Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) announced on Thursday that access to the Chinese Communist Party’s RedNote app will be blocked for at least a year due to numerous complaints about online shopping scams.
The CIB noted that they’ve looked into over 1,700 fraud reports linked to RedNote in the past year, amounting to around $7.9 million.
As per Taiwan’s Ministry of Interior, an order was given on Thursday for internet service providers (ISPs) to restrict access to RedNote, which does not adhere to Taiwan’s cybersecurity requirements. The ministry highlighted that many other apps have been blocked for similar reasons, most of which are run by foreign entities.
Deputy Interior Minister Ma Shiyuan explained that the year-long access ban is crucial for completing the fraud investigation and allowing victims time to seek recompense. He also expressed some frustration regarding the lack of response from Star Bank Information Technology, the Shanghai-based owner of RedNote, to Taiwan’s legal requests.
RedNote, known as Xiaohongshu in Chinese, is a social media app that resembles TikTok and Instagram. Its name translates to “little red book,” which is also connected to Mao Zedong’s manifesto. Interestingly, the English name was adjusted to downplay that association.
When the U.S. contemplated banning TikTok in early January 2025, many of its users were quick to register on RedNote. In just one day, nearly 3 million Americans created accounts on this platform, though they were quickly overwhelmed by the barrage of Chinese Communist Party-related propaganda. RedNote appears to handle such issues with much more caution compared to TikTok.
This app gained notoriety, surpassing TikTok in terms of data collection practices. Violating Taiwan’s cybersecurity rules was a key factor in its restriction.
Despite the ban, RedNote continues to thrive worldwide, boasting hundreds of millions of users globally, with over 3 million located in Taiwan.
According to reports from Hong Kong Free Press, it was noted on Thursday that RedNote has also faced violations from Chinese regulatory bodies, particularly the Cyberspace Administration of China. Back in September, the app was issued “warnings and severe penalties” for allowing too many posts about celebrities and other unfavorable content.
