Civic groups yesterday spoke out against a proposed “Big Brother” amendment that would give elected representatives the right to snoop on an individual’s personal information.
An amendment to the Computer-Processed Personal Data Protection Act (電腦處理個人資料保護法), which would allow elected representatives to gather information for the purpose of investigation without the knowledge of the person concerned, is being reviewed by the legislature.
The Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) and several other groups held a press conference yesterday to express their opposition to the amendment, condemning it as a serious threat to privacy and human rights.
On Monday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) defended his proposal, saying elected officials have the right and responsibility to protect citizens from corruption.
Kao Yung-cheng (高涌誠), a member of the Judicial Reform Foundation, expressed skepticism about whether there was a need for this “emperor clause.” He said that the current version of the act already provided for exemption of related regulations if obtaining an individual’s personal data was “in the public interest,” as stated in Article 8 of the act.
“If an elected representative, in order to promote the public interest, seeks to expose corruption, the [Act’s] ‘public interest’ clause would not prohibit him from exercising that right,” Kao said.
Academics also questioned whether the act would be effective without the creation of a government agency dedicated to a systematic approach to protecting an individual’s privacy.
Chiou Wen-tsong (邱文聰), an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institutum Iurisprudentiae and a member of TAHR, said: “[The amendment] does not distinguish between having a proper reason for gathering personal information and obtaining consent from the person whose personal information is the subject matter.”
The TAHR has drawn up a “people’s version” of the amendment and has asked Democratic Progressive Party legislators to bring up the proposal at the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee meeting.
At a press conference later yesterday, Hsieh again defended the proposal, saying that the bill also provided for a fine of up to NT$5 million (US$144,700) and a punishment of a maximum of five years in prison for legislators who illegally collected or misused personal information.
He said the bill would release lawmakers from the obligation of having to inform an individual in advance when his or her personal information is used to question government officials at the legislature.
He said that it did not mean legislators would be allowed to look up personal data without restriction.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS