Kaohsiung City, Taiwan — March 31, 2026
A government employee from Kaohsiung City Labor Bureau has been handed a suspended prison sentence after unlawfully disclosing confidential information related to migrant workers to a family member, according to a final court ruling.
The Kaohsiung Branch of the High Court upheld a lower court decision sentencing the employee, identified by the surname Yang, to four months in prison for leaking non-classified confidential information. The sentence may be commuted to a fine, and Yang was granted a three-year probation period.
Court documents revealed that Yang served as a consultant in the Employment Security Division of the labor bureau from March 2012 until 2020. His duties included handling public inquiries, mediating labor disputes, and processing administrative cases. Through his role, he was granted access to the “Migrant Worker Dynamic Query System,” a government database containing sensitive employment information.
Between May 22 and December 2, 2020, Yang illegally accessed and shared confidential data involving 19 companies. The information included the number of migrant workers employed, their nationalities and gender, the agencies involved, and their workplace addresses. Prosecutors said the data was sent via the messaging app LINE to a family member.
The case was investigated and prosecuted by the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office, which charged Yang with violating laws on the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information.
Initially, the Kaohsiung District Court sentenced Yang to four months in prison, with the option to convert the sentence into a fine at a daily rate. Yang appealed the ruling; however, the High Court branch maintained the original sentence after considering his admission of guilt.
Despite upholding the prison term, the court granted Yang a three-year suspended sentence under probation. As part of the conditions, he will be placed under supervision, required to pay NT$100,000 to the public treasury, and must complete three sessions of legal education.
The ruling is now final, bringing the case to a close.