BEIJING: A shocking case of digital exploitation has triggered national outrage in China after it was revealed that a massive Telegram group with over 100,000 members was sharing voyeuristic and AI-generated pornographic content of women. Victims were often recorded without their knowledge in private settings like bedrooms and bathrooms using pinhole cameras hidden in everyday objects.
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Secret Recordings and AI Manipulation
The scandal came to light after a woman, Ming*, discovered a hidden camera in her bedroom. Initially hoping it was part of a romantic gesture, she soon found that her boyfriend had been secretly recording her, her friends, and other women in different locations. He then used artificial intelligence tools to generate explicit content based on the footage. After being confronted, he reportedly begged for forgiveness but turned hostile when denied.
The case is not isolated. Many Chinese women have been covertly filmed and their images circulated in encrypted groups such as “MaskPark tree hole forum” on Telegram. Most members of these groups are male, and the material is believed to be traded and distributed widely.
Censorship, Legal Hurdles and Public Outrage
Despite Chinese laws that criminalise distributing pornography and allow detention for non-consensual photography, legal experts say current regulations fall short. Lawyer Xirui*, who specialises in gender-based harm cases in Beijing, noted that victims face significant burdens in proving digital crimes, especially with statutes of limitations as short as six months for public security complaints.
Online, public anger has grown, but so has censorship. Eric Liu, a former content moderator for the Chinese platform Weibo, stated that large-scale removal of feminist and socially impactful content related to the MaskPark case has been observed. “If the government wanted to shut it down, they could,” he said, pointing to China’s past ability to infiltrate overseas online spaces.
While Chinese authorities have yet to formally acknowledge or prosecute the group’s organisers, the case has reignited calls for legal reforms and robust protections for women in digital spaces.
The MaskPark scandal underscores the growing risks faced by women in an increasingly digital world, especially when surveillance and AI collide unchecked.