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recently, a secret camera was found in a guesthouse in shijiazhuang, hebei province. the news that some operators "besieged" the discoverer of the secret camera once again exposed the ugly phenomenon of secret camera to the public, and the incident has been on the hot search many times. in recent years, there have been many incidents of hidden cameras in hotels and guesthouses. what kind of profit chain is there behind the secret camera? where did the secretly filmed videos go? what legal responsibilities should the relevant parties bear? let's take a look.

three people were arrested for installing cameras in the guesthouse room

recently, a popular blogger with millions of fans, "shadows don't lie", posted a video on social media, revealing that they found multiple hidden cameras in several b&bs in xinhua district, shijiazhuang. the video shows that the blogger received a tip from netizens that "someone installed hidden cameras in an apartment room in huaqiang plaza, xinhua district, shijiazhuang", so he and his friends went to the apartment in question, used the equipment to locate the room with a hidden camera, and after obtaining the consent of the two women staying in the room, found the hidden camera hidden in the air conditioning duct in the room, and then called the police.

a hidden camera was found in a homestay in shijiazhuang, hidden in the air conditioning duct.

the video posted by the blogger showed that after they found the camera, they were surrounded by many people, insulted, beaten and threatened. afterwards, the police took the blogger and others to the police station. the video presented by the blogger also showed that in the early morning of the 16th, their vehicle tires were deflated and the license plate number was also painted.

on the evening of the 24th, the xinhua branch of the shijiazhuang public security bureau issued a police report through its official wechat public account, saying that on september 23, 2024, a netizen posted a video showing that he had a conflict with the owner of a homestay and others while searching for hidden cameras in an apartment in xinhua district. at 15:02 and 20:14 on september 15, 2024, the bureau received reports from the public that a pinhole camera was found in a room in an apartment. the bureau immediately sent police to the scene to deal with the situation, seized the pinhole camera on the spot, and immediately filed a case for investigation and evidence collection.

after days of work, the police arrested the suspects wang mouhua (male, 27 years old, from dingzhou city), wang moujie (male, 27 years old, from dingzhou city), and li mou (male, 24 years old, from dingzhou city) on september 24, 2024, and took criminal compulsory measures in accordance with the law. after interrogation, the three confessed to the crime of secretly installing online-purchased monitoring equipment in the guest room while staying there to make illegal profits.

in addition, some homestay owners believed that the behavior of the video publisher affected their business, which led to conflicts, during which extreme behaviors such as pushing and insulting occurred. at present, the police have imposed public security penalties on the offenders li ru (male, 54 years old, from shenze county), zhang hua (male, 32 years old, from yangyuan county), and li ping (female, 39 years old, from pingshan county) who are suspected of disturbing public order.

there are many cases of hidden cameras in hotels

it is reported that incidents of hidden cameras in hotels have occurred many times in recent years.

in september 2021, a couple in zhoukou, henan, was secretly photographed while staying in a hotel. they came to zhoukou for tourism and stayed in a hotel. after staying overnight, they woke up the next morning and accidentally found a pinhole camera on the air conditioning hose. the hotel manager said that he was also a victim. the victimized couple claimed 30,000 yuan in compensation, and the hotel said it could only bear 10,000 yuan at most.

in december 2021, the police in changzhou, jiangsu province, cracked down on a black industry chain of illegal installation, uploading, sharing, and trading of hidden cameras, and arrested 37 suspects. the case involved hotels in multiple cities in sichuan, yunnan, and guizhou provinces, and the suspects made illegal profits of more than 200,000 yuan. after solving the case, the police removed more than a dozen hidden webcams installed in hotels in multiple cities in the three provinces.

workers are removing hidden cameras. internet photo

in january 2022, the public security department of huzhou, zhejiang received a report that a camera may have been installed in a hotel room in the jurisdiction, and the recorded video was uploaded to a pornographic website. the police investigated the hotel involved and found a camera in a room. the public security organs arrested 7 suspects including shi. it is reported that the hidden camera equipment in this case is distributed in many locations, involving multiple cities inside and outside zhejiang province. the suspects uploaded the illegally filmed videos involving privacy to the internet, used qq groups to divert traffic, and let people watch and make profits. the spread was wide and the impact was very bad.

in november 2022, a woman named ms. wang from loudi, hunan, was staying in a hotel in loudi alone when her private photos were secretly taken by a hidden camera. a strange man then demanded 100,000 yuan from her and said he would send the photos to her unit and relatives and friends. the hotel involved then called the police.

in october 2023, a couple in guangxi complained to the media that they had stayed in a hotel in nanning for three months a year ago, and now suddenly received a video from a stranger. there were a total of 5 private videos of him and his girlfriend, as well as their id numbers and mobile phone numbers. the two went to the hotel and found that the hidden camera had not been removed. the hotel involved said that the hotel was also a victim and they had also reported to the police.

there is a chain of interests behind the secretly filmed videos

according to media investigations, the secretly filmed pictures and videos are not limited to hotel rooms. some women are photographed while using the toilet, bathing, and under their skirts. where do these secretly filmed pictures and videos end up? media reporters found that many of the secretly filmed pictures and videos were uploaded to the internet for netizens to browse and divert traffic. some were also packaged and sold in secret filming groups and social software. the privacy of those who were secretly filmed has become a tool for others to make money.

a reporter from china national radio once joined a social networking group for an undercover investigation. after some manipulation in the group, the reporter was pulled into a large group of more than a thousand people, where there were a small number of secretly filmed videos. later, the reporter joined a paid svip group. there were only 200 to 300 people here, but more than 1,000 secretly filmed videos were uploaded, and they were updated at a frequency of 20 to 30 videos per day. during the investigation, the reporter also found that some secretly filmed groups were clearly classified by "fetishes" and set up with themes such as "toilet filming", "hotel filming" and "bath filming".

where do these secretly filmed videos come from? it is understood that some criminals specialize in secretly filming indecent videos, some specialize in purchasing and collecting secretly filmed videos, and some people exchange them by uploading their own secretly filmed "works". an "industry insider" revealed that his picture package resources were purchased from an "industry boss" who specializes in secretly filming models and internet celebrities, and a set of resources can be sold for more than 6,000 yuan.

the beijing news reporter also found in an undercover investigation that in a certain private chat software, there are a large number of group chats that share and sell private pictures and videos. a large number of users enter the group chats through paid invitations to watch or obtain these videos. these group chats are usually divided into two categories. one is the free preview group, whose main function is to attract members to pay to join the membership group. the other is the paid membership group, which is usually priced below 200 yuan. users are invited to join the group chat after paying. the beijing news reporter found that the number of members in these group chats ranged from hundreds to tens of thousands.

a private chat software contains information about selling private pictures and videos. network map

xiao ni (pseudonym), who has been engaged in website operation for many years, also revealed that secretly filmed videos and pictures can be easily found on paid websites. users can unlock download permissions by recharging and purchasing currency on the website. he provided the reporter with a website called "xx forum". after opening it, it can be seen that there are a large number of secretly filmed videos and pictures in the forum. the reporter found that some of these secretly filmed videos and pictures were taken in hotels through pinhole cameras, and some were taken with handheld hidden cameras. according to xiao ni, these secretly filmed videos or pictures are mainly uploaded by the secretly filmed or sold to the group owner of the secretly filmed group, who then packages and resells them.

some people even revealed that a small number of b&b operators were also involved. according to jiupai finance, xiaona (pseudonym), a former b&b owner, told reporters that as early as 2017, when she was still running a b&b, many b&b colleagues took the initiative to install cameras in the rooms when renovating rough houses. each room had at least 3-5 cameras, which would be synchronized to the cloud for live broadcast.

"more importantly, these cameras that are buried deep during renovation are often difficult to detect and can remain for a long time." xiaona said that some homestay owners usually decorate the houses exquisitely and set the room prices very low. love rooms, internet celebrity rooms, and various theme rooms near schools and scenic spots are the hardest hit areas for voyeurism.

according to xiaona, some b&b owners earn up to five figures a day by selling secretly filmed videos or live broadcast viewing rights. these people usually have a team and form a mature industry chain - the b&b owner is responsible for providing the filmed videos and live broadcast resources, and others sell them on the internet. a b&b owner once recommended her to join, but xiaona refused.

hidden camera equipment can be easily purchased online

to take secret photos, you cannot do without secret camera equipment. a media reporter's investigation found that the sale and modification of some miniature cameras and pinhole cameras are very common on online shopping platforms, especially private chat software. as long as the customer confirms his needs and pays a deposit, the merchant can send the secret camera equipment or modified set of secret camera products to the customer by express delivery.

in a private chat software, the reporter found a secret camera communication group through keyword search and other methods. the reporter "lurked" and observed for a few days and found that from time to time, group members discussed the purchase, modification, and use of secret camera equipment. in this chat software, there are also sellers of secret camera equipment who post relevant information. the reporter contacted one of the sellers, who provided several product sample pictures, bluetooth speakers, ashtrays, sneakers, shampoo bottles, these seemingly ordinary items actually hide micro cameras. "all modified products with pinhole cameras are sold at a uniform price of 1,000 yuan." the seller said.

