Large retail companies in Taiwan would be required to draft personal information protection plans within the next six months and obtain customers’ consent before using that data for marketing purposes, according to regulations announced by the Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday
The new rules, implemented under the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法), would require retailers that collect customers’ data through membership programs or other means and which have a paid-in capital of at least NT$10 million (US$317,279) to formulate the plans by Feb. 1 next year, the Department of Commerce said in a news release.
The plans would have to include detailed information on how customers’ personal information is collected, stored and used, and the security measures that are in place to protect it, the ministry said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Retailers would also have to detail how their employees are trained in personal data protection and prepare emergency response procedures to be followed in the event of a breach, it said.
If a data leak occurs, companies would be required to inform the government within 72 hours and send notifications to all customers whose personal information was compromised, the ministry said.
The new regulations would require retailers to obtain customers’ consent before using their personal data for marketing purposes, and to immediately stop using the data if a customer asks them to, it said.
Companies that contravene the new rules would face a fine of NT$200,000 to NT$2 million, or NT$150,000 to NT$15 million in cases where an extreme breach has occurred or a company has failed to take corrective measures for a past infringement, the ministry said.
The new regulations come in the wake of a series of customer data-related lapses involving high-profile retailers in Taiwan.
For example, e-commerce platform Shopee and local bookstore Eslite were in May fined NT$200,000 and NT$100,000 respectively for inadequately protecting their customers from phishing scams.
Vehicle rental service iRent was in February fined NT$200,000 for improperly storing the personal data of more than 400,000 customers in an unprotected online database.
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
DO THEY BITE IT? Cats have better memories than people might think, but their motivation is based entirely around the chance of getting fed Cats can remember the identity of the people who fed them the day before, Taipei-based veterinarians said on Friday, debunking a popular myth that cats have a short memory. If a stray does not recognize the person who fed them the previous day, it is likely because they are not carrying food and the cat has no reason to recognize them, said Wu Chou Animal Hospital head Chen Chen-huan (陳震寰). “When cats come to a human bearing food, it is coming for the food, not the person,” he said. “The food is the key.” Since the cat’s attention is on the food, it
A New York-based NGO has launched a global initiative to rename the nation’s overseas missions, most of which operate under the name "Taipei," to "Taiwan Representative Office (TRO)," according to a news release. Ming Chiang (江明信), CEO of Hello Taiwan, announced the campaign at a news conference in Berlin on Monday, coinciding with the World Forum held from Monday through Wednesday, the institution stated in the release. Speaking at the event, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) said she believed this renaming campaign would enable the international community to see Taiwan
TOO DANGEROUS: The families agreed to suspend crewed recovery efforts that could put rescuers in danger from volcanic gases and unstable terrain The bodies of two Taiwanese tourists and a Japanese pilot have been located inside a volcanic crater, Japanese authorities said yesterday, nearly a month after a sightseeing helicopter crashed during a flight over southwestern Japan. Drone footage taken at the site showed three bodies near the wreckage of the aircraft inside a crater on Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, police and fire officials said. The helicopter went missing on Jan. 20 and was later found on a steep slope inside the Nakadake No. 1 Crater, about 50m below the rim. Authorities said that conditions at the site made survival highly unlikely, and ruled
RSS