The Ministry of Digital Affairs yesterday officially named Douyin, Xiaohongshu (小紅書, known as RedNote in English), Sina Weibo, Weixin and Baidu Cloud as information security risks and urged the public to be wary and better protect their digital safety.
The ministry said that the apps all collect sensitive information, tap into device storage, exceed authorization parameters, access users’ biometric details, access system information, and send or share information with third parties.
Once users have approved apps to access internal storage, sensitive information, such as geolocation, contact lists and credit card numbers, they could be exposed and used without authorization, the ministry said.
Photo: CNA
Biometric information accessed in this way could be used to create deepfake videos or audio messages to scam friends and family, or to spread disinformation, it said.
The apps could allow scam groups to learn users’ daily habits, thereby exposing them to a greater risk of being scammed or harassed, the ministry said.
As the Chinese government demands that corporations provide client information by law, any information saved or processed by Chinese corporations or companies within China is at greater risk, compared with corporations in other nations, of being accessed by Chinese intelligence units, the ministry said.
The government in September amended the Information and Communication Security Management Act (資通安全管理法), requiring that all equipment used by government agencies be banned from downloading or installing any of the apps mentioned.
The amendments also stated that all government networks should ban access and use of the software, the ministry said.
The ministry urged users to refrain from using or installing the apps, carefully read the privacy policy of all apps to know where the app is storing its data, allow apps minimal access and regularly review authority settings, take note of security warnings of apps wanting more access, not install apps from unknown sources, and to use firewall and antivirus programs.
Administration for Cybersecurity Director-General Tsai Fu-lung (蔡福隆) said that apps usually cannot operate outside the parameters set by the operating system, adding that the public should be able to determine whether an app has requested authorization to access functions it is not supposed to.
Tsai urged the public not to download free apps on a whim and to download only the software they need or use, and to remove unnecessary apps.
Asked about the ministry’s progress on designating high-risk apps for elementary schools, Tsai said the ministry is still in talks with the Ministry of Education and would hopefully announce the list before the end of this month.
Tsai said that the Taiwan Academic Network, used by junior-high and high schools, already prevents users from accessing TikTok, Xiaohongshu and other platforms hosting short videos.
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
MULTIPRONGED APPROACH: China has sought to pressure Palau across a number of fronts, but the island nation has staunchly resisted overtures to ditch Taiwan Palau has been firm in backing Taiwan despite Chinese pressure that uses tourism economics, cyberattacks and criminal infiltration as tools to threaten the Pacific ally into renouncing its recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign state. The Presidential Office yesterday announced that Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) would visit Palau from Saturday to Wednesday next week at the invitation of Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. Whipps in April said in an interview that China had outspokenly asked Palau to “denounce Taiwan.” “And we have said: ‘We have no enemies, but nobody tells us who our friends are,’” he said. Whipps has told reporters multiple times
RSS