TAIPEI: The social media platform TikTok has been deemed a dangerous product in Taiwan, the country’s Central News Agency (CNA) reported, quoting Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang.
That classification has been made because TikTok is controlled by foreign adversaries, Tang said during a legislative hearing earlier this week, indicating an alignment with the United States' view that the platform is a national security threat.
In Taiwan, any product that can be significantly controlled by foreign adversaries, directly or indirectly, is considered a threat to national information and communication security and is deemed a dangerous product, she said.
Taiwan has classified TikTok as a dangerous product, Tang said, in response to a question by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih Wei on the government's stance regarding the short-form video hosting service, which may be banned in the US soon.
On March 13, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that seeks to give ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, about six months to divest the US assets of the platform or face a nationwide ban.
The bill will now be forwarded to the US Senate, which – if passed there – will be sent to US President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
TikTok is currently banned for use in Taiwan government agencies and on their premises. -Bernama
