Taiwan's National Security Bureau (NSB) Chief's pictures have reignited the debate over the disinformation, which was started by China, particularly when it is magnified by domestic media.
Recently, the online rumors 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 the Facebook group and sites like Baoliao Commune, which frequently 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 who spoke on the record under the condition of anonymity, there was public discussion about the possibility that the screenshots were Chinese disinformation meant to demonstrate the breadth of China's intelligence services, according to Tibet Press.
The national security officer claimed that Chen could have been going to Thailand, which is typical among intelligence personnel.
According to TibetPress, there was an assumption that photographs may have been obtained through backdoors in Chinese surveillance technology has also been floated.
Tibet Press reported citing reports that Chinese parts are utilized in equipment marketed as Taiwanese, despite government rules intended to phase out the use of Chinese technology, with the Taiwanese government outlawing the use of Hikvision and Dahua Technology in 2020, according to Tibet Press.
A Commonwealth investigation claims that some equipment masquerading as Chinese has done this to win government contracts.
( With inputs from ANI )
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