Cyber Troops Conducting Reverse Trolling? Hsu Hsin-ying's Office Warns: Don't Be Led by Specific Messages

The mayoral race in Hsinchu County is heating up, with suspicions emerging that online 'reverse-trolling'—posing as supporters while actually undermining—may be underway. Recently, during a street campaign in New Taipei City, legislator Yeh Yuan-chih's assistant was elbowed by a passerby. The incident, once posted online, sparked public outrage.

However, a Facebook page appearing to support Hsu Hsin-ying shared the video with the caption: 'Cheng Chao-fang's Zhubei miracle? Is street violence now considered an achievement?' This seems to exploit a controversial incident for political manipulation, prompting netizens to question: 'Isn't this Cheng Chao-fang's reverse-trolling page? Pretending to support the KMT while actually trying to influence Hsu Hsin-ying?'

On the 28th, the Facebook page 'Ying Your Heart' posted a video of legislator Yeh Yuan-chih campaigning in Banqiao, New Taipei City, where his assistant was elbowed by a member of the public. Yet the post claimed: 'Cheng Chao-fang's Zhubei miracle? Is street violence now an achievement?' It directly targeted Hsinchu County mayoral candidate Cheng Chao-fang, questioning whether he would comment on his supporters allegedly resorting to violence over political differences in Zhubei streets—or if he dared not offend his core supporters. The post ended with hashtags: '#SupportHsuHsinYing' and '#YingYourHeart'.

Why would an incident in New Taipei City be posted on a page supporting Hsu Hsin-ying? This has raised suspicions among netizens that the page might be reverse-trolling—pretending to support, but actually aiming to manipulate voter sentiment. One user commented: 'This video has nothing to do with Zhubei. Putting Cheng Chao-fang's name on the subtitle could turn this into defamation.' Another asked: 'Isn't this Cheng Chao-fang's reverse-trolling page? Pretending to support the KMT while actually trying to influence Hsu Hsin-ying.' Others warned the page admins: 'You posted the wrong video—this is the Green Party's assault in Banqiao, not in Zhubei. This video won't work. Be careful—it might hurt (Hsu Hsin-ying) Commissioner instead.'

In response, Hsu Hsin-ying's office stated: 'We appreciate the many self-organized online support communities. Regarding the above post, we have already filed a report with Facebook.' With online speech often hard to verify, inappropriate content may provoke backlash or mislead the public. The office urges Hsinchu County residents and supporters to stay alert and not be swayed by messages from specific channels.