CIB justifies government's move to block Xiaohongshu

Taipei, Dec. 6 (CNA) The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) on Saturday justified the government's decision to block Xiaohongshu for one year, amid criticism that the popular Chinese social media app 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 and is known in English as RedNote, failed to take corrective action despite repeated demands, and that the move was in line with laws targeting fraud and scams.

The CIB cracked down on the app after concluding it was being used for fraud and cybersecurity violations and posed risks to national security.

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 Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), have questioned why only Xiaohongshu 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 bureau said the company has been penalized three times this year for undisclosed ads, poor management, and failure to remove scams, with fines totaling NT$18.5 million (US$591,262).

Unlike Xiaohongshu, however, 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, in contrast to Xiaohongshu, the CIB 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 Xiaohongshu, resulting in financial losses of more than NT$240 million, the CIB said.

This indicated that the platform has clearly become a hotspot for fraudulent activity, the bureau said.

On July 2, the National Security Bureau conducted cybersecurity checks on five Chinese-made apps, including Xiaohongshu.

Xiaohongshu 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 Xiaohongshu for fraud and cybersecurity violations has severely harmed public interests, disrupted social order, and posed potential national security risks, the investigation bureau said.

The CIB added that the government's action complies with Article 42 of the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act, 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.