Taipei Times
Date: Dec 25, 2017
By: Wu Cheng-feng  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Ministry of Justice has proposed legalizing the use of tracking and monitoring devices in criminal investigations.

The Supreme Court on Dec. 1 ruled that the use of such devices violates personal privacy when it found a coast guard official guilty of offenses against privacy for installing a GPS tracking device on a suspect’s vehicle in a case involving unlicensed cigarettes.

The official, surnamed Wang (王), was sentenced to 50 days in prison, commutable to a fine, and two years probation.

The ruling prompted the ministry to draft a new law regarding the use of GPS tracking devices in investigations.

The ministry has argued that such devices are helpful to investigations and that their use by investigators is in the public interest.    [FULL  STORY]