Legislators on Monday demanded an investigation after prosecutors said they were probing three former and current National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) employees over an alleged data leak.
The Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau said that the three allegedly leaked National Health Insurance (NHI) data from 2009 to last year, potentially to Chinese authorities.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) said that since the administration of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Beijing has used the guise of “exchanges” to develop relationships with government personnel.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
It has not ceased in its attempts to obtain personal data, with its efforts including in 2015 replacing travel permits for Taiwanese with computer-readable cards, Lin said.
The NHI database includes sensitive medical and prescription records, constituting a critical trove of data on the health of residents of Taiwan, she said.
Even North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly takes a toilet with him when he travels so his excrement cannot be tested for health information, she said.
If the health data of the president, dignitaries, business leaders or others have been compromised, it would constitute a serious issue of national security, Lin said.
In addition to its information and propaganda tactics, China is also trying to recruit former lawmakers, military personnel and NHI staff to obtain information, she said, adding that a thorough national security investigation must be conducted.
The purpose of the investigation would be to determine motives and other potential threats, DPP Legislator Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) said, adding that merely paying lip service would do nothing to ease fear among members of the public.
The head of security at the NHIA should also clarify what information was leaked, and whether it was copied or directly transferred, Liu said.
NHI data are also valuable to insurance companies and scammers, she said.
This is not an isolated incident, but indicative of a long-term lapse in supervision at the NHIA, DPP Legislator Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) said.
The Cabinet needs to conduct a comprehensive security review of all public databases, including tax data, the NHI and the post office bank, Chang Liao said.
The alleged actions of one of the three accused, a current employee surnamed Hsieh (謝), would constitute a serious breach of the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), prosecutors said.
Following questioning overnight on Monday, Hsieh was granted bail of NT$100,000 yesterday, prosecutors said, adding that they would expand the scope of the investigation to determine what data were leaked and whether others were involved.
The two other suspects, a retired chief secretary surnamed Yeh (葉) and a current employee Lee (李), were released without bail, prosecutors said.
Additional reporting by CNA
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
Weather conditions across Taiwan are expected to remain stable today, but cloudy to rainy skies are expected from tomorrow onward due to increasing moisture in the atmosphere, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). Daytime highs today are expected to hit 25-27°C in western Taiwan and 22-24°C in the eastern counties of Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung, data on the CWA website indicated. After sunset, temperatures could drop to 16-17°C in most parts of Taiwan. For tomorrow, precipitation is likely in northern Taiwan as a cloud system moves in from China. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover around 25°C, the CWA said. Starting Monday, areas
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
Taiwan has recorded its first fatal case of Coxsackie B5 enterovirus in 10 years after a one-year-old boy from southern Taiwan died from complications early last month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. CDC spokesman Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) told a news conference that the child initially developed a fever and respiratory symptoms before experiencing seizures and loss of consciousness. The boy was diagnosed with acute encephalitis and admitted to intensive care, but his condition deteriorated rapidly, and he passed away on the sixth day of illness, Lo said. This also marks Taiwan’s third enterovirus-related death this year and the first severe
RSS