Hundreds of Thousands Involved in 'Chinese Nth Room' Scandal... Authorities Focus on Censorship and Control

Illegal Recordings Shared Systematically in Telegram Chat Rooms
Low Penalties and Lack of Specific Legal Provisions for Pornography
Subgroups with Over 200,000 Subscribers Also Exist

In China, a large-scale digital sex crime targeting women has occurred, involving the sharing of illegal recordings and sexually exploitative materials in Telegram chat rooms. With hundreds of thousands of participants, this group digital sex crime has been dubbed the "Chinese Nth Room," and there are growing calls across various sectors of society for severe punishment and institutional reform. However, despite public outcry, Chinese authorities remain silent, instead censoring posts that expose the crimes or urge action by deleting them.

In China, digital sex crimes similar to the Nth Room case have occurred every year from 2020 to last year. Commonly, encrypted communication services such as Telegram, Baidu, QQ, and anonymous platforms using overseas servers were used, with most victims being Chinese women. Asia Economy DB

On August 25, Yonhap News, citing reports from CNN in the United States and ABC in Australia, reported that while a large-scale sex crime involving hundreds of thousands of people through Telegram has recently emerged in China, the authorities are intensifying censorship by deleting posts about the crimes. Earlier, on August 3, Southern Metropolis Daily in China and Reuters in the UK reported that photos and videos of women, secretly taken, were being indiscriminately shared in a Telegram chat room known as "Maskpark Sudongluntan."

This chat room, which is believed to be comprised mostly of Chinese men, has more than 100,000 anonymous users. Among at least 20 subgroups linked to the chat room, some have been found to have more than 220,000 subscribers. According to foreign media reports, these groups are operated for the purpose of sexual exploitation, classifying victims by type, physical characteristics, and specific situations.

Revelations Spread Through Social Media

It has also been reported that some groups are selling illegal recording equipment. Singaporean media outlet Lianhe Zaobao stated, "Cameras are hidden in everyday items such as water cups and power strips, and recordings are being made in various locations including public restrooms, subways, shopping malls, and even hospital ultrasound rooms." In addition, personal information such as Instagram accounts is being distributed along with the photos and videos.

Among the at least 20 subgroups linked to the chat room, some have been found to have over 220,000 subscribers. According to foreign media reports, these groups are categorized and operated based on victim types, physical characteristics, or specific situations for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Asia Economy DB

As soon as the existence of the chat room became public last month, various revelations began to surface on Chinese social networking services. On Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, users reported that obscene photos and videos secretly taken of girlfriends, wives, daughters, and even mothers were being circulated. Chinese netizens have named this incident "Maskpark," referring to it as the "Chinese Nth Room case" and expressing outrage.

The "Nth Room case" refers to a digital sex crime in South Korea from 2018 to 2020, in which women were blackmailed into producing and distributing sexually exploitative materials through Telegram. The incident sparked massive protests across South Korea and led to significant legal and institutional changes regarding digital sex crimes. The main perpetrators, Cho Joo-bin and Moon Hyung-wook, were sentenced to 40 and 36 years in prison, respectively. Reuters pointed out that the Maskpark case, which also involves the sale of recording equipment, is "an even more secretive and structurally autonomous digital exploitation network than South Korea's Nth Room."

China's Lax Digital Sex Crime Response System Exacerbates the Damage

Despite the severity of the situation, there are concerns that China's lax digital sex crime response system is exacerbating the damage. Chinese criminal law stipulates that illegal use of wiretapping or filming equipment can result in up to two years of imprisonment, but punishment for digital sex crimes remains a gap. Furthermore, there are no clear regulations holding operators of facilities such as hotels, where illegal cameras are frequently installed, accountable, leaving room for illegal activities. Lianhe Zaobao added, "Most of these cases are resolved with minor administrative penalties, and almost no one faces criminal punishment."

Furthermore, CNN criticized the ruling Chinese Communist Party for its obsession with regime stability, stating that it strictly controls organized actions expressing social movements, dissatisfaction, or dissent, and as an extension of this, is also cracking down hard on campaigns advocating for women's rights. Some women's rights activists in China have expressed pessimism, saying that while this case is similar to South Korea's Nth Room, the outcome will likely be different.

In South Korea, the main perpetrators of the Nth Room case were arrested and sentenced to prison, and punishments for sex crimes were strengthened. In contrast, in China, the level of punishment for similar crimes remains weak. Additionally, since Telegram is blocked in China and must be accessed via virtual private networks (VPNs), it is difficult to secure evidence, and the authorities' lack of enthusiasm for investigations is also seen as a problem.

Zhou Ninghe, a man who has been tracking illegal recordings since 2022, told CNN in an interview that he called the police dozens of times and submitted at least 30 reports to the authorities in charge of cracking down on illegal pornography, but "none of them were handled." A woman in her twenties from Yunnan Province, who reported a man to the police for illegally filming under her skirt on the street two years ago, also recalled, "The male police officer only gave the perpetrator a verbal warning." A woman in her thirties, a lawyer who requested the pseudonym "Franny," said that in China, it is difficult for illegal filming to lead to criminal prosecution unless it results in serious privacy violations, defamation, or other severe consequences.

Meanwhile, in China, digital sex crimes similar to the Nth Room case have occurred every year from 2020 to last year. Commonly, encrypted communication services such as Telegram, Baidu, QQ, or anonymous platforms using overseas servers were used, and most of the victims were Chinese women. However, due to the secretive nature of these crimes in anonymous Telegram chat rooms, it is difficult for victims to recognize their victimization or actively report it, and as a result, the crimes continue to be repeated without being eradicated.