Taiwan Blocks Popular Chinese Social App Over Security, Scam Concerns

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan is moving to block the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, citing major security risks and a surge in scam cases. TaiwanPlus looks at how the decision could impact millions of users and why opposition parties are pushing back.

Transcript

00:00First government agencies and now the public.

00:03Officials in Taiwan have moved from banning civil servants from using Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu

00:09to taking direct action against the platform itself.

00:13Citing cybersecurity risks and a surge in online scams,

00:16the Interior Ministry ordered Internet providers to block connection to Xiaohongshu servers for a year.

00:30In just the past year, authorities in Taiwan say the platform has been linked to more than 1,700 fraud cases,

00:46resulting in millions of dollars in losses.

00:49The ban will gradually affect the 3 million users in Taiwan.

00:54And when it does, they won't be able to open the app, cutting off access to all content.

01:00Experts say the restrictions will stop Xiaohongshu from collecting user data in Taiwan.

01:14But the main opposition, Kuomintang, is blasting the move, saying it goes against freedom of speech.

01:29But some who use the app say it does at least need oversight.

01:36We all have a lot of different kind of alternatives, like Instagram or like TikTok.

01:44So I think banning this app, maybe it's not really like a symbol to deny the freedom of speech.

01:52While others say the new rules won't impact their lives.

02:01Taiwanese government has made it clear that users won't be penalized for installing Xiaohongshu,

02:06but it has strongly urged people to stop using it and recommends removing the app.

02:12Officials say any lifting of the ban will depend on whether the platform is willing to comply with Taiwan's laws

02:18and implement corrective measures.

02:20Leon Lian and Alan Lu for Taiwan Plus.

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