China fires deepfake salvo at Taiwan before presidential poll

Taiwan has accused China of using AI (artificial intelligence) to create and post “fake hosts and voice overs” of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen ahead of the crucial 13 January polls. A report by Taipei Times cited a security official familiar with the matter whom it didn’t name saying the content and its spread across social media sites “bore the characteristic traits of an informational operation by the Chinese Ministry of State Security." Also, the videos contained Chinese phrases that are not routinely used in Taiwan, the official added. A report by Bloomberg said some videos accessed by them made false claims about Tsai’s personal life. Taiwan election 2024 is scheduled for 13 January, the day when voters will choose a new leader as Tsai is set to step down after serving the maximum two terms. Beijing has mounted military, economic and diplomatic pressure on Tsai during her nearly eight years in power because she won’t acknowledge the island of 23 million people is part of China. A report by the US government last year stated that China spends billions of dollars a year on an influence campaign that includes spreading false information around the world. With inputs from Bloomberg