The Economic Commission in Taiwan’s legislature just approved the first reading of its ‘Seven Submarine Cable Laws’, which increases the penalty for deliberately damaging the island’s underwater infrastructure. According to Red Hot Cyber, violators will face a prison charge of up to seven years, plus a fine of up to NT$10 million or about US$325,000 at the current exchange rate.
Even those who accidentally damage an undersea cable will still face six months' imprisonment and a NT$2 million fine (about US$65,000). Another provision of the proposed law is that it gives the Taiwanese government the power to confiscate erring vessels, no matter who owns them, to prevent them from being reused in future crimes. This may sound harsh, but given that its biggest threat is just kilometers away, Taiwan is keen on keeping its communications with the rest of the world open.
