To raise awareness of how China spreads disinformation and undermines public trust in Taiwan’s government, the National Security Bureau (NSB) released its 2024 report analyzing the CCP’s dissemination patterns on Friday.
Revealing a sharp rise in disinformation campaigns targeting Taiwan, the report showed that China spread nearly 2.2 million pieces of controversial information in 2024, a significant increase from 1.3 million in 2023. While other platforms saw notable growth, Facebook remains the primary platform, with disinformation activity rising by 40% compared to the previous year. Other platforms, including TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), saw substantial growth in suspicious accounts, with younger internet users being the apparent target.
The report highlights China’s use of fake and stolen accounts to flood social platforms with comments, manipulated videos, and memes to spread disinformation. AI tools like deepfake technology are also employed to create fake statements from political figures, aiming to mislead public perception.
To counter these efforts, Taiwan has established a "whole-of-government" approach for real-time reporting and response. In 2024, the NSB flagged nearly 3,900 cases of disinformation for further action and engaged in over 100 international exchanges to share counter-disinformation strategies and bolster defenses against cognitive warfare.