TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Army dispelled concerns of a data leak after pictures appearing to show a lost mobile phone belonging to a Taiwanese military officer circulated online.

The Army's 8th Corps Command on Wednesday said a former soldier, surnamed Wu, from the 137th Brigade lost his phone in 2023. He reported it stolen to the police and applied for phone deactivation. 

A preliminary review indicates that the leaked photos and screenshots do not involve sensitive information, the command said. Photos included ones taken during military drills and message screenshots from the brigade chat group, CNA reported.

The 8th Corps said it takes the matter seriously and that it established a task force to investigate the incident. Additionally, it said this case will be used as a reference to reinforce cybersecurity awareness and risk management measures to ensure information security.

The incident comes as two Air Force officers admitted to providing confidential information on Taiwan’s Hsiung Feng III missile operations. One of them is believed to have forwarded the secrets to Chinese intelligence personnel.  The case is being tried by the Taiwan High Court, Taichung Branch.

The defense ministry proposed a legal amendment on Monday to punish active-duty military personnel who swear allegiance to China through speech, actions, writings, or other mediums with a maximum prison sentence of seven years.