The news that dominated Hong Kong's airwaves this past week has been the scandal regarding Internet leaks of nude photos of several celebrities, subsequently picked up and published by a major news weekly, Next Magazine.  The latest development in this sordid tale has been a video statement by the star at the center of the scandal, Edison Chen, in which he practically admits the photos are genuine.  Apparently they were stolen off his PC while it was under repair at an IT service outlet.

Normally this kind of news is a dime a dozen and not particularly noteworthy, but this case, apart from the massive media attention, has many layers to it that are thought provoking:

Privacy of information and freedom of speech.  By publishing the photos, did Next Magazine overstep its bounds and invade the privacy of Edison Chen and four other female celebrities in the nude photos? As public figures, how far can they enjoy protection of their privacy and likeness?

Is copying photos for non-commercial purposes theft?  By copying the images off Chen's hard disk, did the IT professional who was arrested commit a crime? Was it a crime only when he uploaded them to the Internet, or did he commit the crime when he copied them off the PC? What about the thousands of people who downloaded them, did they commit a crime?

Did the Hong Kong police overstep their bounds? The media widely reported that the police devoted almost a hundred officers to finding the culprit who uploaded the photos, arresting up to eight people in the process, including those that only disseminated the photos.  Was this a gross misuse of taxpayers' funds? Do celebrities get special treatment under the law?

Any publicity is good publicity? Edison Chen, who has endorsement deals with Levi's among many others, continues to enjoy the support of his principals, with a spokesperson for Levis' publicly stating they have renewed his 2008 contract.  Is Levi doing harm to its brand by continuing to support Chen?

Can we trust photos anymore? Initial controversy swirled around the question of whether the photos were doctored, with proponents on both camps putting forward convincing arguments.  "Photoshopped" photos in the news media is not new in Asia, especially in entertainment media, but as this controversy spilled over into the traditional news channels, the argument does beg some interesting ethical questions.