Taiwan blocks China-run youth platform over legal violations, data risks

Taipei, Aug. 6 (CNA) Taiwan has blocked a Chinese platform advertising educational and employment opportunities in China for young Taiwanese over alleged legal violations and personal data risks, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Thursday.

Speaking at a regular news briefing in Taipei, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said the government took action against the China-run "Taiwan Youth e-Home" (台青e家) platform after coordinating with relevant agencies.

"We have already carried out measures to stop DNS resolution for the website," Liang said. "In ordinary terms, it means blocking it."

The announcement came one day after MAC head Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said the government would seek the platform's removal or blocking.

CNA was still able to access the website from Taiwan at 6 p.m. Wednesday, but could no longer do so at 6 p.m. Thursday.

"The website requires users to provide personal information, allowing it to collect data on young Taiwanese," Liang said. "We believe this poses an extremely high risk."

The MAC has previously warned that Chinese authorities could potentially use data collected through the platform for other purposes or to exert pressure on young Taiwanese.

Liang noted that the platform's content violated Articles 23, 33 and 34 of the Cross-Strait Act, which regulate recruitment for Chinese educational institutions, Taiwanese taking positions in certain Chinese party or political organizations, and advertising activities involving Chinese goods and services, respectively.

The MAC later said Article 33 was relevant because the platform advertised internships with the Communist Youth League of China, a youth organization under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party that serves as the party's "assistant and reserve force."

"Taiwan Youth e-Home" was launched on July 15 with the stated aim of supporting the "integrated development" of young people across the Taiwan Strait, according to China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO).

The platform covers internships, employment, exchanges and education, and allows Taiwanese users to search for vacancies and submit applications online.

Responding to earlier warnings from MAC, TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua (陳斌華) on July 29 dismissed the allegations as "deliberate smears."

"Are there any online job-search platforms in the Taiwan region that do not require users to provide their names or submit résumés?" Chen said.

Chen said nearly 2,000 companies had joined the platform and posted almost 6,000 vacancies, adding that it followed a "minimum necessary" principle in collecting information and protected job seekers' personal data in accordance with the law.

There is currently no publicly available information on how many Taiwanese youths have secured internships, jobs or other opportunities in China through the platform.