Analysis: Military Sweep of Phones Finds No Restricted Chinese Apps

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By Justin Wu/Lery Hiciano

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Taiwan has checked official military phones and found no Chinese-made apps amid concerns they could expose sensitive information or allow user data to be transmitted to China. TaiwanPlus spoke with INDSR's Tzeng Yi-suo about government efforts to keep these apps off service members' devices.

Banned Chinese Apps in Military Devices

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REPORTER:  
The defense ministry says all its military-use cell phones are clear of high-risk Chinese apps. The Liberty Times reports the inspection covered nearly 3,000 official devices used by the military. The defense ministry banned Chinese-made apps deemed a security threat earlier this year, including TikTok, WeChat and RedNote. It also ordered all units to carry out inspections. The ministry says personal-use phones will also be subject to regular and surprise inspections moving forward. Chinese apps are not formally banned on personal phones, but service members are encouraged to delete them to avoid data breaches.

The ministry said unit commanders and supervisors and cyberwarfare specialists would conduct regular and unannounced inspections on government and personal cellphones in their units. Inspections would check if personal phones have been officially approved, if remote management measures are working as intended and to make sure no Chinese-made applications have been installed, it said.
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