TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Digital Affairs is investigating whether ads on the Taipei Mass Transit (MRT) system for Chinese online shopping platform Taobao are illegal, reports said Friday (Nov. 8).

The company left Taiwan in 2020 after the government cracked down on foreign businesses operating as a front for Chinese investments. However, ads for Taobao recently appeared at MRT stations and inside trains, per CNA.

As the government department in charge of the matter, the digital affairs ministry would probe whether the ads broke the law or not, the Mainland Affairs Council said Friday. 

The case was publicized by the Economic Democracy Union. It warned the personal financial information of users might be stored in China and leaked.

Taobao said it was respecting Taiwan’s laws and regulations, and would make an effort to safeguard the rights of its users. After having set up a company legally in 2018, it was allowed to conduct brand marketing activities in Taiwan, Taobao said.

The company is believed to have launched the ad campaign to coincide with the run-up to Nov. 11 or “Double 11,” a major date for shopping in some East Asian countries.