A Taipei mayoral campaign stop turned into a political flashpoint after a teenager's small act of protest, and the fast, personal backlash against her is the real story.

• A high school student handed DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen an old school award certificate with Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an's signature line crossed out, asking him to sign instead.
• She said she scratched out Kao's name because of the corruption and thesis scandals around her, and wanted the certificate to be something she actually liked.
• Within four hours, blue-camp chat groups were spreading memes accusing her of overacting, along with her name and school, only lightly blurred.
• Online arguments even floated whether altering a certificate could be illegal, raising fears of a repeat of earlier online mob pile-ons.
• Shen said campaigns should not suppress free speech or creativity, and urged people not to turn politics into personal attacks.

Outlook: Expect the doxxing angle to draw more heat than the certificate itself as Taipei's mayoral race sharpens.