Thanks TaiwanPlus News for reaching out regarding the recent debate on hashtag#Protests and hashtag#Privacy:
A DPP high ranking official (as well as the No.14 Non-District Legislator appointed by the DPP) Wang Yi-Chuan (王義川) said in public that he could use cell phone data to know the human traffic( and know more ) about protesters.
My main points are :
1 Does the data at issue fall into the legal definition of personal data?
2 legal requirements for data collection and data usage?
3 Big data analytics have become a new drive for telecom companies to generate profits, it is not uncommon practice in the industry to sell de-identified data to the third parties. Nonetheless, while the capabilities of these companies to collect data are only increasing, we do need more information to clarify the first two points about this case.
For those who are interested in this case: Analysis: DPP Official Under Fire for Tracking Protesters—Is It Legal? | TaiwanPlus News