Douyin has recently become the focus of public opinion on information security again. Premier Su Zhenchang has instructed Political Councilor Luo Bingcheng to convene an inter-ministerial task force.

(Provided by the Executive Yuan)

[Reporter Zhong Lihua/Taipei Report] Douyin has once again become the focus of public opinion on information security. Executive Premier Su Zhenchang has instructed Political Councilor Luo Bingcheng to convene an inter-ministerial task force.

Regarding whether the TikTok ban will be extended to the private sector, Luo Bingcheng said at the press conference after the Executive Yuan meeting today that this must refer to the effectiveness of foreign practices and also pragmatically evaluate the technical feasibility. Currently, there is no conclusion in the continuous collection of information.

The Executive Yuan originally planned to hold an inter-ministerial task force meeting on the 14th to discuss measures to control Douyin, but the meeting was postponed because it was still in the data collection stage.

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Luo Bingcheng pointed out that in December 2020, the Executive Yuan issued a letter ordering the administrative department and the secretaries of the other four courts not to purchase and use Chinese-made products that affect information and communication security, and the Douyin APP is also prohibited.

For reasons of information security and national security, Douyin cannot be used on computers and mobile phones in public departments. This time, we will review the project to see if the relevant practices have been implemented, or if there are any areas that need to be supplemented and improved.

As for whether the TikTok ban will be extended to the private sector, Luo Bingcheng said that this needs more discussion, and with reference to the effectiveness of international practices, most countries and Taiwan restrict the use of the public sector, while India prohibits it by legislation, and the scope of control touches the private sector, but This is a relatively small number of legislation, and it is necessary to understand the effectiveness since its implementation.

Luo Bingcheng emphasized that the government cherishes the freedom of business and freedom of speech. How to strengthen prevention of Douyin and other related apps must be carefully reviewed and collected. It must also be technically feasible. Under the control of domestic company law, Taiwan needs to check whether the relevant platforms have landed.

As a whole, it is necessary to evaluate pragmatically whether the technical prohibition can completely block the relevant software, and if the technology is feasible, the legal requirements must be carefully handled.