TPP leader denies recruiting hackers after RTI website breach

Taipei, Oct. 14 (CNA) Taiwan People's Party (TPP) leader Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) on Tuesday rejected allegations that he recruited hackers to steal personal data, calling a Taiwanese media report published by Mirror Media the same day "a fabricated story beyond belief."

Huang told reporters the claims began after a Radio Taiwan International (RTI) computer engineer surnamed Wu (吳) approached him to report cybersecurity flaws at the station and mentioned that one of its contractors conducted business in China.

Huang said he asked Wu to provide more information but Mirror Media "used fragments of words to invent a story out of nothing."

Huang, who leads the third biggest political party in Taiwan, said he has never organized hackers and called accusations completely false and "nonsense."

He said the controversy showed "the party-prosecutor-media triad" at work, alleging that distorted information had been leaked to Mirror Media instead of being handled through proper judicial channels.

Huang urged the Taipei District Prosecutors Office to summon him directly if it had evidence, saying it should "stop leaking partial information to Mirror Media."

Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) said on Tuesday he was "completely unaware" of the specific claims involving Huang and that the case remained under investigation by prosecutors.

Speaking during a Legislative Yuan plenary session, he said RTI had already issued a statement and that publicly-funded media such as RTI, the Central News Agency and Taiwan Public Television Service should be held to higher ethical standards.

The minister said he learned of the allegations from the media and emphasized that "prosecutors and investigators are still handling the matter."

Li called on the public to give greater support to publicly-funded media at a time when misinformation has become widespread.

RTI's website was hacked on Sept. 11, when an image of the flag of the People's Republic of China was placed on its homepage.

Prosecutors said they identified two RTI employees, surnamed Wu and Yueh (岳), and one contractor, another person surnamed Huang (黃), as suspects.

Mirror Media reported that all three were released on bail, after the Taipei District Court rejected prosecutors' requests to detain Wu and Huang.

It also alleged that Wu had been recruited by Huang Kuo-chang to hack computer systems and obtain sensitive data from government sources.

The report said the data allegedly included online conversations between former Democratic Progressive Party Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀), former Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥), and former National Security Council (NSC) advisor Chen Chun-lin (陳俊麟), which were later uploaded to the dark web and offered for sale.

In its report, Mirror Media said prosecutors suspect Wu was involved in the hacking of RTI's official website.

The report said Wu denied wrongdoing, claiming instead that he had repeatedly warned RTI about major system vulnerabilities, and that he showed screenshots of his private messages with Huang as proof that he had contacted the lawmaker about the issue.

Mirror Media also published excerpts from what it said were private messages between Huang and Wu, in which Huang allegedly asked about a city government consultant roster and requested Wu's "assistance."

The report questioned why Huang, a longtime lawmaker, would need to seek confidential data from a hacker when such information could be obtained legally through legislative channels.

Citing anonymous sources, Mirror Media alleged that Huang had not only been "cultivating hackers" but also directed online teams to collect data, leak private information, and sell materials under the guise of exposing corruption.

The magazine said these actions could constitute violations of the Anti-Infiltration Act and Personal Data Protection Act.

Mirror Media also claimed that Huang's involvement with Wu dated back six years, when Huang was a member of the New Power Party and allegedly recruited Wu through his aide Cheng Kai-yeh (鄭凱燁).

The publication further alleged that Huang used his "online soldiers" to coordinate cyberattacks and social media harassment against political opponents, including journalists and former lawmakers.

The allegations by Mirror Media on Tuesday follow earlier reports made in recent weeks by the same publication that accused Huang of forming and directing a paparazzi ring to follow and photograph political opponents.