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"Information security risks are national security risks," said Tzeng Yi-suo (曾怡碩), an associate research fellow at INDSR's Division of Cyber Security and Decision-making Simulation.
"As long as the app is under the jurisdiction of the Chinese government, there will basically be security concerns," he explained.
Tzeng told CNA that commercial companies collect data about app users and then use algorithms to tailor relevant information and marketing.
This is not a problem in a democratic country governed by the rule of law such as Taiwan, the cyber-security expert said, because if the information involves judicial cases, the government will need to go through certain legal procedures to obtain the information.
However, the National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China and the Law of the People's Republic of China on Guarding State Secrets empower Chinese government agencies to require platform service providers to hand over users' data "as long as they determine that national security is involved," Tzeng said.
"How the Chinese government obtains the data and what they will do with it is not transparent," the security expert added.