The National Police Agency (NPA) suspended the use of a new biometric attendance system after a legislator said it posed a risk to national security, as it might be using products manufactured by Chinese company ZKTeco.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) yesterday said the system — procured by the NPA, the Coast Guard Administration, Customs Administration and CPC Corp, Taiwan, could expose civil servants’ biometric data to information security risks.
These agencies play important roles in national security, and the consequences could be severe if their employees’ biometric data were compromised, he said.
Photo: CNA
Lin said he received a tip alleging that a Taiwanese company had rebranded biometric devices made by ZKTeco as its own products.
Over the past decade, the suspected company has won 16 government procurement contracts to supply facial and fingerprint recognition devices for attendance systems at government agencies, Lin said.
A look at the NPA’s 2023 procurement of such devices shows that the equipment provided by the Taiwanese supplier was visually identical to ZKTeco’s products and their manual retained Chinese terminology, raising serious questions about the products’ origin, he said.
National Communications Commission records list the Taiwanese manufacturer as Armatura Tech Co, which is 99.98 percent owned by ZKTeco, Lin said, adding that the product might have been labeled as non-China-made to circumvent procurement regulations.
Government agencies that have purchased such equipment should conduct a comprehensive review of the devices’ origins and ensure that no data have been leaked, he said.
The NPA classified the devices as sensitive procurements, while the Coast Guard Administration, Customs Administration and First Special Police Corps did not, Lin said.
The Administration for Cyber Security should classify equipment involving personal data collection as sensitive procurements, rather than allowing agencies to make their own determinations, he added.
The Public Construction Commission should also review the procurement system, requiring sensitive procurements to follow the principles of the most advantageous tender system, Lin said, adding that it would prevent agencies from simply pursuing the lowest bid and allowing low-cost rebranded products to enter government institutions.
The NPA’s attendance system operates on an internal network and is not connected to external networks, NPA Personnel Office Director Liu Yung-fu (劉永福) said.
No information security incidents have been identified so far, Liu said.
The agency has suspended use of the devices, requested that the supplier explain the devices’ origins and would conduct a comprehensive review, Liu said.
It would also require affiliated agencies to follow procurement laws and related regulations when purchasing equipment, he said.
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