Kaohsiung Cram School Teacher Sentenced for Secretly Filming Students and Creating AI-Synthesized Swimsuit Photos

(CNA, Kaohsiung, 21st, by reporter Hung Hsueh-kuang) A cram school teacher in Kaohsiung, surnamed Chen, who attempted to secretly film up a student's skirt at a cram school and illegally collected student photos to create synthetic bikini pictures using artificial intelligence (AI), has been sentenced by the court to 1 year, 6 months, and 11 months respectively for violating the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act and the Personal Data Protection Act. According to the verdict from the Taiwan Kaohsiung District Court, the man, surnamed Chen, began teaching at a cram school in Kaohsiung City in April 2023. From May to June 2024, he attempted to take upskirt photos of a student with his mobile phone within the cram school but was unsuccessful as the view was blocked by her skirt. In July and August of the same year, he illegally collected photos of two students and, at his rental home, used AI software to synthesize bikini photos by combining the students' pictures with original images of an unknown woman. Furthermore, between 2024 and 2025, Chen repeatedly, without his then-girlfriend's consent, took screenshots or secretly filmed his girlfriend's naked private parts and sexual acts. He even sent these images to a friend via the LINE messaging app. Separately, in 2022, he committed an indecent act with another woman on a high-speed rail train, constituting the offense of public indecency. During the trial, the Kaohsiung District Court judge considered that Chen, as a cram school teacher, should have ensured a safe learning environment for students. Instead, for his own selfish desires, he disregarded the autonomy of minors and women, severely harming the victims' psychological and physical development. The judge noted that Chen had no prior criminal record, and apart from denying some offenses of secretly filming his ex-girlfriend, he admitted to the rest of his crimes. He has also reached a settlement with one woman and is paying compensation in installments; no settlement has been reached with the other victims. The court consolidated the charges and, based on the Child and Youth Welfare and Rights Protection Act, the Personal Data Protection Act, and the Criminal Code's offense against sexual privacy, handed down a combined sentence. For the portion not commutable to a fine or social labor, an imprisonment of 1 year is to be executed. For the portion commutable to social labor but not a fine, an imprisonment of 6 months is to be executed. For the portion commutable to a fine, an imprisonment of 11 months is to be executed, with the fine set at NT$1,000 per day. The entire case can still be appealed.