Hidden cameras in Chinese hotels Guests discover themselves on porn sites

A night spent in a hotel in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen turned into a nightmare for Hong Kong resident Eric and his girlfriend Emily. Three weeks later, Eric discovered that their private moments in the hotel room had been recorded on a hidden camera and broadcast live to thousands of people.

In a sensational investigation, the BBC reported that Eric had now discovered himself as a victim through the same online channel he used to watch pornography.

According to Eric, he could not believe it at first. The video showed him entering the hotel room, taking down bags, turning on lights, and even having sex. All of this was recorded without their knowledge. According to reports, although the production and distribution of pornography is legally prohibited in China, so-called 'spy-cam porn' has been active there for at least a decade.

The BBC reported that in April 2024, the Chinese government issued new rules requiring hotel owners to regularly check hidden cameras, but in reality the problem has not decreased.

An 18-month investigation by the BBC World Service found that thousands of spy-cam videos are still being recorded from various hotel rooms and sold as porn. This content is mainly being distributed on the banned messaging app Telegram.

During this time, six separate websites and apps were also found. In total, more than 180 hotel rooms have been hidden cameras installed to create videos of private moments. These cameras not only record video, but also broadcast live.

After seven months of monitoring one website, it was found that 54 cameras were active there. Half of them were on at any time. According to the BBC, thousands of hotel guests were unknowingly recorded during this time.

In the past few years, the fear of these hidden cameras has become a regular topic of discussion on Chinese social media. Women in particular are exchanging advice on how to identify cameras. Some are even choosing to enter hotel rooms and spend the night in tents.

The structure behind this industry is even more terrifying. The BBC's investigation found an agent known as 'AKA', who would provide access to a live broadcast website in exchange for 450 yuan per month. The website would show scenes from multiple hotel rooms at once. The cameras would be activated when guests inserted their cards into the rooms. Viewers could also download these videos if they wanted.

A Telegram channel operated by AKA had about 10,000 members. There, viewers would comment on the appearance, speech and sexual relations of guests entering hotel rooms. Women were often attacked with obscene language. A camera was detected in a hotel room in the city of Zhengzhou, which was hidden inside the wall ventilation and connected directly to the power supply. Even the most widely sold camera detectors on the market failed to detect it.

The investigation found the existence of at least a dozen such agents, the BBC reported. Blue Lee, a representative of Hong Kong-based NGO Rainlily, said there was a growing number of requests for help in removing secretly recorded sex videos. But Telegram did not respond to these requests. Despite complaints from the BBC, no effective action was taken.