Taiwan
Free
79
100
| A Obstacles to Access | 24 25 |
| B Limits on Content | 29 35 |
| C Violations of User Rights | 26 40 |
Last Year's Score & Status
79
100
Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free).
See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
Taiwan remained one of the freest online environments in Asia, though concerns about overbroad and nontransparent website blocking persisted. The information landscape was characterized by affordable internet access and diverse content, and Taiwanese groups continued to take innovative action to counter the impact of influence operations originating in China.
- The Taiwan Network Information Center released its first transparency report on website blocks carried out under the Domain Name System Response Policy Zone (DNS RPZ) framework: over 50,000 websites were designated for blocking in the first half of 2025, and the vast majority of the designations were not subject to judicial review (B1 and B3).1
- In February 2025, authorities blocked access via the DNS RPZ to TT1069, a Taiwanese bulletin board site focused on LGBT+ content, reportedly pursuant to a request from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which cited a child protection law (B1).2
- Taiwanese internet users faced persistent online influence operations aimed at undermining trust in the government; Taiwanese researchers have linked the operations to China-based actors.3 Cyberattacks launched from China against Taiwanese government websites also remained frequent (B5 and C8).4
- Several people were arrested or charged under the Social Order Maintenance Act for sharing purportedly false information online; no one was sentenced to imprisonment under the law, according to available reporting (C3).5
- In March 2025, the Executive Yuan advanced a draft law that would establish an independent data protection agency.6 The proposed reform was part of the government’s response to a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling that found the existing data protection framework to be inadequate (C6).
- 1“Trends and Statistics of Domain-Blocking Requests Issued by Courts and Authorities,” Taiwan Network Information Center, 2025, https://rpz.twnic.tw/#/transparency/2025h1/law#main.
- 2Yan Liu, “TT1069 同志網站被封鎖了” [“The TT1069 gay website has been blocked.”], Facebook post, February 19, 2025, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10221571499477164&id=1843009294…; “「男同志聖地」被政府被封了！出手1原因不是吃飽太閒，至少500人因此受害” [“A "gay sanctuary" has been shut down by the government! The reason for the crackdown isn't just idleness; at least 500 people have been harmed as a result.”], Yahoo! News, February 20, 2025, https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E7%94%B7%E5%90%8C%E5%BF%97%E8%81%96%E5%9C%B0….
- 3“賴清德當選後的中共宣傳：台灣民主失敗論” [“CCP propaganda following Lai Ching-te's election: The theory of the failure of Taiwanese democracy”], Taiwan Information Environment Research Center (IORG), August 14, 2025, https://iorg.tw/_en/da/118.
- 4Yimou Lee, “Taiwan flags rise in Chinese cyberattacks, warns of 'online troll army', Reuters, October 14, 2025, www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-flags-rise-chinese-cyberattac….
- 5Huang Renqiang, “女碩士亂傳「陳菊走了遭送辦 法院裁定不罰：不足認定散布謠言”[ A female master's student was prosecuted for spreading rumors that "Chen Ju has passed away," but the court ruled against it, stating that the evidence was insufficient to constitute spreading rumors.]”, Yahoo! News, May 28, 2025, https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E5%A5%B3%E7%A2%A9%E5%A3%AB%E4%BA%82%E5%82%B3…; “【查證】蔣萬安宣布世壯運不能出現國旗？五星旗可？各國國旗皆不能上台！觀眾席不受限” [“[Verification] Chiang Wan-an announced that national flags are not allowed at the World Championships? Is the Chinese national flag allowed? No national flags are allowed on stage! No restrictions on audience seating.”], MyGoPen, May 12, 2025 https://www.mygopen.com/2025/05/IMGA.html; Xie Wenzhe, “亂傳高雄地震後大火！ 散播者落網慘遭移送法辦” [“Spreading false rumors about a fire following the Kaohsiung earthquake! The perpetrator has been arrested and prosecuted.”], Yahoo! News, January 21, 2025, https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E4%BA%82%E5%82%B3%E9%AB%98%E9%9B%84%E5%9C%B0…; “【錯誤】凱米颱風台北仁愛路變叢林？非近期拍攝！2015年蘇迪勒颱風災情舊照” [“[Error] Renai Road in Taipei turned into a jungle after Typhoon Kemi? Not a recent photo! Old photos of the damage caused by Typhoon Soudelor in 2015.”], MyGoPen, July 26, 2024, https://www.mygopen.com/2024/07/Renai-Rd.html.
- 6Ken-Ying Tseng and Roger Kai, “The Executive Yuan Approved the Draft of the ‘Personal Data Protection Commission Organizational Act’ and the Draft Amendments to Certain Provisions of the ‘Personal Data Protection Act,”’ Lexology, March 31, 2025, https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=fdd54d4c-8f96-40cd-a55b-….
Taiwan’s vibrant and competitive democratic system has allowed for regular peaceful transfers of power since 2000, and protections for civil liberties are generally robust. Ongoing concerns include inadequate safeguards against the exploitation of migrant workers and the Chinese government’s efforts to influence policymaking, media, and the democratic infrastructure.
This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.
For additional background information, see last year’s full report.
A1
1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
| Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? | 6.006 6.006 |
A2
1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
| Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? | 3.003 3.003 |
A3
1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
| Does the government exercise technical or legal control over internet infrastructure for the purposes of restricting connectivity? | 6.006 6.006 |
A4
1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
| Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? | 5.005 6.006 |
A5
1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
| Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? | 4.004 4.004 |
B1
1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
| Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? | 5.005 6.006 |
B2
1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
| Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, content hosts, or digital platforms to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? | 3.003 4.004 |
B3
1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
| Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? | 3.003 4.004 |
B4
1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
| Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? | 3.003 4.004 |
B5
1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
| Are online sources of information controlled or manipulated by the government or other powerful actors to advance a particular political interest? | 2.002 4.004 |
B6
1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
| Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users’ ability to publish content online? | 3.003 3.003 |
B7
1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
| Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? | 4.004 4.004 |
B8
1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
| Do conditions impede users’ ability to mobilize, form communities, and campaign, particularly on political and social issues? | 6.006 6.006 |
C1
1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
| Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? | 5.005 6.006 |
C2
1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
| Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? | 2.002 4.004 |
C3
1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
| Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? | 5.005 6.006 |
C4
1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
| Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? | 3.003 4.004 |
C5
1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
| Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? | 3.003 6.006 |
C6
1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
| Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on users’ right to privacy? | 3.003 6.006 |
C7
1.00-5.00 pts0-5 pts
| Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? | 4.004 5.005 |
C8
1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
| Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individual users subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? | 1.001 3.003 |
Country Facts
-
Population
23,570,000 -
Global Freedom Score
94 100 free -
Internet Freedom Score
79 100 free -
Freedom in the World Status
Free -
Networks Restricted
No -
Websites Blocked
Yes -
Pro-government Commentators
No -
Users Arrested
Yes
