Taiwan plans to regulate Threads under anti-fraud law

Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) announced that Threads, a text-based social media app by Meta, will be included in the country’s anti-fraud regulatory framework starting September 15, 2025.

This decision follows concerns from lawmakers about the app’s significant user base in Taiwan and reports of fraudulent activities.

Threads will be the seventh platform regulated under these rules, joining Google, YouTube, Line, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

MODA’s “Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act,” enacted in July 2024, requires platforms to verify advertisers, remove fraudulent content, and publish transparency reports on their anti-fraud measures.

The inclusion of Threads follows nearly 1,900 fraud-related reports associated with the platform, with 718 confirmed as scams.

Meta, the parent company of Threads, is reviewing the new requirements.

🔗 Source: Focus Taiwan

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Taiwan joins global trend of platform-specific digital regulation

Taiwan’s approach to regulating Threads reflects a broader international shift toward targeted platform-specific regulation rather than general digital laws.

The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) uses specific criteria to determine which platforms require regulation, including a threshold of 5% of Taiwan’s population as users and assessment of fraud risk, a methodology influenced by the UK’s Online Safety Act and the EU’s Digital Services Act 1.

This represents a significant evolution in digital governance, moving from general cybersecurity frameworks to pinpointing specific platforms based on quantifiable metrics and documented fraud cases.

The substantial penalties, ranging from NT$500,000 to NT$100 million (approximately USD 3.2 million), demonstrate how seriously Taiwan is taking platform accountability, mirroring similar high-stakes regulatory approaches in other developed markets 2.

This regulation of Threads comes after careful assessment showing 718 confirmed fraud cases from 1,898 reports, providing data-driven justification for the regulatory action 3.

2️⃣ Meta faces mounting compliance challenges across its expanding platform portfolio

With Threads joining Facebook and Instagram under Taiwan’s anti-fraud framework, Meta now must manage compliance for three major platforms in Taiwan alone, significantly increasing its regulatory burden.