Taiwan is toughening laws, fostering memes and partnering with the likes of Facebook to fight back against China’s attempts to influence its coming election.
The island democracy has been subjected to political pressure from Beijing for decades. Its Jan. 11 election to pick a president and members of the legislature has been widely regarded as a prime target for Chinese online interference and disinformation—and as a potential test bed for a similar campaign by Beijing aimed at the U.S. presidential election later this year.
Officials in Taipei say while they remain vigilant, they have been encouraged that China’s efforts appear to be having less impact on the current campaigns than they have on previous ones. The Taiwanese presidential candidate seen as Beijing’s preferred choice is lagging in the polls.
“Disinformation this year doesn’t seem to have the same effectiveness,” said Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
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Source: Taiwan Turns to Facebook and Viral Memes to Counter China’s Disinformation – WSJ