TikTok under Taiwan’s scanner for suspected illegal operations

China-based social media platform TikTok is currently being investigated by Taiwan’s government. The island country suspects that the video-sharing platform is illegitimately operating a subsidiary in its jurisdiction. However, the company’s owner has rejected these allegations. According to a report by Reuters, Taiwan’s China-policy-making Mainland Affairs Council has recently shared a statement claiming that TikTok was allegedly running “illegal commercial operations” in the country. Taiwan is not a big enough market for TikTok like the US where the company also recently came under fire. The US government also accused TikTok of sharing access to users’ data with China. The company has denied the US allegations as well.
How TikTok allegedly operated illegal business in Taiwan
As per the report, TikTok owner ByteDance was allegedly running a subsidiary in Taiwan to “ tout for business”. This was against the Taiwanese law that stops Chinese social media platforms to conduct commercial operations on the island. The Taiwanese regulatory body also claimed to have discovered TikTok’s alleged breach of the law and has confirmed that concerned legal authorities are currently investigating the company.
The regulatory body also added that China has used short video platforms like TikTok to execute “cognitive operations and infiltration” against other countries in recent years. It also added that there is a high chance that the Chinese government is collecting users’ personal information.
How ByteDance has reacted towards these allegations
The report mentions that the latest allegations related to TikTok that suggested that it has set up a subsidiary in Taiwan were false. The company has also reportedly confirmed that it has not established any legal entities in Taiwan.

From the chip manufacturing industry to social media platforms, Taiwan has stopped allowing a long list of Chinese business operations in the country. Moreover, Taiwan has also asked employees in government departments to refrain from using Chinese apps like TikTok.
Social media platforms in Taiwan
Meta-owned social media platforms Facebook and Instagram are the most used services in Taiwan. Market research companies suggest that TikTok is now following its competitors in Taiwan to become more famous in Taiwan, getting more popular, especially among the youth, the report adds.
Taiwan has also accused China of using social media to spread disinformation on the island that Beijing claims to be a part of the country. Taiwan passed an anti-infiltration law in 2019 to combat Chines efforts to influence politics and the democratic process of the island via illegal funding from politicians, the media and other methods.