TikTok, the social media platform owned by China-based ByteDance, has been deemed a dangerous product in Taiwan, Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (唐鳳) said.
Tang was responding to a question by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) regarding the government’s stance on the short-form video hosting service that might be banned in the US soon.
This classification was made because TikTok is controlled by foreign adversaries, Tang told a legislative hearing last week, indicating an alignment with the US’ view that the platform is a national security threat.
Photo: Reuters
In Taiwan, any product that could be significantly controlled by foreign adversaries — directly or indirectly — is considered a threat to national information and communication security, and is deemed a dangerous product, she said.
On March 13, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would give ByteDance about six months to divest its US assets or face a nationwide ban.
The bill is to be forwarded to the US Senate, and if passed there, would be sent to US President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs has proposed an amendment to the Cyber Security Management Act (資通安全管理法), based on similar concerns stated in the US bill about the indirect influence of foreign adversaries, Tang said.
“Dangerous products” include those provided by a substantive controller of sources of infiltration, as referred to in the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法), the ministry said on Thursday last week regarding the proposed amendment.
TikTok is currently banned for use in Taiwanese government agencies and on their premises.
The Cabinet is to decide whether to extend that ban to schools, non-governmental agencies and public spaces, Tang said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS