A Taiwanese man who sued his wife and lover over an affair has been jailed after a court found he unlawfully recorded footage using a robot vacuum cleaner.
According to the South China Morning Post, which cited a court ruling and Taiwanese media reports, the couple married in 2021 and
had been living with the man’s parents. No names have been disclosed.
The breach of privacy came after the husband found a used toothbrush at the holiday home in September 2023. He later reviewed garage surveillance footage and identified a man who had previously driven his wife home, the SCMP reported.
About three months later, the husband remotely accessed a robot vacuum’s camera feed through a mobile app. According to reports, he said he initially intended to use the device’s audio function to communicate with his wife.
However, after seeing another man at the property, he activated the machine’s recording function and saved footage from the live feed, according to media reports. The video showed his wife removing her clothes, embracing the other man and walking around the house naked.
The husband filed a civil lawsuit against his wife and the other man, alleging they had infringed on his marital rights.
According to the SCMP, he sought NT$2 million ($107,000) in damages. The court found the relationship had exceeded the bounds of ordinary friendship and ordered the pair to jointly pay the husband NT$500,000 ($27,000) in compensation.
The civil victory was followed by criminal proceedings after the wife filed a complaint alleging she had been recorded without her consent.
The husband admitted operating the robot vacuum and recording the footage but argued his actions were legally justified as the material had been accepted as evidence in the civil case.
The court rejected that defence, ruling that marital obligations do not override an individual’s right to privacy. It also found the recording was a deliberate act rather than an accidental consequence of viewing the live camera feed, according to the SCMP.
The man was convicted of unlawfully recording private images and sentenced to five months’ imprisonment. According to the SCMP, he was also fined NT$150,000 ($8000).
Under Taiwanese law, it is a criminal offence to secretly film, record, observe or otherwise intrude on another person’s private activities, conversations or bodily privacy without their consent or a legitimate reason.
A conviction can result in a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment, detention, or a fine of up to NT$300,000 ($16,170).
