The government is to closely monitor the legislative process on a potential ban of TikTok by the US Congress and take the opinions of all stakeholders into consideration, Executive Yuan spokesperson Lin Tze-luen (林子倫) said yesterday.
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill asking the short-form video hosting service to divest shares owned by its parent company ByteDance in six months or face a comprehensive ban in the US.
The US Senate has yet to deliberate on the bill.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
US President Joe Biden said that he would sign the bill into law if Congress passes it.
Authoritarian regimes frequently abuse freedom of speech in liberal democracies and manipulate election results through social media, Lin said.
TikTok has in some countries become a platform on which cognitive warfare is conducted, he added.
“We have been aware of the risks of accessing TikTok. As such, all government agencies in Taiwan have been banned from using the app since 2019,” Lin said.
The government would ensure freedom of speech in Taiwan would be protected, he added.
“Fake and false information on TikTok has harmed people’s fame, health and privacy, and affected social stability and national security, so democratic nations must be cautious in handling the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation,” Lin said.
Aside from banning government agencies from using TikTok, national security officials have warned that TikTok could pose a threat to national security, Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Lee Huai-jen (李懷仁) said.
“We have asked that TikTok, like Meta, Google, Line and X, have a representative in Taiwan whom we can contact when there is a need for direct communication. The company would be quickly informed if any illegality was found by the platform,” Lee said.
Banning the use of TikTok would be a major policy change, Lee said, adding that the Executive Yuan would evaluate its legality and feasibility and make a final decision following interdepartmental meetings.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
RSS