Taipei, Taiwan (October 25, 2025)— As online scams continue to surge, tension has grown between the Taipei City Government and the Ministry of Digitalization and Public Security over how to hold social media companies accountable for fraudulent advertisements. City officials have accused the ministry of favoring major platforms and failing to enforce existing laws that require companies to cooperate with police investigations.
According to Taipei authorities, social media platforms have ignored repeated government requests to provide communication software account details linked to fraudulent ads — data crucial for tracing scam syndicates. Since May, the city government has sent official notices daily, urging companies to share the required information in accordance with the Fraud Crime Prevention Act, but none have complied.
When the city government referred the matter to the Ministry of Digitalization and Public Security to impose fines, the ministry ruled that links leading to messaging app invitations in advertisements did not constitute actual “communication software accounts.” The ministry further instructed the city government to conduct its own screening before submitting cases for review — a move Taipei officials called an unreasonable shifting of responsibility.
City representatives argued that platforms have greater technical resources and data capabilities, and therefore should be obligated to identify and report fraudulent content themselves. They criticized the ministry’s interpretation as weakening the intent of the law and undermining corporate accountability, questioning whether the ministry was “shielding” big tech companies from penalties.
Frontline police officers expressed frustration over what they see as a growing disconnect between policy and enforcement. “We’re fighting scams every day,” one officer said. “If the front end isn’t controlled, we’ll always be playing catch-up — chasing drivers, comforting victims, and cleaning up after the damage is done.”
Officers highlighted several systemic flaws that continue to enable fraud:
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ATM withdrawals without two-factor authentication make it easy for couriers to withdraw illicit funds.
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Third-party payment systems and virtual accounts lack the same security measures as bank accounts, making it difficult to freeze stolen money in time.
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Telecom networks still allow overseas scam calls to roam anonymously.
Grassroots police emphasized that the nation’s anti-fraud campaign should not rely on statistics or press releases, but on closing loopholes and enforcing accountability. “Fraudulent ads must be taken down immediately,” one officer urged. “Social media platforms profit from these ads — they should bear responsibility for monitoring and removing them. Otherwise, ordinary citizens will continue to suffer devastating financial losses.”