In January 2024, as Taiwan’s elections approached, numerous video posts titled “The Secret History of Tsai Ing-wen” flooded social platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and X. These videos, featuring news anchors speaking in English and Chinese, disseminated false claims about Tsai Ing-wen and her ruling party. On election day, January 13th, an audio clip circulated suggesting Terry Gou, a candidate who withdrew from the race in November, endorsed the China-friendly KMT party (though Gou made no such endorsement).
These videos and audio clips were likely generated using artificial intelligence (AI) and disseminated by a Chinese state-backed propaganda group known as Spamouflage, Dragonbridge, or Storm-1376. Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence team, in an April 5th report, noted this as the first instance of a nation-state employing AI-generated content to influence a foreign election.
Over the past decade, the proliferation of online disinformation has emerged as a critical issue worldwide. Domestic and foreign adversaries increasingly employ disinformation to disrupt democratic processes, undermine norms, and erode trust in institutions, as observed by Stanford scholars.
While propaganda and disinformation have long been tools for manipulating public opinion, their online dissemination poses unique challenges. The internet and social media platforms have been “weaponized” to spread confusion, agitation, and division within civil society, observed Eileen Donahoe, Executive Director of Stanford’s Global Digital Policy Incubator and former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council.
Donahoe emphasized the urgency for democratic governments to address the exploitation of digital platforms by malign actors, which undermines trust in democratic processes. Stanford scholars across various disciplines are actively researching the threats posed by disinformation, providing recommendations for governments, digital platforms, and the public to combat its harmful effects.
These findings and recommendations shed light on the role of disinformation during critical events such as the global pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
