TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Chinese social media platform TikTok has been classified as a national security threat in Taiwan, said Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang ().
During a legislative hearing, Tang said that foreign, hostile actors have substantial control, not necessarily directly but indirectly, over the platform. Therefore, she labeled it a “dangerous product” in Taiwan, citing national information security concerns, per CNA.
TikTok is currently prohibited from use by Taiwanese government agencies. Tang said the Cabinet will consider extending the ban to school campuses, non-governmental agencies, and other spaces and sectors.
The statement comes as TikTok is facing a ban in the United States, the latest in a series of moves in response to security concerns related to China. On March 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban the app if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, does not sell the platform to a U.S. company within six months.
The House overwhelmingly passed the bill on a bipartisan 352-65 vote. The bill will now move to the Senate for a vote, where lawmakers said they would take a closer look at feasibility and circumstances.
If the bill passes Senate approval, U.S. President Joe Biden said he would sign it into law.
The bill’s supporters say that ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese government, which is capable of accessing consumer data and censoring political content. However, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew () emphasized the company is committed to ensuring the platform is secure and "free from outside manipulation.”
He also warned the ban would transfer power to other companies and threaten thousands of jobs, especially small businesses and creators. “This bill gives more power to a handful of other social media companies, who will also take billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators and small businesses,” the CEO said.
“It will put more than 300,000 American jobs at risk,” he added.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced his opposition to the bill, a complete change in position since Trump attempted to ban the app while in office in 2020. Meanwhile, TikTok users have been phoning Congress to stop the “TikTok shutdown.”
Sharing concerns with the U.S. over Chinese influence, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) in Taiwan proposed an amendment to the Cyber Security Management Act. Tang said Taiwan is closely following the U.S. bill on TikTok, and that any change regarding its use in Taiwan “will be made by the Cabinet after extensive consideration of opinions in the various sectors.”