Is it illegal to expose other people's chat records without the permission of the parties, causing adverse effects on others?

This is illegal. Exposing others' chat records privately is a violation of privacy, and you can ask them to stop the infringement and apologize. The right to privacy is a kind of personality right enjoyed by natural persons to control their private fields, activities and information, and to exclude illegal intrusion by others.

Legal analysis

Chat records are personal communication secrets. Unless the relevant state organs investigate according to law, no other unit or individual has the right to know this information, let alone make it public. Natural persons have the right of personality, such as the peace of private life and the protection of private information secrets according to law, and not being illegally occupied, known, collected, used and made public by others. Moreover, the right subject has the right to decide to what extent others can interfere in their private lives, whether to disclose their privacy to others, and the scope and extent of disclosure. Chat records are personal communication secrets. Unless the relevant state organs investigate according to law, no other unit or individual has the right to know this information, let alone make it public. The content of privacy right includes: the right to personal peace. The right subject may or may not engage in some activities unrelated to social interests, and shall not be interfered, destroyed or dominated by others. Privacy right of personal life information. The right subject has the right to prohibit others from illegally using personal life information. Such as physical defects, health status, life experience, property status, marriage, social relations, beliefs, psychological characteristics and so on. Personal communication confidentiality right. The subject of rights has the right to keep confidential the contents and methods of private letters, telegrams and telephone calls. And prohibit others from illegally eavesdropping or stealing.

legal ground

People's Republic of China (PRC) Civil Code

Article 1032 Natural persons have the right to privacy. No organization or individual may infringe upon the privacy rights of others by spying, harassing, exposing or making public. Privacy is the private space, private activities and private information that natural people live in peace and don't want to be known by others.

Article 103 Unless otherwise provided by law or expressly agreed by the obligee, no organization or individual may commit the following acts: (1) Interfere with the private life and peace of life of others by means of telephone, short messages, instant messaging tools, e-mails, leaflets, etc. ; (2) Entering, taking photos or peeping into other people's private spaces such as houses and hotel rooms; (3) Shooting, peeping, eavesdropping or revealing other people's private activities; (4) Shooting or peeping at the private parts of others' bodies; (5) handling other people's private information; (6) Infringe upon the privacy of others in other ways.