The Executive Yuan yesterday reminded central government agencies, state-run companies and the nation’s science parks not to use visual conferencing software products that could compromise the nation’s information security, sending a letter to remind them to observe rules covering such software.
They should heed the Information and Communication Security Management Act (資通安全管理法) and should refrain from using products that could compromise the nation’s information security, Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said in a statement, stopping short of an outright ban on certain products.
They can hold visual conferences amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but they should not use Zoom Video Communications or other software that could pose a security risk, said Chen, who doubles as the Cabinet’s chief information security officer.
Under the act, agencies should not use or install information and communication systems that pose information security risks, and should give precedence to the products of local technology firms or those that have signed contracts with the government, he said.
In special circumstances, when local conferencing software has been ruled out by international meetings, free software, such as those provided by Google or Microsoft, can be adopted following security risk assessments, the Department of Cyber Security said.
The letter from the Executive Yuan follows last week’s announcement by University of Toronto-based Citizen Lab that Zoom software apparently transmits and receives encryption and decryption keys from a server in Beijing that is capable of decrypting audio and video content shared between conference participants outside of China.
Several lawmakers on the Education and Culture Committee on Monday raised concerns that the Ministry of Education has listed Zoom on its list of recommended software for distance learning.
Later yesterday, the ministry said it had told schools nationwide that Zoom was banned for distance learning, and suggested that they use software such as CyberLink U Meeting, Microsoft Teams, Cisco WebEx, Adobe Connect, or Google Hangouts Meet instead.
Additional reporting by Rachael Lin and staff writer
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