Taiwan warns China is launching AI and deepfakes campaigns run by legitimate tech and marketing firms

Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) has claimed that Beijing is outsourcing large parts of its influence operations to Chinese IT and marketing companies. It believes that those contractors are relying on automation and AI-generated content to scale “cognitive warfare” campaigns targeting Taiwanese audiences.

Taiwan's top intelligence agency claims that its intelligence community detected more than 45,000+ fake social media accounts, and more than 2.3 million pieces of disinformation circulated through those networks last year.

Drilling down into great detail, the NSB’s report reveals that the activity wasn’t just attributed to random troll farms but tied to contracted Chinese IT firms that allegedly built databases of fake/bot accounts and developed automated programs to manage them.

Released on Sunday, the NSB’s findings, Cognitive warfare tactics against Taiwan in 2025, found that the firms were using a number of tactics to disseminate disinformation targeting audiences in Taiwan.

Beijing is using voice and video deepfakes to spread disinformation

The report claims that IT enterprises, such as China North Industries Group Corporation Limited, have been contracted to develop AI models and intelligent guidance systems for conducting public-opinion data collection, automating video generation, and delivering content to targeted audiences.

The NSB alleges that these systems are being used to “produce and disseminate disinformation in various forms.”

According to the report, China has also commissioned tech firms such as Magic Data and iFlytek to develop intelligent voice systems and place advertisements on recruitment websites, aiming to entice unwitting Taiwanese users to submit online recordings.

The NSB believes that these voice datasets may be used to clone voices that mimic Taiwanese accents, thereby enhancing the authenticity of AI-generated video content.

Use of fake news websites and Facebook content farms

The NSB report claims that the Central Publicity Department and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) are also utilizing marketing companies, such as Haixunshe, Haimai, and Huya, to create fake news websites that spread narratives aligned with China’s official stances.

These sites appear to look like international media outlets to local Taiwanese residents, with names such as “Aisa Korea” and “Austria Weekly.”

Meanwhile, Beijing has supported the Chinese marketing company Wubianjie Group in operating content farms via Facebook fan pages that tend to post sensational articles to attract clicks.

After attracting followers with clickbait soft content, their posts pivoted to political ones to influence Taiwanese public perception, the NSB said.

China is compiling databases on key Taiwanese figures

According to the report. Chinese IT companies such as Golaxy, Meiya Pico, and Warming High-Tech are deploying web crawler technology to collect personal data of Taiwan’s political figures, legislators, and opinion leaders, "including their interpersonal connections and stances toward China.”

It added that these tech companies also compile information on polling data and candidates' social media activity to launch targeted propaganda campaigns against Taiwan and take actions against specific individuals.

Using analytics and bots, then targeting key influencers

In addition, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the United Front Work Department, and PLA’s Cyberspace Force have tasked Chinese IT companies such as Zhongkedianji, Beijing Xingguang, and OneSight with setting up a database of influencers and are developing automated programs capable of managing a high volume of bot accounts for disinformation spreading, aiming to influence targeted audiences and manipulate public opinion.

The NSB added that the notorious Beijing-linked disinformation network Dragonbridge was also conducting influence operations in more than 20 languages across over 180 social media platforms worldwide.

Hacking Taiwanese user accounts

The Taiwanese intelligence agency also accused China of “conducting cyber intrusions to hijack Taiwanese users’ accounts,” with the Chinese cyber army hijacking over a dozen PTT accounts during China’s military exercise against Taiwan in April 2025.

The Cyberspace Administration of China hacked into IoT devices and rented overseas servers as proxies to hype up disinformation such as 'China has blockaded Taiwan’s natural-gas shipments' and 'Chinese warships have entered Taiwan’s 24-nautical-mile zone'.

Taiwan's National Security Bureau

Why does China want to spread disinformation in Taiwan?

According to the NSB, these methods are being employed by China with the aim of deepening internal divisions within Taiwan and influencing other countries’ willingness to support Taiwan in the event of “need” (implying an invasion by China), and winning support among the Taiwanese people for China’s gain.

To counter the PRC's cognitive warfare, the NSB stated that it was working closely with related government units and was ramping up efforts to cooperate with fact-checking organizations and social media platform operators, urging them to duly disclose and remove false information.

The NSB has also chosen to widely circulate its report, sharing it publicly to raise greater awareness of China’s influence operations and the threats that this poses to Taiwan and the broader geopolitical ecosystem.

On a global front, the NSB said over the past year, it has held over 80 security dialogues and intelligence-sharing conferences with international partners with the aim of expanding the network of international cooperation and support for Taiwan.

Last week, the NSB revealed that Chinese cyberattacks on Taiwan's key infrastructure, from hospitals to banks, rose 6% in 2025 from the previous year to an average of 2.63 million attacks a day.

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