On December 4, 2025, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in the Taiwan region announced a one-year ban on RedNote, a popular social media app linked to the Chinese mainland. The move, justified as a measure against online shopping scams, has sparked widespread frustration among users and businesses.
User Impact and Reactions
RedNote has gained over 3 million users across the island of Taiwan, offering everything from fashion and beauty tips to travel guides and celebrity news. Following the ban, many residents of Taiwan report login errors, missing content and disrupted livestreams. Small businesses and independent creators who rely on RedNote for marketing say they can’t process orders, run ads or serve customers.
Data vs Decision
Despite the ban’s anti-fraud rationale, recent figures suggest RedNote played a minimal role in scams. Over the past 30 days, the highest number of reported suspected cases were on Facebook (52,325), followed by Threads (10,366), Instagram (7,464), Meta Audience Network (5,539), Meta Messenger (4,714), Line (974), Google (289) and TikTok (287). RedNote did not appear in the official list, raising questions about the decision.
Political Voices
Former DPP legislator Julian Kuo criticized the move as politically motivated. “When actions like this keep happening, people see double standards, and public resentment grows,” he said. Hung Mong-kai, a Legislative Yuan member from New Taipei city, added: “If the goal is truly to fight scams, I fully support it. But it must be applied equally – everyone should be treated the same.”
Broader Context and Next Steps
This ban is part of a wider pattern. In July 2025, DPP authorities flagged several Chinese mainland platforms, including RedNote, Weibo, Douyin, WeChat and Baidu Cloud, as posing “extremely high cybersecurity risks.” Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, labelled the move as panic-driven and warned that attempts to block information from the Chinese mainland only reveal insecurity. “They fear that cross-strait communication will bring people closer and lead to deeper understanding,” Chen said, predicting public backlash will continue.
As the one-year suspension unfolds, users and businesses in the Taiwan region are left navigating uncertainty over how they will stay connected in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Reference(s):
Taiwan region sees backlash after DPP authorities block RedNote app
cgtn.com
