Taiwan mulls banning TikTok, accuses it of eroding public's confidence in government

Taiwan has been thinking about banning TikTok, as the government authorities believe that the social media site is being used by China to wipe out the confidence of the country's citizens in the government.

The Chinese-invested social media platform has been already banned from devices of the public sector by Taiwan over security concerns and the fear of a “cognitive warfare” campaign, the South China Morning Post reported.

However, the authorities have been hesitant to ban TikTok on personal devices and in the private sector, considering the implication it may have on freedom of speech and information.

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The National Security Bureau of Taiwan alleged that TikTok is being increasingly used by Beijing to influence the public on the island and break their confidence and faith in the government.

In May, Bureau director Chen Ming-tong stated that Taiwanese are being trained and paid by Beijing to influence the young audience present on social media platforms like TikTok, Xiaohongshu (Instagram's Chinese version) and YouTube, as part of China's “cognitive warfare” against Taiwan.

The Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice said that they are investigating the reports which claim that videos alleging corruption within Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's government and ridiculing the defences of the country have been circulated on TikTok.

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Taking into account the warnings, the lawmakers were prompted to call for countermeasures to tackle the influence campaigns.

In a legislature meeting, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's legislator Ho Chih-wei said, “The app has been used by China in cognitive warfare to spread disinformation and create social division in Taiwan.”

China, which considers Taiwan its territory, has stated that it will use force to bring the island under its control. Ho stated that the government must devise “plans to regulate” TikTok's use in Taiwan.

(With inputs from agencies)