There is no legal basis for restricting public use of TikTok, the Executive Yuan said yesterday, but added that it would consult regulations in other countries and stakeholders in Taiwan to determine if there is a need to amend laws.
Many countries have taken measures against the short-form video-sharing platform owned by China-based ByteDance over fears that it might endanger national security.
In Taiwan, government employees have been prohibited from using Chinese social media platforms, including TikTok, since 2019, Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said.
Photo: Reuters
The scope of that policy was expanded last month to ban the use of such platforms at public events and the venues where they are held, he said.
The government is to review measures taken by other countries and solicit opinions from all sectors in Taiwan to assess the necessity of amending the law to provide the legal grounds for a nationwide ban, he said.
The Cabinet yesterday convened a meeting on cybersecurity to discuss information security strategies and how to manage products that pose a threat to the nation’s cybersecurity, Lo said.
In the face of ever-changing types of cyberattacks, it is difficult to ensure that information security breaches never occur, he said.
Government agencies are asked to quickly recover from attacks, learn about their weaknesses and enhance their protection, he said.
Platforms or applications that can distribute videos, images and audio should be regulated, and the restrictions should be included in outsourcing contracts or venue regulations, he said.
The measures should be fully implemented and the Department of Cyber Security is to inspect various agencies periodically, he added.
As companies and the public are likely to purchase Chinese Internet-connected devices, the government should step up information security protections, especially for products with cameras that might pose security threats, Lo said.
Government agencies have established information security standards and developed detection capabilities for 16 types of products such as video cameras and electronic locks, he said.
The standards might eventually be applied nationwide, he added.
Agencies should build awareness about information security issues in the industries they are in charge of and encourage companies and the public to purchase products with information security protections, he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS