The failed government attempt to shut down a known Web site hosting pirated adult videos (AV) highlights the difficulty of managing emerging media, but Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) yesterday said that the government would continue efforts to shut down such sites.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by a person of whom intimate images had been illegally distributed on the “Miss AV” platform.
After receiving notification from the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Sexual Image Abuse Reporting Center, the New Taipei City Department of Social Affairs ordered the Web site to remove the images within 72 hours in accordance with the law.
Photo: Screen grab from the Internet
The ministry’s task force on such matters notified the site to remove the video and, after its owners failed to comply, on Monday restricted access to the site and suspended the domain name for the site, the department said.
However, the Web site quickly relaunched with a new domain the following day and left a message on its page saying “Thank you, New Taipei City.”
The department said that if the Web site has relocated to another service and its operations have been reported by victims whose rights have been violated, it would assist the victim in resolving the matter through legal channels.
Shih said that the government would act the moment it receives a report by locking down the site.
If the site migrates to another server, the ministry would also shut down the new site and increase penalties, Shih added.
As the owners of such sites often use servers located outside the country, domestic law enforcement agencies’ efforts are usually frustrated by a lack of jurisdiction, he said.
Taiwan adopts the method of restricting access to the specific domain or suspending it, he said.
The minister is in talks with the Ministry of Digital Affairs on possible collaboration and technical assistance to better handle such incidents, Shih said.
The ministries also hope to work jointly on methods to deter visits to such Web sites, he added.
The New Taipei City Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Center yesterday said that the downloading, sharing or forwarding of illegal explicit videos risks contravening the law, and urged the public to refrain from such actions.
The Sexual Image Abuse Reporting Center urged people whose intimate footage have been linked on the Internet or fall victim to such sites to file a complaint through the center or call the 113 Children and Women Protection Hotline.
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