Hoping to crack down on the increasingly prevalent practice of people using hidden cameras to invade the privacy of others, three legislators held a public hearing yesterday to discuss what should be included in new regulations to bar such activity.
There have been a growing number of complaints about photographs and video tapes published in the media or found on the Internet that were taken by hidden cameras in public restrooms, hotel rooms and the bedrooms of private homes.
Three PFP legislators -- Lee Yung-ping (李永萍), Pang Chien-kuo (龐建國) and Chen Chin-hsing(陳進興) -- sponsored yesterday's hearing. Representatives from the National Police Administration, the Ministry of Justice, the Judicial Yuan, the Modern Women's Foundation and the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation attended.
"There is only Article 315 of the Criminal Code regulating personal privacy, and the punishment is light. Seeking a new regulation is the first step in our anti-taping campaign," Lee said.
Article 315 -- which prohibits the taping of private dialogue and conduct without the consent of the individual being taped -- was passed by the Legislative Yuan in 1999. It mandates a prison term of five years or a NT$50,000 fine for circulating such illegally taped material.
The numerous reports of such abuses reflect the seriousness of the problem, according to Judicial Yuan and Ministry of Justice officials, even though there have been no lawsuits filed yet under Article 315.
"It's very tough for us to find the evidence [to prosecute] secret taping and hidden cameras," said Wang Pei-ling (
Wang Ru-shiuan (王如玄), a representative of the Modern Women's Foundation, said the Legislative Yuan should draw up an anti-secret-taping law to regulate the use of hidden cameras and to force owners of public spaces -- such as hotels and shopping malls -- to bear responsibility for any illegal taping that occurs on their premises.
Other representatives attending yesterday's hearing all supported Wang's idea.
Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) on Monday promised a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's Home and Nation's Committee to submit an amendment to the Architecture Law to the legislature within three months.
The proposed amendment would stipulate that stores, malls and other such public buildings that were found to have hidden cameras on their premises would lose their operating licenses.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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