Chinese woman under investigation for alleged offenses against privacy

Taipei, May 26 (CNA) A Chinese national is being investigated for suspected offenses against privacy after recently live streaming elementary school students getting off from school in Taipei, according to police on Monday.

The individual was later identified by her surname Liu (劉), a 52-year-old Chinese who is married to a Taiwanese and lives in Taiwan, the Songshan police precinct said.

The case was brought to light by Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華), who described the May 15 incident in the city's Minsheng community in a Facebook post.

Citing what she learned from concerned parents, Hsu of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party said a Chinese social media streamer was allegedly filming their children on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, despite being repeatedly told by them not to.

The streamer only stopped when the parents threatened to call the police on her, Hsu said.

When law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, the streamer had already left, but based on footage from nearby surveillance cameras, the person was later tracked down the following day and brought in for questioning, police said.

Liu, who lives near the school, told police that she was simply sharing her daily life in Taiwan and its local customs through livestreams.

As the complaints were filed by the city councilor, the precinct said the case will be investigated by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office for suspected violations of the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act and offenses against privacy under the Criminal Code.

Filming individuals without their consent may infringe upon portrait rights, and distributing images of minors online may violate the children and youth protection law, police said.