Taiwan deals with lots of misinformation, and it's harder to track down

Supporters attend a campaign rally for Taiwan's main opposition party, Kuomintang, ahead of this month's presidential election, in Taipei on Dec. 23. (I-Hwa Cheng/AFP via Getty Images)

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Like many things on the internet, Taiwan's PTT — shorthand for Professional Technology Temple — was born out of idealism and a little bit of mischief.

It was started in 1995 by engineering students at Taipei's National Taiwan University as a less-controlled version of student bulletin board systems or discussion forums popular on campuses then.