Taiwan Cries Censorship As Government Bans Rednote (taipeitimes.com) 38
Longtime Slashdot reader hackingbear writes: Taiwan's government has ordered a one-year block of a popular, mainland Chinese-owned social media app Xiaohongshu, also known as The Little RedNote, citing its failure to cooperate with authorities over fraud-related concerns. Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior on Thursday cited Xiaohongshu's, which does not have business presence on the island, refusal to cooperate with authorities as the basis for the ban, claiming that the platform has been linked to more than 1,700 fraud-related cases that resulted in financial losses of 247.7 million Taiwanese dollars ($7.9 million). "Due to the inability to obtain necessary data in accordance with the law, law enforcement authorities have encountered significant obstacles in investigations, creating a de facto legal vacuum," the ministry said in a statement.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Taiwan's opposition party, Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun decried the government plan to suspend access to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu for one year as censorship. "Many people online are already asking 'How to climb over the firewall to access Xiaohongshu,'" Cheng posted on social media. Meta was facing fines earlier this year for failing to disclose information on individuals who funded advertisements on its social media platforms, marking the second such penalty in Taiwan for violating the anti-fraud act. "Meta failed to fully disclose information regarding who paid for the advertisement and who benefited from it," Depute Minister Lin of Ministry of Digital Affairs said at a news conference on June 18.
If MODA decides to impose the fine, it would mark the second such penalty against Meta in Taiwan, following a NT$1 million ($33,381) fine issued in May for violating the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act by failing to disclose information on individuals who commissioned and funded two Facebook advertisements. Meta's Threads were also included in the regulatory framework following nearly 1,900 fraud-related reports associated with the platform, with 718 confirmed as scams. Xiaohongshu has surged in popularity among young Taiwanese in recent years, amassing 3 million users in the island of 23 million.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Taiwan's opposition party, Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun decried the government plan to suspend access to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu for one year as censorship. "Many people online are already asking 'How to climb over the firewall to access Xiaohongshu,'" Cheng posted on social media. Meta was facing fines earlier this year for failing to disclose information on individuals who funded advertisements on its social media platforms, marking the second such penalty in Taiwan for violating the anti-fraud act. "Meta failed to fully disclose information regarding who paid for the advertisement and who benefited from it," Depute Minister Lin of Ministry of Digital Affairs said at a news conference on June 18.
If MODA decides to impose the fine, it would mark the second such penalty against Meta in Taiwan, following a NT$1 million ($33,381) fine issued in May for violating the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act by failing to disclose information on individuals who commissioned and funded two Facebook advertisements. Meta's Threads were also included in the regulatory framework following nearly 1,900 fraud-related reports associated with the platform, with 718 confirmed as scams. Xiaohongshu has surged in popularity among young Taiwanese in recent years, amassing 3 million users in the island of 23 million.
Not Taiwan, China Cries Censorship (Score:2, Informative)
It's not the Taiwanese that are crying censorship, it's the Chinese. The KMT are just wannabe CCP members who are just as truthful as the real CCP. Actual Taiwanese people don't want something that China controls.
Re:Not Taiwan, China Cries Censorship (Score:4, Interesting)
Indeed, it's amazing how far the KMT has swayed to be CCP-friendly over the past 30+ years. I have the distinct impression that there are two causes: first, it has been infiltrated by spies and traitors, and second, it seems to be a knee-jerk reaction to oppose DPP positions. The more the ruling party supports the notion of a separate Taiwanese identity from the mainland, the more the KMT wants to cozy up to the CCP.
There is absolutely zero question that xiaohongshu is a vehicle for CCP-backed propaganda and disinformation. To look at how social media networks in general have so effectively shaped global political discourse through the dissemination of false narratives and bad faith arguments disguised as grassroots communication, and continue to think that these networks operate independently or neutrally, is profoundly naive. Twitter accidentally exposed numerous foreign accounts posing as American influencers. We already knew this to be the case, but to actually see confirmation demonstrates that this is not isolated behavior. It is ridiculous to think that governments around the world--including the largest, most monolithic, panoptic system as the CCP--are not leveraging xiaohongshu and other networks to their benefit.
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Study this map. [wikipedia.org]
When you're done, ask me what the blue parts are.
