Fake Social Media Accounts Target Taiwan’s Presidential Election
According to a recent report by research firm Graphika, fake social media accounts have been identified as targeting Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election. The operation involved over 800 fake accounts and 13 Facebook pages that aimed to influence public opinion by reposting Chinese-language TikTok and YouTube videos about Taiwanese politics.
The main objective of these accounts was to promote the Kuomintang (KMT) party, which is generally seen as being friendly to China, while criticizing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which advocates for Taiwan’s independence. The content shared by these fake accounts closely followed Taiwan’s news cycle and took advantage of domestic controversies to portray the KMT’s opponents as inept and corrupt.
Although social media platforms have taken down most of these fake accounts, Graphika warns that similar manipulation attempts are likely to increase as the 2024 election approaches.
The videos that were reposted originated from accounts under the name “Agitate Taiwan” on TikTok and YouTube. However, it is still unclear whether these accounts were created specifically for this influence operation or if they belonged to legitimate users. YouTube has already removed the account for violating its rules, while TikTok continues to investigate the matter.
While the Facebook posts generated little engagement from real users, they managed to appear at the top of search results for specific hashtags related to Taiwanese political parties and candidates. This indicates that these fake accounts were successful in targeting their intended audience.
Graphika identified several red flags that pointed to the fake nature of these accounts. They included the use of stolen profile pictures, clusters of accounts posting identical content, and the incorrect Chinese transliterations of Taiwanese slang.
This recent revelation serves as a reminder of the importance of remaining vigilant against online manipulation and disinformation campaigns, particularly in the context of elections. Both social media platforms and users must continue to be proactive in detecting and reporting such malicious activities to ensure the integrity of democratic processes.
As Taiwan’s presidential election draws closer, it is imperative that authorities and social media platforms work together to combat these manipulative tactics and protect the integrity of the electoral process.
