China discloses identity of online separatists related to Taiwan's 'internet army'
(ECNS) -- China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) on Monday unveiled the identity information of four members of an "internet army" supported by "Taiwan independence" forces.
The four people -- Lin Yushu, Cai Jiehong, Zhan Xiaofan, and Wang Haoming -- are all males. They were born in 1979, 1993, 1982, and 1993, respectively. They are hired by the "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFC)" of Taiwan, according to the MSS.
The ICEFC was established in June 2017 as the "fourth military branch" of the Taiwan authorities and was restructured in 2022 as a direct agency of the "defense department" of the island. It primarily handles electronic warfare, information warfare, cyber warfare, and military line maintenance, serving as the main force for the island of Taiwan's cyber operations against the mainland, said the MSS.
The usual tactics used by ICEFC-hired separatists include infiltrating key information infrastructures on the mainland including water, electricity, gas, heat, communications and networked cameras, sending phishing and counter-propaganda e-mails to key units of the Communist Party of China (CPC), government, military and enterprises on the mainland, and stealing login credentials for live streaming platforms, connected electronic displays, IP intercom broadcast systems, or website portals to gain control and insert propaganda audio, video, or images, the MSS noted.
They also lurk on mainstream social media platforms and amass a large number of "bot" accounts to spread false information, manipulate public opinion, mislead perceptions of people in the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, and monitor and suppress dissenting voices in Taiwan.
By revealing the backgrounds of individuals supported by "Taiwan independence" separatists, authorities on the mainland aim to caution netizens against being misled by online rumors that incite confrontations. (By Zhang Dongfang)