Good Morning World: E-commerce Auto-Renewal Controversies Prompt Digital Ministry to Propose Ban on 'Pre-checked Consent'

While subscription-based e-commerce models offer convenience, many platforms use 'pre-checked consent' in contracts, automatically renewing subscriptions and charging consumers without explicit agreement. This 'passive consent' model undermines consumer autonomy and often leads to disputes over refunds and contract termination. The Digital Affairs Ministry has been engaging with businesses to guide improvements and is now revising the Standardized Contract Clauses Regulations to explicitly prohibit pre-checked consent for auto-renewals. Instead, businesses must obtain explicit consumer consent. The draft amendment has completed its public announcement phase and is expected to be submitted to the Executive Yuan for review in June. (Read full report)

A school bus driver in central Taiwan is suspected of sexual assault, resulting in multiple victims contracting HIV. Five individuals across three counties have been confirmed infected. The CDC reported that in late last year, a local health authority received an HIV case notification and, during epidemiological investigation, discovered that several unrelated cases were linked to the same individual, with signs of possible sexual assault. Authorities promptly alerted social services, police, and prosecutors. The transmission chain spans three counties. One of the infected is the driver’s girlfriend, not a student on the bus, and is now receiving stable medical treatment. The Ministry of Health and Welfare emphasized that sexual violence takes many forms, including coercion through religious or power-based influence, and urged victims to seek help. The CDC also warned that under the Communicable Disease Control Act and Personal Data Protection Act, unauthorized reporting or dissemination of patient privacy can result in fines up to NT$450,000, urging the public to respect victims’ privacy and prevent secondary harm. (Read full report)

On the 14th and 15th, a weather front near northern waters, combined with southwest winds, will cause unstable weather nationwide. The Central Weather Administration warns of short-duration heavy rains in central and southern regions, possible localized heavy afternoon rains in northern areas and Yilan, and foehn winds in Taitung due to descending southwest airflow. From Tuesday onward, moisture will gradually decrease. On Wednesday and Thursday, central and southern regions on the windward side may experience scattered thunderstorms, while northern and eastern areas will be partly cloudy to sunny with localized afternoon thunderstorms. (Read full report)

Recently, many conscripts have attempted to evade military service by overstaying overseas trips, self-inflicted injuries, or other means of changing their eligibility status. Current penalties lack deterrent effect, encouraging others to follow suit and undermining the fairness of the conscription system. The Ministry of the Interior has announced a draft amendment to Article 55-1 of the Alternative Service Act, proposing a minimum one-year prison sentence for those intentionally avoiding conscription. Those who deliberately delay until reaching discharge age will face a two-thirds increase in penalties. (Read full report)

An Air Force T-34 primary trainer aircraft crashed during training on the 2nd, killing two pilots. The Air Force immediately grounded all T-34C aircraft and conducted enhanced maintenance inspections. On the 13th, the Air Force Command announced completion of the 'Tian’an No. 4' special inspection, allowing flight training to resume. The investigation into the incident continues, with special checks already conducted on critical aircraft systems. Personnel have undergone reinforced academic, practical, and simulator training to ensure flight safety. (Read full report)

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited North Korea on the 8th and 9th. While North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun reported on the summit, it omitted key points from Xi’s public remarks reported by China’s Xinhua News Agency, including military and law enforcement cooperation and full reopening of border crossings. Analysts suggest Xi’s emphasis on military exchanges reflects China’s concern over North Korea’s deepening military ties with Russia, which are accelerating the modernization of North Korea’s nuclear and conventional weapons. North Korea’s omission of these points in domestic reporting is seen as a move to protect its defense autonomy by recognizing China’s strategic intentions. (Read full report)

AI developer Anthropic announced that the U.S. government has ordered a ban on foreign nationals using its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models, citing national security concerns. Anthropic interprets this as the government believing a method has been found to bypass or 'jailbreak' Fable 5. However, the company views this as a 'misunderstanding' and is working to restore access as quickly as possible. (Read full report)

Peru’s presidential runoff has completed preliminary vote counting, with conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the late Japanese-Peruvian president, extending her lead by over 1,000 votes. Election authorities will now review disputed ballots, including approximately 400,000 votes from over 1,600 polling stations not yet included in the final tally, which could affect the outcome. The review process may take several weeks, with the official winner expected to be announced on July 15. (Read full report)

At the Antalya Archery World Cup, the Taiwanese mixed team of Chang Cheng-wei and Huang Yi-jou scored a perfect 40 in the final set, defeating Denmark 158–157 to win gold. Chang hit 10 points on all eight arrows. Coach Lin Che-wei noted this demonstrated Chang’s exceptional composure under pressure and effective technical adjustments. Coach Chen Neng-sheng highlighted that despite trailing by one point after three rounds, both athletes remained focused, reminded each other of key points, and achieved a comeback victory, with both showing superior average arrow scores. (Read full report)

Taiwanese-American swimmer Han An-chi broke the national record in the women’s 100m butterfly on the 12th and followed up on the 13th by winning gold in the 200m butterfly at the Chung Cheng Cup with a time of 2:09.25, surpassing Cheng Wan-jung’s 2009 record. With additional national records in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and 200m backstroke, Han now holds five national records. (Read full report)

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