The Taiwan authorities announced a one-year ban on Xiaohongshu, the Chinese social media platform with over three million users in Taiwan. The DPP authorities cited fraud and security risks, but many believe this is an excuse and a catch-all offense.

In fact, Xiaohongshu is far from a political debate platform like X. It is mostly about daily life sharing — food, travel, skincare, pets — hardly political at all.

After the ban was announced, young people exploded with anger. Many in Taiwan questioned: If you're banning apps because of scams, why not start with Facebook and LINE? According to recent anti-fraud reports, Facebook and LINE are among the most commonly exploited platforms for online scams.

What the DPP authorities fear is not scams. What they really fear is people seeing another reality. They fear losing control over the narrative.