The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) yesterday justified the government’s decision to block Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu (小紅書, also known as “RedNote” in English) for one year, amid criticism that it is being singled out for sanctions.
In a statement, the CIB said the action was carried out after the app, which has 3 million users in Taiwan, failed to take any corrective action despite repeated demands, and that the move was in line with laws targeting fraud and scams.
The CIB came down on the app after concluding it was enabling fraud and cybersecurity violations and posed risks to national security.
Photo: Bloomberg
On Thursday, the government instructed internet service providers to block access to the app effective immediately. Although still downloadable, it takes a long time to load its functions, making it effectively unusable.
Some critics, including Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), have questioned why only RedNote was blocked, but not other platforms that are sources of scams such as Facebook, Instagram, Line, Google, TikTok and Threads.
The CIB said the government treats all non-compliant platforms equally.
Citing Meta as an example, the CIB said the company has been penalized three times this year for undisclosed ads, poor management, and failure to remove scams, with fines totaling about NT$18.5 million (US$591,262).
Unlike RedNote, other major platforms with large user bases — including Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads), TikTok, Google (YouTube), and Line —- have all complied with government regulations, the CIB said.
Also, these platforms have legal representatives in Taiwan to handle related disputes and implement anti-fraud measures, such as mandatory identity verification and review of fraud-prevention plans, making them fully accountable, while RedNote does not, it said.
Based on statistics from the 165 Anti-fraud Hotline, from January 2024 to November 2025, local authorities received 1,706 complaints of fraud involving RedNote, resulting in financial losses of more than NT$240 million, it said.
This indicated that the platform has become a hotspot for fraudulent activity, it said.
On July 2, the National Security Bureau conducted cybersecurity checks on five Chinese-made apps, including RedNote.
RedNote failed all 15 testing indicators, including excessive collection of personal data and misuse of permissions, raising serious concerns, according to the CIB.
The use of RedNote for fraud and cybersecurity violations harms public interests, disrupts social order, and poses potential national security risks, it said.
The CIB added that the government’s action complies with Article 42 of the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act (詐欺犯罪危害防制條例), which allows authorities to order internet service providers to suspend or restrict access to websites in emergencies so that citizens are less vulnerable to fraudsters.
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