A Taiwanese man who used a robot vacuum cleaner to catch his wife having an affair has been sentenced to five months in prison for violating her privacy.
The bizarre case, reported by Taiwanese media on Friday, began after the man became suspicious of his wife’s relationship with another man.
The couple, who married in 2021, lived with the man’s parents and also owned a vacation home that they visited during holidays. 
His suspicions reportedly began when he discovered an unfamiliar toothbrush at the vacation property. He later reviewed surveillance footage from the parking area and noticed a man who had previously driven his wife home from work.
Although his wife denied having an affair when confronted, the husband eventually discovered evidence suggesting that she had been unfaithful.
According to reports, he later remotely activated the robot vacuum cleaner through its mobile application, intending to surprise his wife by speaking to her through the device.
However, when he accessed the machine’s camera, he discovered his wife with the man he had previously suspected of being her lover.
Rather than immediately confronting them, the husband continued recording, intending to use the footage as evidence in a legal action.
He subsequently sued his wife and the other man, seeking NT$2 million (about $68,000) in compensation for the affair.
A court later found that the relationship had gone beyond the boundaries of ordinary friendship and ordered the pair to pay him NT$500,000 in compensation.
However, the husband’s victory was short-lived after his wife filed a counter-lawsuit over the recording.
The court ruled that although the footage helped establish the affair, the husband had violated the privacy rights of the two people by recording their private activities without their consent.
The man argued that his actions were justified because he was investigating his wife’s infidelity, but the court rejected the argument, ruling that marital obligations did not override an individual’s right to privacy.
Under Taiwanese law, secretly recording or disclosing another person’s private activities or information without consent can attract a prison sentence of up to three years and a fine of up to NT$300,000.
The husband was ultimately sentenced to five months in prison and fined NT$150,000.
