Taipei police must investigate the source of two online apps — demanding people to “pledge loyalty to China” — and have them removed, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Yen Juo-fang (顏若芳) said yesterday.
The two apps, named “Return Home” (歸家), and “Taiwan Defection” (台灣投誠), track users’ locations, she said.
Yen brought up the matter during a meeting at Taipei City Hall with Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安).
Photo courtesy of Taipei City Councilor Yen Juo-fang
She demanded Chiang order police to investigate the two apps, saying that the apps are being operated from China, aim to undermine Taiwanese sovereignty and pose risks to personal data.
“Both apps clearly carry out Beijing’s united front propaganda,” she said.
When someone signs in, the apps display a message mentioning Beijing’s “one country, two systems” and the People’s Republic of China flag, promoting unification with China, Yen said.
“Users can see how many people in each administrative region have pledged loyalty to China,” she said.
The apps contain features such as inviting others and accumulating points, and offer money rewards, encouraging daily use, she said.
In addition to tracking users’ locations and IP addresses, the “Taiwan Defection” app also uses the .xyz domain, which is known to be used for phishing and online fraud, Yeh said.
Scammers use the domain to implant malware, steal personal information and commit credit card fraud or other financial crimes, she added.
The app was developed to undermine Taiwan’s national security and poses a serious threat to personal information, she said.
Police and national security agencies should investigate the two apps, she said, adding that they should be taken down and be blacklisted to protect Taiwanese.
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