Police in New Taipei City are investigating after a woman reported that a hidden camera was installed at a cosmetic clinic.
The woman said she visited a branch of a chain cosmetic clinic in the city’s Banciao District (板橋) on Friday last week for a body contouring treatment. While in the treatment room, she noticed a pinhole camera disguised as a smoke detector in a corner of the ceiling.
She said she first questioned a beautician twice and was told the device was a smoke detector. However, she later determined that the actual smoke detector was located elsewhere in the room. After searching online and finding a matching device, she said she became alarmed and reported the incident to police.
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
The woman said she had been partially undressed at the time, prompting her to quickly get dressed, photograph the suspected device as evidence and leave the clinic. In a social media post, she said she had “never imagined something like this could happen,” adding that staff at the popular clinic denied knowledge of the device and referred her to the head office.
Police from the Haishan Precinct and forensic personnel investigated the scene, and confirmed the device was a camera after dismantling it.
The device included markings indicating lens specifications, as well as a set of login credentials, and was connected to a power source via wiring, they said, adding that investigators were working to determine whether the device had been transmitting images via a wireless network.
Authorities have summoned the clinic operator for questioning, police said.
The New Taipei City Department of Health on Sunday said it had not yet received a formal complaint, but had launched an administrative investigation.
If contraventions are confirmed, the clinic could face fines of NT$50,000 to NT$250,000 under Article 103 of the Medical Care Act (醫療法) and the case would be referred to judicial authorities, it said.
The department said that under Article 72 of the act, medical institutions and their staff may not release patient information obtained in the course of their duties without cause. It added that Article 315-1 of the Criminal Code stipulates that anyone who secretly records another person’s non-public activities, speech, conversations or private body parts without consent could face up to three years in prison, detention or a fine of up to NT$300,000.
Additional reporting by Lai Hsiao-tung
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