Taiwan's Rednote ban exposes DPP's hypocrisy, political manipulation

TAIPEI/BEIJING -- Taiwan's recent ban on the popular mainland social media app "Rednote" has drawn widespread criticism across the island, as users race to find ways to circumvent the restrictions and stay active on the platform.

Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities announced last week that the app, also known as Xiaohongshu, will be blocked for one year, citing so-called security concerns and rising cases of online fraud.

A surge in downloads has propelled Rednote to the top of the chart among all social media apps in Taiwan over the weekend. The app boasts over 3 million users in Taiwan, a region with a population of 23 million. The majority of users use the app to seek tips on fashion, beauty, travel, and other parts of everyday life.

Critics slammed the ban as hypocritical, and argued that it is in fact driven by a political agenda.

"People in Taiwan lose an average of 400 million new Taiwan dollars to scams every day, and 70 percent of those losses come from Facebook. If the goal is to fight fraud, why not establish unified standards and apply them equally to all platforms?" said Chang Szu-kang, a Taipei lawmaker, on social media.

"The authorities selectively disclose data from one platform and then use that as the justification for a ban," he added.

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, argued that the so-called crackdown on fraud is nothing more than a pretext. "They ignore the real scams. They are unable to tackle them anyway. In truth, this is driven by ideology," she said.

Founded in 2013, Rednote initially focused on shopping tips but has evolved into a comprehensive lifestyle platform, blending social media and e-commerce. Users can share content and purchase products directly through the app, creating a seamless shopping experience.

On Dcard, a social networking platform popular among college students in Taiwan, discussions about the Rednote ban quickly became a trending topic following the announcement.

Some users talked about how to find alternative platforms, but admitted that "Rednote's content is denser, its algorithm is extremely strong, and it's much easier to come across posts that match your interests," adding that "it's hard to find a perfect substitute in the short term."

Others noted that Rednote has a friendlier atmosphere for exchanges: "On Rednote, no one criticizes you for asking beginner questions."

"People on the other side of the Taiwan Strait are actually very friendly -- especially when they see you're using a Taiwan IP, they respond enthusiastically. They're genuinely curious and warm toward us, and even when you ask basic questions, they answer very patiently," said one user.

Many users also shared examples of how Rednote has helped them in various aspects of life: "I found the best photo spots at overseas attractions through Rednote -- many blogs don't have this info."

"All my lab tips for biology experiments were learned from Rednote," one user said.

The real motive behind the Rednote ban is that the DPP authorities fear Taiwan people -- especially the younger generation -- will see the mainland as it truly is, said Ren Dongmei, a research fellow of the Institute of Taiwan Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"They worry that the carefully constructed 'information cocoon' will be broken, and that people across the Strait will grow closer through greater interaction," Ren said.

Rednote is also an important platform for many small businesses to expand their customer base. Banning it hinders normal people-to-people exchanges across the Strait and ultimately harms the interests of both Taiwanese consumers and merchants, she added.

Taiwan's United Daily News said in an editorial that warm cross-Strait interactions and scenes that show everyday life on the mainland are clearly unwelcome to the DPP authorities, which have deliberately sought to demonize and antagonize the mainland.

Such exposure could lessen anti-mainland sentiment among young people and undermine the DPP's "cognitive warfare" efforts, the newspaper said.

Many Taiwan users have come up with workarounds such as VPNs to access Rednote, publishing posts that criticize the ban.

"Are they afraid of unity between people on both sides of the Strait? But I actually think it's a good thing. I really like the atmosphere on Rednote," wrote one Taiwan user named "Qin".

"Who cares about the ban? I'm going to Chongqing next year, and I'm really looking forward to the trip," said another user named "Tracy".