Members of a gang that sold personal data to private detectives were charged with infringement of privacy and other crimes by Taipei District prosecutors yesterday.
Five members of the alleged ring were indicted along with three former police officers.
Hsiung Shih-fen (熊世芬), the alleged head of the gang, and her associates were accused of befriending police officers and bribing them with cash to obtain confidential information. The officers would allegedly access National Police Agency (NPA) networks and other databases for information on requested individuals.
The type of confidential information allegedly given to the group ranged from telephone numbers to automobile registrations, criminal history, marital status, telecommunications records and more.
The group also obtained National Health Insurance data and immigration records from police friends and informants, prosecutors said.
Hsiung and her accomplices allegedly sold the personal information to private detective services that would use the data to spy on individuals or collect unpaid debts.
Prosecutors said their investigation showed the illegal activities began in 2006. Hsiung’s ring would charge between NT$1,500 and NT$28,000 per case and earned between NT$100,000 and NT$150,000 a month, they said.
Hsiung and the others have been charged with bribery, divulging secrets and violation of the Computer-Processed Personal Data Protection Act (電腦處理個人資料保護法).
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