National Security Bureau launches website, AI-generated video to gather China intelligence

Taiwan's National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday it has completed setting up a "Contact Channel for Chinese Citizens", a website aimed at broadening intelligence gathering on China's political, military, economic and social developments.

Chinese nationals can submit information through the website, https://report.nsb.gov.tw, the bureau said in a statement, describing the move as part of efforts to expand its intelligence sources.

The initiative is carried out under the National Intelligence Services Act, the NSB said, adding that it had referenced practices adopted by intelligence agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel.

An increasing number of people have approached Taiwanese agencies to provide information, the bureau said, attributing this to growing social and livelihood problems in China amid a worsening economy and tight political control.

Given the Chinese government's stringent internet surveillance and cybersecurity risks associated with China-made mobile phones, the NSB said it had prioritised information security and identity confidentiality in designing the website.

Visitors are directed through different procedures depending on whether they are located in China or overseas, the bureau said, and must follow six security guidelines before completing the reporting process.

These guidelines include using mobile phones or tablets that are not Chinese brands, and restoring devices to factory settings before use, the NSB said.

Users are also advised to connect only to Wi-Fi networks that do not require real-name registration, and to use virtual private networks and web browsers developed by Western companies.

The bureau further recommended browsing the website in incognito or private mode. According to a CTS News report, the website itself guides Chinese nationals through these steps in simplified Chinese, including confirming a factory reset and connecting to Wi-Fi without real-name registration.

The NSB said it would use technology to filter submissions, with information evaluated and validated by its team for possible follow-up contact with sources.

Alongside the website, the NSB released a one-minute AI-generated video titled "改變" ("Change"), the bureau said, which depicts officials within an authoritarian system witnessing colleagues disappear from their posts after being investigated, reflecting an atmosphere of unease.

The video is produced entirely in simplified Chinese and shows two men in dark suits leading individuals away, with one scene set against a backdrop resembling Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

The report also noted a scene featuring a cup bearing the word "Taiwan", suggesting the video may be aimed partly at Chinese individuals involved in work related to Taiwan, though the NSB has not commented on this interpretation.

The video's narration states "現在是時候做出改變了" ("Now is the time to make a change").

A CTS News report drew comparisons with similar efforts by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6.

The CIA released a Chinese-language recruitment video in February targeting People's Liberation Army (PLA) personnel, the report said, citing a line from the video stating that "what leaders are truly protecting is only their own private interests".

The CIA has also produced a Russian-language version aimed at Russian sources, directing potential informants to specific browsers and dark web channels, according to the report.

MI6 operates a comparable platform called "Silent Courier", the report said, which solicits sensitive information related to global instability or hostile intelligence activity.

Users of the MI6 platform are advised to ensure any VPN provider they use is not based in a country considered hostile to the United Kingdom and its allies, the report added.

By comparison, the report said Taiwan's website is relatively easier to access than its US and UK counterparts, and unlike them, is targeted specifically at Chinese nationals, including its explicit warning against Chinese-brand devices.

Dr Su Tzu-yun, director of the Division of Defence Strategy and Resources at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), was cited in the report as saying the campaign coincides with signs of excessive purges within the PLA under President Xi Jinping.

Of the PLA's 28 full general (上將) positions, nearly 18 individuals have "disappeared" from their posts, Dr Su said, a rate of roughly 58 percent.

Such discontent could itself become a source of intelligence, Dr Su said, according to the report.

The NSB said it would continue reviewing and refining its intelligence-related tactics in response to developments in China and the international landscape, so that Chinese nationals who share democratic values could collaborate with the bureau.

The overall aim, the bureau added, is to strengthen intelligence collection and analysis on China to safeguard Taiwan's national security and interests.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said the initiative represents one of the bureau's concrete measures to broaden its sources of information.

The value of intelligence work, Chen said, does not lie in the number of contacts established, but in whether crucial information can be obtained, adding that even a small number of credible leads could prove highly valuable to national security assessments.

As China continues to expand its military, cyber and information operations, Taiwan must keep enhancing its intelligence-gathering and analytical capabilities, Chen said.

He said establishing more legal, secure and diverse sources of information is fundamental to modern intelligence work, particularly amid increasingly frequent information warfare, cognitive warfare and "grey zone" tactics.

Any legitimate channel that bolsters national security while safeguarding the security and human rights of information providers deserves continuous improvement, Chen added.