Although the government intends to toughen penalties for businesses and individuals leaking personal information, it might reject a proposal by key Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators which aims to dramatically increase punishment.
"The proposed seven-year sentence sounds awfully severe," said David Liu (劉佐國), a senior specialist at the Ministry of Justice's Department of Legal Affairs. "It's not only unfair to first-time offenders, it also goes against international practice."
While the ministry is aware of the DPP legislators' concerns, it may stick with its own amendments to the Computer-Processed Personal Data Protection Law (
DPP caucus whip Tsai Huang-liang (
"Heavier punishments always serve as a more effective deterrent," he said.
Tsai and two other DPP legislators, Chen Chao-lung (
The law presently protects only that personal information which is managed, processed, stored or distributed by computers, whereas the Cabinet's draft would cover all forms of personal information which could be deemed to be private and deserving of protection.
The punishment for those who leak personal information for commercial purposes would also be increased. While the current maximum sentence is a two-year jail term or a NT$40,000 fine, the draft would increase this to five years in jail or a NT$1 million fine.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
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