The government is to propose a legislative amendment to impose heavier fines on private companies found guilty of leaking personal data, Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said yesterday.
In addition, the government would establish an “independent watch mechanism” for better protection of personal data, Cheng said at an inauguration ceremony in Taipei for the National Institute of Cyber Security (NICS).
The proposed amendments to the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) would increase the fines as soon as possible for personal data leaks by private companies, he said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Article 48 of the act allows for fines of NT$20,000 to NT$200,000 against companies that fail to prevent theft or disclosure of private data that they collect, or allow it to be compromised.
Cheng’s pledge to increase the penalties came one day after iRent, a Taiwanese vehicle-sharing platform, was fined NT$200,000 by the Directorate-General of Highways for leaking the personal data of about 400,000 people.
The Taipei City Government on Thursday issued a NT$90,000 fine to iRent, which is run by Ho Ing Mobility Service (和雲行動服務), a subsidiary of automotive conglomerate Hotai Motor Co (和泰汽車).
Cheng said that the highways authority’s fine was “too light,” and that the public and private sectors need to step up their efforts to improve protections of personal data.
At the ceremony, Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (唐鳳) also addressed the data protection issue, saying that the NICS would intervene in data leak incidents in the private sector and help companies tighten their cybersecurity systems.
The NICS, a public body established primarily to improve cybersecurity in Taiwan, would also seek to foster talent in that field, and develop advanced technologies and tools to protect the nation’s digital assets, Tang said.
Headed by Ho Chuan-te (何全德), who was previously in charge of cybersecurity at the Presidential Office, the NISC would play a pivotal role in reinforcing Taiwan’s digital environment, Tang said.
The NICS was set up under the Ministry of Digital Affairs in accordance with the Act for the Establishment of the National Institute of Cyber Security (國家資通安全研究院設置條例), which took effect at the start of this year.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who also attended the ceremony, said the establishment of the NICS was part of the government’s efforts to tackle ever-evolving cybersecurity threats from external forces.
“Information security is national security,” Tsai said, adding that the government needs to continue investing in Taiwan’s cybersecurity infrastructure.
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