Taiwan weighs extending preschool camera footage retention to 30 days
Taiwan's education ministry is considering forcing every city to keep preschool security camera footage for 30 days, a change that would help parents investigating suspected abuse but that officials say is not urgent.
- New Taipei extended its preschool camera storage from 14 days to 30 days in May, while Taipei and Kaohsiung still use shorter windows, creating a patchwork of rules across the island.
- Lawmaker Tsai Chun-chou pressed the ministry to set one national rule, saying parents have been filing complaints because evidence disappears before problems come to light.
- Young children often cannot explain what happened until weeks later, so a two-week window can leave nothing to investigate.
- The ministry's current 14-day guideline is only administrative guidance, not a binding law, which is why cities set their own limits.
- Officials said the 14-day rule has caused no problems so far and want another six months of trial before deciding on a national standard.
Outlook: The national education agency will talk with local governments about moving everyone to 30 days, but a decision is unlikely before the review period ends.