A meeting of the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee was the scene of heated debate yesterday as legislators argued over whether elected representatives should be able to obtain an individual’s personal information without first informing them.
The legislature is reviewing a draft proposal to amend the Computer-Processed Personal Data Protection Act (電腦處理個人資料保護法).
The amendment seeks to add a clause that allows elected representatives to gather personal information for investigation without the knowledge of the person concerned.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) expressed strong opposition to the proposed amendment.
“This is a Chiu Yi [邱毅] clause,” he said, suggesting that the clause was especially written for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator so he could legally look into personal data and records of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
“I’ve heard that the Ministry of Justice and Judicial Yuan all support [the amendment]. The DPP opposes this,” Gao said.
Several other members of the DPP also opposed the proposal, saying that the clause would seriously damage an individual’s right to privacy.
Defending his proposal, KMT Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said that elected representatives have the right and responsibility to protect citizens from corruption.
“I strongly believe that [elected representatives] should not be required to inform the individual who is being investigated, because if I’m in the middle of trying to expose corruption, and I’m required to inform [the person] first, then I would have no corruption to expose,” he said.
“However, if I make a mistake in accusing [someone] of corruption, I would be held legally responsible,” he said.
Hsieh accused the media of misinterpreting the proposal and emphasized that an elected representative would be legally and morally responsible for his or her actions.
Asked for comment, Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) said, “We would have to thoroughly examine this proposal.”
Wang said it was important to strike a balance between an elected representative’s right to keep government officials in check and preserving an individual’s right to privacy.
The meeting ended without consensus.
At a separate setting, DPP caucus whip Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) said yesterday that the party was opposed to the measure as it would violate human rights.
“The measure could be used as a tool to attack political rivals during campaigns and for collecting information on voters in order to win their votes,” Lee said.
He said that while it has been common for legislators to try to stir up scandals without any solid evidence, the measure could make things worse.
DPP Spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said the law was meant to protect personal information from being leaked and that giving privileged individuals the right to access such information would be against the spirit of the law.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
The Philippines is working behind the scenes to enhance its defensive cooperation with Taiwan, the Washington Post said in a report published on Monday. “It would be hiding from the obvious to say that Taiwan’s security will not affect us,” Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro Jr told the paper in an interview on Thursday last week. Although there has been no formal change to the Philippines’ diplomatic stance on recognizing Taiwan, Manila is increasingly concerned about Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea, the report said. The number of Chinese vessels in the seas around the Philippines, as well as Chinese
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
RSS