The government might establish an independent agency that would be in charge of personal data protection, the Executive Yuan told a news conference after a Cabinet meeting yesterday morning.
The announcement was made after data breaches were reported at China Airlines, Car-Plus Auto Leasing Corp and vehicle-sharing platform iRent.
The Constitutional Court in August last year ruled that the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) and other laws must adhere to the Constitution by including an independent oversight mechanism to ensure that personal data privacy is protected.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan
It further mandated the government to implement such mechanisms through a new law or amendments to existing laws within three years.
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) has asked ministers without portfolio Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成), Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) and Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) to investigate how such a legal mechanism should be implemented, Executive Yuan spokesperson Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥) told reporters, adding that the changes are also required by the National Human Rights Action Plan.
“It is essential that the mechanism operates independently,” Chen Tsung-yen said. “Having a specific agency in charge of personal data-related issues is an option, but we will make further announcements after the three ministers without portfolio have reviewed all possible options.”
Agencies that oversee laws related to the security and maintenance of personal data are required to report any major data breach to the Executive Yuan immediately, Chen Tsung-yen said.
Agencies must cooperate with officials at the Ministry of Digital Affairs and National Institute of Cyber Security as they conduct inspections and investigations, which would occur within three days after an incident is reported, he added.
A written report on any incident must be completed within 10 days after it was reported, he said, adding that it should be discussed at a Cabinet-level meeting within two weeks.
Meanwhile, Ho Ing Mobility Service, a subsidiary of automotive conglomerate Hotai Motor Co that runs iRent, was yesterday fined NT$200,000 by the Directorate-General of Highways for allowing the public release of personal information of 400,000 users, including their names, mobile phone numbers, home addresses and payment information.
“We found through an inspection last week that the company did not have a comprehensive data security and maintenance plan, which consequently caused its user data to be compromised. The platform operator was fined NT$200,000 for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act,” the highway authority said.
The company was also ordered to submit supporting documents to show that it has fully addressed the data breach, the agency said.
The documents must be received before the 228 Peace Memorial Day, it added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS