Three legislators from Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the KMT, have called for an investigation into the alleged hacking of display boards in public venues. Last week, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan for an unannounced visit. Shortly after her arrival, computer monitors at several convenience stores and one train station in Taiwan showed images disparaging Pelosi.
Taiwan’s railway authority and the convenience store company says their display systems were taken over by an unknown source. Other institutions’ websites, like those of universities, also faced cyber attacks.
China objected to Pelosi’s visit because it sees Taiwan as part of its territory and fears high-ranking official visits will normalize the country’s independence. Many of the images shown in the hacked displays contained text written in simplified Chinese — the written characters primarily used in China.
On Wednesday, the three KMT lawmakers said they have asked for a formal investigation into the hacks. They called for an evaluation of Taiwan’s ability to prevent cyber attacks. The lawmakers said information warfare is a real concern for Taiwan. They said that the recent hacks show that there is indeed room for the government to improve in keeping out such threats.