Washington, April 23 (CNA) Minister Without Portfolio responsible for digital technology Audrey Tang said Tuesday that Taiwan's government is making preparations to combat so-called fake news in the run-up to the presidential race in January next year.
As the presidential election approaches, the government is working on effective measures to crack down on false news, in a bid to prevent foreign-based forces from gaining leverage in the upcoming presidential race through propaganda campaigns or political advertisements, Tang told a CNA reporter.
The government is approaching the problem from three different directions, she said.
First, false news must be blocked once it is identified and the government must have a mechanism in place to quickly remove it, she said.
Second, in the event the fake news goes viral, the government must coordinate with major media platforms to minimize its adverse effects and publish corrections, according to Tang.
Third, if dubious news is proven to be fake and groundless, those involved in its dissemination will be dealt with according to the law, she said.
In addition, it is likely that a new Political Donations Act, to be passed by the Legislative Yuan in the near future, will require all donations to be made public and restrict donations to Taiwanese nationals, she explained.
According to Tang, in the wake of the local government elections in November last year it was discovered that foreign-based forces used election campaigns and political advertisements to influence the outcome.
To deal with this issue, two pieces of legislation are currently being reviewed at the Legislative Yuan that will stipulate only Taiwanese citizens can sponsor political commercials and all funding must be made public, she said.
Tang, who is currently visiting the United States to exchange views on cybersecurity and fake news with U.S. authorities, gave keynote speeches at seminars sponsored by the Atlantic Council and George Washington University, with the latter focused on shared values in United States-Taiwan relations and strengthening democracy through open governance earlier Tuesday.
