TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Digital Affairs Deputy Minister Lin Yi-jing (林宜敬) announced on Tuesday (Aug. 27) that TikTok may establish a legal representative in Taiwan by the end of this year. This move comes from the Anti-Fraud Crime Prevention Act (打詐專法) passed in July, which mandates online advertising platforms to appoint legal representatives in Taiwan.
Taiwan views TikTok as a threat to national cybersecurity, banning its use on public-sector devices. Taiwan is not the only country to be cautious of potential harm TikTok could cause; the U.S. has also passed legislation this year requiring ByteDance (字節跳動), TikTok's Chinese parent company, to divest its U.S. operations.
Digital Affairs Minister Huang Yen-nun (黃彥男) has indicated that Taiwan will continue to monitor international approaches to TikTok, such as the U.S. mandate for ByteDance to sell its stake, potentially transforming TikTok into a thoroughly U.S. company.
Huang suggested that if a U.S. version of TikTok emerges, Taiwan could connect to it, reducing risks of malicious attacks or misinformation.
Meanwhile, discussions continue to establish a committee to prevent misinformation. Huang expressed hope that leveraging private sector resources and involving various units could be more effective than setting up such a committee under the Ministry of Digital Affairs.
