The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) yesterday said that it would not activate the facial-recognition feature of its new smart surveillance system after lawmakers voiced their concerns over privacy issues.
The railway operator on Tuesday announced that it would soon start testing a smart surveillance system at Fengyuan Railway Station in Taichung.
The company said that the system would be mainly used to ensure the safety of passengers in and around railway stations — including detecting any intrusion onto the railway tracks and other restricted areas, abnormal loitering of individuals on the platforms or inside buildings, and suspicious packages — but lawmakers raised concerns that the facial-recognition technology would infringe on people’s privacy.
Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration has been critical of China for abusing human rights through the use of facial-recognition systems.
Ko asked if the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) had learned from China by installing the technology to control the public.
DPP legislators sparked controversy in 2017 when they proposed a change to the Household Registration Act (戶籍法) that would legalize the use of iris-recognition systems by offices, Ko said.
The KMT caucus would have strongly opposed the use of facial-recognition technology if the TRA did not acceptably define the conditions under which the technology would be used, Ko said, adding that she was glad that it had decided not to activate the functionality.
KMT Legislator Jason Hsu (許毓仁) said that the Hollywood movie Enemy of the State shows how a government could control people through the mass collection of data and monitoring their whereabouts using surveillance devices.
“China has used surveillance devices to enforce a social credit rating system, while Hong Kong uses the devices to monitor pro-democracy protesters. Is it not strange that what DPP is planning to do is also what China is doing?” Hsu said.
Constitutional interpretations by the Council of Grand Justices have determined that the police cannot stop and frisk individuals without a legitimate reason, and that people have the right not to be monitored in public places, Hsu said.
However, the facial-recognition technology would enable the government to monitor people closely, like “watching goldfish in a transparent fish tank,” he said.
Following the criticism, the Taiwan Railways Administration said that it would not activate the facial-recognition technology, nor would the Railway Police Bureau.
“We will continue to build an environment that is friendly to all railway passengers while ensuring the safety of the transportation system,” the company said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS