Taiwan’s Xiaohongshu Ban and Freedom of Expression

On December 4, 2025, Taiwan's Ministry of Interior imposed a one-year ban on Xiaohongshu (Rednote), a Chinese social media platform, which has become an important source of everyday information, particularly for younger users in Taiwan. The government’s decision to block access to the platform raises fundamental questions about platform governance in democracies: how should governments balance cybersecurity concerns with freedom of expression? These questions arise with particular intensity in Taiwan.