Taiwan’s Investigation Bureau says an audio clip alleging that DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Po-yang took kickbacks in a US arms purchase was synthesized with deepfake technology. Taoyuan prosecutors detained a man surnamed Zheng who was identified as its poster and asked a court to hold him.
According to the Liberty Times, published at 12:04 a.m. on October 31, an investigator at the Banqiao station of the Bureau’s New Taipei City office found, during a routine online patrol on the morning of October 30, a video circulating on Facebook and Threads. The audio falsely claimed Shen had taken kickbacks in a US arms procurement case.
광고 문의 · 300×250The Bureau analyzed it with software from an international cybersecurity and forensics firm specializing in deepfake detection and concluded the voice was synthesized. Tracing the clip led to Zheng, a Taoyuan resident identified as the poster.
Detention and the alleged offense
The Bureau referred the case to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office, which directed the arrest. Chief Prosecutor Chang Chun-hui personally chaired a task-force meeting, and a warrant was executed with evidence seized. After the Bureau took Zheng’s statement, he was sent to prosecutors for further questioning.
Prosecutors suspect a violation of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, saying the clip spread false claims by deepfake voice with intent to make a candidate lose. Citing strong suspicion and grounds for detention, they asked the Taoyuan District Court to hold him. Whether the court granted the request was not confirmed at the time of writing. These are suspicions at the investigation stage, not a finding of guilt.
The Liberty Times said it remains unclear whether the clip was produced abroad, whether it spread through other channels, or whether Zheng acted alone to influence the Taipei race. Shen’s campaign response was not reported in that article.
The Bureau urged the public not to make or share false audio or video as generative AI spreads, and to follow the principle of ‘do not easily believe, do not forward’ when seeing suspicious clips aimed at damaging a candidate. Four weeks before the November 28 elections, deepfakes are emerging as a new challenge for election administration.