Taipei, April 2 (CNA) National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairperson Chan Ting-i (詹婷怡) announced in a Facebook post Tuesday she has tendered her resignation, following criticism of the commission's failure to take action against fake news and false information.

Chan's resignation has been approved by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and will take effect Wednesday, according to Cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka.

In the Facebook post, Chan thanked President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), NCC Vice Chairperson Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) and other commissioners, adding that she is confident the commission will continue to work with the utmost dedication to tackle the new challenges it faces.

Since March, Chan has faced harsh criticism from lawmakers and officials, including Su, over what they have characterized as the commission's failure to tackle the spread of misinformation.

In response to those criticisms, Chan had said the commission would improve efficiency and increase the number of personnel handling complaints relating to broadcasting content.

However, such measures failed to persuade her critics and so she decided to resign.

Chan has served as NCC chairperson since August 1, 2016 and was not expected to stand down until July 31, 2020.

Chan started practicing law in 1992 and was one of the first lawyers in Taiwan to focus on the fields of intellectual property and Internet law.

(By Liu Lee-jung and Chung Yu-chen)
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