Scandal erupts over mass sharing of intimate images in Telegram Groups in China

Thousands of Chinese men have allegedly shared private photos and videos of their wives and girlfriends without consent via Telegram groups — a scandal that’s sparked outrage across Chinese social media and made international headlines, including from AFP.

• According to Southern Daily, a woman discovered intimate photos of herself had been shared without her knowledge on a Telegram group.
• One such group reportedly had over 100,000 members, primarily from China. Guangming Daily claims the forums included images of ex-girlfriends and wives.
• A major group called “Mask Park” has since been removed, though Southern Daily reports that smaller communities sharing similar content remain active.

Telegram confirmed to AFP that nonconsensual pornography is strictly prohibited:

The sharing of nonconsensual pornography is explicitly forbidden by Telegram’s terms of service and is removed whenever discovered. Moderators proactively monitor public parts of the platform and accept reports in order to remove millions of pieces of harmful content each day, including nonconsensual pornography.

Asian users are flooding social platforms with criticism. One woman said that "women are not 'content' that can be randomly uploaded, viewed, and fantasised about."