the reporter found that these hidden camera devices are not only sold on private chat software, but can also be bought on online shopping platforms. however, you cannot enter keywords such as "pinhole camera" and "hidden camera". you must search with other keywords. for example, on a shopping platform, the reporter searched for "law enforcement device". one of the modified "law enforcement devices" is almost a hidden camera device. the text description says that "the light will not be turned on when shooting". the price starts at 30 yuan. it has recording and video recording functions. the shape and size are the same as a voice recorder. there is also a "wireless monitor" on this shopping platform. the propaganda column says "no network and no electricity, 4k ultra-clear picture quality, ultra-clear night vision". many users in the comment area below shared their shopping experience, saying that "it is well concealed and works without light or sound."

there are also buyers who posted pictures to show their favorable reviews. in the pictures, a button-like camera is sewn on a stuffed toy. if you don't look carefully, you can't tell which is the button and which is the camera. the reporter looked through the comments and found that many users bought this camera because of its concealment.

experts: increase the intensity of punishment for illegal acts

in recent years, relevant departments have stepped up efforts to crack down on the chaos of voyeurism. from may 2021 to the end of 2021, the central cyberspace affairs office, together with the ministry of industry and information technology, the ministry of public security, and the state administration for market regulation, has deepened the centralized governance of camera peeping and other black industries. the central cyberspace affairs office guided local cyberspace affairs offices to urge various platforms to clean up more than 22,000 related illegal and harmful information, deal with more than 4,000 platform accounts and 132 groups, and remove more than 1,600 illegal products. 14 video surveillance app manufacturers with hidden dangers of privacy video information leakage were interviewed and urged to complete rectification.

in 2022, during the "hundred-day action" of summer security crackdown and rectification deployed by the ministry of public security, the cyber security departments of public security organs across the country severely cracked down on the illegal production, installation, and control of network cameras and other eavesdropping and stealing equipment, as well as secretly filming and peeping crimes in accordance with the law. more than 140 cases have been solved, more than 40 illegal production bases of eavesdropping and stealing equipment have been destroyed, more than 380 criminal suspects have been arrested, and more than 100,000 pieces of special equipment and parts for eavesdropping and stealing have been seized.

regarding the legal responsibilities of all parties in the voyeurism incident, hu yunyun, a lawyer at beijing yinghe law firm, believes that, on the one hand, it is necessary to strengthen source control, strengthen supervision of the production and sales of special equipment for eavesdropping and stealing photos, strengthen the qualification management of manufacturers, and major e-commerce platforms should also review sensitive products sold by merchants, urge merchants to register consumers' purchasing behavior with real names, and make the source and destination of the relevant equipment traceable; on the other hand, it is necessary to continuously improve relevant laws and regulations, increase the punishment of related illegal acts, and increase the cost of violations.

zheng zhenghao, a lawyer at beijing weiheng (guangzhou) law firm, believes that the behavior of secretly filming in hotel rooms and selling goods for profit should be analyzed according to the specific circumstances of each case. in some cases, although secretly filmed, the number of dissemination is limited, the illegal income is small, or the defendant has a lighter or mitigated situation in the case, which may affect the final sentencing. if some secretly filmed people form a large black and gray criminal industry chain with some criminal gangs, and the number of secretly filmed videos disseminated and the amount of illegal profits obtained reach the standard of "particularly serious circumstances" stipulated by the law, the consequences will be particularly serious, and they will also be severely punished and face more than ten years in prison or even life imprisonment.

if a hotel or homestay is secretly photographed, does the hotel need to bear responsibility? zhou lei, a lawyer at beijing jianhao law firm, said that from the perspective of the legal relationship of tort, the principle of fault liability applies to guests being secretly photographed. "if the tortfeasor cannot be found, the hotel's tort liability cannot generally be pursued. unless there is evidence that the secret photography was done by the hotel and its employees, or that they provided assistance to the secret photography." however, from the perspective of the contractual legal relationship, a contractual legal relationship of accommodation is established between the tenant and the hotel, and the hotel should protect the personal safety of the guests, including privacy.

in january 2024, the guangdong provincial department of justice issued the "guangdong provincial hotel industry public security management regulations (draft for comments)" (hereinafter referred to as the "draft for comments"), and publicly solicited opinions from the public. the deadline is january 26, 2024. among them, the review of the relevant regulations on hotel anti-voyeurism has caused heated discussions. it is worth noting that the draft for comments specifically emphasizes that hotels should organize regular inspections to ensure that no peeping, secretly photographing, eavesdropping and other equipment are installed in the guest rooms. hotels or their staff who violate the regulations will be punished in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.