Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday ordered agencies to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a real-name registration system for the purchase of hidden cameras, following a string of scandals involving major aesthetic medicine clinics.
The call came amid controversy over major chains including Dr. Shine and Aierlee Inc (愛爾麗) allegedly installing surveillance cameras in consultation and treatment rooms.
Clinic owners said such practices are common in the industry.
Photo courtesy of the Taichung City Government
A cross-ministerial task force has been formed to prevent illegal surveillance and distribution of footage, Cho was quoted as saying during the weekly Cabinet meeting.
Illegal surveillance in any location involving privacy — such as cosmetic clinics, gyms or hotels — is prohibited, he said, ordering the task force to launch investigations immediately.
The government has a zero-tolerance policy toward any act of illicit surveillance, he said, adding that if surveillance is required in public spaces, the public must be informed.
Whether it would be efficient to prevent crime by requiring people to provide their names when purchasing special photographic equipment should be considered, Cho said.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs would look into how to control the online sale of surveillance and photography equipment, he added.
Ministry of Health and Welfare Department of Medical Affairs Director-General Liu Yueh-ping (劉越萍) said hospitals and clinics can set up fixed surveillance equipment in public areas for security, but they must be visible and people must be made aware that recording is taking place.
Under the law, recording in public spaces does not require consent, but people must be made aware they are being recorded, Liu said.
If surveillance in low-privacy spaces such as clinic rooms, consultation rooms, and dentist and otolaryngologist clinics is necessary, patients must be informed of the purpose, how the footage is stored and managed, and their written consent obtained beforehand, Liu said.
Surveillance in operating rooms, examination rooms and changing rooms should be prohibited, unless there is a specific and special need, such as for educational purposes, Liu said, adding that in such cases, filming should be limited to specific areas, the person filmed must be anonymized and written consent obtained beforehand.
Separately, Taiwan Micro Invasive Aesthetic Society president Chen Chun-kuang (陳俊光) said medical disputes and related violence have been on the rise, and the installation of fixed surveillance equipment in public or non-private spaces was intended to safeguard patient security and provide objective evidence of events.
The nature of such surveillance is completely different from illegal surveillance and its subsequent distribution online, Chen said.
The issue at hand is whether the equipment is legal, whether the position in which it was installed invaded privacy and whether the purpose of surveillance was proper, Chen said.
Requiring people to sign an agreement every time they visit a clinic would only increase the workload for clinics, he said.
Per Article 6 of the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法), clinics are obligated to ensure that the health records, patient history and other information are kept safe, which requires surveillance to a certain degree, Chen added.
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