Taiwan’s government has launched its investigation on the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok under suspicion of illegally operating a subsidiary on the island.
Tiktok is mainly a concern in the United States due to its vast users base, which raised concerns by the government that China could use the app in getting access to users’ personal data, which the company’s owner denies.
On 9 December, Taiwan’s Chinese-policy making Mainland Affairs Council reported that a working group found that TikTok was suspected of “illegal commercial operations” in Taiwan and legal officers were investigating.
Taiwan also prohibited many Chinese businesses from operating in the island, ranging from social media to its highly valued chip manufacturing industry. The government also banned its official department from using Chinese applications, while accusing that the mainland spread disinformation about the island being a part of China.
