By Ann Maxon / Staff reporterThe Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has funded online influence campaigns organized by Yang Hui-ju (楊蕙如), a former campaign aide of Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Yu Shu-hui (游淑慧) said yesterday. Consulting firm Yishi (易始), of which Yang is a director, has since 2016 been hired by the central and local governments for 11 projects totaling NT$21 million, Yu said. Most of the projects given to the two companies were awarded through closed tenders, Yu said, urging the DPP to clarify if it has been funding Yang. Taipei Department of Information and Tourism Director Liu Yi-ting (劉奕霆) said that the city government followed the appropriate procedure when hiring Pinyuan. If the city government has been paying companies to conduct online influence campaigns, “why was Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) the subject of so much criticism after the 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade?” Liu asked.

Source: Taipei Times December 17, 2019 15:56 UTC