The KMT being pro-peace with the mainland isn't treason- and the majority of the population don't think so.
Perhaps people who think like you can take a page out of the KMT's book and kill all of the people who disagree with them.... for treason, of course.
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The KMT has always had a very strong "one China" policy. To them, unifying China is the most important thing. In the '70s and even in to the '80s, they still believed they were going to "take back the mainland". But since then, the reality has set in that the PRC is here to stay. The KMT's response has been to shift towards closer alignment with the PRC. The DPP leans more towards eventual independence, but that would require the ROC's constitution to be rewritten.
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Of the 3 variants of "maintain the status quo" that polling indicates has any popular support whatsoever, "move towards independence" has the least support.
"Maintain status quo, decide at later date", and "Maintain status quo indefinitely" are the two fighting for a plurality.
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It's more complex than that. I think a majority of people under 40 probably do favour eventual independence at this point, but they don't necessarily see a viable path to achieving that. Overt moves towards independence risk upsetting the PRC and making the situation worse. Maintaining the status quo is seen as the low risk option.
But more generally, most of the people commenting here have no clue about Taiwan, only western propaganda on the topic. They don't know that the ROC was a single-party system
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It's more complex than that. I think a majority of people under 40 probably do favour eventual independence at this point, but they don't necessarily see a viable path to achieving that. Overt moves towards independence risk upsetting the PRC and making the situation worse. Maintaining the status quo is seen as the low risk option.
Eh.
On one hand, you're probably right.
On the other, it doesn't show up in polling- and polling generally includes the option "maintain the status quo with an eventual goal of independence". This is generally the least supported of the popular options.
I do not think there is good evidence that independence is supported by a majority of young people.
But more generally, most of the people commenting here have no clue about Taiwan, only western propaganda on the topic. They don't know that the ROC was a single-party system until the late '80s. They don't know the ROC had martial law in effect in Taiwan from the end of the second world war until 1986. They don't know that the ROC claimed the entire extent of Ming China as their territory (more area than the PRC). They don't know that the ROC claimed Mongolia as part of their territory until 2002. People are shocked when you explain the history of Taiwan to them.
I know. I pointed that out elsewhere.
They also don't understand that the PRC is ROC's largest trading partner, and primary source of tourism. The economic and
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Nah dude, difference country.
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That being said, calling the KMT CCP plants would manage to insult an actual majority of Taiwanese people, who support that party and its coalition allies.
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Taiwan is effectively the rebels (Republican Forces) that defied Mao and the cultural revolution and where they fled when defeated. I'm not judging, but I didn't kill the most people ever by starvation of any regime because I hated sparrows. Thanks Mao, you win.
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Taiwan was that, when the KMT used to be in power. But once Taiwan became more democratic and people had a real choice, they voted in DPP, which unlike KMT, doesn't pretend that Taiwan is the "real China" and wants independence under its own name. It's no threat to the regime in Beijing
Taiwan would also be justified in expelling KMT and deporting them to the mainland - maybe drop them in Fujian
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They're the current fucking majority in the legislature, and have been in power on and off along with the DPP since their dictatorship fell.
If Taiwan were to expel them, the DPP would just be the new dictator. But that's what you want if we're being real, isn't it?
You don't have a problem with authoritarianism- you just want to be the authoritarian.
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Just b'cos a country is a democracy doesn't mean that it has to tolerate seditious parties. Which is what the KMT now is
I don't want a DPP monopoly on power. Other political parties can vie against it for any number of reasons - ideological, economic, whatever. Only thing one would expect of them is to not pretend that they are a part of another country - in this case, China
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Just b'cos a country is a democracy doesn't mean that it has to tolerate seditious parties. Which is what the KMT now is
Seditious? If a minority declares the majority seditious, and removes them from power, do you know what that is?
That's a fucking coup, you dipshit.
I don't want a DPP monopoly on power.
Yes, the Nazis didn't want an NSDAP monopoly on power either- they just ejected everyone they disagreed with, lol.
You're disgusting.
