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Threads Suspends Prominent Taiwanese Accounts, Citing Age; Users Suspect Political Motives

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Meta's social media platform Threads has suspended numerous prominent Taiwanese accounts without clear justification.
  • Users, including politicians and influencers, report receiving an error message stating they are under 13 years old, despite having verified accounts.
  • The suspensions coincide with Chinese President Xi Jinping's birthday, leading to speculation of political motivations and a purge of anti-China voices.

Social media users in Taiwan are experiencing a wave of unexpected account suspensions on Meta's Threads platform. Prominent figures, including former legislator Chen Po-wei, influencer Ba Jiong, and TV commentator Grace Woo, have reported their accounts being blocked.

Is skin color the problem?

— Chen Po-weiFormer legislator Chen Po-wei's reaction to his Threads account being suspended for being underage.

The official reason provided by Meta for these suspensions is that users are "under 13 years old." This has caused widespread confusion and frustration, with affected users questioning the validity of the automated system. Chen Po-wei sarcastically asked if "skin color is the problem," while Ba Jiong pointed out that his account, with 310,000 followers and a verified blue checkmark, was suspended for the same reason. Even the Threads account for Min-Shiang News, which recently celebrated its 29th anniversary, was suspended with the same age-related justification.

Adding to the suspicion, the mass suspensions occurred around the birthday of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Many of the suspended users are known for their strong pro-Taiwanese and anti-China stances. This has fueled speculation among netizens that the suspensions are politically motivated, with some suggesting the accounts were "gifted" to Xi Jinping by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Users have noted a pattern of "Taiwanese independence supporters" being blocked, raising concerns about censorship.

Many Taiwanese independence supporters have been blocked recently! The whole thing is very problematic.

— NetizenComment on social media reflecting suspicion about the mass account suspensions.

Meta stated that the age and authenticity verification measures are in line with the EU's Digital Services Act. However, the widespread misidentification of verified adult users as minors suggests a significant flaw in the AI-driven moderation system. This has led to global outrage, with users questioning the reliability of the platform's automated processes.

Were they packaged and given to Xi Jinping as a birthday gift by Zuckerberg?

— NetizenSpeculation on social media linking the suspensions to Chinese President Xi Jinping's birthday.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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