The Cabinet has passed an amendment to the Communication Security and Surveillance Act. The act was amended earlier this year to tighten controls on wiretapping, but prosecutors and the police have been saying that the revised regulations have made investigation work very difficult. That’s why the Ministry of Justice is proposing another amendment.
Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang explained the revisions on Thursday.
"After careful assessment, we’ve decided to loosen the restrictions so prosecutors can have greater access to the communication records they need to conduct their investigations," said Chen. "But we also have a complementary measure to prevent them from abusing their power. This revision aims to help protect the good guys and hunt down the bad ones."
The amendment will also allow prosecutors to obtain communication records without filing a request first in emergency cases, such as a search and rescue mission, to pinpoint missing persons through the GPS tracking system.