Detection of hidden camera in Taichung store triggers more inspections

Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Inspections of retail spaces will extend to 17 big-box and department stores starting Friday, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said Wednesday, after a camera invading customers' privacy was found in a fitting room at a local store.

Lu said at a press conference that city inspections for illegal hidden cameras previously focused on cosmetic surgery clinics, sports facilities with changing rooms, and saunas.

Starting Friday, the city will also inspect around 17 department stores and other big-box stores with fitting rooms in Taichung, as they could be "hot spots" for covert filming.

The move came in response to the discovery of a surveillance camera pointing toward a mirror inside a fitting room at the Under Armour store on the fourth floor of Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Taichung.

The woman who wrote about the situation in a post on Threads on Monday said she reported the situation to police right away, and that the police found that the camera had recorded "inappropriate footage."

Taichung police said they seized the surveillance system's host computer and cameras and questioned LaLaport and Under Armour staff before handing the case over to the Taichung District Prosecutors Office, though no suspects have yet been identified.

The Taichung City Economic Development Bureau said Tuesday that Under Armour had removed the camera, and its headquarters launched a full inspection of surveillance equipment and camera angles at its directly managed stores across Taiwan.

Taichung LaLaport has hidden camera detectors installed, and private areas such as restrooms and fitting rooms are inspected regularly, while sales spaces are checked by floor staff assigned to each level, the bureau said.

The bureau has asked other department stores to strengthen inspections of restrooms and breastfeeding rooms, it said.