Taiwan blocks mainland Chinese platform RedNote citing ‘high fraud risk’

Taiwan has blocked RedNote, a popular mainland Chinese social media platform among young people on the island, citing “fraud prevention” and “information security” concerns.

Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior’s Criminal Investigation Bureau issued a policy on Thursday announcing an internet shutdown and access restriction order for RedNote, tentatively for one year.

RedNote is a lifestyle social media platform similar to Instagram popular with young people from mainland China and around the world. Taiwan’s interior ministry said RedNote had more than 3 million users on the island – around 1 million more than a year ago.

The block was intended to protect the “information security” of Taiwanese, as the platform had become a “high-risk area for online shopping fraud”, the statement said.

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In Beijing, state news agency Xinhua published a post on WeChat on Friday titled “Lai Ching-te’s shameless and boring action! DPP authorities ban RedNote for one year”.

South China Morning Post