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In fact, I'd argue it's not really clear that they wouldn't have had their own Cultural Revolution. They certainly tried their best on Formosa, and on the Chinese mainland, to do so. Though the reason would have been
Not everyone knows this, but Taiwan was a military dictatorship- and a pretty fucking evil
Beijing, KMT vs Taiwan (Score:2)
Just being the "same people" is no reason to force two groups of people together into one country. Or we might as well just march into Canada
KMT, as another poster pointed out, believes in "one China" just like Beijing does. However, most Taiwanese don't, and they voted in DPP for that very reason! Hong Kong has been lost to China (like Austria to Germany in 1938): there is no reason Beijing ought to be indulged when it comes to Taiwan. They believe in a concept called Tianxia, or "all under heaven":
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Your take is that means that people don't support the KMT?
So whoever holds the Presidency can declare a majority of the population to be enemies of the state, simply because a larger majority of the population holds a view on a certain topic that aligns with yours?
You single-issue-voters and "my political enemies are traitors" bastards really are a blight upon this fucking world.
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But today? Pretending like teh other half hasn't swallowed the same liquid rabies just means you have too.
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I'm not the one who's tense. Those losing their shit over politics, doomers, protofascists worrying about the country being invaded by... fucking Central and South Americans- these people are tense.
The group now inventing fantasies of stolen elections to explain my group, and the group that did it the election before that- they're the tense ones.
I have no intention of fixing it all. I have every intention of pointing
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A majority of actual Taiwanese people are represented by the KMT's coalition in the legislature.
Who the fuck moderated your drivel up? Fucking absurd.
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No, if KMT is in power, it's due to public dissatisfaction w/ the previous DPP regime. Not b'cos they wanna be a part of China. Power alternates, and since the KMT happened to be the largest alternative to the DPP, that's who the Taiwanese elected
It may also be b'cos during the Biden regime, they were probably scared that Beijing would use any move by the DPP to move against Taiwan, and therefore elected the KMT, which has the same stance as Beijing regarding a single China. That doesn't mean that they
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No, if KMT is in power, it's due to public dissatisfaction w/ the previous DPP regime.
Shut the fuck up, fascist swine.
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I'm for freedom. The CCP is the antithesis of freedom. As are you.
What do Taiwanese people want? They want to maintain the status quo indefinitely. They do not want unification, and they do not want independence.
That is why the KMT remains in and out of power along with the DPP.
The only people talking about outlawing political parties are you, and the CCP. And yet you'd have us believe you two are somehow fundamentally different.
Find any Reichstags to burn lately?
Today's Taiwan is NOT Republic of China (Score:2)
Unlike during the Cold War, today's Taiwan no longer pretends to be the real "Republic of China", as the KMT does. Both Beijing and KMT are opposed to this idea of an independent Taiwan, and therefore, they're on the same page. It also accounts for Beijing's sabre-rattling on this issue
Honestly, just b'cos Taiwan is democratic doesn't mean that they have to tolerate media platforms from enemy countries. They absolutely should ban RedNote and any Social Media originating from the People's Republic
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I don't support Beijing in the fucking slightest.
The CCP can get fucked.
You're the other side of their coin.
Like the Nazis roping people in by convincing the communists were coming to steal all their shit. That's all you are.
They'd be suicidal not to ban it forever. (Score:2)
I still cannot comprehend why Taiwan does ANY business with the mainland. It's an enemy state bent on Taiwan's destruction - why do them any favors?
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Treating the PRC like an enemy is a good way to lose their pseudosovereignty real fucking quick-like.
Realpolitik. It's why it's important to have politicians in power that are smarter than you are.
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And there's a difference between peaceful relations and handing someone a tool to manipulate you with.
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You said:
It's an enemy state bent on Taiwan's destruction
If the Taiwanese had that viewpoint, and acted upon it, Taiwan would be a province of China again. Fortunately, Taiwanese people are smarter than you.
Not everyone agrees with you that what we are referencing can be described as, "handing someone a tool to manipulate you with."
The PRC is Taiwan's largest trading partner, and responsible for just about all of their tourism.
The relations between those two entities is very close. I know that doesn't fit you
Rednote experience (Score:2)
I like Rednote but my feed is mostly synth nerds and food videos with the occasional travelogue. As they say of earth, it's "mostly harmless".
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they said of earth
FTFY ;)