Taiwan orders ISPs to block Chinese app Xiaohongshu over fraud risks

Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior has issued an immediate one-year order for Internet service providers to block access to Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote), a Chinese social media platform, citing severe cybersecurity and fraud concerns.

The directive was announced on 4 December, 2025, by Deputy Minister of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan at the National Police Agency’s Fraud Prevention Center. He stated that the platform had failed to meet any of Taiwan’s 15 cybersecurity standards and posed a serious risk to users.

The app, operated by China-based Xingyin Information Technology (Shanghai) Co, is widely used in Taiwan, with over 3 million local users. According to authorities, the platform has been linked to 1,706 cases of fraud since 2024, with total financial losses exceeding NT$247 million (approximately US$7.9 million).

The blocking measure will be implemented via domain name system (DNS) response policy zones, effectively disrupting users' access to the app in Taiwan. Due to Xiaohongshu’s use of more than 1,000 Internet protocol addresses, access will degrade gradually as restrictions take full effect.

Ma noted that the company has no registered office in Taiwan and has ignored official correspondence from regulators. Despite being formally contacted through the Straits Exchange Foundation on 14 October, the firm has provided no response or plan to address data security shortcomings.

The government’s action, officials said, is part of a wider anti-fraud strategy and not a targeted move against Xiaohongshu alone. The Ministry of the Interior stressed that platforms operating in Taiwan must comply with local laws, including cybersecurity requirements and the designation of a legal representative.

“Meta Platforms, Alphabet, ByteDance, and LY Corp, which operates the Line messaging app, have all complied with Taiwanese law,” Ma said. “Xingyin has not responded to legal filings for over 50 days, making enforcement difficult.”

Authorities argue that allowing the app to continue operating without oversight would be equivalent to abandoning regulatory responsibility and would unfairly disadvantage compliant companies.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry, the cybersecurity risk posed by Xiaohongshu is particularly severe due to its popularity and rapid growth in Taiwan. Investigations revealed that since 2024, the app has become a hotspot for online shopping scams, yet users have limited legal recourse due to jurisdictional gaps.

The platform failed all 15 cybersecurity assessment indicators during a security audit by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau. These deficiencies have reportedly created a “legal vacuum” that obstructs law enforcement investigations and hinders compensation for fraud victims.

The Ministry cited similar actions against Xiaohongshu in other jurisdictions, including fines in China and an outright ban in Texas, USA, as part of its rationale for taking action.

Since January 2025, Taiwanese authorities have issued DNS block orders on 45,094 websites suspected of involvement in fraud, with 95 percent originating overseas. The Xiaohongshu block, officials noted, is not an isolated case but part of this broader enforcement framework.

The Ministry urged global digital platforms to cease advertising for Xiaohongshu and called on Taiwanese users to stop using the app. It advised the public to shift to alternative platforms that comply with cybersecurity standards.

Officials further stated that future enforcement actions will continue to target platforms that fail to follow local laws, regardless of origin, in order to protect consumers and prevent financial crime.