Warning for anyone considering using "Hello Taipei" to report illegal work activity

For those of you who may have witnessed illegal activity at work and are thinking of reporting it, please take a moment to read my story.

I was employed at a buxiban where the owner illegally terminated my contract as part of her plan to replace the legally-employed foreign teachers with foreign students she could pay less. I knew that these students did not have work permits/police checks, so I reported them to the authorities through Hello Taipei. This website states in its privacy policy that your personal data will be protected, but this is not the case and that is why I am posting this warning.

Hello Taipei acts as a gateway, and while the website itself may protect your personal data, it clearly passes on this data in full to other agencies who assess the reports and action them, in my case the Education Department and different departments of the Labor Bureau.

As I worked at a very small school, the owner decided to file a lawsuit against me, on the basis that I was probably the person who reported her to the authorities. Once we went to court, she asked the judge to investigate my reports and while the Education Department refused the request under the Personal Data Protection Act, the Labor Bureau sent material to the court which included my name, address, ID, and other items of personal data, as well as the raw reports themselves. I am now required to defend the contents of my report against the claim that it resulted in damage to the owner’s business/reputation (even though officials confirmed the illegal activity I reported.) This process has dragged on for almost TWO years and is now in the High Court; if I lose I face financial ruin.

The right to anonymity/securing of one’s personal data one might expect (given the supposed privacy policy of Hello Taipei) when reporting illegal activity to the authorities does not exist. I would caution anyone against reporting to the authorities as things currently stand. Even if your report is accurate, there is still the risk of being sued and caught up in the court system. If you do make a report, you must assume it may be read out in court and interpreted in the worst possible light, as false/malicious, etc. and the basis of a claim for civil damages.

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The “like” that I gave you is for sharing this with us. Your situation is a scary warning. I really hope your case moves on in a positive direction for you.

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Thank you. My story is likely to get more exposure once I am finished in the High Court. There needs to be a serious look at what is being done to those who blow the whistle on unscrupulous employers.

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  1. Why would you not report things anonymously the first time?

  2. You should have threatened to go to the labor department and then accepted the nice “termination bonus” given to keep your mouth shut.

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In answer to 1, the authorities do not accept an anonymous complaint. Before you can make a report, you have to give them your name, address, phone number, ARC no./passport no. The point is that their privacy policy says they will protect this personal data. They do not. (When I speak of anonymity, I am referring to how reports are handled. The Education Bureau does anonymize reports, separating their content from the personal data of the reporter, so their own officials do not know who made the reports they investigate.)

In answer to 2, I did threaten to go to the labor department and their response was to illegally terminate my contract and later, after I kept my word and reported them, to sue me.

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I have a lawyer if you want to continue this

Secondly, if you are being unlawfully dismissed, you need to take that action first at the labour affairs office in your county or city

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I spoke with you before, privately. I just wrote a post here for the benefit of others. As things stand, with Covid cases turning up at the High Court today, this process may drag on even longer, something I hadn’t imagined was possible.

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Ah sorry. Thats right. Let this be a lesson to not type and walk.

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So much for whistleblower laws here.

Shows how sad and unsophisticated Taiwanese society is if you can be sued for libel for reporting what you believed to be illegal behavior.

Micro example of a macro problem. Think about how many issues go unreported for the same reasons?

Keep pushing hard, and I hope ultimately you are rewarded for your troubles.

Please flag this to as many elected officials as possible, and the press. After all, they would have an interest in this because in many jurisdictions they have what’s called “Responsible Communication” provisions that allow the press to report wrongdoing without the fear of a libel case – even if they are wrong in the end.

This is also just another example of Taiwan playing fast-and-loose with data hygiene.

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Thank you.

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This topic was automatically opened after 60 minutes.

I have a question, what has a lawyer said about going after Hello Taipei?

If they said they promise to protect your info then divulge it…

Was the Labour bureau given no option but to hand over the details?

The Labor Bureau were sent a letter from the judge at the High Court. They could have refused to disclose personal data (as did the Education Bureau) or redacted (why was it necessary to include my home address / APRC no.?), but it seems they do not have a policy of protecting personal data.

It’s possible to go after them. I think you can understand that, win or lose, I have to let the court process play out first, and will then focus on trying to draw out the lessons for the public of my case.

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A thought - could you reach out to Audrey Tang, or her office, to raise awareness of your situation with regards to breach of data.

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Thank you. I am not informed about which public figures may have an interest in this sort of case, so that suggestion is much appreciated.

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You can reach out straight to @audreyt I believe.

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Thanks.