A Taiwanese court has confirmed damages against a couple who secretly recorded their upstairs neighbor for well over a year, a warning that noise complaints do not license constant surveillance.

• A couple in a Taipei apartment installed listening and recording gear in their ceiling and kept it running almost nonstop for 17 months.
• They said they were gathering proof of noise from the flat above, but the recordings picked up the neighbors' private conversations and daily life.
• The High Court doubted the excuse: they started recording months before ever raising the noise issue, and never called police, the environmental agency, or other residents.
• Even accepting the motive, the court said the method went far beyond what was reasonable and broke the principle of proportionality.
• The ruling is final, and the pair must pay compensation.

Outlook: The decision sets a clear line for Taiwan's apartment disputes — document noise through official channels, not hidden microphones.