On July 11, 2025, the Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), together with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) and the Japan Fact-Check Center / Cybersecurity Association (SIA/JFC), co-hosted the SPF・DSET・SIA/JFC International Symposium on Information Security in Tokyo. The event focused on the growing risks and challenges that Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) poses to democratic societies in the age of artificial intelligence. Experts and scholars from Japan and Taiwan gathered to examine FIMI’s evolving trends from technological, policy, and social perspectives, and to explore how democratic nations can strengthen their defenses and build resilience in their information environments amid the rise of generative AI.
Kai-Shen Huang, Director of DSET’s Democratic Governance Program, delivered the opening remarks, highlighting recent developments in FIMI and the European Union’s evolving approach to the issue. He began by discussing the limitations of the term “disinformation,” which focuses on the factual accuracy of information. In practice, however, regulation becomes challenging when fragments of truth are used manipulatively—an overemphasis on truth or falsity can derail policy discussions into polarized debates over freedom of speech.
Huang further pointed out that in Taiwan, cross-border platforms, media outlets, influencers, and local groups serve as amplifiers of FIMI content, creating internal resonance with foreign narratives. Drawing on the 2023 Southport unrest in the UK as a case study, he warned that such influence operations may escalate from online activity to real-world incidents, threatening public safety and social order.
Artificial intelligence has also become a new frontier of FIMI threats. Authoritarian regimes are contaminating open datasets and training large language models embedded with authoritarian ideologies, effectively transforming AI into the next-generation infrastructure for information manipulation.
Huang also shared new EU perspectives on countering FIMI. The EU has shifted its focus from determining the truthfulness of information to analyzing intentions, strategies, techniques, and procedures—commonly referred to as TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures). This shift helps avoid the trap of freedom-of-speech debates and allows policymakers to more effectively address strategic manipulation.
During the panel discussion, moderated by Daisuke Furuta, Editor-in-Chief of the Japan Fact-Check Center, Dr. Kai-Shen Huang, Chihhao Yu, and Ryohei Suzuki engaged in an in-depth conversation on whether freedom of speech has become a double-edged sword, the risks posed by authoritarian AI, and the geopolitical vulnerabilities and collaborative countermeasures needed to address FIMI.
Many similar FIMI patterns have been observed in both Taiwan and Japan. Taiwan’s civic-led resilience model remains robust, yet the complexity of FIMI is rapidly evolving. While fact-checking remains essential, it must be integrated into broader strategic frameworks. In the face of intensifying FIMI threats, only through deeper international cooperation, enhanced information sharing, and the development of technological and policy resilience can democratic nations effectively safeguard their information space from authoritarian interference.
