Taiwan bans Xiaohongshu, a major Chinese social app, for 1 year
Taiwan has blocked Xiaohongshu—a popular Chinese social platform with three million local users—for one year.
The move comes after the company allegedly refused to help investigate over 1,700 fraud cases linked to the app, which cost people nearly $8 million.
Officials say this lack of cooperation made it much harder for police to do their jobs.
Why does it matter?
Taiwanese authorities worry that Xiaohongshu isn't just ignoring fraud investigations—it could also be used for spreading pro-Beijing messages or misinformation.
Deputy Interior Minister Ma Shih-yuan called out the platform for "unclear intentions" and not following local rules, unlike apps like Facebook or TikTok that have legal reps in Taiwan.
The ban is part of a bigger push to protect against cybersecurity threats and foreign influence from Chinese apps, but some are concerned it might limit internet freedom in Taiwan.