TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A translation scanner that adds messages promoting Chinese propaganda to the translated text caused controversy after a Facebook user shared the discovery online on Monday (Sept. 26).

The user, Arles Liu, wrote in a post that his friend bought the translation pen scanner to help their child learn English. However, whenever the pen reads “Taiwan,” either in Chinese or English, messages such as “Taiwan belongs China, There a taiwan in the world!” or “Give up fantasies about Taiwan independence, we have Chinese blood, not Taiwanese” appear.

“A trash country packages trash messages in software, then sells it to Taiwan through unethical business people,” Liu wrote. “Trash pro-unification warfare is everywhere.”

Netizens flooded the comment section of the post, expressing shock at the product’s audacity and mocking the translation’s poor quality. Others wondered what the scanner would do if it scanned terms that are highly censored in China, such as 1989, 64, and Tiananmen.

Wan-Lin Zhang commented, “The forces trying to infiltrate are omnipresent, yet still some people think we are too nervous. Those who use Chinese-brand cellphones, computers, apps, and smart home devices are basically choosing to be surveilled.”

The product’s manufacturer, KeShiiu Co., Ltd. on Wednesday (Sept. 28) issued a statement apologizing for “causing consumers’ concern,” emphasizing that the translation device was manufactured under a Taiwanese brand. The company wrote that the appearance of “controversial terms” was due to a “partial vocabulary database mistake.”

Consumers who bought the particular translation pen scanner model were instructed to update to an updated software version to fix the issue, though Facebook user Irene Yang reported that she was unable to update as her device showed that it was “up to date.” She also questioned why the company’s instruction involved entering a password for a software update.