Dcard faces police searches amid fraud, safety issues

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Dcard, a popular Taiwanese networking platform, has been the subject of multiple police and judicial searches due to hundreds of instances involving anonymous postings that led to fraud, child and teenager safety issues, and defamation cases.

After a November search, the company faced another search by law enforcement agencies on Monday (Dec. 18).

Perseus Chen, an attorney and former prosecutor, took to his Facebook page to question Dcard’s refusal to comply with police requests for information. His post suggested that the company was challenging the authority of the judiciary.

Chen noted that Taiwanese authorities had politely requested data from Dcard but were met with non-compliance. He pointed out that search warrants could be obtained for any reason in Taiwan, criticizing Dcard for mirroring Facebook Inc.'s approach of not providing data to authorities.

He highlighted the critical difference between the two companies: Facebook's headquarters are located in the United States, where Taiwanese law enforcement has no jurisdiction to conduct searches. Chen admonished the Taiwanese-based Dcard for its failure to cooperate with local investigations into criminal matters.

Chen openly questioned the responsibilities of Dcard's legal team and predicted that the company might face additional searches if its uncooperative stance continues. His comments have added to the scrutiny of Dcard's handling of law enforcement requests and its impact on legal obligations in Taiwan.