Trainee Aesthetician Jailed for Leaking Client Medical Photos in Taiwan

A trainee aesthetician in Hsinchu has been sentenced to three months in prison for illegally sharing a client's private medical photos. The individual, identified by the surname Deng, worked at a medical aesthetics clinic in Hsinchu County.

According to the court's findings, Deng used Instagram direct messages on April 1, last year, to send comparison photos of a female client's breasts before and after a breast augmentation surgery. She also included post-operative images and captions such as "F cup" and "Our clinic did her breasts."

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F cup

The court determined that medical records and information are considered special personal data under Taiwan's Personal Data Protection Act and are legally protected privacy matters. Deng, through her work, gained access to the client's surgical information, which was not publicly available. The client had a reasonable expectation of privacy regarding her medical treatment, especially since she had not publicly disclosed where she underwent the procedure.

By transmitting this sensitive medical data to a friend without the client's consent and outside the scope of her job's purpose, Deng infringed upon the client's privacy and right to control her personal information. The judge noted Deng's lack of respect for the client's privacy, deeming her actions inappropriate. The sentence was handed down for the crime of illegal use of personal data by a non-public entity.

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Our clinic did her breasts.