Information Resilience in Taiwan: Security, AI & Civil Society

As a frequent target of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) political warfare, Taiwan’s information environment is continuously challenged by foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). Ahead of Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election, for example, the Taiwanese NGO DoubleThink Lab identified more than 10,000 pieces of suspicious online content aligned with false narratives promoted by the PRC.

Concerns have grown that advances in artificial intelligence could further amplify these influence operations. The 2024 leak of the Golaxy (中科天玑) papers revealed how a Chinese technology company linked to the Chinese state developed AI-enabled systems to harvest personal data, created a database reportedly containing 23 million Taiwanese household records, and conducted targeted influence campaigns against audiences in Taiwan, the United States, and other democracies.

As Taiwan prepares for its upcoming election in November of this year, both the government of Taiwan and the robust civil society network of think tanks and NGOs focused on information resilience will play a critical role in countering malign influence campaigns.

On July 22, GTI will host a panel discussion on the ways in which AI is influencing the misinformation and targeting campaigns directed at Taiwan. The event will feature four expert speakers who will discuss the targeting of Taiwanese society by the PRC and the lessons that can be drawn from it. The seminar will also discuss the discovery of the Golaxy Papers, as well as the launch of a GTI paper examining why civil society organizations in Taiwan have become a critical component of the country's cyber defense infrastructure.