Hotel and restaurant owners would be required to regularly search their premises for hidden cameras under a law proposed by PFP and DPP legislators yesterday.
"We must do something," the PFP's Li Yong-ping (李永萍) said at a press conference to promote the passage of the Unauthorized Filming Prevention Law (偷拍防制法).
"Hidden cameras are more and more advanced nowadays. You cannot imagine how small they can be and where they will be.
"Unfortunately, we don't have a law to protect innocent people who might become the main characters in videos shot by hidden camera."
The new law would require the owners of locations frequented by the public, such as restaurants, hotels and shops, to carry out regular security checks and search for hidden cameras seruptitiously mounted by voyeurs.
According to the new law, owners who fail to provide records of these security checks to the government could be fined from NT$60,000 to NT$300,000.
Li said that voyeurism was proliferating in Taiwan, especially following the sex-VCD scandal involving New Party politician Chu Mei-feng (
Some voyeurs even sell videos of what they secretly shoot in public, she said.
Innocent men or women are increasingly becoming victims to the voyeurs, who shoot videos without their consent, violating their privacy and human rights, Li said.
Asked why the owners of places such as restaurants and hotels were the main "targets" of the new law, Li said that given the level of public activity at these establishments, they should be held responsible for protecting their customers' privacy.
"If they cooperate with law enforcement agencies, it will be a great help in protecting Taiwanese citizens' privacy and human rights," she said.
According to Pang Chien-kuo (龐建國), another PFP lawmaker, the Home and Nations Committee had been discussing the matter and trying to find a solution by amending the Architecture Law (建築法). This law could be used to require property owners to check their premises for hidden cameras when they apply for licenses or convert private dwellings into commercial property, Pang said.
"We finally decided to make a new law for this problem exclusively," said Pang. "We need a detailed regulation, which cannot be achieved by simply amending the Architecture Law."
He added that it was up to government and property-owners to provide customers with a safe environment.
The task force promoting the law also includes PFP lawmakers Chao Liang-yen (
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Residents have called on the Taipei City Government to reconsider its plan to demolish a four-decades-old pedestrian overpass near Daan Forest Park. The 42-year-old concrete and steel structure that serves as an elevated walkway over the intersection of Heping and Xinsheng roads is to be closed on Tuesday in preparation for demolition slated for completion by the end of the month. However, in recent days some local residents have been protesting the planned destruction of the intersection overpass that is rendered more poetically as “sky bridge” in Chinese. “This bridge carries the community’s collective memory,” said a man surnamed Chuang
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm earlier today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, in this year's Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am, the CWA said. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) with a 100km radius, it said. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA meteorologist Huang En-hung (黃恩宏) said. However, a more accurate forecast would be made on Wednesday, when Yinxing is
NEW DESTINATIONS: Marketing campaigns to attract foreign travelers have to change from the usual promotions about Alishan and Taroko Gorge, the transport minister said The number of international tourists visiting Taiwan is estimated to top 8 million by the end of this year, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said yesterday, adding that the ministry has not changed its goal of attracting 10 million foreign travelers this year. Chen made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee to brief lawmakers about the ministry’s plan to boost foreign visitor arrivals. Last month, Chen told the committee that the nation might attract only 7.5 million tourists from overseas this year and that when the ministry sets next year’s goal, it would not include
RSS