Taipei, Taiwan – Taiwan has announced a ban on the Chinese social media and e-commerce app Red Note. This comes amid growing concerns about fraud and security threats associated with apps coming across the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior revealed that the app has been linked to a total of 1,706 fraud cases since last year, with a total value of approximately NT$248 million (US$9.7 million).
The compensation process is complicated due to the external location.
Bloomberg quoted the ministry as saying that victims face significant difficulty in recovering their money or obtaining compensation because the company operating the RedNote app is located outside of Taiwan’s jurisdiction.
This ban is a continuation of the policy of tightening control over Chinese applications.
Previous warnings about security vulnerabilities
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau had warned citizens earlier this year against using Chinese mobile apps, citing potential security vulnerabilities.
This warning came after an examination of five popular Chinese apps: TikTok, Rednote, Weibo, WeChat, and Baidu Cloud. The examinations revealed “serious” violations of user privacy and communication security, according to multiple indicators. This confirms Taiwanese concerns about data leaks and cybersecurity.
