Taiwan is facing an online campaign of disinformation about COVID-19, and it’s coming from outside the country’s borders. That’s according to Deputy Interior Minister Chen Tsung-yen, who spoke at a press briefing on Monday morning.
The news comes as Taiwan scrambles to contain its worst outbreak of COVID-19 yet. The country registered 334 new cases of the virus on Monday.
As one example of disinformation, Chen highlights an account on Twitter posing as a popular Taiwanese newspaper to circulate false stories. He says the account has spread numerous false claims about the country’s fight against COVID-19. Those include claims that crematoriums are burning bodies en masse, hospital morgues are operating at capacity, and the government is manipulating data. Chen said that all three stories are patently untrue.
Chen says authorities have looked into the IP addresses of those responsible and found that the accounts are based abroad. He says law enforcement is looking further into the matter.
Chen is urging the public to remain vigilant against information from unverified sources. He says people should get their information about the pandemic from the Central Epidemic Command Center.