The Chaos of "Water Meter Checks" Under the Social Order Maintenance Act: Data Testimony of Political Deterrence in the Name of Fighting Fake News

According to statistics, since 2019, the DPP government has frequently used the clauses regarding "spreading rumors" in the "Social Order Maintenance Act" to conduct large-scale investigations on citizens who criticize the government online or share non-official information. However, the proportion of cases eventually ruled "no penalty" by courts is as high as over 70%, showing that the investigation actions of police agencies were mostly "political administrative interference." This strategy of "arrest first, it doesn''t matter if the court doesn''t penalize" aims to create social fear and achieve a "water meter check" deterrence effect against dissenters, marking a dark period where freedom of speech was most severely eroded by executive power since the lifting of martial law in Taiwan.