The Straits Times
Date: June 3, 2019
By: Katherine Wei, Taiwan Correspondent

TAIPEI – With a presidential election just a week away, Taiwan's government, together with local media, researchers and hackers, are stepping up efforts to quash a deluge of fake news – much of which is believed to be coming from China.

On Tuesday (Dec 31), Taiwan's legislature passed a number of amendments to the Criminal Code to regulate the spreading of misinformation, raising the penalty from under two years behind bars and a fine of NT$1,000 (S$45) to up to NT$200,000 in fines and the same prison time – heavier if the misinformation is spread online or via television, radio or other media.

The problem is considered especially acute in Taiwan.

Along with Latvia, Taiwan has been ranked as the place most affected by foreign online disinformation campaigns in the world in 2019 by the V-Dem Institute, a data analysis centre hosted at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden's Department of Political Science.    [FULL  STORY]