Taiwan following the US may ban Tik Tok
2022.12.19 13:07
Taiwan following the US may ban Tik Tok
Budrigannews.com – The Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok has been the subject of a Taiwanese government investigation on suspicion of illegally operating a subsidiary on the island; however, the company’s owner has denied the allegations.
Despite the fact that TikTok is not widely used in Taiwan, the company has come under fire, primarily in the United States, due to concerns that China might gain access to user data, which the company denies.
Taiwan’s China-policy-making Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement late on Sunday that a Cabinet-appointed working group had discovered on December 9 that TikTok was suspected of “illegal commercial operations” in Taiwan.
According to the Liberty Times newspaper in Taiwan, TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, had established a subsidiary on the island to conduct business, in violation of Taiwanese law, which states that Chinese social media platforms are prohibited from conducting business on the island.
In response to that report, the Mainland Affairs Council stated that legal authorities were conducting an investigation and that the Cabinet’s working group had discovered that there was indeed a suspected violation of the law.
“Lately, the central area side has utilized brief video stages like TikTok to do mental tasks and penetration against different nations, and there is a high gamble the Chinese government is gathering clients’ very own data,” it added.
ByteDance, on the other hand, claimed that “recent reports” implying it has established a subsidiary in Taiwan were incorrect.
In an email to Reuters, it stated, “The company has not established any legal entities in Taiwan,” without providing additional details.
From the highly valuable chip manufacturing industry to social media platforms, Taiwan prohibits a wide range of Chinese business operations on the island.
The council stated that government departments in Taiwan have already been prohibited from using Chinese apps like TikTok.
The most popular social media platforms in Taiwan are Facebook and Instagram, both of which are owned by Meta Platforms (META.O). According to market research companies, TikTok is gaining popularity among young people despite being behind its competitors in Taiwan.
China’s use of social media to disseminate false information on the island that Beijing claims as its own has long riled Taiwan.
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As part of a long-term effort to combat Chinese efforts to influence politics and the democratic process through illegal funding of politicians and the media, Taiwan enacted an anti-infiltration law in 2019.
