A man, referred to as Ah Qiang, faced severe legal consequences after attempting to extort money and publicly disclose private information on Facebook following a dispute involving his girlfriend, Xiao Hua, and her sugar daddy, A.
Court records reveal that Ah Qiang and Xiao Hua were in a relationship. Xiao Hua had previously met A online and entered into a sugar arrangement with him. When Ah Qiang learned about this, he demanded that A falsify his ID to hide his marital status. A complied, altered the marital information on his ID, and sent a photo to Xiao Hua, who then forwarded it to Ah Qiang. The situation escalated further when Xiao Hua accused A of non-consensual sexual activity and threatened legal action, prompting Ah Qiang to intervene aggressively.
On September 10, 2022, Ah Qiang sent A threatening messages, demanding a payment of MYR 13,500 (approx. NT$90,000) and warning him not to “take chances.” A chose to report the matter to authorities and did not transfer any money. Undeterred, Ah Qiang posted on the Facebook group “爆料公社” on September 13, revealing A’s altered ID, alleged extramarital activities, and even details about A’s spouse’s profession and name.
The Qiaotou District Court ruled that Ah Qiang knowingly violated the law by publicly disclosing personal information, breaching Article 41 of the Personal Data Protection Act. Coupled with the attempted extortion, the court noted the offenses were distinct and required separate punishment. The judge emphasized that, despite acting on behalf of his girlfriend, Ah Qiang’s use of threats and exposure of private data caused serious harm to A’s reputation and privacy.
During the trial, Ah Qiang admitted guilt, expressed remorse, and reached a settlement with the victim. The court sentenced him to three months in prison for attempted extortion and three months for illegal use of personal data, to be served concurrently for a total of five months, with the option of converting the sentence to fines at MYR 450 per day (approx. NT$1,000). He also received a two-year probation and was ordered to pay MYR 120,000 (approx. NT$90,000) to the public treasury within one year.
