Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) has issued a warning about several China-developed applications, including RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu), Weibo, TikTok, WeChat, and Baidu Cloud. These apps have been flagged for serious security concerns related to excessive data collection and the transfer of personal information to servers in China.
This alert follows a joint investigation carried out by the NSB in partnership with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) and the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB). The NSB explained that the evaluation was based on 15 key indicators across five categories: personal data collection, permission overreach, data sharing and transmission, system information access, and biometric data usage.
The investigation revealed that RedNote failed all 15 indicators, while Weibo and TikTok each violated 13. WeChat and Baidu Cloud were found to breach 10 and 9 of the criteria, respectively. These apps were noted for collecting a wide range of sensitive data such as facial recognition information, screenshots, clipboard content, contact lists, and user location. They also accessed lists of installed apps and other device details.
The NSB highlighted that all five apps transmit data to servers in China, raising alarm over the potential misuse of personal information by third parties. The agency emphasized that Chinese laws require companies to hand over user data for national security, intelligence, and public safety purposes, putting Taiwanese users' privacy at risk.
This warning aligns with similar moves in other countries. India has already banned several Chinese apps, and in late 2024, Canada ordered TikTok to shut down its local operations. In the U.S., efforts to ban the app have been delayed multiple times. Meanwhile, a data protection authority in Germany recently called on Apple and Google to remove the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek from their platforms over concerns about unauthorized data transfers.
The NSB urged the public to take mobile security seriously and to avoid using China-made apps that could compromise personal and business data.
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