The Personal Data Protection Office, which is tasked with standardizing information protection across all government offices in conformity with EU regulations, began operations yesterday.
The office is to adapt the nation’s information privacy measures to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, then apply to the bloc for official recognition of its compliance, National Development Council Minister Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶) said.
Chen, National Communications Commission Chairwoman Nicole Chan (詹婷怡) and Financial Supervisory Commission Vice Chairman Cheng Cheng-mount (鄭貞茂) were among the officials who attended the opening ceremony.
Photo: Chen Mei-ying, Taipei Times
Chan and Cheng said they hope that the office would strengthen and standardize information privacy protection across all government agencies, as well as bring cross-border information transmission security to meet EU standards.
Specific operations would be assigned to the office by the council, which is to form task forces for each operation, Chen said, adding that the task forces would be composed of people who are familiar with the nation’s information protection laws and EU regulations.
The office aims to assist Taiwanese companies that do business in Europe and need to transmit data across borders, she said.
A team was sent to Europe at the end of May to consult with EU data experts on how to comply with the body’s regulations, Chen said.
The council has already invited officials and experts to meet and discuss the process of applying for compliance recognition, she said.
The office would also be an authority on personal data privacy issues, as prior to its establishment, there was no single body that supervised and regulated personal data protection, she said.
Given the growing amount of personal data that is shared online, it is imperative that the government has a regulatory body to oversee the management of this information, she added.
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