#Newspaper

Twitter and TikTok in fake news firing line

//China’s political manipulation of social media sites has prompted a swift response from the Morrison government.

//In early 2019, a delegation of senior Australian government officials travelled to Shenzhen, China, where they were permitted into a gleaming, two-towered building in the city’s far west.

//The AEC’s idea was to open the lines of communication with the social media player, recognising the platform as a potential conduit for disinformation ahead of the May 18, 2019 federal election.

//Similar meetings took place in Silicon Valley with Twitter, Facebook and Google. But recognising #WeChat’s two million-plus user base in #Australia

//#Tencent was “receptive”, Rogers says, opening the way for a “collaborative relationship” during the 2019 campaign.

//However, just over 12 months later, an explosion of fake news around the world and the rise of misinformation and foreign government interference across almost all the biggest social media platforms has infuriated the Morrison government

//Twitter released an archive of 23,750 suspended accounts connected to Chinese state-backed ­information operations... These accounts aimed to sow discord across several fronts — including propaganda against Hong Kong protesters who are portrayed repeatedly as violent and referred to as “cockroaches”, and in linking the COVID-19 outbreak to Hong Kong or the US.

//Twitter is banned in China, but most of the misinformation is aimed at the Chinese-speaking ­diaspora, including in Australia.

//WeChat has an estimated 2.9 million Australian users. Australian political parties believe the platform has the potential to affect election results in up to six federal seats, which have high numbers of Chinese-Australian voters.

//Its aim is to use Australian ­diplomacy... to call out disinformation and shame the state actors behind fake news.

//the use of social media platforms in Australia “that are extensions of social platforms in authoritarian states” pose a particular problem.

//foreign state-sponsored social media campaigns can be conducted at any time in response to geopolitical developments, not just during elections.

//Australia needs to spend less on submarines and more on bolstering cyber defences and weeding out disinformation from strategic rivals, including China.

//“China is also being blamed for COVID-19, so they are reaching out around the globe to try and control these narratives,”

//The government has also tasked communications watchdog ACMA with developing a new #misinformation and news quality code of practice, in a bid to reduce the impact of fake news.

Full Article: The Australian, (11-Jul)

#ChinesePlatform #FakeNews #Tiktok #cyberdefence #SocialMedia #Election #Coronavirus #propaganda

A clear message from protesters against the coup in #Myanmar/Burma - so creative but straight to the point.

By twitter @benedictrogers
#Myanmarprotests #Myanmarcoup
#緬甸 #Myanmar #昂山素姬 #AungSanSuuKyi #Coup #MilitaryCrackdown #Election #Ballot #選票 #evilCCP #fxxkCCP #TakeDownTheCCP

Did #Trudeau call an #election to cover up #Winnipeglab scandal? 

👊🏽Watch Here https://youtu.be/tQ3BqZZ4DaE

Is communist #China more democratic than the United States? Beijing says yes. But ironically, just days ago, Chinese authorities disqualified a number of independent candidates from running in an #Election through some unorthodox tactics.

🔶Watch the full episode👉https://youtu.be/MIIpU_gW8_w

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen urges Beijing not to misjudge the situation in New Year speech

In Taipei, President Tsai Ing-wen delivered a New Year's speech in which she reiterated her concern about the situation in Hong Kong and stressed that the military was not an option for resolving cross-strait differences, urging Beijing not to misjudge the situation.

In her 2022 New Year's speech at the presidential palace, Tsai Ing-wen set out the four main plans for her administration this year, including continuation on global engagement, maintaining the economic momentum, strengthening the social security network, and safeguarding Taiwan's sovereignty.

She said that the interference in the election of the Hong Kong Legislative Council and the arrest of media personnel had raised concerns about human rights and freedom of speech in Hong Kong.

"The pursuit of democracy and freedom is not a crime, and Taiwan's position in support of Hong Kong will not change. Aside from showing our concern, we will cherish our own hard-earned freedom and democracy even more deeply", Tsai said.

Source: Now News #Jan01

https://news.now.com/home/international/player?newsId=461848&refer=Share

#Taiwan #TsaiIngWen #LegislativeCouncil #Election #TheStandNews #Arrest #PressFreedom

[Translator note: Some wordings are following the report from Focus Taiwan, a CNA English News agency]

Eugene Yu, the CEO of Konnech, a computer company based in Mighigan, was arrested about a week and a half ago for allegedly stealing and storing the #PersonalData of Los Angeles County #Election workers on servers in China.

This comes as Konnech, which provides computer services to the election departments of various counties, was awarded a five-year contract with Los Angeles County worth around $2.9 million back in 2020.

🔥 Watch here 👉https://epochtim.es/ElectionSoftwareCEOArrested