By Steven Crook
Taiwan’s plan to begin trials of its long-planned but heavily criticized national electronic identification (eID) cards next month has been thrown into doubt by a municipal government’s reluctance.
The pilot effort would use volunteers in Hsinchu, a city of 451,000 nearly 45 miles southwest of Taipei.
But the Hsinchu City Government said that, because it prioritized citizens’ rights and information security, if Taiwan’s central government was unable to convince it that the eID system was safe, it was “inclined to suspend the trial.”
The Hsinchu City Government’s decision was reported Saturday by United Daily News, a major Taiwanese newspaper.
Continue reading “Taiwan’s Smart ID Plan in Doubt, as Local Officials Get Cold Feet”