Taiwan warns of growing Chinese digital espionage threat through popular apps

Taipei [Taiwan] December 4 : Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs has sounded an alarm over the rising risks of Chinese surveillance through several popular apps, officially identifying Douyin, Xiaohongshu (known internationally as RedNote), Sina Weibo, Weixin, and Baidu Cloud as potential threats to Taiwan's information security.

The ministry urged citizens to stay alert and strengthen their digital protection measures amid growing concerns about China's cyber influence, as reported by The Taipei Times.

According to The Taipei Times, the ministry found that these Chinese-developed apps extract extensive user data, overstep authorisation limits, access biometric details, and share information with external parties. Once granted access to device storage, they can collect personal information such as contact lists, location data, and financial details, all of which could be exploited without user consent.

Officials warned that biometric data obtained in this way could be used for fabricating deepfakes or spreading disinformation to manipulate users and deceive their acquaintances.

The ministry warned that such invasive practices can enable scam syndicates to study users' routines and exploit them for harassment or fraud.

Given that Chinese law mandates corporations to provide data to the state upon request, information processed or stored by Chinese firms remains highly vulnerable to interception by Chinese intelligence agencies, posing a grave privacy threat compared with firms operating outside China.

To mitigate risks, Taiwan's government in September revised the Information and Communication Security Management Act, banning all public-sector institutions from downloading or using the identified Chinese apps. The amendment also prohibits access to these applications across official government networks, as cited by The Taipei Times.

Cybersecurity Director-General Tsai Fu-lung advised the public to install only essential apps, regularly review permission settings, and avoid downloading software from unverified sources.

He added that the Taiwan Academic Network, which services schools, already restricts access to platforms like TikTok and Xiaohongshu.

The Ministry of Digital Affairs is also working with the Ministry of Education to finalise a list of high-risk apps for schools by the end of the month, part of Taiwan's broader push to shield citizens from China's expanding digital surveillance machinery, as reported by The Taipei Times.

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