Wellington Koo: Download and Use of Amap Banned, Ordering Entire Armed Forces to Comply
Taiwan's Minister of National Defense announced a complete ban on the Chinese navigation app Amap (Gaode Map) for all military personnel, including on personal devices, due to cybersecurity risks.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 16:24
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 16:31 (7 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 18:02 (1h 30m after Collected)
(Central News Agency reporter Wang Yang-yu, Taipei, 23rd) The Chinese mobile communication application 'Amap' (Gaode Map) has raised cybersecurity concerns. The Ministry of Digital Affairs stated today that Amap is banned in the public sector. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo said in an interview that the Ministry of National Defense will follow the Ministry of Digital Affairs' stance, ban its download and use, and will also issue an order for all military personnel to comply.
The Chinese Amap app can display 'traffic light countdowns' for some roads in Taiwan, raising suspicions of cybersecurity risks. The Ministry of Digital Affairs stated that under the Cyber Security Management Act, Amap is a product that endangers national cyber security, and government agencies are prohibited from using it. A security assessment risk report will be published in May.
The ruling and opposition party caucuses of the Legislative Yuan negotiated the 'Draft Special Act on Procurement for Strengthening Defense Resilience and Asymmetric Warfare Capability Plan' and other bills in the afternoon, with Wellington Koo and others in attendance.
Regarding how to evaluate the impact of Amap on national security, Koo stated in a media interview that let alone Amap, Chinese Communist satellites pass over fixed positions every day. Therefore, the national armed forces have long sought concealed and suitable tactical positions for tactical applications; this is a consideration in operations.
The media followed up by asking whether military personnel would be banned from downloading Amap. Koo stated that he understands the Ministry of Digital Affairs has already banned it, and the Ministry of National Defense will follow this stance, prohibiting the download and use of digital mapping software with cybersecurity concerns.
As for whether this includes the personal mobile phones of military personnel, Koo responded that an order will be issued for all military personnel to follow the regulations. (Editors: Lin Ke-lun, Wan Shu-chang) 1150423
Choose to stand with facts, your every sponsorship is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First Hand News' APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.
The Chinese Amap app can display 'traffic light countdowns' for some roads in Taiwan, raising suspicions of cybersecurity risks. The Ministry of Digital Affairs stated that under the Cyber Security Management Act, Amap is a product that endangers national cyber security, and government agencies are prohibited from using it. A security assessment risk report will be published in May.
The ruling and opposition party caucuses of the Legislative Yuan negotiated the 'Draft Special Act on Procurement for Strengthening Defense Resilience and Asymmetric Warfare Capability Plan' and other bills in the afternoon, with Wellington Koo and others in attendance.
Regarding how to evaluate the impact of Amap on national security, Koo stated in a media interview that let alone Amap, Chinese Communist satellites pass over fixed positions every day. Therefore, the national armed forces have long sought concealed and suitable tactical positions for tactical applications; this is a consideration in operations.
The media followed up by asking whether military personnel would be banned from downloading Amap. Koo stated that he understands the Ministry of Digital Affairs has already banned it, and the Ministry of National Defense will follow this stance, prohibiting the download and use of digital mapping software with cybersecurity concerns.
As for whether this includes the personal mobile phones of military personnel, Koo responded that an order will be issued for all military personnel to follow the regulations. (Editors: Lin Ke-lun, Wan Shu-chang) 1150423
Choose to stand with facts, your every sponsorship is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First Hand News' APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.