Online safety & content laws in Taiwan (2026)
Online safety rules in Taiwan: partial.
Taiwan has no comprehensive online safety or content-moderation law comparable to the EU Digital Services Act or UK Online Safety Act. A draft Digital Intermediary Services Act (DISA), modeled on the EU DSA, was released by the National Communications Commission (NCC) in June 2022 but suspended after massive public backlash and has not been revived. The government has instead pivoted to sector-specific platform obligations embedded in functional laws, chiefly anti-fraud and advertising-disclosure rules, rather than a single digital safety code.
Legal framework
Sector-specific laws (Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act; NCC oversight) with no comprehensive platform safety statute; draft Digital Intermediary Services Act shelved since 2022
Key points: internet & online safety in Taiwan
Draft DISA shelved
The NCC published a draft Digital Intermediary Services Act in June 2022 that would have imposed tiered transparency and moderation obligations on platforms, but suspended it by August 2022 after more than 30,000 citizens voted against it on the government's public-policy platform and the ruling party withdrew support ahead of elections. As of mid-2026 the bill has not been reintroduced.
Sector-specific pivot
Rather than passing a comprehensive platform law, Taiwan has embedded platform obligations in sector-specific statutes covering anti-fraud, child protection, and advertising disclosure. This approach avoids a single regulator controlling online speech, a politically sensitive issue given Taiwan's history of authoritarian press control.
Anti-Fraud Act, platform DNS blocking power
Article 42 of the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act (as amended) empowers authorities to order DNS blocking of non-compliant platforms in declared fraud-prevention emergencies. In December 2025 it was invoked for the first time against Xiaohongshu (RedNote), ordering a one-year block after 756 fraud cases were linked to the app and the platform failed cybersecurity standards and refused to establish local representation.
Online advertising anti-fraud liability
Under the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act, online advertising platforms must disclose advertiser information and implement anti-fraud measures; MODA imposed administrative fines exceeding NTD 10 million in 2025 on platforms that failed to comply with advertising-disclosure or anti-fraud obligations.
NCC internet governance department
In July 2023 the NCC established a dedicated Department of Internet Broadcasting and Governance to develop a governance framework for online content, but no binding comprehensive regulation has followed; the department's work remains preparatory and consultative.
No mandatory age-verification or platform-liability regime
Taiwan has no standalone age-verification law for online platforms comparable to those enacted in Australia or the EU. Platform liability for user-generated content is governed by general tort and criminal law rather than a specific safe-harbour or duty-of-care framework; the internet otherwise remains open and uncensored.
Timeline of decisions
- Law · officialAnti-Fraud Act: Advertiser Identity Verification Rules Enter Force
Phase-two provisions of the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act (promulgated July 2024) took effect, requiring domestic and offshore online advertising platforms to verify and publicly disclose the identities of advertisers and their funding sources. Platforms must remove or block fraudulent ads within 24 hours of official notification.
Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA)
- DecisionNCC Withdraws Draft Digital Intermediary Services Act
The National Communications Commission halted its DSA-style platform regulation bill after over 30,000 citizens voted against it on the government's public-participation portal (fewer than 150 in favour), fearing the content-flagging powers would suppress free speech. The NCC stated it would not advance the draft without public consensus, leaving Taiwan without a comprehensive platform-liability law.
Taipei Times
- GuidanceFive Major ISPs Adopt Voluntary Code on Misinformation
Taiwan's five largest internet service providers signed a self-discipline Code of Practice for Preventing Misinformation, an industry-led complement to government media-literacy campaigns and civil-society fact-checkers. The code emerged after the NCC faced strong criticism for earlier, heavier-handed legislative drafts and became a model of co-regulatory soft governance.
Freedom House (Freedom on the Net 2021)
- Decision · officialNational Communications Commission (NCC) Established
Taiwan created an independent statutory regulator, modelled on the US FCC, by merging the Directorate General of Telecommunications and the Government Information Office's Department of Broadcasting Affairs. The NCC became the primary authority for internet-content oversight, spectrum management, platform licensing, and consumer protection, and remains the key body for online safety regulation today.
National Communications Commission (NCC)
Sources
- itif.org/publications/2025/06/09/taiwan-content-moderation-regulation/
- iclg.com/practice-areas/digital-business-laws-and-regulations/taiwan
- law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0080226
- focustaiwan.tw/politics/202208200008
- iconnectblog.com/taiwans-xiaohongshu-ban-and-the-trilemma-of-platform-governance/
- verfassungsblog.de/taiwans-xiaohongshu-ban-and-freedom-of-expression/
- winklerpartners.com/online-advertising-platforms-anti-fraud-liability-in-taiwan/
- leetsai.com/taiwans-anti-fraud-regulatory-landscape-in-2025
- globaltaiwan.org/2025/05/politics-of-broadcast-media-in-taiwan/
Next for Taiwan: CybersecurityComprehensive law
Next topicOrientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026