Chen Su-yueh AI media incident — Sep 2026

Ahead of year-end local elections, Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice has announced a strict crackdown on deepfake content targeting political candidates to protect the integrity of the democratic system. Law enforcement agencies are increasing forensic tracing and collaborating with digital platforms to expedite the removal of AI-generated misinformation.

What happened

Politicians across the political spectrum have been targeted by sophisticated synthetic media. Notable incidents include a video of DPP candidate Chen Su-yueh claiming an easy election victory, and a deepfake of former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin being falsely depicted kissing Taipei City Councilor Liu Tsai-wei. During the 2024 presidential race, an audio file circulated via email featuring a fake Ko Wen-je claiming that attendees of William Lai’s US trip were paid NT$800, while a separate deepfake video of Lai commenting on a KMT-TPP alliance was confirmed by technical analysis to have a 98 percent manipulation probability. Additionally, former KMT official Wei Chun-yu faced questioning for allegedly using AI to clone President William Lai’s voice during a cooking oil scandal. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act, those who disseminate deepfake misinformation targeting candidates face up to seven years in prison, and platforms that fail to comply with removal orders are subject to legal penalties.