The Executive Yuan plans to tighten cybersecurity regulations governing civilian drones, including a mandate for comprehensive testing of all commercially available models, an official said yesterday on condition of anonymity.
Former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) asked the Cabinet to produce new regulations targeting privately owned drones following reports that some Chinese-made systems were utilized during Double Ten National Day performances last year, the person said.
The rules being considered would require all drones sold on the commercial market to obtain cybersecurity certificates, and would ban the use of uncertified uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), the official said.
Photo: Lo Hsin-chen, Taipei Times
The use of uncertified drones could become punishable by a fine of up to NT$1.5 million (US$49,774) under the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法), the person said.
Taiwan has 40,000 privately owned UAVs, including 30,000 drones registered to individuals and 10,000 to commercial entities, foundations and groups, the official said.
Chinese-made UAVs are banned for official use in Taiwan, but no restrictions are placed on private use, other than a safety rules limiting their weight and flight range.
The scheme being designed aims to regulate the private ownership and utilization of drones by establishing comprehensive standards for cybersecurity, flight safety, license verification, radio signal broadcast authorization and background checks on the users, the person said.
The certification system would be jointly managed by the Ministry of Digital Affairs, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the National Communications Commission and the Civil Aviation Administration, which is tasked with creating and managing a drone database, the official said.
The aviation authority is expected to hold a public forum to discuss the matter within the next few weeks, then unveil regulatory amendments next month and have them promulgated in April, the person said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Digital Affairs plans to open a drone cybersecurity inspection facility on March 1 to test the estimated 1,000 types of drones being used in Taiwan before the year’s end, the official said.
The ministry plans to introduce restrictions on privately owned UAVs to protect public safety, national secrets at sensitive sites, air traffic and the security of officials, the person said, adding that a sunset clause would protect existing drones that do not meet the proposed new standards.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
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