The government intends to regulate online speech by introducing a draft digital intermediary services act, the New Power Party (NPP) caucus told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Although issues of Internet governance are nothing new, the question is how such laws should be designed and enforced to curb cybercrime and other problems while preventing the government censoring online speech in the name of fighting disinformation and crime, NPP caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said.
If laws related to Internet governance are not stipulated carefully, freedom to criticize the government would be lost, which could be the death knell for freedom and democracy, Chiu said.
Photo: Liang Cheng-hui, Taipei Times
In 2013, before she became president, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the Democratic Progressive Party’s chairperson, opposed the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government’s proposed amendment to Article 9 of the now-defunct telecommunications act, declaring that “diverse and innovative online platforms would lose their power to enliven society if administrative authorities use unclear laws to restrict people’s activities on the Internet,” he said.
“Has President Tsai forgotten what she said in 2013? Has she changed her mind since she took on the top job?” Chiu asked.
Based on the draft digital act, online platform operators must place an alert next to a message if administrative agencies consider it to be unsubstantiated or illegal, Chiu said.
If a court agrees that an information restraining order should be issued, it must do so within 48 hours of receiving a request from a government agency, Chiu said, adding that the rules would allow administrative agencies to arbitrarily restrict online activity.
The National Communications Commission (NCC) told the public that it had consulted similar regulations in the EU and UK when drafting the bill, but the EU’s Digital Services Act requires platform operators to enhance users’ ability to discern the credibility and quality of information they consume, rather than putting alerts next to content at the request of government agencies, Chiu said.
The UK’s draft online safety bill does not require courts to rule within 48 hours whether online content should be taken down, he said, adding that the conditions under which an information restraining order can be requested are clearer and stricter than the ones stipulated by the NCC.
The NCC should draft a feasible act that would not infringe on freedom of speech by adopting a bottom-up approach, while communicating with platform operators and civil groups, he said.
“Instead, the commission adopted a top-down approach, which generates concerns for impeding speech and is not consistent with legislation in other countries,” Chiu said. “People have reason to believe that the government is extending its tentacles into the Internet.”
NPP Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) said that the draft act would have little to no effect on platform operators if they do not have offices in Taiwan.
The NCC should not work behind closed doors, nor should it formulate unrealistic and unenforceable regulations, Wang said.
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
An SOS message in a bottle has been found in Ireland that is believed to have come from the Taiwanese captain of fishing vessel Yong Yu Sing No. 18 (永裕興18號), who has been missing without a trace for over four years, along with nine Indonesian crew members. The vessel, registered to Suao (蘇澳), went missing near Hawaii on Dec. 30, 2020. The ship has since been recovered, but the 10 crew members have never been found. The captain, surnamed Lee (李), is believed to have signed the note with his name. A post appeared on Reddit on Tuesday after a man
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without