Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) yesterday said that Internet spammers would be fined if they continued to send junk e-mails without permission.
"Many people, including myself, have been bothered by junk mail," Chen told reporters at a press conference. "We hope that the right to say `no' can be protected."
Chen also said that the ministry has amended Article 22-2 of the Law for the Protection of Computer-managed Personal Information (
According to the amendment, Internet junk mail senders must ask for the recipients' authorization the first time correspondence is sent before sending any more e-mails. If the recipient refuses, junk mail senders who continue to send correspondence would be subject to a fine of between NT$20,000 and NT$200,000.
For junk e-mail that has no identification or return e-mail addresses, the Internet service providers (ISP) would be responsible for providing contact information if requested by customers.
Chen said that the amendment would not necessarily adversely affect e-commerce. The spirit of the amendment is to reserve a right for Internet surfers to decline junk mail, he said
"Actually, junk mail may not be turned down by every Internet user," Chen said. "Some of them do enjoy receiving the latest information about different products. Under this circumstance, both the junk mail sender and the recipient will be happy."
Chen also said that local banks or credit card companies could be leaking customers' personal information to junk mail message senders.
"In addition to amending the law, prosecutors are also trying to figure out who is selling and leaking information," he said.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
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