The New Taipei City District Court yesterday granted prosecutors’ request to have two staff of cosmetic chain Dr Shine’s branch in New Taipei City detained incommunicado for allegedly installing surveillance equipment disguised as a smoke detector in treatment rooms.
The investigations came amid a similar privacy controversy surrounding the Airlee Group Co cosmetics store chain.
Dr Shine has 14 branches across Taiwan, including five in New Taipei City.
Photo: Hsu Sheng-lun, Taipei Times
On Friday, New Taipei City prosecutors and police, along with staff from the New Taipei City Health Bureau, conducted eight-hour-plus searches at five Dr Shine branches.
At the Banciao Jhongshan, Banciao Guancian and Sanchong Jhengyi locations, officers found alleged signs that surveillance equipment had been removed and recovered wiring believed to be from dismantled cameras in ceilings.
Three people were questioned, while computer hard drives and member records were seized.
Later yesterday, another five people from the three branches were taken to the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning.
Among them, a manager surnamed Chen (陳) and an IT department supervisor surnamed Tang (唐) from the Jhongshan branch were initially questioned as witnesses.
Clients allegedly had been secretly filmed in private areas without their knowledge, with some of them suspected to be minors, authorities said.
Chen and Tang were named as defendants, with prosecutors suspecting them of unauthorized filming, contraventions of the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) and attempted production of sexual images of minors under the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act (兒童及少年性剝削防制條例).
Citing risks of collusion and evidence tampering, the court ordered both men to be held in custody without visitation rights.
Separately, Taipei’s Sainteir cosmetic clinic was on Friday accused of secretly installing pinhole cameras in treatment rooms.
Police yesterday conducted on-site inspections, but found no hidden cameras or signs of tampering.
The clinic’s manager, surnamed Lee (李), has been taken in for routine questioning, police said.
Additional reporting by Liu Ching-ho
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
RSS