TAIPEI, Dec 4 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s interior ministry said on Thursday it would suspend access to Instagram-like Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu for one year, citing security risks and its alleged involvement in over 1,700 fraud cases since 2024.
The company, whose app is known in English as Rednote, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
In a statement, the ministry said the fraud cases on the app, which it said had 3 million users in Taiwan, had resulted in losses of T$247.68 million ($7.91 million) since last year and had failed all 15 indicators in a government cybersecurity assessment.
The app’s lack of compliance with Taiwan laws has hampered fraud investigations, creating a substantive legal vacuum, the ministry said in its statement issued on behalf of Taiwan’s National Police Agency.
The ministry will issue an order for internet blocking and access restriction against the Xiaohongshu app for a provisional period of one year, and subsequent measures will depend on whether the company responds in good faith and complies with Taiwan’s laws and regulations, it said.
In October, Taiwan contacted Xiaohongshu’s Shanghai-based parent, asking for concrete measures to ensure data safety, but the company has not responded, the ministry added.
All platforms operating within Taiwan must comply with local legal frameworks by appointing legal representatives, and Xiaohongshu must not remain outside the jurisdiction of Taiwan’s legal system, it said.
The ministry “reminds our citizens not to download this software, and those who have already downloaded it should stop using it and instead switch to other legal platforms that meet information security standards”.
Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has repeatedly warned people of the dangers of using Chinese apps, mostly due to the risk of disinformation coming from Beijing.
Taiwan’s democratically-elected government rejects Beijing’s territorial claims.
($1 = 31.3050 Taiwan dollars)
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Casey Hall in Shanghai; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
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