Taiwan man jailed for using robot vacuum to secretly film wife's affair

According to a Taoyuan District Court ruling released on Aug. 18, the unnamed man married his wife in 2021. They lived with his parents but occasionally stayed at a vacation home in Guishan, Taoyuan.

His suspicions began in September 2023 when he found a used toothbrush and other items at the vacation home that appeared to belong to another man. After reviewing surveillance footage from the property's parking garage, he discovered that an unfamiliar man had previously driven his wife there and stayed overnight.

On Dec. 24, 2023, the husband remotely turned on a robot vacuum at the property through a mobile app. He told the court that he initially planned to use the device's communication feature to speak to his wife, according to Taiwanese outlet NextApple.

However, when the robot's live camera showed another man inside the home, he switched on the recording function to collect evidence of a suspected affair. The footage captured his wife embracing the man, changing clothes and appearing naked in his presence.

A person sits next to a working robot vacuum. Photo from Pexels

The husband later sued his wife and the other man for NT$2 million (US$63,000) in compensation using the footage as evidence.

A civil court ruled that their relationship had exceeded the boundaries of ordinary friendship and ordered the pair to jointly pay him NT$500,000, according to the South China Morning Post.

His wife then filed a criminal complaint accusing him of secretly recording her.

The husband admitted making the recording but argued that he had acted to protect his marital rights and obtain proof of infidelity. He also pointed out that the footage had been accepted as evidence in the civil proceedings.

The Taoyuan District Court rejected his defense, saying marital duties do not supersede an individual's right to privacy.

The court acknowledged that evidence of infidelity can be difficult to obtain, but said such evidence must be gathered using methods that minimize invasions of privacy. Being married and owing a duty of fidelity does not give one spouse an unrestricted right to monitor or secretly record the other's private activities, it said.

Judges found that the wife had a reasonable expectation of privacy inside the home, especially while naked. They also determined that the husband deliberately activated the recording feature after seeing another man in the property, meaning the footage was not captured accidentally.

Although the husband argued that the robot vacuum could produce lights or voice notifications while operating, the court said there was insufficient evidence that his wife knew she was being recorded or had agreed to it.

He was found guilty of unlawfully recording another person's sexual images and sentenced to five months in prison. The sentence may be converted into a NT$150,000 fine. The ruling remains subject to appeal.

The case has prompted debate on Taiwanese social media. Some users sympathized with the husband, saying he suffered twice by discovering his wife's affair and then being prosecuted over the way he obtained the evidence.

Others backed the ruling, arguing that marriage does not strip either spouse of the fundamental right to privacy.