Taiwan on Thursday announced an immediate one-year ban on Chinese social media network Xiaohongshu, citing the app’s risk of fraud.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Interior announced in a statement that it would block access to Xiaohongshu (also known as Red Note in English), saying it could be a “high-risk area for online shopping fraud.”
The ministry said authorities have linked the platform to about 1,700 fraud cases that have caused economic losses of more than NT$247.7 million ($7.9 million) since 2024. According to the ministry, the app has more than 3 million users on the island.
Officials also said that Taiwan’s law enforcement agencies face “significant difficulties” in obtaining the information they need because Taiwan does not have jurisdiction over the company.
The Ministry of Interior announced that the app failed all 15 indicators in a cybersecurity test conducted by the National Security Agency.
Taiwan’s internet service providers have been instructed to block access to the app, Vice Minister of the Interior Ma Shiyuan said at a press conference on Thursday.
The Ministry also encouraged international platforms such as: google “Completely discontinue publication of Xiao Hongsho advertisements.”
Authorities warned the public not to download the app or stop using it if it is already installed.
Chung Liwen, chairman of the opposition Kuomintang Party, said in a Facebook post that the measures “severely (restrict) internet freedom” and said the ban on Xiaohongshu was the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s “starting point for building the Great Internet Wall.”
Xiaohongshu, Apple and Google did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.
In 2022, Taiwan banned Xiaohongshu from government agencies, calling it a “united front” of Chinese propaganda.
Earlier this year, Taiwan sent a letter to Xingyin Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Shanghai), the parent company of Xiaohong Books, asking for “specific improvement measures,” but the company did not respond.
Xiaohongshu is widely used in China and has seen renewed interest in the United States following a proposed ban on competitor TikTok earlier this year. According to Reuters, TikTok users flocked to Xiao Hongshu, adding about 700,000 new users to the platform.
—CNBC’s Anniek Bao contributed to this report.
