Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) chief’s pictures have reignited the debate over disinformation which was started by China, particularly when it is magnified by domestic media.
Recently, the online rumours of NSB director-general Chen Ming’s alleged covert travel to Thailand have resurfaced after the screenshots of the Chinese misinformation have shared again, Tibet Press reported. The screenshots were taken from a deactivated Twitter account with the handle @andreny45652235. Six tweets from the account were insufficient to confirm its legitimacy. The screenshots were later shared on Facebook group and sites like Baoliao Commune, which publishes misinformation and unverified news and has a following of more than 3.2 million, reported Tibet Press. Although the NSB said that the tweets had factual errors, the head had truly visited Thailand is not confirmed. It is still unknown if the pictures were taken lately by Chen or if they were old shots that had been digitally altered. Much of the early framing concerned whether Chen was going on a public-funded sightseeing excursion or whether Chen may be having an affair because he was traveling with a lady. Later, following remarks to the Liberty Times from a national security official, there was public discussion about the possibility that the screenshots were Chinese disinformation.