BEIJING: Thousands of men allegedly shared intimate photos and videos of their girlfriends without consent on the Telegram messaging app, Chinese media reported, sparking widespread outcry against secret filming and calls to better protect women.

Pornography in China is illegal, and conservative social attitudes towards women remain the norm, often reinforced by state media and popular culture.

It comes after a Chinese university expelled a woman this month for "damaging national dignity" over videos posted by a Ukrainian esports player on Telegram suggesting they had been intimate.

The Chinese state-owned 'Southern Daily' reported this week that a woman discovered photos of her taken unknowingly had been shared in a Telegram forum with over 100,000 users, mostly Chinese men.