The Taiwanese government has ordered a one-year ban on the Chinese social media platform RedNote (known in China as Xiaohongshu), citing rising fraud cases and serious cybersecurity risks, authorities announced on 4 December 2025. 

According to the statement by the island’s Interior Ministry, RedNote was linked to more than 1,700 fraud cases since 2024, resulting in financial losses exceeding NT$247.68 million (about US$7.9 million).  In response, the Taiwan Network Information Center has implemented legal DNS-level blocking, effectively cutting off access for over three million users in Taiwan, Taipei Times reported. 

The ban follows findings from a cybersecurity review by Taiwan’s top intelligence agencies, which found that RedNote failed all 15 security-compliance indicators tested, including excessive collection of personal data, unchecked access to device permissions, transmission of data to servers outside Taiwan, and potential biometric-data harvesting. 

Authorities also noted that repeated demands by Taiwanese regulators for the app’s parent operator to appoint a local legal representative and cooperate with investigations went unanswered, as reported by Reuters.

RedNote, popular for social media content and online shopping, had gained traction in Taiwan in recent years, especially among younger users. But the sharp rise in fraud,  including fake shopping platforms, scams involving fake installment payments, romance scams, and fake investment schemes, prompted criminal investigation agencies to act. 

Cybersecurity analysts and the government warn that misuse of personal data and weak privacy protections could expose users to identity theft, financial loss, or manipulation. 

In a broader move, Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs has flagged other Chinese apps, such as Douyin, WeChat, and Weibo,  as potential cybersecurity risks, renewing public warnings about installing or using software from foreign jurisdictions with weak data-protection oversight. 

The ban will remain in effect for 12 months, after which authorities say they will review whether RedNote has complied with local regulations and improved data-security measures.  Users in Taiwan have been advised to uninstall the app and switch to platforms that meet domestic cybersecurity standards.