Taiwan election: Pro-China disinformation targets voters with deepfakes and manipulative videos

Taiwan on Saturday is set to hold electionswhich are being closely watched - in China as well as the United States. It is said that the election results will impact the future of Taiwan's relations with Beijing. Apart from the US and China, experts and Taiwanese authorities have raised concerns about what could hamper the election.

They have said that the election campaign has been hit by a wave of disinformation and TikTok videos, which are particularly aimed at candidates China opposes.

Beijing has made it clear that it opposes the frontrunner Lai Ching-te, whose Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rejects China's assertion that Taiwan is its own territory.

A report by the news agency AFP detailed how one Chinese hashtag criticising Lai received over 8.5 million views. The report added that replies to such posts and videos criticising the DPP were filled with derogatory remarks and conspiracy theories.

On one video featuring DPP opponents, one TikTok user commented: "She's a foreigner." The video claimed Lai's running mate Hsiao Bi-khim was secretly a US citizen, and thus ineligible.

Hsiao has often stated that she handed up her US citizenship years ago. However, the unfounded claim about Hsiao's US citizenship has been the most persistent social media allegation during the election campaign.

AFP also said that it has discovered her name on a US government registry of those who have renounced their nationality.

According to experts, the flow of disinformation demonstrates a Beijing-linked effort to undermine any lawmakers who oppose Taiwan's status as a part of China.

Jonathan Sullivan of the University of Nottingham told the news agency that "(China-led) information campaigns are sustained, systematic and produce huge volumes of misinformation -- anything to discredit... the legitimacy of Taiwan's democracy."

Sullivan added, "Taiwan faces an extremely well-resourced and motivated rival for 'hearts and minds'."

Lai has levelled accusations against China of using "all means to interfere with this election". Meanwhile, Beijing has dismissed the allegations as "rumours and hype".

(With inputs from agencies)