Facebook issues warning to Taiwan users over potential cyberattacks

臉書向台灣用戶發出駭客攻擊的警示

Move comes after netizens encounter problems with their Facebook pages


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Facebook has reportedly issued warnings to users and page administrators in Taiwan over potential cyberattacks.

Facebook has sent a security reminder to certain Facebook users and page administrators advising them to use two-factor authentication to protect their accounts from being hacked, CNA cited a source as saying. The reminder, which appears as a notification, was sent mainly to government officials, politicians, and public figures, as well as those who help manage the Facebook pages of politicians, government agencies, and media, the social media giant said.

The warning came after a number of well-known celebrities in Taiwan saw their Facebook pages blocked last week. However, it is not known whether these incidents prompted the warning, and the social media company has not elaborated on its move.

The page for “486shop,” a popular shopping website in Taiwan, disappeared suddenly last week. This was impactful, as the page has approximately 880,000 likes, and the company spends tens of millions of new Taiwan dollars on Facebook ads every month, reports said.

Founder Chen Yen-chang (陳延昶), or "Mr. 486," claimed at a press conference that his page was reported by people who do not agree with his political views. Chen has not shied from discussing political issues openly and endorsed the President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party in the election earlier this year.

The Facebook page for 486shop was back online Tuesday (May 21) after negotiations with Facebook. The social media website usually takes down a page automatically after it receives multiple reports; later on, one of the company's reviewers determines whether the page has actually violated the site’s terms and conditions.

Also last week, award-winning filmmaker Wu Nien-jen’s (吳念真) page was reportedly hacked. However, Wu later said his account was blocked due to his own mistakes.

Wu said on Monday that although he had retrieved his page, most of the posts accumulated over the past decade were gone and he would prefer to create a new one.