Man jailed for using smartphone during Chinese medicine exam in Taiwan

A man has been sentenced to 55 days in detention for attempting to cheat on a national Chinese medicine exam in Taiwan by using a smartphone. The incident occurred during the second stage of the Higher Civil Service Examination for Chinese Medicine Physicians in June 2025. Examination proctors caught the man repeatedly looking at his phone, which was hidden near his thigh, and browsing data. The phone was still warm when confiscated. The man denied the charges, claiming he was merely trying to silence his phone's vibrating alarm to avoid a violation. His defense argued that there was no concrete evidence of him searching the internet or transmitting data, and that operating the phone was merely an administrative rule violation, not a criminal offense. However, the judge found his explanation implausible. The court noted that turning off a phone takes less than a minute, yet the man spent 20 minutes interacting with it before being removed from the examination room. The judge concluded that he was either searching for exam-related information or browsing pre-stored data to gain an unfair advantage. The court emphasized the integrity of national examinations and professional certifications, stating that the man's actions showed a lack of respect for other candidates. Considering his denial of guilt and his status as a practicing Chinese medicine physician, he was convicted of attempted obstruction of examination.

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The process of turning off an iPhone is extremely simple and should not take more than a minute. However, the defendant spent 20 minutes from being discovered using the phone to being escorted out of the examination room. If he were only trying to turn it off, it should not have taken so long.