SOFIA, Bulgaria: Bulgarian prosecutors on Feb 4 said they have opened an investigation and conducted searches after beauty salon customers complained that photos of them had appeared on pornographic websites.
The investigation into the possession and distribution of pornographic material involves two of the most popular salons in the eastern city of Burgas, on the Black Sea coast.
City prosecutor Shtelyan Dimitrov said searches and seizures were carried out at several addresses, where "technical devices linked to the criminal activity have been identified".
Rosen Diev, a lawyer representing about 20 victims, including a minor and a young girl, said the number of potential victims could run into the hundreds.
Images of naked women were shared on the messaging platform Telegram, as well as on more than 10 subscription-based pornographic websites, the lawyer added.
Dimitrov said that to date, "the distribution and access to more than 100 video files containing images of the salons have been halted."
He did not specify where the servers and domains in question were located, but indicated that the Bulgarian authorities had asked for assistance from foreign partners.
Telegram said in a statement to AFP that sharing explicit content without consent is strictly prohibited by its terms of use, insisting that such content is removed as soon as it is discovered.
Bulgaria's commission for the protection of personal data for its part announced that "administrative procedures have been initiated, including inspections" in the country's beauty salons.
It said in a statement that the recordings did not show the faces of the people concerned.
Prosecutors in the central town of Kazanlak also announced that they had opened an investigation following media testimonies from women denouncing the same practice.
It ordered an inspection of salons to establish whether video surveillance cameras had been installed and to determine if unauthorised images had been shown online.
The Nova TV channel meanwhile reported on Wednesday that images from a gynaecology practice in the capital, Sofia, had also surfaced.
The country's health ministry said in a statement that Health Minister Silvi Kirilov had ordered the Sofia regional health inspectorate to investigate and that a camera had been found in the doctor's office. – AFP
