Children are able to access pornographic images from Kuro and ezPeer, two popular peer-to-peer Web sites, according to allegations made at a Legislative Yuan press conference yesterday.
"Both Kuro and ezPeer have a large number of online members, and many pornographic files can be found on these two Web sites," said Lee Li-feng (李麗芬), secretary general of the End Child Prostitution Association in Taiwan.
"It is saddening that Kuro also offers a service to members where files can easily be burned onto a CD," she said.
Lee said the civil code and the Children and Youth Sexual Crime Prevention Law (
Lee and a People First Party legislator typed in sensitive keywords on both Web sites and found a variety of files containing pictures of nudity or pornography and movies.
P2P (peer to peer) is a popular file exchange method among young people.
A survey last summer indicated that Kuro's users numbered 870,000, while ezPeer's users have reached the 100-million mark.
In response to the claim, Kuro issued a press release yesterday stating that it would cooperate with the government to provide a healthier online environment for children.
However, Kuro said it had little knowledge of the content of files that were being exchanged among the site's users.
"We fully support government efforts to protect the well-being of children; however, the contents of files being exchanged over our Web site are unknown to us," it said.
Kuro also said that it offers information on copyright and other legal matters to its users.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
RSS