Public Warned About Data Risks from Chinese Apps
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) has issued a warning regarding several popular Chinese-developed mobile applications, including RedNote (Xiaohongshu), Weibo, TikTok, WeChat, and Baidu Cloud. The NSB’s advisory highlights concerns over excessive data collection and the transmission of personal information to servers located in China, raising significant privacy and security issues for users.
Following a comprehensive evaluation conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) and the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB), the NSB assessed these applications against 15 critical indicators across five categories: personal data collection, excessive permission usage, data transmission and sharing, system information extraction, and biometric data access. The findings revealed alarming violations:
- RedNote violated all 15 indicators.
- Weibo and TikTok each breached 13 indicators.
- WeChat and Baidu Cloud violated 10 and 9 indicators, respectively.
These violations encompassed the extensive collection of personal data, including facial recognition information, screenshots, clipboard contents, contact lists, and location data. Additionally, all five applications were found to transmit data back to servers in China, raising concerns about potential misuse by third parties.
The NSB emphasized that companies operating in China are legally obligated to comply with domestic laws that mandate the transfer of user data for national security, public security, and intelligence purposes. Consequently, the use of these applications could compromise the privacy of Taiwanese users.
This development aligns with a broader global trend, as several countries have already imposed bans or restrictions on Chinese-made applications due to similar security concerns. For instance, India has enacted bans against numerous Chinese apps, and Canada ordered TikTok to cease operations in the country in November 2024. The United States has also extended its ban on TikTok multiple times, citing national security risks.
In light of these findings, the NSB strongly advises the public to exercise caution when selecting mobile applications and to avoid downloading those developed in China that pose cybersecurity risks. Protecting personal data privacy and safeguarding corporate business secrets are paramount in the face of these emerging threats.
