偷拍照惊现校内网 校园偷窥亟待解决

IT'S a scorching hot summer afternoon. Xiao Zou (not her real name) returns to her dorm room after lunch, but the curtains are drawn shut. Her three roommates are sweating in the small space, afraid to let in even a small breeze.

"I'm so afraid the [Peeping Tom might take a picture of] me," said Zou, a sophomore at Hainan Normal College.

Last week, around 200 pictures of female students wearing underwear or nothing at all were posted on xiaonei , one of the largest online student communities in China. The female students were quickly identified as those living on the fourth and fifth floors of the No 1 Jinpeng Building in Zou's college.

"On June 23, a friend told me she saw the pictures online," Zou said. She was not in the pictures, as she lives on the first floor. "Because the faces are recognizable, it's a big shame for those who were unfortunately photographed."

Investigation underway

The account through which the photos were uploaded was blocked by the website's administrator on June 24. On June 26, the university offered a reward of 20,000 yuan to find the person(s) who took and uploaded the pictures. Local police are also investigating.

Some people are criticizing administrators of the student dorms online. The women's dorm is located 15 meters away from a male dorm.

"We can see what's happening inside," said a male student surnamed Chen. "The girls are not careful about their privacy, as I often see them hanging around on the balcony, wearing very little." Chen admits that a few of his classmates watch the young women through a telescope.

Lin Min, a law professor at the University of International Business and Economics, said society should not blame the university. "As adults, I think [the young women] should know how to protect their privacy," Lin said.

The pictures are being talked about all over the Web. A June 25 Hainan Daily report ran a picture of a girl wearing only her underwear in a dorm. Some online reports are calling this the "campus version of the sexual pictures scandal". Meanwhile, some websites are running ads promoting downloadable "secret pictures of college women".

"None of these pictures are real. The one on the newspaper is a file photo," said Xiao Shi, a sophomore. "I don't want any such sexual pictures to shame our students."

Tips for protecting your privacy

In the dorm

Hang a curtain around your bed. Don't wander around the corridor wearing only your underwear.

On the bus

Don't wear a low-cut dress on the bus and don't cross your legs when you wear a miniskirt.

On the stairs

Don't wear a miniskirt if you will be climbing a lot of stairs. If you must, try to walk against the armrest while pressing your hand against your skirt.