Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei TimesA lot of false information originating in China uses traditional Chinese characters and typical Taiwanese expressions, making it much more difficult to spot and counteract initially, he said. Another type of cognitive warfare is doctoring news or images from two or three years ago and distributing them, Lo said. Most state propaganda is released by government agencies, while patriotic Chinese often spread fake information fed to them by the state, Lo said. Fake news generated by content farms can have sources outside of China, Lo said, adding that these sites are usually influenced by Beijing. Local enablers — people living in Taiwan who supporting Beijing’s views — also help spread fake news, often without a direct link to Chinese officials, though some do trade commercially with China, Lo said.
