwan lacks sufficient legal tools to regulate political messaging online. He called on the government to act before a national security crisis caused by China erupts.

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Lee referenced its interference in the US in March 2024 as a warning for Taiwan. Before a House vote on legislation targeting ByteDance, TikTok urged its 170 million users to pressure lawmakers to oppose the bill.

Every user reportedly saw the same in-app message urging them to contact their representative. “In essence, TikTok put on a display of its power in this incident,” Lee said.

The expert said the app poses enormous national security risks during the gray zone conflict phase, a period of coercive measures short of open war. "I have no doubt that, when needed, Taiwanese users could be shown messages saying the military has already surrendered and they should refuse conscription because everyone has already surrendered," warned Lee.

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[Lee] warned that if Taiwan continues to allow unchecked online behavior in the name of freedom, it may be too late to intervene when a true national security crisis emerges.