The Taiwanese government has accused China of transnational repression after Chinese state media and social media accounts shared personal information about Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen, including satellite images of his house and workplace in Taipei. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned China’s use of “digital authoritarianism” and doxxing to intimidate Taiwanese citizens, aiming to instill fear and create a chilling effect in Taiwan’s democratic society, as reported by local media. China’s state-controlled media outlet, Strait Plus, disclosed the locations of Shen’s residence and workplace, claiming to have obtained commercial satellite imagery of Taipei for this purpose.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted that China’s actions violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, particularly Article 12, which safeguards individuals from arbitrary interference with their privacy and attacks on their reputation. The ministry characterized the disclosure of Shen’s personal information as an invasion of privacy that lacked civility, emphasizing that such behavior was reprehensible. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly criticized China’s transnational repression tactics, labeling them as a blatant disregard for international law and human rights norms, emphasizing that China has no jurisdiction over Taiwan and its people.
In response to the incident, Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs denounced the act as cyberbullying, encompassing doxxing and digital coercion, urging individuals to resist and refrain from spreading hate speech on social media platforms. The ministry condemned the marking of an individual’s residence on commercial satellite imagery as a severe violation of personal privacy and illegal. Additionally, the ministry called on Meta to remove content posing threats to personal safety. Puma Shen, in a Facebook post, characterized China’s actions as a “precision attack” against him, noting that attempts to intimidate Taiwan through military exercises had failed. He emphasized that Taiwan remains resilient against psychological warfare, despite China’s efforts to instill fear among its people.
