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15 August 2026 (Saturday)
By Ross Darrell Feingold (@RossFeingold) (方恩格)
TAIPEI – In Taiwan during the ten day, nine night Han Kuang (漢光) military exercises which began on 5 August, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) makes it a point to let media cover certain aspects of the exercises as part of building public support for military budgets and military service.
Some of those photo opportunities show how well the troops are treated; the MND invited media to film the delicious “bento” boxes prepared for troops participating in Han Kuang, which we wrote about in a commentary titled “Lunch is over, grab your rifles!”.
Apparently, Taiwan’s National Security Council (NSC) also wants to get in on telling the public that it too is people friendly, even during Han Kuang (which one would think is a very busy time for the NSC).
On 8 August, Taiwan celebrated Father’s Day, because the words in Mandarin for “8 – 8” (the eighth day of the eighth month), bā bā (八八), sound similar to bàba (爸爸), a Mandarin word for papa.
At 0800hrs on 8 August, Taiwan’s National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Dr. Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) posted on his X account about a Father’s Day event held at the Presidential Office (Click to Enlarge for Higher Resolution):
Now imagine China using facial recognition to identify each individual. Even if they do not have previous images of these folks, they do now.
Wendell previously reported about constant information leaks in Taiwan’s intelligence community:
Information leaks and “doxxing” is a real and ongoing risk for Taiwan’s intelligence community and military.
Perhaps the most terrifying example is Minnick’s:
“Taiwan’s Counter-Intelligence Failure”
Check out the Air Force’s Communication, Air Traffic Control, and Information Wing unit patch, featured in an article published by the MND’s propaganda publication Youth Daily News (YDN) in 2023.
The link to the article is still available on Facebook.
The wing’s unit patch which should put the fear of God in you:
The YDN explained the unit patch it in an article published in 2023.
“The sharp-eyed, white-headed eagle symbolizes the Air Force’s loyal and courageous spirit—soaring high on the winds to serve the nation and fulfill its noble aspirations. The azure lightning bolt and the dynamic communications symbol represent the spirit of the communications corps: striking with the speed of lightning, securing victory on the battlefield, seizing the initiative, and mastering technology.”
Relevant to this article, the MND published the faces of the personnel (and the given name of one of them) and the faces of their children.
Given the willingness of Taiwan’s MND and intelligence community to dox itself, it is no surprise that China has doxxed Taiwan.
For example, in June 2025, police in Guangzhou issued a notice with the names, photos and ID numbers of 20 persons who allegedly work for the MND’s Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (國防部資通電軍指揮部/ICEFCOM) with a reward of RMB10,000 (approximately USD1,400) for information that aids a police investigation. Media reports in China and Hong Kong did not mask the photos or personal information:
China’s CCTV
Hong Kong’s Ta Kung Pao
Taiwan media masked both the photos and personal information:
The MND in a press release accused China of violating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by releasing the personal information.
In October 2025, police in Xiamen issued a similar notice with the names, photos and ID numbers of 18 persons who allegedly work for Taiwan’s political warfare units. Once again, media reports in China and Hong Kong did not mask the photos or personal information:
China’s CCTV
Hong Kong’s Ta Kung Pao
Taiwan media masked both the photos and personal information:
The MND in a press release called the notice “crude and clumsy”.
More recently, on 2 August, The New York Times published an excellent article about a European researcher’s discovery of an unsecured database in China that exposed how authorities use facial recognition and other data to track foreigners including people from Taiwan. The article, “How China Keeps Tabs on Foreigners” was subsequently published without a paywall by The Japan Times.
Assuming Dr. Wu accurately described the photos as being from a recent Presidential Office + NSC Father’s Day party, it means (other the individuals in the photos who are political appointees and thus public figures) that the persons in the photos work for either the Presidential Office or NSC. The National Security Bureau (NSB), a component of Taiwan’s intelligence community, is a subordinate unit to the NSC, which makes it possible some of the persons in the photos are NSB personnel.
There are other ways that Dr. Wu could have shared with the public what a wonderful workplace the Presidential Office and NSC are (including that they have a staff Father’s Day party) without the faces of staff (or their children) visible. Photos of President Lai with toddlers running around (without their faces visible), a photo of a cake, a “Happy Father’s Day” illustration, all would be sufficient to make the point.
In Project Shine-Wing Wendell wrote “Maybe Wu should write that as long as he is NSC Secretary-General, he will never, never, never tolerate spying or leaks in Taiwan’s national security agencies again. But don’t hold your breath.”
Wendell’s prediction was correct?
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