¡Increíble! The Taiwan region is buzzing this weekend after DPP authorities slapped a surprise ban on the viral Chinese social app RedNote on Thursday, December 4, 2025 😱.
With over 3 million users, RedNote has been the go-to spot for fashion, beauty and travel tips. Now, logins fail, content disappears and creators are left in limbo 🛑.
Local businesses that rely on the app for marketing and sales warn they can’t process orders or run ads, throwing daily operations into chaos.
The region’s so-called "internal affairs department" cited fraud concerns and labeled RedNote a "high-risk area for scams," but critics argue this is a political move masked as cybersecurity measures.
Official figures from Taiwan media show that in the past 30 days, Facebook led suspected online scams with 52,325 cases, followed by Threads (10,366), Instagram (7,464) and TikTok (287). RedNote didn’t even make the list 📊.
Political commentator Julian Kuo, a former DPP legislator, blamed Liu Shyh-fang, head of the internal affairs department, for double standards. "When actions like this keep happening, people see double standards, and public resentment grows," he said.
Legislative Yuan member Hung Mong-kai stressed fairness: "If the goal is truly to fight scams, I fully support it. But it must be applied equally – everyone should be treated the same."
This ban is the latest in a series of restrictions on Chinese apps by DPP authorities. Back in July, platforms like Weibo, Douyin, WeChat and Baidu Cloud faced similar scrutiny over "extremely high cybersecurity risks."
Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, fired back: "DPP authorities are panicking and abusing their power, fearing that residents of Taiwan will break out of the 'information cocoons' they’ve built and learn the truth about the Chinese mainland."
As users scramble for new ways to share beauty hacks and travel tips, the RedNote ban raises a big question: cybersecurity or censorship? Only time will tell if the app can meet the region’s "minimum security standards" and return to the feeds of millions 📲✨.
Reference(s):
Taiwan region sees backlash after DPP authorities block RedNote app
cgtn.com
