Taiwan civil group call for legal reforms to protect digital and privacy rights News
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Taiwan civil group call for legal reforms to protect digital and privacy rights

Amnesty International Taiwan, along with six other civil groups, will present to President Lai Ching-Te a joint statement calling on the government to implement legal reforms on February 25 at the 13th RightsCon, to be held in Taipei.

The joint statement encompasses various human rights impacted by the digital technologies. These are outlined in the Digital Bill of Rights drafted by the Judicial Reform Foundation.

Taiwan is set to establish a Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) as the data protection authority by August 2025. This will be followed by proposed amendments to the Personal Data Protection Act, primarily encompassing reporting data breaches to the PDPC and appointing data protection officers.

The groups also call for the strengthening of personal data protection, including implementing a comprehensive accountability mechanism for data breaches by public officers and ensuring that the executive government will not abuse its power to restrict internet access. In addition, the statement also calls for the government to legislate human rights diligence law to hold companies accountable for potential violations through digital monitoring and surveillance.

Last, the statement also calls for legislation that ensures government decisions made with the assistance of artificial intelligence are in accordance with human rights standards.

The statement comes against the backdrop of Taiwan facing a steep rise in cyberattacks amid ongoing tension with China, with the government facing as many as 2.4 million attack attempts per day, twice the 1.2 million average daily attacks in 2023, according to a report released by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau.

Despite these cyberattacks, Taiwan ranked 7th globally in the Freedom on the Net 2024 index, securing the highest position among Asia-Pacific regional rankings.

RightsCon, hosted by Access Now, is a global conference that brings together policymakers, government representatives, journalists, and human rights advocates, among others, to convene discourse on human rights and technology. RightsCon2025 marks the first time the summit taking place in East Asia.

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